D/STs to add on fantasy football waiver wire in Week 3 of 2023 NFL season

We didn’t see a whole lotta defense and special teams in Week 2. The best performance came from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are clearly better than we all thought going into 2023. The Bucs also had what could end up being the top team to target against for D/ST in the Bears. The Dallas Cowboys continue to be a top unit while the Kansas City Chiefs performed better with DT Chris Jones back on the line.

Here we’ll go over some D/ST to target on the waiver wire for Week 3.

Fantasy football waiver wire: D/ST pickups for Week 3

Kansas City Chiefs vs. CHI

Rostership: 39 percent

The Chiefs D/ST should be available in most fantasy football leagues. We’re going to ride the hot hand of playing the D/ST going up against Chicago. The Chiefs at home against the Bears feels too good to pass up. Plus, Jones returning clearly made a big impact. Kansas City held a good Jaguars offense to just nine points in Week 2. The Chiefs’ defense should start to form into a solid fantasy unit moving forward. Grab ‘em now.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. HOU

Rostership: 16 percent

You should be able to target the Jags’ D/ST on your waiver wire given a lot of managers likely dropped them before Week 2’s matchup vs. the Chiefs. Jacksonville gets a good matchup at home vs. the Houston Texans in Week 3. The Texans have only scored 29 points through two games and QB CJ Stroud has taken 11 sacks so far this season. The Jaguars were also able to hold Birthday Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to 17 points on Sunday.

Detroit Lions vs. ATL

Rostership: 9 percent

The Lions defense hasn’t been all that great through two games, allowing 57 total points. In Week 2, Detroit blew a lead against the Seahawks and lost 37-31 in OT. The pass rush has been almost non-existent for Detroit. But a matchup against the Falcons could be a remedy of sorts. While the Falcons beat the Packers 25-24 in Week 2, QB Desmond Ridder could have easily finished with 3-4 INTs. The Lions’ run defense has been solid so far and ATL should run the ball a ton. If Detroit can make Ridder beat them, it could lead to a few turnovers and maybe even a pick-6.

Las Vegas Raiders vs. PIT

Rostership: 1 percent

This is really scrapping the bottom of the barrel but if you’re desperate, the Raiders aren’t a bad streaming option. Las Vegas got blown out by a Buffalo Bills team coming off a tough loss. QB Josh Allen almost always bounces back like that, so the Raiders were doomed from the start of Week 2. The Steelers play on Monday Night Football in Week 2, so somewhat short week for them. We know Pittsburgh won’t have Diontae Johnson for Week 3. We also saw the Steelers allow five sacks, two turnovers, score seven points and total under 300 yards of offense in Week 1. A few sacks, a turnover or two and limit the scoring and the Raiders should give you an OK point total in Week 3.