There are four teams heading to their bye week in Week 9 — the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team, and Detroit Lions. Targeting the defense that plays against Detroit has been a common fantasy football strategy, so it’s time to shake it up and look elsewhere for your Week 9 D/ST streamers. Firstly, you’ll find our defense rankings for Week 9. Who’s at the top?
Fantasy Football Defense Rankings for Week 9 | 1-14
A lot can go into deciding what defense should garner your attention on any given week, including their recent performances, their opponent, and injuries that could affect a matchup. Let’s start by looking at the top 14 defenses for Week 9.
1. Buffalo Bills @ JAX
2. Los Angeles Rams vs. TEN
3. Arizona Cardinals @ SF
4. Indianapolis Colts vs. NYJ
5. Cincinnati Bengals vs. CLE
6. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. CHI
7. Miami Dolphins vs. HOU
8. New Orleans Saints vs. ATL
9. Dallas Cowboys vs. DEN
10. Las Vegas Raiders @ NYG
11. Los Angeles Chargers @ PHI
12. New England Patriots @ CAR
13. Baltimore Ravens vs. MIN
14. Cleveland Browns @ CIN
Defense Rankings for Week 9 | 15-28
Getting into the bottom half of the defenses for Week 9, there are still plenty of options with upside to consider. How do we rank the remaining D/ST options?
15. Carolina Panthers vs. NE
16. Chicago Bears @ PIT
17. Atlanta Falcons @ NO
18. Philadelphia Eagles vs. LAC
19. New York Giants vs. LV
20. Denver Broncos @ DAL
21. Tennessee Titans @ LAR
22. San Francisco 49ers vs. ARI
23. New York Jets @ IND
24. Houston Texans @ MIA
25. Minnesota Vikings @ BAL
26. Kansas City Chiefs vs. GB
27. Green Bay Packers @ KC
28. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. BUF
Week 9 Streaming D/ST options
If you’re in the market for a streaming option for Week 9, here are three options to consider. Each of these three defenses has something to offer that could propel them into a solid performance during the Week 9 games.
Carolina Panthers (vs. New England)
The Carolina Panthers’ defense is young, fast, and opportunistic. Additionally, they just activated their new acquisition, Stephon Gilmore, who promptly got an interception in his first game with his new team.
In Week 9, Gilmore will have an opportunity to exact revenge against his old team, and I expect him and the rest of the Carolina defense to make life hard on Mac Jones and the Patriots.
Las Vegas Raiders (@ New York Giants)
The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off their Week 8 bye and will have a matchup with a New York Giants team led by Daniel Jones, who has a tendency to give the ball to opposing defenses. He’s been better this year than last, but with a cast of skill position players battling injuries, the risk of turnovers still exists.
Related | Derrick Henry Injury Update: What fantasy managers should be doing right now
The Raiders have generated at least 2 sacks in every game this year. Any time you can get pressure on Jones, you have a chance to make some big plays.
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Boy, it’s going to be fun watching the Bengals and the Browns square off this week. Both defenses have a great opportunity to get after the opposing team, but it’s the Bengals that I’m going to suggest this week.
Surprisingly, Cincinnati’s defense is racking up 2.6 sacks per game, tied for fifth-best in the NFL. Cleveland’s offensive line is allowing 2.9 sacks per game, Baker Mayfield is still fighting through his non-throwing shoulder injury, and the Browns wide receivers have been uninspiring all season. The Bengals are truly one of the surprise teams of the 2021 season, and their defense could make some noise this week.