X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Defenses (DEF) to Start in Week 2: Fantasy Tiers & Rankings

By Jeffrey Beall (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

For those of you fantasy owners out there who are streaming defenses, RotoBaller has got you covered with around-the-league analysis of the Week 2 matchups.  Week 2 is the beginning stretch of the regular season, so you’ve got to stay on top of the matchups for that early season push!

Throughout the season I want to concentrate on teams that fantasy managers will be able to claim off of waivers or grab from the free agency pool, so I'll be skipping over some of the obvious choices.

Editor’s Note: if you're looking to improve those rosters, our fantasy football waiver wire pickups list is a daily updated running list of waiver adds and analysis for all NFL positions.

 

Week 2 Defenses: Tiers & Rankings

Tier 1: Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints

By Jeffrey Beall (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

After the regular top of the pack teams, we're left with Houston and New Orleans. The Saints are coming off a high-scoring, tough loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but I look for them to bounce back fairly easily against the Cleveland Browns.

The Saints are one of the most underrated defenses in the league this year with Rob Ryan's scheme gaining momentum in his second year, and with the Browns offense still in flux this looks like a good bet.

The Houston Texans are coming off a game against Washington in which they only gave up six points, but it against Washington. I expect more of the same this week against Oakland, and even though Clowney's injury certainly hurts their defensive line, look for the Texans to take advantage of the rookie QB and perpetual mediocrity of Oakland.

 

Tier 2: Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers 

Tier two is a mixed group of teams with potential upside, and just good match-ups. In Tampa Bay's case, it's a little bit of both. They're slightly underrated in my opinion, and they're going up against the St. Louis Rams this week who didn't do a whole lot against a lackluster Vikings defense in week one.

The Jaguars are playing against Washington, who's still trying to figure out their identity. Jacksonville looked pretty damned good in the first half against the high-flying Eagles, showing some upside. On the flip side, Washington is a decent play this week as well against the lowly Jaguars.

Even though Pittsburgh is coming off a game in which they let up entirely too much yardage against a division foe in Cleveland, they match up extremely well against the Baltimore Ravens who look to be struggling to find their offensive identity as well.

Rounding out the second tier, Green Bay going up against the New York Jets looks to be another juicy match-up if Geno Smith continues his rookie trend of bi-polar weekly performances. The Packers are coming off a game in which they gave up 36 points to the defending champion Seahawks, and will look to rebound in a big way against a much weaker offensive opponent.

 

Tier 3: San Francisco, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders

San Francisco just keeps on taking hits to their defense, losing Chris Culliver to a concussion in Sunday's contest against the Cowboys, and their match-up against the Bears isn't all that enticing.

The Ravens are going up against divisional foe's in the Steelers, but after Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell's huge game against another divisional defensive team in Cleveland, I'm not all that keen on bashing on the Steelers offense. Detroit's match-up against Carolina isn't all that appealing, but with Cam's rib injury keeping him out of week one, he may not be at 100% for the game against the Lions.

Suh & Co. should be able to disrupt a hindered Cam if the run threat is compromised. Tennessee will face the Dallas offense of which much was made of new coordinator Scott Linehan, but Romo looked lost against the Niners. These struggles may continue for the first few weeks of the season, and if they do it could be the recipe for a juicy defensive match-up.

Miami and Buffalo face each other in week two, and despite the Dolphins high offensive output against the Patriots, I expect somewhat of a defensive battle in this one with both teams struggling offensively. The Raiders are up against Houston this week who looked better than I expected in week one, but it was against Washington.

 

Tier 4: Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys

The fourth tier is for deeper leagues, or fantasy managers who are starting to get desperate. Cleveland will face Drew Brees and the Saints, and while the Browns may have the secondary to do well against them, I wouldn't count on a low scoring game from New Orleans.

Chicago will take on the 49ers who quadrupled their offensive production from the entire preseason in week one, expect this one to be a shootout. Carson Palmer still has what it takes to shred the Giants revamped secondary with the Cardinal's offensive weapons in their showdown.

Philadelphia will find themselves in another high scoring affair against Andrew Luck and the Colts who will look to bounce back from a weak showing against the Broncos. Chip Kelly will be able to exploit weaknesses discovered by Peyton Manning, only emphasized by the fast-paced Eagle offense.

The Falcons, coming off a thrilling overtime victory over the division rival Saints, find themselves up against Hue Jackson's new look Bengal's offense. While they only scored one touchdown in week one, they were moving the ball and consistently getting first downs throughout the game. The Cowboys look to be one of the league's worst defensive teams once again, and playing on the road against Jake Locker and the Titan's underrated receiving core doesn't bode well for fantasy purposes.

 

Tier 5: New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers

As we reach the bottom of the barrel, we see a common denominator here, going up against dominance. The New York Jets face off against Aaron Rodgers and the Packer's offense, and will get picked apart with their secondary being their biggest weakness.

Alex Smith's counterpart will be Peyton Manning in Denver. The Vikings play the New England Patriots with a healthy Gronk. And the Chargers go up against the dominance of the defending super bowl champs. These are only options in very deep leagues, or where every other team is hoarding two or more defenses.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

T.J. Hockenson11 mins ago

Expects To Be More Involved In Week 12
Alexander Mattison17 mins ago

Zamir White Doubtful To Face Broncos
Nico Collins23 mins ago

Set For Increased Workload Against Titans
Mike Evans28 mins ago

Officially Listed As Questionable
Malik Nabers41 mins ago

Questionable For Week 12, Intends To Play
Coby White51 mins ago

Listed As Probable On Friday
Jordan Hawkins58 mins ago

Set To Return On Friday
Sam Darnold60 mins ago

Cleared For Sunday
Brandon Ingram1 hour ago

Available On Friday
Stephen Curry1 hour ago

Probable On Friday Against Pelicans
D'Andre Swift1 hour ago

Gets Questionable Tag For Week 12
Keenan Allen1 hour ago

Lands On Injury Report, Questionable For Week 12
Isiah Pacheco2 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
CeeDee Lamb2 hours ago

Practices Friday, Expected To Play Sunday
Tyjae Spears2 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Mike Evans2 hours ago

Will Return In Week 12
Jalen Hurts3 hours ago

"Good To Go" For Week 12, Remains A Must-Start QB
Adam Thielen3 hours ago

Tommy Tremble Will Play On Sunday
Jonathon Brooks3 hours ago

Set To Make NFL Debut In Week 12
DeVonta Smith3 hours ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
Cam Thomas3 hours ago

Available Against 76ers
Malik Nabers3 hours ago

Not Practicing On Friday
Shohei Ohtani3 hours ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Joel Embiid3 hours ago

Added To Injury Report On Friday
Tabatha Ricci3 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan3 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nicolas Claxton3 hours ago

Now Listed As Probable Against 76ers
Dorian Finney-Smith3 hours ago

Upgraded To Probable On Friday
Muslim Salikhov3 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale4 hours ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet4 hours ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan4 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang4 hours ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Jones4 hours ago

Giants Release Daniel Jones
Ozzy Diaz4 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
San Francisco 49ers6 hours ago

Nick Bosa "Questionable At Best" For Week 12
MacKenzie Weegar7 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini7 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov7 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan7 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski7 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes8 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo8 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Jerry Jeudy10 hours ago

Leads Browns In Receiving In Week 12 Win
Nick Chubb10 hours ago

Scores Two TDs In Thursday Night Win Over Pittsburgh
Wendell Carter Jr.18 hours ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis18 hours ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura18 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg19 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir19 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes19 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA19 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo19 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan19 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi20 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum20 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Brandon Ingram20 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani20 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge20 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter20 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo20 hours ago

Available Thursday
Mike Conley21 hours ago

Will Not Play Thursday
Jordan Clarkson21 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Ausar Thompson21 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Zach Collins21 hours ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
Domantas Sabonis21 hours ago

Gets Through Full Practice
Alex Ovechkin22 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Zach Hyman22 hours ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson22 hours ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov22 hours ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Mikael Granlund22 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev22 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
TB23 hours ago

Nicholas Paul Will Miss Thursday's Game
Frederik Andersen23 hours ago

To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Cody Bellinger1 day ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
1 day ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chandler Stephenson1 day ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson1 day ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist1 day ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies1 day ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine1 day ago

Returns To Practice
Chris Sale2 days ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal2 days ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat2 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg2 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole2 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
3 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers3 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
3 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri3 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil4 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes4 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer4 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 12 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 12 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 12! There will be a whopping six teams on bye this week (Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets), so that means fantasy managers might need to look deeper on their benches. This Week 12 matchups […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

D/ST Strength of Schedule: Best Fantasy Football Defense Streamers and Matchups (Weeks 12-17)

Ahh, the good old Defense/Special Teams (DST) position in fantasy football. It is a controversial inclusion in fantasy lineups for some fantasy players, but strategizing around DSTs is one of my favorite aspects of the in-season fantasy football experience. In the article below, I will present the strength of schedule (SOS) for the fantasy Defense/Special […]


NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 12 - Top Lineup Plays Include Jayden Daniels, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Puka Nacua

It’s already Week 12, although the end of the 2024-25 campaign can’t come soon enough for teams like the Jaguars, Raiders, Giants, and Panthers, to name a few. On the other hand, clubs like the Bills, Chiefs, and Lions are only a few weeks away from officially punching their tickets to the postseason.   In […]


Braelon Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best/Worst Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules: Streamers and Starts To Win A Championship (2024)

Planning too far in advance to align your fantasy football players for an optimal playoff performance comes with many pitfalls. However, positioning yourself for good fortune in Weeks 15 through 17 should be a key piece of your strategy if you're in line to make the bracket. Fantasy players still have time to trade for […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

The King's Week 12 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel shares his Week 12 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league participants. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to highlight that some of your must-start players have a good chance of supplying […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 12 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Anthony Richardson, Brian Robinson Jr., Courtland Sutton, and more

How's it going, RotoBallers? Welcome back to our DraftKings Main Slate article. Known around the fantasy football world as "Bye-Mageddon," Week 12 certainly offers up some unique challenges from a DFS perspective. Don't worry, we'll work through those difficulties to find the best plays we can on this slate. These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 12: Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, Will Dissly

Week 12 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Will Dissly. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 12 Lineups Include Tua Tagovailoa, J.K. Dobbins, Ladd McConkey

Week 11 was pretty kind to us in this space. We correctly labeled Justin Herbert as a boom pick. He threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on the ground. It culminated with a QB8 finish. We also nailed Kirk Cousins and Tony Pollard as busts. Cousins and the Falcons […]


Chuba Hubbard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include D'Andre Swift, JK Dobbins, Tank Dell, Chuba Hubbard, Mark Andrews, Jakobi Meyers

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 12 fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint for fantasy lineups this week. It's a strange week in the NFL with six teams taking their bye week. That could mean lineups are gridlocked and fantasy managers don't have the luxury of analyzing matchups to decide their starters. Potential […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Week 12 (Sunday Main Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Week 12 - Sunday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now past the midpoint, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of the […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 12 Include Bo Nix, De'Von Achane, Quentin Johnston, Calvin Ridley, more

It seems as though fantasy managers were either incredibly disappointed or incredibly excited in Week 11. The output was modest for most players. However, if you had a monopoly on a select few players such as Cooper Kupp, Taysom Hill, or the Detroit Lions, you likely won your week. With the fantasy playoffs roughly three weeks […]