Top 20 DST rankings for Week 2 fantasy football

After a wild Week 1 in the NFL, we learned plenty on the offensive side of the ball that should help us pick out the top defenses for this week’s slate. Although, we already knew the Dolphins were going to be awful, so throwin the Patriots on top of these rankings was relatively easy.

Many in the football community believed that this would be the year Jameis Winston finally looks like an NFL quarterback. Well, after Sunday’s performance against the 49ers, we can safely say Bruce Arians isn’t the wizard we all thought he was. Winston and the Bucs struggled on offense to a San Fran defense that — albeit improved — wasn’t expected to be imposing. Winston threw three INTs and was wildly inefficient, going 20-for-36 for 194 yards and a ... wait for it ... 8.6 QB rating. Many of you probably thought that wasn’t even possible.

Now, Winston and the Bucs head to North Carolina for a Thursday Night Football date with the Panthers, leaving Luke Keuchly and crew in a solid spot to stream for Week 2. Speaking of streaming options, the Bills unsurprisingly played well on defense in a comeback win over the Jets on Sunday. Buffalo will head back to the same spot this week at MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants, who looked poor in a 35-17 loss to the Cowboys in their opener.

We all know the G-Men have Saquon Barkley in the backfield, but outside of that there really isn’t much to worry about. Evan Engram is looking like a fantasy stud, but that shouldn’t hurt you much if you choose the play the Bills D/ST. Eli Manning is a shell of himself and with Sterling Shepard in concussion protocol, New York may be starting Cody Lattimer and Bennie Fowler at wide receiver. I repeat, Eli Manning ... throwing to Cody Lattimer and Bennie Fowler. Buffalo, like Carolina, is another D/ST that is widely available in season-long formats.

If you’re feeling frisky, let’s go back to the 49ers really fast. They take on the Bengals on the road, which is a relatively soft spot, plus RB Joe Mixon is likely going to be out with a high ankle sprain. We already know A.J. Green is sidelined, so outside of Tyler Boyd and Jon Ross, not many names appear threatening on Cincy’s offense. Sure, the Bucs were awful, but give some credit to San Fran’s defensive unit. This week, it’s a similar spot, with the Bengals likely throwing the ball a ton; QB Andy Dalton had 51 passing attempts Week 1 vs. the Seahawks, threw for 418 yards, but the Bengals only posted 20 points in the loss. Given the amount of times Dalton will throw, we can safely project the 49ers will have a decent amount of sack and turnover opportunities, making them another streamer/DFS GPP play with appeal.