If we can't count on the Ravens' D/ST to dominate Blake Bortles in London, what can we count on? Our Week 4 fantasy defense rankings try to sort out last week's results, which also included the Packers failing to do much at home against the Bengals, the waiver-wire darling Dolphins not living up to their sleeper hype against the Jets, the Steelers disappointing against the Bears, and the Rams pooping in their pants against the 49ers.
We're going back to the well for several favorable matchups this week, with the opponents of the Colts (@ Seahawks), Jets (vs. Jaguars), 49ers (@ Cardinals) and Browns (vs. Bengals) comprising our top four. The Vikings (vs. Lions) and Broncos (vs. Raiders) have tough matchups (though that Raiders matchup isn't looking so bad after their own pants-pooping performance on Sunday night against the Redskins), and if someone other than the Jets, Browns, and 49ers were playing the Jags, Bengals and Cardinals, respectively, they might get bumped out of the top 12.
As it stands, most of the usual suspects are in our starting tier, with the Ravens (vs. Steelers) and Panthers (@ Patriots) dropping out. It's tough to feel too confident about any D/ST every single week, but chances are a lot of drafted units will be in play in Week 4.
7 Philadelphia Eagles @ Chargers. The Chargers didn't turn it over much against a good defense (Broncos) in Week 1, but they struggled mightily against the Chiefs in Week 3. The Eagles are a similar bend-but-don't-break, make-big-plays defense. They'll add to their six takeaways in this one.
These rankings are for standard leagues
1
Seattle Seahawks vs. Colts. The Seahawks defense might no longer be "THE SEAHAWKS DEFENSE", but it's still good enough at home to cause problems for Jacoby Brissett and the Colts porous offensive line.
2
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Jets. The Jags have dominated twice and laid an egg once, so we'll consider them trending in a positive direction overall. The Jets played well enough last week to keep down the travel-weary Dolphins, but even at home, Jacksonville will force them into mistakes with a dominant pass rush that leads the league with 13 sacks.
3
Arizona Cardinals vs. 49ers. The 49ers put on an offensive display against the Rams, but the Cardinals wealth of talented defenders always tend to make big plays at home.
4
Cincinnati Bengals @ Browns. Any team that can rack up six sacks and a pick-six against Aaron Rodgers in Lambeau Field is in good position to feast on the Browns. It doesn't hurt that Cincinnati gets LB Vontaze Burfict back from suspension.
5
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Redskins. It took a couple weeks -- and a game against Philip Rivers -- for the Chiefs to get their takeaway swagger back. Kirk Cousins has only thrown one pick this year, but the Redskins have already lost five fumbles and allowed seven sacks. The Chiefs will force mistakes in this prime-time home game.
6
New York Giants @ Bucs. New York has been a better real-life defense than a fantasy defense, limiting passing offenses to the sixth-fewest yards per game despite failing to register an INT. The Bucs showed how sloppy they can be in Week 3, turning it over three times. This game is at home, but New York can still get pressure on Jameis Winston.
7
Philadelphia Eagles @ Chargers. The Chargers didn't turn it over much against a good defense (Broncos) in Week 1, but they struggled mightily against the Chiefs in Week 3. The Eagles are a similar bend-but-don't-break, make-big-plays defense. They'll add to their six takeaways in this one.
8
Green Bay Packers vs. Bears. Green Bay let down some fantasy owners in Week 3 against Cincinnati, failing to coax a turnover out of Andy Dalton. But it did register three sacks, and the Bears lone road game this year resulted in four turnovers. Considering this one is being played on a short week, we'll give the Packers the benefit of the doubt and assume they can bounce back at home.
9
Denver Broncos vs. Raiders. It's been a bit of a ho-hum start for the Broncos defense, at least in terms of fantasy production, but they're allowing just 2.6 yards per carry and under 204 passing yards per game. The Raiders are typically efficient, but with back-to-back, cross-country road games, a repeat of Sunday night's letdown in D.C. isn't out of the question.
10
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Ravens. Pittsburgh didn't have a great game against Chicago, but a pair of sacks and a pair of takeaways is still decent enough. The Ravens are fresh off an embarrassment in London and certainly prone to another dud, so Pittsburgh, who's tied for second with 11 sacks, still has plenty of upside.
11
Minnesota Vikings vs. Lions. Minnesota didn't do much with two tough matchups to start the year (vs. Saints, @ Steelers), but they turned up last week against Tampa with two sacks and three interceptions.The Lions have been efficient with the ball this year and given up an average of two sacks per game, so this isn't a great matchup, but it is in Minnesota, which gives the Vikings an advantage.
12
Tennessee Titans @ Texans. Houston has turned it over six times this year and allowed multiple sacks in every game (including 10 in Week 1). The Titans have done very little (five sacks, three takeaways), but this is a good spot to stream them.
13
Detroit Lions @ Vikings. The Lions enter this game with seven interceptions, just one off the league lead. Case Keenum, despite being impressive in Week 3, is no stranger to poor play, so Detroit could be underrated in this spot. We'd like them more if they were at home.
14
Houston Texans vs. Titans. This is largely a reputation pick, as the numbers don't suggest Houston will do much this game. But we know the Texans defense, even with injuries in the secondary, has talent, and at home, we like their chances against a Tennessee team that likes to run. Houston has limited opponents to 3.6 yards per carry this year, so they at least have that going for them.
15
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Giants. Tampa's defense is from dominant, but they did dominate at home against the Bears in Week 2. The Giants have more offensive talent than Chicago, but a weak line and immobile QB prone to mistakes is still a good recipe for fantasy success.
16
New England Patriots vs. Panthers. Carolina has allowed 10 sacks in its past two games -- home contests against the Bills and Saints -- and is coming off a three-turnover, 13-point outing against the worst defense in the league. With Kelvin Benjamin (knee) possibly out, this one could turn ugly.
