Here at Fantasy Football Helper, we encourage our readers and clients to avoid taking a top fantasy defense in rounds 8-13 and instead target a team with a friendly early schedule, then stream the rest of the season. We had tremendous success streaming defenses in 2023 and we are going to use the same philosophy to try and do it again in 2024.
In 2023 we were all-in on New Orleans as the top draft day target for streaming due to their remarkably easy early season schedule. Their schedule from Weeks 1-6 was the following; vs. Tenn, at Car, at GB, vs. TB, at NE, vs. Hou. Preseason, these were 6 bottom third offenses in the NFL. Of course the QB situation for GB, TB, and Hou ended up being much better than expected but even so, New Orleans D/ST was a top 5 unit in PPG after week 6.
Which Defense to Draft in 2024?
To determine which fantasy defenses have the easiest early season schedule in 2024, we took betting data from numerous leading sports books and calculated the projected implied total for both their opponents as well as their own offense.
What Should We Be Looking For?
When identifying early week defense streaming targets in our draft, we should assess the following:
- Quality of opponents
- Projected points against (PA)
- Point differential (+/-)
- ADP and draft position rank
- 2023 PPG
- 2024 projections
In an ideal scenario we would want to find a team who will face multiple poorly projected offenses and could possibly win these games by a large margin. Additionally, we need the D/ST to have a low ADP so we can draft them in the last rounds and it’s a bonus if the defense was adequate last season/projected to be adequate in 2024. We don’t want to be starting the absolute worst defenses in the league.
Which Fantasy Defenses Fit the Criteria?
- Cincinnati Bengals
Similar to New Orleans last season, the Bengals are a priority target for the following reasons:
- 6th lowest expected points against in weeks 1-3
- 3rd highest expected point differential in weeks 1-3
- #1 ranked week 1 matchup with another strong matchup in week 3
- 9.25 point favourite against the Patriots in week 1
- They also play the Panthers in week 4, a projected top 3 matchup
- Were good enough in 2023; less than 1 PPG from #12 ranked D/ST
- Ranked 11th in ESPN rankings, top 20 in Yahoo & Fantasy Pros
- 22nd ranked D/ST according to ADP
*The Chiefs are a must-bench matchup in week 2. Rostering two defenses this early in the season is not ideal, but three of the first four matchups project to be very strong.
2. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is a strong two-week streaming option and is a close 2nd to the Bengals due to the following:
- The top two-week streaming option
- Top five in expected points against in both weeks 1 & 2
- The #2 ranked week 1 matchup
- Potentially get rookie QB at home in week 1
- Hired Mike Macdonald (ex. Ravens DC) as new head coach
- 24th ranked D/ST according to ADP
*The Seahawks are an excellent two-week streaming option to start the season. After week 2, you can safely cut them as their next matchups are against Miami and Detroit.
3. New Orleans Saints
New Orleans is a fantastic one-week streaming option for the following reasons:
- 5 point favourite at home vs. Panthers in week 1
- Scored 19 fantasy points against Panthers in week 14 last season
- Very strong fantasy defensive unit last year, finishing 8th overall
- Ranked in top 10 D/ST by Yahoo and Fantasy Pros
- Still very affordable in drafts at D/ST 15
*The Saints are an excellent one-week stream as they open the season against a projected weak offense who they had success against last year. It is worth noting however that the Panthers have made numerous upgrades on offense, but they were terrible in 2023.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are a riskier draft selection because they were awful in 2023 but have upside for the following reasons:
- Lowest expected points against in weeks 1-3
- Don’t face any top QBs to start season
- Have the 14th highest projected fantasy points for weeks 1-3
- 25th ranked D/ST according to ADP
*The Chargers were an atrocious defensive unit in 2023. However, they have potential as a two-week or even three-week streaming option due the lack of quality at QB they will be facing. I would only be targeting them in leagues if for some some reason all of the above options are already taken.
Access All 2024 Defense Streaming Data
When you request our data, here’s what you’ll receive:
- Points spreads and implied totals for all teams for weeks 1, 2, and 3
- Averages for all above metrics for all teams for weeks 1-3
- Fantasy point projections for D/ST from popular platforms and publications
- Matchup heat map for all teams for weeks 1-3
- Continuously updated information throughout the off-season
- You can request access for our in-season weekly streaming rankings here
Fantasy Football Helper 
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