Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season featured a full slate, but the bye weeks are back in Week 9. Which fantasy football defenses can capitalize on the juiciest matchups for Week 9?
Will the New Orleans Saints defense bounce back against Tyson Bagent and the struggling Bears? Is Will Levis the real deal, or will the Pittsburgh Steelers defense properly welcome him to the league? Can we actually trust the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots defenses with great matchups?
We'll answer all those questions and more in the fantasy football defense rankings, but for now, let's get to the deep sleepers and viable fantasy defense streaming options for Week 9.
Streaming Week 9 DEF options
Atlanta Falcons DEF (vs. MIN): The Vikings will be starting rookie QB Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick out of BYU, on the road in a critical game for the Falcons in the NFC South race. Atlanta's defense has been decent as of late, generating three turnovers in the last two games. This is more a bet against Hall and Minnesota still not being able to run the ball, putting the rookie in some difficult situations.
New England Patriots DEF (vs. WAS): The Patriots aren't nearly close to the top fantasy defense they were last year, but the schedule for the Pats has been brutal, and they've played reasonably well against some of the lesser teams (Jets, Raiders) they've faced. Sam Howell is on pace to take the most sacks in NFL history, so the Patriots should walk into some easy points at home against a Commanders team that has been up and down all year long.
Favorite Week 9 FanDuel DFS plays
Cleveland Browns (vs. ARI) FD – $4,700: Whether it's Kyler Murray shaking off the rust or Clayton Tune making his debut, the Browns defense should feast on either quarterback at home in this matchup. The Browns aren't the highest-priced defense on the main slate (hello, Atlanta!) but probably should be against a team that isn't running the ball all that effectively. Cleveland has feasted on lesser quarterbacks this season, and they should once again in this spot.
Seattle Seahawks (@ BAL) FD – $3,500: The Seahawks are way too talented of a unit to be priced this low. While the Ravens aren't an offense we typically target in fantasy football, this is a punt play and a bet on Seattle's run defense, especially with new addition Leonard Williams holding up against Baltimore's rushing attack. There are a lot of bad quarterbacks to target this week, but if you need to save money at the position on FanDuel, a cheap bet on Seattle's talent is a solid one.
Week 9 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings
1. Cleveland Browns D (vs. ARI)
2. New Orleans Saints D (vs. CHI)
3. Atlanta Falcons D (vs. MIN)
4. New England Patriots D (vs. WAS)
5. Baltimore Ravens D (vs. SEA)
6. Los Angeles Chargers D (@ NYJ)
For our discussion on the best fantasy football breakout and sleeper candidates, listen below:
7. Pittsburgh Steelers D (vs. TEN)
8. Green Bay Packers D (vs. LAR)
9. Las Vegas Raiders D (vs. NYG)
10. Philadelphia Eagles D (vs. DAL)
11. Dallas Cowboys D (@ PHI)
12. New York Giants D (@ LV)
Week 9 Fantasy DEF Rankings Notes
The Browns D should get back on track this week as Arizona will be starting a new QB on the road against Myles Garrett. Strip sacks, here we come…Saints D has let us down a few times in great spots, but Tyson Bagent didn't do anything against a Chargers unit that's been getting gashed last week. The Bears cough up the third-most points to fantasy defenses on the season. Falcons D being the highest-priced defense on FanDuel is a little wild, but an inexperienced and inaccurate rookie being dropped into a pass-heavy scheme on the road with just a week to prepare sounds awfully nice…
The Commanders give up nearly 11 PPG to opposing fantasy defenses, which is fifth in the league. It's hard to predict which Sam Howell will show up for this one, but give me Belichick and the Patriots D against a QB that holds on to the ball way too long any day of the week…Trusting the Chargers D is understandably rather difficult, but Zach Wilson has taken 13 sacks and thrown one touchdown in the last three weeks…Cam Heyward coming back should help the Patriots at least slow down Derrick Henry, and rookie Will Levis might not find the same success chucking it downfield against this tough Steelers D…The Rams quickly turned to dust once Matthew Stafford left the game. We'll assume he sits this week, which makes the Packers D a top-10 play…
It's hard to shake the feeling that there's a “fired coach bump” coming from the Raiders D this week for interim head coach Antonio Pierce against his former team (and a rusty Daniel Jones coming off a neck injury)…It's incredibly hard to rank two elite units in Eagles D and Cowboys D as they face each other, but you aren't dropping either team in your fantasy league, and both quarterbacks have been prone to turnovers in games like this…The Raiders are starting Aidan O'Connell, and the Giants D more than did enough against the Jets last week to be in fantasy football consideration for this one.
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