Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 4: Who to start, sit at D/ST in fantasy football

A few weeks into the season, stats are finally starting to mean something. They’re still not the end-all, be-all, as D/STs could’ve had some random good/bad games that are significantly inflating/deflating their numbers, but it’s time to start paying attention to which defenses are producing fantasy points and which offenses are giving them up (more so the latter). We’re not going to be slaves to the numbers, but our Week 4 fantasy defense rankings can help you find some sleepers and streamers in what looks like a tough week for many of the top drafted units. 

Matchups are always the first thing we look at putting together D/ST rankings, and they’re not particularly favorable for heavy-hitters such as the Patriots (vs. Buccaneers), Steelers (@ Packers), Ravens (@ Broncos), Rams (vs. Cardinals), and Panthers (@ Cowboys), among a couple others. It’s a tough call as to whether you should trust the talent and stick with these teams or try to stream, but given some of the struggles of the Steelers and Ravens — and the overall efficiency of the Bucs and Cardinals — it might be better to stream for them depending on your options.

WEEK 4 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker

If you’re looking for some potential pickups, both D/STs in the Colts-Dolphins game are in play given their respective QB issues, and both defenses in the Giants-Saints game are worth streaming given those quarterbacks’ historical turnover problems. You can also try your luck with the Bears (vs. Lions), Bengals (vs. Jaguars), and Titans (@ Jets), all of whom play weak, potentially turnover-prone offenses. 

WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end |  Kicker

The fact that there are more good streaming options than “every-week” plays should tell you all you need to know about this position. Eventually, things will calm down a bit, but with offenses seemingly stronger than ever across the league (and virtually every rule seemingly designed to make things more difficult for defenses), it’s best to just look for the bad quarterbacks/offenses to stream against. Those will be far more consistent week-to-week than all but the very best D/STs, and even those are vulnerable against the very top offenses.

Injuries will continue to change which matchups are favorable/unfavorable, so it’s not an exact science, but generally speaking, the fantasy points per game allowed metric is more reliable than D/ST fantasy points scored. Plan ahead and take advantage.

Note: We’ll be updating these D/ST rankings as needed throughout the week. so check back for the latest movement and analysis.

Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 4: Who to start, sit at D/ST in fantasy football

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