Will I get ridiculed for this? Maybe. But, for as long as I’ve played fantasy football, I’ve believed that the D/ST position (for leagues that include it) can be a swing slot on your roster. But not if you drafted, like, the San Francisco 49ers D/ST in the eleventh round. That’s just spendthrift behavior.
And, before we poo-poo this position entirely, let us not forget how significantly Brandon Aubrey, Jake Moody, Kai’mi Fairbairn, Austin Seibert, and Daniel Carlson have changed the course of weekly matchups from the K slot in 2024. For better or worse. Right now, offenses are having trouble converting red zone opportunities. This makes D/STs all the more valuable in the season’s early going.
I think the best strategy to employ week-to-week for D/ST is that of a streaming, start ‘em/sit ‘em, pick ‘em up/drop ‘em approach that has you active on waivers every week trying to secure the best matchup.
That said—let’s take a look at a my favorite D/ST streamer for Week 3, and a highly-rostered unit to fade headed into waivers.
Start ‘Em: Indianapolis Colts D/ST (13.2% rostered) vs. Chicago Bears
This is not purely a Kwity Paye pick. Though, I will say, I find it impossible not to love that guy’s verve on the Indy defense. Huge fan.
It might seem, superficially, like this pick is all about the Chicago Bears. And, sure—there’s a lot of that. What was supposed to be a re-energized offense already looks fairly directionless. Odunze probably would have come down with a touchdown pass if not for playing through pain; Keenan Allen is a more consistent sideline coach these days than a player; and D.J. Moore is very unchill. Not to mention, the offensive line has created no room for the running game, and the Bears seem convinced that having Captain Caleb utilize the short game will protect his long-term health.
Smash cut to a weary and battered Caleb Williams looking toward the heavens and biting his lip on the Chicago bench.
I don’t care that the Colts have a total of 5.0 fantasy points on the year. They faced C.J. Stroud and the Texans in Week 1 (not a good matchup for a fantasy defense). In Week 2, Matt LaFleur game-planned it so that the Indy pass rush wasn’t going to get home and bury Malik Willis in the pocket. The Colts only allowed 16 points that game, but where their fantasy score suffered was in the yardage they allowed.
Even with such paltry fantasy points, the Colts still rank 15th in the league in blitzes sent (19) and third in blitz percentage (33.9%). If this unit regresses in the slightest positive direction against the Bears, they’ll have a great week. Blitzes will get home through that weak Bears offensive line. Kwity Paye will live in Caleb Williams’s face.
In fact, I like the Colts D/ST’s next four matchups: Bears, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans. This is a unit that’s trending up, even without DeForest Buckner, and is a top-five play for me this week. Snag them on waivers.
Sit ‘Em: Los Angeles Chargers (63.4% rostered) at Pittsburgh Steelers
I’ve been a Chargers fan long enough to know smoke and mirrors when it’s right in front of me.
I think this unit is much-improved from last season, and there’s certainly more chemistry and momentum among this particular group. But I think we’re seeing the Jim Harbaugh bump on this unit’s ownership. Jesse Minter is a far better defensive coach than Brandon Staley ever was, but I think this might be a more difficult week on the road. But the personnel groupings just aren’t different enough for me to believe (yet!) that the Chargers won’t get blown up one game.
This unit has indeed been impressive, with both 16.0 and 11.0 fantasy points in their first two weeks. They played the Raiders at home and visited the Panthers in those weeks, respectively. Against Bryce Young’s offense on the week prior to his non-injury-related benching, the Chargers only converted two sacks. That’s half of what they had against Minshew and the Raiders at home.
However, I’m wondering a bit if Pittsburgh might approach offense this week like the Packers themselves approached offense against the Colts in Week 2. Minimize any chance that Fields could get stuck in the pocket, minimize sacks, don’t let him play hero ball, commit as few turnovers as possible, etc. Seeing that defenses only generate positive points from forcing turnovers and sacks, I’m fading the Chargers this week.
For all their fantasy points, the Chargers only rank 13th in the league in rushing yards over expected (ROE). We may well see that figure regress closer to the league-average, this week, which would pave the way for the Steelers to give the Chargers a taste of their own medicine and play smash-mouth for sixty minutes. Protect their quarterback and their possessions.
It worked for Malik Willis against the Colts. I think it could work for Fields against the Packers. I even like Fields as a QB streamer this week, should you need one. Could be a get-right game.
For more waiver content here at DraftKings Network, check out my colleague Zach Thompson’s Week 3 waiver wire picks. I also wrote about who to pick up if you need to replace twigs-for-ankles Cooper Kupp.
Set your DraftKings fantasy lineups here: NFL $3.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
