Fantasy Football Week 3 Streaming Defenses: Colts, Seahawks, and More

Streaming fantasy defenses is all about looking for weak offenses. It's hard to know who the worst offenses really are when we only have a few games to go off, but we can use that along with what we knew before the season to make educated guesses.

So far, the worst offenses have belonged to teams with inexperienced quarterbacks, especially those who have struggled before; it doesn't take a lot of deep analysis to determine that, but it gives us a more finite group when we have such a random assortment of data in a small sample. Every quarterback we are targeting with this list could have been pointed to as someone who would struggle before the season.

Let's look at three D/ST squads that are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups in Week 3. These streamers might only be one-week options, but they can help fill a gap if you are in need.

Check out FantasySP's strength of schedule tool to keep up with which teams have the toughest matchups to rest of the season.

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

The Falcons just had a good defensive game against the Vikings on Sunday night, holding them to just two field goals and 236 total yards (if we take sack yardage away, Minnesota finished under 200 yards). They had an effective day in Week 1 against Tampa Bay also, holding them to 167 passing yards on 5.2 per attempt and 101 total rushing yards.

Atlanta added new players to a middling defense this offseason, getting Leonard Floyd and two first-round rookies (Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.) to rush the passer. They have been right at average in pass rush win rate, seeing modest results from their efforts. We need more time to see how effective they will really be.

Carolina was feeble in Week 1, gaining fewer than 300 total yards and scoring just 10 points. They finished with better raw numbers in Week 2, including 328 passing yards for Bryce Young, but that took 55 attempts to reach, just 6.0 yards per attempt. The Panthers had just nine points until a few scores late in the fourth quarter made it look closer, but they struggled through most of the game.

This is a case of a defense that has looked good so far against an offense that has struggled to perform. Atlanta might be my favorite streaming defense of the week, and they are available in almost every fantasy league.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans

When the Colts dominated Week 1, it was easy to assume that it was because the Dolphins were falling apart. Indianapolis came back and had an OK defensive day in Week 2, allowing 28 points but just over 300 total yards, making things a little tougher on the Broncos. Indianapolis looks like at least a mid-level defense if not better.

The matchup makes them more enticing in Week 3. Tennessee is led by rookie first overall pick Cameron Ward, who has averaged just 143.5 passing yards at 4.7 yards per attempt in his first two games with a 50.8% completion percentage. For a guy who used his legs plenty in college, Ward has only run four times for eight yards, and he has taken 11 sacks.

That last number is a big one. Ward hasn't thrown any interceptions, but he lost a fumble in each game, and getting home for sacks will help rack up fantasy points while creating more chances at strip sacks.

Indianapolis has looked at least average on defense so far (and better at times) and gets a good matchup against the Titans in this one. Tennessee has created a nice floor for opposing defenses with low point totals and a lot of sacks allowed.

Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints

I've been going after the Saints early and often with opposing defenses, starting with the Cardinals in Week 1 and continuing to the 49ers in Week 2. New Orleans continues their journey through the NFC West with a trip to Seattle, where the noise of the home crowd is notoriously deafening; that can only hurt a young quarterback in Spencer Rattler.

Rattler has been inefficient, totaling 421 yards but taking 80 attempts to get there, just 5.3 yards per attempt. He has been sacked four times but hasn't turned the ball over at all. The Saints were able to reach 21 points after putting up just 13 in Week 1, and they are likely to put up low scoring totals on a near-weekly basis, a big part of their appeal as a fantasy target.

New Orleans is another team that sets a nice floor more than they create a big ceiling. Rattler isn't likely to have too many big days, and opposing defenses can take a few more chances without worrying about getting beat. That will eventually lead to Rattler turning the ball over unless the Saints just stay conservative to the point or protecting the ball but never scoring.

Seattle had a little trouble with the 49ers in Week 1, but they're not the only ones who will let San Francisco rack up yards. They were able to hold the Niners to 17 points, the same number that Pittsburgh scored in Week 2. The Steelers gained fewer than 300 yards against the Seahawks a week after moving the ball well against the Jets.

The Seahawks have a good defense on paper and a group I am happy to count on in the right situations. With one of the worst offenses in the league coming to town, Seattle's D has a chance to put together a really good game.