Defenses (DEF) to Start in Week 2 (2026): Best Fantasy Football Streaming Options

September 8, 2026

Frank Ammirante analyzes which defenses (DEF) to sit or start in Week 2 (2026) of the NFL season, and provides his best fantasy football streaming options.

At the beginning of the season, virtually every team in your fantasy football league looks strong. This is because everyone is healthy and there aren't any bye weeks.

As a way to gain an edge on the competition, it's a good idea to look ahead at defense/special teams in Week 2 to take advantage of favorable matchups.

We're focusing on streamers for this article, so we'll zero in on defenses that are rostered in fewer than 30% of Yahoo! leagues. With that in mind, find out why the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are my favorable streamers for Week 2.

Best D/ST Streaming Options For Week 2

We're going to focus on point spreads, since favorites are projected to play with the lead, which is good for fantasy production.

Dallas Cowboys (28%) vs. Washington Commanders

The Cowboys averaged only 3.5 fantasy points per game last season. This included only two games with double-digit points. However, that was last year. This time around, Dallas is projected to have a much better defense.

For one, they have a full season of stud defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who they acquired at the deadline. On top of that, they drafted defensive back Caleb Downs in the first round. Expect Downs to make an immediate impact on this group.

TRENDING: Caleb Downs has had CeeDee Lamb IN A BOX throughout training camp.

Downs has reportedly been “blanketing” several of the Cowboys top receiving threats during team periods.

The Cowboys rookie safety is showing early flashes of ALL-PRO potential 📦😳 pic.twitter.com/ioqgDdTh96

— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) August 14, 2026

Dallas is home to the Commanders in Week 2. They're 4.5-point favorites in a game with a 51.5-point total. That means that the Commanders have a 23.5-point implied total. While that's not ideal, the good news is Dallas is expected to control this game, putting them in a position to rack up sacks and turnovers.

We should also note that the Commanders have concerns on the offensive line right now. With left tackle Laremy Tunsil out of the season, that leaves a glaring hole on Jayden Daniels' blindside. That's bad news against an improved defense. With that in mind, the Cowboys look like an appealing D/ST in this spot.

Green Bay Packers (17%) at New York Jets

The Packers put up only 4.6 fantasy points per game last season, including only two games with double-digit points. However, we have to remember that Micah Parsons missed a chunk of the year.

With that said, he's going to miss the first four games of this season as well. However, I still like the Packers in this spot on the road against the Jets. Green Bay comes in as 5.5-point favorites in a game with a 42.5-point total. That means that the Jets have an 18.5-point implied total, which is appealing for streaming a defense against them.

I expect the Jets to have an improved offense this season with Geno Smith at quarterback. They also have a full year of Adonai Mitchell, along with first-round rookies Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. But even with that, we have to see that translate on the field first. Until they prove that they've actually improved, they'll be a team to target with D/ST streamers.

With the Packers projected to control this game, we can fire them up with confidence in this one. I should note, though, I do prefer playing D/ST streamers when they're at home, so that's a slight knock on the Packers.

Kansas City Chiefs (12%) vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Chiefs put up 5.4 fantasy points per game last season, including four games with double-digit points. They traded one of their best defensive players, Trent McDuffie, but they used both of their first-rounders on defensive players, including cornerback Mansoor Delane and defensive tackle Peter Woods.

Those are two new toys for stud defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to play with, so we're likely to see some improvement on defense. It's also worth noting that last season's points are skewed by the games where Mahomes was out, which made it difficult to do well since they were playing from behind.

Peter Woods

Every snap, 0 pressures and 0 stops in his NFL preseason debut pic.twitter.com/MamZUpFOVX

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) August 16, 2026

With Mahomes healthy, the Chiefs should control the game vs. the Colts. They're 6.5-point favorites in a game with a 47.5-point total, so the Colts have a 20.5 implied total. That bodes well for the Chiefs being a good streamer in this spot.

I like fading the Colts here because Daniel Jones is coming off a torn Achilles. It's going to be tough for him to find his peak form early in the year as he gets a feel for things once again. It wouldn't surprise me to see him struggle in the early part of the year, making the Chiefs worth a look here.

San Francisco 49ers (10%) vs. Miami Dolphins

The 49ers put up 4.6 fantasy points per game last year, including two double-digit games. That was skewed by the fact that they dealt with numerous injuries, including to Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.

However, both those players are healthy now, so this defense could be a bit more imposing now. Even though defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has moved on to coach the Titans, Raheem Morris is a capable replacement.

He's baaaack 👀 pic.twitter.com/2RiLZ9Sjjl

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 2, 2026

Week 2 includes a tremendous spot for the 49ers, where they go up against the Dolphins. San Francisco is favored by 10.5 points in a game with a 46.5-point total. That means that the Dolphins have an 18.5-point implied total. That's exactly what you want to look for when streaming a defense.

There's a reasonable chance that this could turn into a blowout. When targeting a streamer, you want a blowout because that gives your D/ST more opportunities to rack up sacks and turnovers. That's exactly what we have with the 49ers here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3%) vs. Cleveland Browns

The Buccaneers are my favorite defensive streamers in Week 2. Even though this is a team that averaged only 5.8 fantasy points per game last year, we could see some improvements this time around.

That's because the Bucs used their first-rounder on Rueben Bain Jr., an edge rusher who addresses their biggest need. There's a good chance that Bain makes an immediate impact off the edge.

Rueben Bain Jr. every snap in his NFL debut. pic.twitter.com/JgvcFTCo5M

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) August 23, 2026

The Bucs are 6.5-point favorites in this game, which has a 42.5 total. That means the Browns have an 18-point total. We could see them struggle to put up points in this one.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson is the starter for the Browns. Word out of camp is that he hasn't shown any improvement. He's been struggling mightily, which is bad news for the Browns offense. This is a great opportunity for the Bucs to get you double-digit points. It wouldn't surprise me to see a couple sacks and turnovers in this one.

The Bucs are my favorite streamers for the week.

Tips for Streaming D/STs

Follow these tips when streaming D/STs:

• Target teams that are favorites
• Check out the opponent's implied total
• Stash a second D/ST to beat the waiver wire rush if you have room
• Only hold a D/ST if they've been consistently producing

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