Transcription
Not only did the Vikings put up 30 plus points defensively in week three, but we also had the Panthers defense putting up 22, the Steelers and the Seahawks putting up 16, and the Colts putting up 15. Defense wins championships, guys. It does not get any clearer than what we just saw in week three. And every week I go through the top 12 defense rankings for any week in fantasy football. And we're doing it for week four now. And I'm one of the only fantasy YouTubers who covers defense multiple times a week. So, please go down there and drop a like on this video and subscribe to the channel to show your support.
Now, get into our first here. It's a very exclusive club because I think that these two defenses are fantastic plays. The Broncos defense is at number one, and they are taking on the Cincinnati Bengals at home on Monday night. So, obviously, we just saw the catastrophe that the Bengals offense was against the Minnesota Vikings. That was what led the Vikings to having such great weekend fantasy football as a defense. Listen, the Broncos defense already is a fantastic defense, right? Like, if you just had a couple of takeaways from these past couple weeks, it would be that the Broncos defense is leading the league in sacks once again, as they did last year, and they're still a very aggressive defense when it comes to making big turnovers. Now, they've had the unfortunate reality, I guess, of taking on two of the league's best offenses so far with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts back to back. This week, they get back on track. They play the Bengals. It's at home. The Bengals are reeling right now, and I want to make this clear. I don't think that Jake Browning is that bad every single week. But this week against the Broncos, it's not going to be a good one. I mean, Jamar Chase is going to get bottled up by Pat Tan already. And now that you have Jake Browning throwing him the ball, I don't really think that he can salvage much of a day with T. Higgins, in fact. So, I really just think there's no way that the Bengals can move the ball. And if they continue to turn the ball over, it's going to be a good day for the Broncos.
And at number two, I've got the Chargers defense to round out this tier, and they're going to the New York Giants to take them on this week. Now, as I was ranking these defenses, Jackson Dart apparently is going to start this week. So, I got that live update while I was ranking the defense, and I was considering myself, do I want to put them down a little bit lower? Should I have them in a tier below them? I'm not going to do it. And the reason why is because, yes, I think we're all excited for Jackson Dark, if nothing else to see Russell Wilson go to the bench and not have to watch him play football anymore. But this is an extremely tough spot for a rookie quarterback who we just flat out don't know if he's any good yet. I mean, yes, he had a good preseason, but so did JJ McCarthy last year, and look at him now. I think that the Giants are in really tough shape this week. They're playing the Chargers who, yes, in theory do have a lot of weaknesses because of the injuries that they've seen to that side of the ball, but if you actually look at their performance so far, the Chargers defense has seven sacks and three interceptions. I just think it's a really tough spot for a rookie quarterback to play the Chargers this week. So, I'm going to put the Chargers at number two.
Now, dropping down to our next tier, I've got the Texans defense at number three this week, and they're taking on the Tennessee Titans at home. Listen, I think I've made a lot of excuses for the Texans over the weeks. It's not even debatable. I have made tons of excuses for them. I'm done making excuses for them. So, you may be wondering, why are the Texans inside the top three this week? Well, it's because they're playing the Titans offense. And listen, as bad as the Texans offense has been, the Cam Ward le offense in Tennessee is just not working right now. And I think that he's played a lot of tough defenses over the past couple of weeks. So, I'm not going to say he's a bum or anything like that, but Cam Ward is making mistakes as rookies do. And I think the play calling is just not that good. I don't think Brian Callahan's that good of an offensive coach. I think he's being exposed as that, and they just don't have enough weapons either. And then when you actually look at the Texans defense, listen, they're still aggressive. Nine sacks this year, two forced fumbles this year, a pick. Like, they have played good offenses and still had good days against good offenses. They get a break this week versus the Titans. I think they're a top three defense this week.
The Vikings defense is at number four, and the Steelers defense is at number five, and they're taking each other on overseas, I think in Ireland or something. So, I think this matchup right here, there's good and bad to both teams, right? Like the Vikings defense, for example, they have Brian Flores, and that's the end equation of what really makes them a top five defense at the end of the day. I don't care if they're playing the Steelers. I don't care if they're playing the Bengals. I don't care if they're playing the Seahawks. They're going to be a top five to 10 defense most weeks because of that Brian Flores le defense. They have seven forced fumbles, nine sacks, two interceptions, and this team was awesome last week when they put up two defensive touchdowns on the board. I mean, it's a fantastic defense. There's just no question about it. And I'll be honest here, like, I don't know what to expect this week with the Steelers offense. I think that Aaron Rogers traveling overseas probably not the best equation. If you look at what happened last year when they went overseas, he wasn't very good. So, I think the Vikings defense, the way that they played last week, they're coming off a big-time win. They've got tons of momentum. And Carson Wentz is still their quarterback, which is a good thing for them.
And I think when you look at the Steelers defense, on the other hand, listen, I discussed how I got them really wrong and what I got right and what I got wrong on Monday night. And I was definitely wrong. And the irony is that I know this defense can do what they just did, which was force five turnovers in that game. But the Steelers also have eight sacks on the season right now. So, they make the big plays necessary to be a good fantasy football defense. That's just the reality of the Steelers. So, I do think that against Carson Wentz this week, it is a matchup that I do think is ideal because Carson Wentz, I still don't think is that good of a quarterback. And I think that they are just not finding all the weapons, and they have a lot of injuries up front to that offensive line as well. It's an opportunistic matchup. I think the Steelers may end up losing the game, but I don't think it matters because they will come up with four sacks in this game and maybe a pick or two in this game as well. The big plays equal fantasy points for defenses, and the Steelers defense can make them.
And the Titans defense is at six to round out this tier. And again, they're taking on the Texans in Houston this week. So, the reality with this one is that if you just look at the Texans offense, it's not just an offensive line problem. Yes, it is awful. It's probably the worst, if not the worst, top three worst in the league. But the other problem with this is CJ Strad bears responsibility. He's just flat out not playing good football right now. And the play calling is atrocious. Oh my gosh, it's so bad. And the Titans defense has low-key been pretty good in a lot of spots. I know they're not a great fantasy defense. They're one of the bottom five actually in the league, but the offense they're playing this week provides so much upside. So, the sack number this year being a two, we're about to see that jump up by at least by at least four. I think that we could get another interception out of this game and make it four interceptions on the year as well. Tennessee's defense does have dudes. I do think they give the Texans a hard time this week because the Texans offense flat out just does not look good. And I think if you're looking on the wavewire for defenses right now, the Titans are a perfect ad. Nobody has this defense right now. And if you want to make sure you get them before everybody else in your league does, go down the comments. There's a link there to go to FS Roundup and you can sign up for a 12-day free trial to get access to the automatic waiverwire tool, which is saving people's teams in 2025. The stuff people have said about our Waverwire tool helping them pick up players is just inarguable. It is helping teams get an edge on the rest of their league because there's always a mad dash after the initial waiverwire claims run through priority ads, and then everybody tries to go pick up the remaining best players in the middle of the night. We have automated that process for you so you can sleep easy while the rest of your league wakes themselves up only to find out that they have been surpassed by our automatic waiverwire tool. And after your 12-day free trial is over and you are officially a customer with us, I will break down your entire team for you, including trade ideas, waverwire acquisitions, anything I can to help make your team better. I will break down your team when you are an official customer with us at FS Roundup. So, go start your 12-day free trial today. Get access to the waiver tool. Start using it this week when it's never been more important to win on the waivers because the last thing you want to do is end up looking like a guy like this. This is Ted. Look at him. Ted desperately needs to pick up a new running back, or his fantasy team is toast for the third year in a row. And losing his season again means one thing. Oh no. Don't be Ted. Use Fantasy Football Roundup to automate your waiver pickups and rest easy this season. Huh? Look at him.
Now, dropping down to our next tier, we've got the Bills defense at number seven, and they're taking on the New Orleans Saints this week in Buffalo. I got this one severely wrong last week, and this was a huge bummer for me personally because I just did not see the game plan going that way against the Miami Dolphins. So this week, you might ask me, why are the Bills even on here? I mean, they looked bad against an offense that was pretty beatable. Listen, the New Orleans Saints offense is just not one that you can ignore when it comes to defense and fantasy. I mean, you saw what the Seahawks just did to them. They obliterated them, and the Bills defense, I still don't think is that bad. Yes, they are missing pieces, but they've also gotten six sacks this year, and they've had five forced fumbles. It is an aggressive defense led by Shawn McDermott, and they are coming off a mini by-week because they played on Thursday. I like the Bills defense for multiple reasons. They're well-rested. Yes, they're still injured, but it's an offense that you just want to take advantage of.
The Lions defense is at number eight, and they're taking on the Cleveland Browns in Detroit. Listen, I think the Lions defensive coordinator deserves a freaking medal if you want to know the truth. The way he just bullied bullied the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson was one of the most impressive things I've seen in a long time. And I was also wrong about them. I had legitimate concerns with Aaron Glenn out of that building as a defensive coordinator this year. He has totally stepped up. He looks fantastic. So, I don't think I can doubt them much longer. And listen, the Browns, yes, they did beat the Packers this past week, but they only put up 13 points. So, one of two things happens, right? The Browns don't put up many points, or they turn the ball over tons, or sometimes both. So, yes, the Browns are still an excellent matchup for any defense. And the Lions defense, the way they looked against the Ravens, I want in on this defense. And honestly, this might be too low of a ranking for the Lions.
Now, at number nine, to round out this tier, I've got the Packers defense, and they are going to Dallas on Sunday night to take on the Cowboys. Listen, if they had CD Lamb, I would say that this is probably not the best play, but CD Lamb changes the game. I mean, you saw it last week against the Bears defense, who I think is a good defense, but they have weaknesses. I mean, even they couldn't get past the Bears defense. The Packers defense is not going to be nearly as forgiving. By the way, ding ding ding revenge game narrative because Micah Parsons is going to want to get after this team right here. And they're coming off a brutal loss to the Browns. I think the Packers are just in the right spot, and the Cowboys this week are just in the worst position possible taking on the Packers. An angry Packers defense after this loss. The Packers defense is still fantastic, man. 10 sacks on the year, two interceptions. It's an aggressive, physical defense that I don't see the Cowboys being able to put up more than 14 points on.
Now, dropping down to our last tier, we've got the Seahawks defense at number 10, and they are going to Arizona to take on the Cardinals on Thursday night. So, there's a couple reasons why the Seahawks are this low. Number one is because defense is off a short week. They typically don't do well. And this just dawned on me over the past weekend watching the Bills not do as well. And the other problem that the Bills had was that they were banged up. Well, the Seahawks are too. Their defense is significantly banged up, and they get a much more formidable opponent this week against the Cardinals, but there still is a couple reasons why they're still in here. Number one, their defense is fantastic. Like, their defense this year, Mike McDonald is absolutely crushing it defensively. Six sacks is not that high of a number, but they've got five interceptions. It's a ball hawking secondary, and they're very physical to opponents. I don't think that Kyler Murray off a short week is someone I want to trust in, but I only have the Seahawks at 10 because I know the history of looking at defenses in Thursday night games, and it's not particularly great, especially when they're injured.
Number 11, I've got the Patriots defense in here versus the Carolina Panthers. Listen, I know we just saw the Panthers defense, the Panthers offense rather, put up 30 freaking points on the Atlanta Falcons. Total embarrassment by the Falcons, and also an embarrassment on me for putting the Falcons defense at number three last week. But the Patriots defense, guys, I gotta tell you something. You may not know this. They're the number 12 defense on the year right now. Nine sacks is the reason why, and three interceptions as well. This is an aggressive defense. I know they don't have as much personnel as the Seahawks do, for example, right? But they are for the most part healthy, except with Christian Gonzalez. And I do think that this offense is just not going to look as good this week against a more physical defense with the New England Patriots. I like the Patriots in this matchup. I think their defense has looked good, and in fantasy, they're getting the plays necessary for those fantasy points, such as sacks and turnovers taken away.
Now at number 12 to round us out here is the Commanders defense, and they are going to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. Listen, I was so wrong about the Falcons offense and Michael Penn. I mean, Penn looked horrific. I mean, I've been giving JJ McCarthy a bunch of grief. Penn's looked just as bad. I mean, it was embarrassing. And I got to be honest here, that offensive coordinator in Atlanta, he's on a very quick list to getting fired very soon. I mean, he is not utilizing Penn's arm down the field, which is exactly where he exceeds. Nonetheless, Atlanta's offense is a mess right now, and it's not like they don't have talent. So, I don't love the Commander defense, but this offense is an absolute jumbled mess at the moment. And I just can't see them being a quick turnaround team where they put up 30 points on the Commanders. I think the Commanders, if they get Jane back this week, they'll be more energized as well. They're coming off a good victory versus the Raiders. And when you actually look at the Commanders, like they have had nine sacks this year. They can get after the quarterback. So, I think that this matchup is an overall win for the Washington Commanders. And the Falcons offense is not going to be able to get it together fast enough.
So, let me know what you think of the rankings in the comments below. And if you want to see the top 30 wide receivers for this week in fantasy football, click on this video right here.