4 defenses worth playing in fantasy football Week 3
If you didn't draft the Patriots' prolific defense, here are a few available alternatives.
The thing about being in a fantasy football league with a bunch of Patriots fans is that you probably won’t end up with any Patriots on your team. The reason is simple: Patriots fans (like any fans of a successful team) will overdraft, selecting their favorite hometown players ludicrously early.
As I’m not a Patriots fan (we exist), it’s always been amusing to watch them fight it out amongst themselves for the privilege of drafting James White in the third round. But this year, I finally decided to change that. Sort of.
I rarely gave my fantasy defense much thought beyond asking a simple weekly question: “Are they playing the Jets?’’ This season, I decided to ditch my streaming strategy (rotating defenses based on matchup) and just choose a good one that I would stick with. In that regard, the Patriots defense fit the bill.
As our draft proceeded, the usual pattern took hold. Patriots players flew off the board far above their average draft positions. But as the rounds ticked by, New England’s defense — arguably its most valuable fantasy asset — remained unpicked. I waited patiently until Round 11 and then pounced.
A group of us had gathered for the draft, and most of them were Patriots fans. My selection, which was done about a round before the rankings predicted, was met with a chorus of choice words, but it didn’t matter. The Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning defense was in my corner.
Obviously, this has paid early dividends. Bill Belichick’s elite group put up an impressive total of points in a 43-0 shutout of the Dolphins, and they now face a Jets team in disarray. The New England defense ranks inside the top 15 across all fantasy formats, outperforming many quarterbacks and running backs. For context, it’s rare for a defense to break the top 70.
While I doubt the Patriots will maintain the absurd output of turnovers and scoring from the first two weeks, it’s probably a safe bet that they will be among the leaders by season’s end.
Needless to say, I remind the Patriots fans in our league of this fact every single day.
Of course, if you didn’t pick the Patriots defense, here are a few fairly available alternatives for Week 3:
■ 49ers: According to ESPN fantasy, San Francisco’s defense is available in more than 60 percent of leagues. The 49ers scored multiple defensive touchdowns in Week 1 against the Buccaneers, and face Steelers backup quarterback Mason Rudolph in Week 3.
It’s a favorable matchup, especially in light of the positive steps San Francisco’s offense made in Week 2. If Rudolph is forced to chase the game in the second half, it increases the likelihood of mistakes that result in fantasy points.
■ Seahawks: In a similar fashion to the 49ers, the Seahawks will be facing a backup quarterback when the Saints come marching into town. Drew Brees is out and Teddy Bridgewater is in.
Bridgewater struggled last week filling in against the Rams, and will have to cope with a number of factors — including the crowd noise of Seattle — in Sunday’s game. The Seahawks recorded five sacks in Week 1 against the Bengals and could break out again.
■ Buccaneers: It’s been a while since Tampa Bay has been a consistently viable fantasy defense, and the Buccaneers are by no means worth a place in your lineup every week. Yet Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones is set to make his first regular-season start, and the Buccaneers did manage to bottle up running back Christian McCaffrey last week against Carolina, giving hope that the team might be able to contain Saquon Barkley.
■ Cardinals: The theme of exploiting backup quarterbacks continues with the Cardinals’ game against the Panthers. After he missed practice Thursday with a foot injury, it’s looking likely that Panthers quarterback Cam Newton won’t play.
Even with Newton, Carolina hasn’t really clicked on offense. Without him, things could be even worse. The Cardinals defense is certainly not full of playmakers, but could be worth a roll of the dice under the circumstances.
