2015 Fantasy FootballFantasy Football

2015 Fantasy Football: Week 2 Defense Streamers

Welcome to the Week 2 Streamers report for D/ST everyone. My name is Matt Moczygemba and for the remainder of the 2015 NFL regular season, my job will be to supply you with the top-five recommended streamer options for defenses from week-to-week. Keep in mind the defenses being suggested are ones that are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues as it wouldn’t be worthwhile to suggest defenses that are already universally owned for the purposes of this column.

With that being said, I hope Week 1 went swimmingly for all of you and if it didn’t, there’s still plenty of time to make up for a bad start. Let’s go ahead and get this column started with the number one recommendation of the week.

Kansas City Chiefs – (20.3% owned in ESPN) – vs. Denver – The Broncos are coming into Arrowhead Stadium for a Thursday night matchup and there are a plethora of factors working in the Chiefs favor. First of all, it will be a shorter week of preparation and this factor tends to benefit the defenses as TNF games are notoriously sloppy. Secondly, the Broncos offense looked absolutely abysmal in their Week 1 win against the Ravens as they failed to score an offensive touchdown. Perhaps the most shocking development, or least shocking based on his stretch run and playoff outings last year depending on your perspective, Peyton Manning looked like a shell of his former self as he threw for only 175 yards with an interception to go along with a putrid 4.4 YPA. He looked skittish in the pocket and had a number of misses as his diminishing arm strength has become increasingly evident.

Furthermore, C.J. Anderson (toe) and Deymarius Thomas (hand) are both dealing with injuries which could impact their effectiveness. All of this is to say the the Broncos offense we’ve grown accustomed to seeing dominate over the last few years has a lot more question marks than normal and this is a prime spot to stream the Chiefs defense in what is one of the more raucous home field environments in the league. The additions of a healthy Dontari Poe and Derrick Johnson who are invaluable cogs on the Chiefs defense made an immediate impact in Week 1 as the team racked up five sacks, with an interception and fumble recovery. Don’t be afraid to fire the Chiefs defense up in this matchup.

Tennessee Titans – (2.2% owned) – at Cleveland – While the Titans certainly don’t possess the most imposing defense in the league, it’s of the upmost importance to take advantage of juicy matchups for owners looking to stream and the Titans delivered against rookie Jameis Winston and Co. in Week 1. The defense racked up four sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble last week and with the Cleveland Browns on deck with Johnny Manziel likely to start with Josh McCown (concussion) out, fantasy points could come in bunches. The Browns offense lacks any semblance of top-notch weapons as they will be leaning heavily on Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, with Andrew Hawkins, Brian Hartline, and Taylor Gabriel being their top wideouts. Crowell was pitiful as he gained 20 yards on 12 carries and Johnson wasn’t much better (7-22) and it’s clear the Browns are going to struggle to move the ball. Manziel has been turnover prone in his limited action during his career so far and he may have to force the issue (2 FL, 1 INT Week 1) to keep up with the high-octane Titans offense.

Detroit Lions – (47.4% owned) – at Minnesota – The Lions struggled in their Week 1 matchup against an uber efficient San Diego Chargers offense as they went on to surrender 483 total yards, although they did manage to supply fantasy owners with two sacks, two interceptions, fumble recovery, and a touchdown off a pick-six. Luckily for the Lions, they get a much easier matchup in Week 2 as they head to Minnesota to play the Vikings. The Vikings struggled mightily to move the chains last night as they amassed only 248 total yards and had three measly points to show for it at the end of the night. Although they will be on the road this week, the Lions have a good opportunity to bounce back against a team who failed to score an offensive touchdown last week.

Cincinnati Bengals – (31.5% owned) – vs. San Diego – As previously mentioned, the Chargers are certainly no slouch on offense and present a challenge in that regard, but the Bengals are rock solid defensive unit as well. The Bengals had two sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery in their Week 1 shellacking of the Oakland Raiders and they now get to head home to the jungle that is Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals had the third-highest interception total in the NFL last year and Philip Rivers threw a couple interceptions last week so fantasy owners could be looking at another multi-pick performance, especially if the Bengals get off to an early lead and force the Chargers to air it out. The matchup certainly isn’t the easiest one, but the Bengals deserve the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

New Orleans Saints – (1.2% owned) – vs. Tampa Bay – This recommendation certainly isn’t for the faint of heart as the Saints defense recorded no sacks or interceptions but had a fumble recovery as they looked atrocious in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. The good news though is that the Buccaneers are coming into town and if last week’s outing was any indication, Jameis Winston will certainly be prone to turnovers. The Saints have historically fared much better at home than on the road and the deafening noise inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will undoubtedly affect the Bucs offense. The Saints defense is nothing special, but game script is going to be a huge factor in this game if the Saints can jump out to a sizable lead as it will force Winston to throw early and often. If so, expect a multiple takeaway performance with some sacks surely to follow against a below average offensive line.

Thanks to Yahoo and Rotoworld for providing the statistical information. Be sure to comment below with any questions or remarks. You can follow me on Twitter @MattMoczy and I’m more than willing to answer any questions.

Previous post

2015 Fantasy Baseball: AL Cy Young Preview

Next post

2015 Fantasy Football: Week 2 Rankings