Fantasy Football Week 4 Defense Streamers: Lions, Commanders, and More

Now that we're getting more information on which teams have the worst offenses, it's making it a little easier to pick out streaming defenses. Where offensive players have so much that goes into their performance, D/ST is often about the opponent as much as anything else.

That often makes streaming the best option at defense unless you happen to luck into one of the best groups. The best defense is a bad offense in this case (to twist up an old axiom), so that's why we're here each week seeking out those teams.

Let's look at four D/ST units that have good matchups in Week 4 and are widely available in fantasy leagues, able to be picked up and inserted into your lineup this week.

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Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns

I just want to start here quickly because the Lions are owned in about 40% of leagues, more than most teams I list here each week. Their ownership numbers will be down because they faced Baltimore in Week 3, a team no one wants to mess with when it comes to fantasy defenses.

The Lions were poor defensively against the Packers in Week 1 but looked much better against the Bears in Week 2; that's the power of matchups. Week 3 against the Ravens wasn't great, but that's to be expected. The Lions did pick up seven sacks and recovered a fumble, making for a decent fantasy performance.

The opponent here couldn't be much better, as the Browns have scored the third-fewest points and allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. Joe Flacco has been sacked six times, and the Browns have turned it over five times.

It's a good day if you can get two sacks and two takeaways from your fantasy defense while holding the opponent to 15 points; that's what opponents have done to the Browns so far. Detroit might not be available in your league, but if they are, they are a strong option going against one of the worst offensive teams in football.

Carolina Panthers @ New England Patriots

New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers

A little bonus! We usually look at just three streaming defenses, but let's throw in a fourth since we have a pair of great matchups facing off here to go along with our half-streamer in Detroit. Both the Patriots and Panthers have been very giving to opposing defenses in terms of allowing sacks and/or turnovers and not scoring a ton of points.

I saw Carolina as potentially the worst defense in football entering the season, so I'm not super excited about counting on them as a streamer. They have been right in the middle in terms of defending the pass, but the Panthers have been gashed on the ground, allowing the third-most yards per rush attempt. (We'll talk more about their successful Week 3 below).

New England has shut down the run but been torn apart by the pass, allowing the second-fewest yards per rush attempt and second-most yards per pass attempt. The Pats were better in Weeks 1 and 3, allowing 20 points to the Raiders and 21 to the Steelers, respectively. Week 2 was a different story, as the Dolphins scored 27, but seven of those came from a punt return touchdown, so New England's defense is only allowing around 20 points per game.

Drake Maye has been sacked 12 times, tied for the second most. He has also thrown two interceptions and fumbled twice, losing one. Bryce Young has thrown three interceptions but has been sacked just a modest five times. Young is only averaging 201 yards per game, and even that is buoyed by 55 attempts in Week 2.

We have two vulnerable quarterbacks against two subpar defenses. You might be able to find a better team, but either Carolina or New England would be fine deep-league or desperation options.

Washington Commanders @ Atlanta Falcons

Let's revisit what the Panthers did to the Falcons on Sunday. Atlanta threw for 201 yards on just 4.7 per attempt with two interceptions. They were able to run better, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt, but backup running back Nathan Carter also lost a fumble. Carolina had a pick-six and shut out Atlanta 30-0.

Again, Carolina was thought of as maybe the worst defense in the league before the season; they probably were last year. It's not the first time the Falcons have let defenses find success this year, as they've topped out at middling:

• Week 1: 7.1 yards per pass, 2.5 yards per rush, 20 points
• Week 2: 6.4 yards per pass, 5.6 yards per rush, 1 turnover, 22 points
• Week 3: 4.7 yards per pass, 5.7 yards per rush, 3 turnovers, 0 points

That's below-average offensive play. They have found success with the run the past two weeks, but they were completely shut down in Week 1, and they have struggled to score points. It shouldn't be a total surprise with a young quarterback in Michael Penix in his first full season as starter.

If the Falcons are a good matchup, that means the Commanders have fantasy value. Washington completely shut down the Giants in Week 1, holding them to six points. The Packers then performed much better in Week 2, scoring 27 points on the Commanders gaining over 400 total yards.

The raw numbers say that the Raiders did well on offense in Week 3, but a lot of yards were gained in garbage time, as the Commanders led by double-digits at halftime and as much as 24 in the third quarter on the way to a 41-24 win. Twelve Las Vegas drives produced 339 yards, and 206 of them came in the fourth quarter.

I'm treating that as a good Washington performance, making it two out of three on the season. They have allowed the eighth-least yards per rush attempt but the ninth-most yards per pass attempt. It's fair to call them middling so far.

With an intriguing matchup, a middling defense can have a successful fantasy day. The Commanders are a decent streaming defense, though they're probably a one-week option with a matchup against the Chargers next week.