Fantasy football defense rankings, Week 4: From elite to streamable

You’ve got your fantasy football lineup all but set for the week, with a few tweaks to be made here and there as Sunday’s slate of games is ready to kick off.

But you’re trying to optimize your lineup to make sure you get the most points. And that’s why you have to make sure your D/ST position has the best possible squad to win you the week.

That’s what these rankings will help with: A look at the elite, solid, and streamable options that could win you some virtual games in your league.

Let’s break down the Week 4 D/ST tiers:

Elite

1. Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Browns)

2. Cleveland Browns (at Raiders)

3. San Francisco 49ers (vs. Patriots)

4. New York Jets (vs. Broncos)

5. Houston Texans (vs. Jaguars)

Yeah, we expect Cleveland-Las Vegas will be this week’s version of Chargers-Steelers. There shouldn’t be a lot of fireworks from either offense in the desert, and whether Myles Garrett plays or won’t really change that.

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Solid

6. Chicago Bears (vs. Rams)

7. Detroit Lions (vs. Seahawks)

8. Cincinnati Bengals (at Panthers)

9. Los Angeles Rams (at Bears)

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (at Colts)

OK, Steelers-Colts will also be this week’s Steelers-Chargers, but consider Anthony Richardson has the arm strength and wideouts to burn a Pittsburgh pass rush that hasn’t really faced a capable quarterback yet. Frankly, you’d be in good hands starting any of these D/ST units.

Streaming Options

11. Minnesota Vikings (at Packers)

12. Seattle Seahawks (at Lions)

13. Indianapolis Colts (vs. Steelers)

14. Kansas City Chiefs (at Chargers)

15. Miami Dolphins (vs. Titans)

Minnesota is really a great option here, but it’s the Lambeau Field Devil Magic you have to worry about. The rest of the bottom five this week are all solid teams facing less-than-ideal circumstances, but that doesn’t mean you should fade them. Just don’t rely on them to win you this week’s matchup.