Fantasy Football Week 9 Defense Streamers: Rams, Jaguars, and More

We're a little hampered when looking at streaming defenses this week for one simple reason: both the Jets and the Browns are on bye. This job is really easy when all I have to do is pick against New York and Cleveland; it's always a winning bet.

With those teams sitting out, it takes away from our usual target list, and when a few others are facing heavily owned fantasy defenses (like the Titans playing the Chargers), it leaves a dearth of high-level options. That doesn't mean we can't find value elsewhere, though.

Let's look at three D/ST units with good matchups this week that are widely available in fantasy leagues and can be picked up and put into your lineup. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Check out FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the teams and players with the best matchups each week!

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins

I don't like the idea of counting on Baltimore's defense. They have struggled often this season, giving up 30 points per game, the third-most in the league. It's fair to wonder if a moribund offense without Lamar Jackson set the defense back, but they gave up 41 points to the Bills, 38 to the Lions, and 37 to the Chiefs with Jackson in the lineup.

Many projected big things for the Bears last week against the Ravens, but Baltimore was formidable, allowing just 16 points to Chicago. Caleb Williams threw for 285 yards on 7.5 per attempt, both good marks, but he threw an interception and no touchdowns, and the running backs averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry. Baltimore had a decent performance.

The matchup is what puts the Ravens here heading into the Thursday night game. Tua Tagovailoa is tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions, and he has been sacked 16 times, the 13th-most. He is without Tyreek Hill for the rest of the season and Darren Waller for at least a few more games, so Tua is short on pass catchers.

The Dolphins have dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness in front of Tagovailoa, as they rank 28th in pass block win rate and 30th in run block win rate by ESPN's measure. It has all come together to produce 21.8 points per game, tied for the 11th fewest.

I don't love the Ravens' defense here, and I'd rather go with the next two teams we talk about, but if you find yourself without an option, there's a little upside here from the matchup.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders

If you were wondering who is tied with Tagovailoa with 10 interceptions, here we are! Geno Smith of the Raiders actually reached double digits in Week 6 then didn't throw a pick in a dreadful Week 7 against the Chiefs before Vegas had their bye last week. Smith is also tied for the seventh-most sacks (19).

The Raiders have scored the second-fewest points per game at just 14.7, finishing with 20 or fewer in five of their seven games. There might not be a single area in which Las Vegas is average on offense.

Jacksonville has given up the eighth-fewest yards per rush attempt, and they sit right in the middle in yards per pass attempt allowed. They are also in the middle ground in points per game allowed, grading out like a very average defense.

Here's a statistical quirk: the Jaguars are tied for second with 10 interceptions, but they have recorded the fewest sacks (just eight). By the ESPN measures linked in the previous section, Jacksonville is 22nd in pass rush win rate and 30th in run stop win rate; there is some underlying worry that this defense will look worse if they stop getting so many turnovers.

This is all about the matchup, though, and it couldn't be much better. The Raiders have given up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses, so even if the Jaguars aren't great in every area, they could run into a few sacks or a turnover just by pure luck.

Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints

This is the matchup of the week. The Rams are owned in fewer than 50% of leagues, so even though they aren't as available as the others here, there is still enough that you might be able to pick them up.

Los Angeles has mostly looked good on defense, giving up the third-fewest points per game, the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt, and the ninth-fewest yards per rush attempt. They have the second-most sacks, and they rank in the top 10 in both pass rush win rate and run stop win rate. Do I need to go on?

New Orleans is giving rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough his first career start after eight mostly uninspiring starts from Spencer Rattler (who was even worse in seven starts as a fifth-round rookie last season). There wasn't much expected from Rattler based on where he was drafted, but he still beat out Shough in a training camp battle; that doesn't speak well to Shough's outlook.

Shough got extended time in the lineup last week, and it didn't go well: 128 passing yards on 30 attempts (just 4.3 per attempt) with an interception and two sacks. He added 12 rushing yards on three carries.

On top of a lack of impact playmakers, the New Orleans offensive line has been brutal, ranking 32nd in pass rush win rate and 29th in run block win rate. So, LA's phenomenal defensive front will be coming after Shough, and the rookie has maybe the worst O-line in football protecting him; this could get ugly.

Not only are the Rams the defensive team of the week here, but LA -13.5 actually looks pretty enticing if you are a bettor.