Defenses (DEF) to Start in Week 10 (2025): Best Fantasy Football Streaming Options

Shaun Albin analyzes which defenses (DEF) to sit or start in Week 10 (2025) of the NFL season, and provides his best fantasy football streaming options.

Streaming defenses can make or break a fantasy matchup at this point in the season. There are currently just 17 defenses rostered in less than half of all Yahoo! leagues. We must separate the contenders from the pretenders and find the right plug-and-play units as we continue to navigate bye-weeks.

If you can time the right matchups, even the Carolina Panthers defense can find lightning in a bottle, like they did in Week 7. Even the lackluster Raiders defense has provided a spark when facing teams like the Patriots and Titans.

With matchups being vital, let’s break down the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns to see if they can put your team over the top heading into Week 10.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
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• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
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• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
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• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Best DST Streaming Options For Week 10

Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants

The Chicago Bears’ defense is rostered in just 26% of leagues despite posting nine or more fantasy points in five of seven games this year. Their success is largely driven by their league-leading 21.3% turnover rate.

Kevin Byard’s league-leading four interceptions, along with three from Tremaine Edmunds, have put opposing quarterbacks in tough spots all season.  New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart has been impressive, but without running back Cam Skattebo, he will likely be forced to use his arm more, which could play right into the Bears’ hands.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has largely avoided blitzing this season, with the Bears ranking in the bottom half in hurry rate (21^st), knockdowns (20^th), and overall pressure percentage (21^st). Instead, Allen has opted to sit in coverage and bait young quarterbacks into forcing balls into tight windows.

Defense is racking up the takeaways 😈

📺: ABC
pic.twitter.com/mnb8msPO5p

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 14, 2025

Meanwhile, the Giants return to Tyrone Tracy Jr. to lead the running game.  Last week, Tracy managed 39 yards on 10 carries, with a long of just six yards, highlighting the lack of big-play ability the team’s offense possesses now that they’ll be without Skattebo and Malik Nabers.

This sets up a golden opportunity to stream an emerging Bears defense heading into Week 10.

Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings

At first glance, the Baltimore Ravens' defense has been one of the weakest units in the NFL.  However, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that they’ve also faced a brutal stretch filled with top-10 offenses.

The Ravens have faced just one opponent ranked in the top half of the league in fantasy points allowed to defenses, which was a Week 5 matchup with the Browns.  In that contest, the Ravens defense posted a season-high 15 points.

Nate Wiggins huge INT and return inside the 5!

CLEvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/FFBVO9mqXc

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025

Week 10 features a matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, who have allowed the third-most points to defenses this year. What’s even better than that is the slate of games on the horizon following this matchup. The Ravens will see the Browns again, followed by the Jets and Bengals.

This string of positive matchups offers a prime buy-low option for a defense that is rostered in just 32% of leagues at this time.

The Ravens also have quarterback Lamar Jackson back on the field, which will benefit the team’s time of possession and give the defense a chance to catch its breath. With fresher legs in the second half of games, look for emerging playmakers like cornerback Nate Wiggins and linebacker Teddye Buchanon to make game-changing plays.

The Vikings will likely turn back to quarterback J.J. McCarthy following the season-ending injury to Carson Wentz (shoulder).  McCarthy has averaged just 150.5 passing yards and thrown three interceptions through his only two NFL games.

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers

The New Orleans Saints’ defense is another unit that has struggled through a tough schedule to start 2025. The defense ranks No. 11 in fantasy points scored, despite a difficult schedule. Their lack of usage, rostered in just four percent of leagues, is baffling.

In Week 10, they face their best matchup of the season, as they travel to Carolina to play the Panthers. The Panthers have allowed the sixth most fantasy points to defenses this year, and the health of quarterback Bryce Young remains a concern. With Andy Dalton’s lack of mobility, the Saints’ defense has a golden opportunity to make some noise.

The Saints have posted 17 sacks through eight games and have forced turnovers on 12.3% of drives; meanwhile, Dalton took seven sacks in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills. This matchup plays right into the defense’s hands and projects to be an extremely lopsided day.

Outside of their matchup with the Bills, the Panthers' defense has remained stingy all season, which could lead to a low-scoring, defense-driven game.

Look for defensive end Carl Granderson to continue generating pressure, and continue to force fumbles and keep Dalton off balance all day long.

Cleveland Browns at New York Jets

The Cleveland Browns face off against a Jets team that just found a way to crawl into the win column, despite another game where they got behind early.

This Browns defense is nothing like the Bengals unit they faced in Week 8. If the Browns can force New York to play catch-up early on, Myles Garrett will continue to feast and improve on his league-leading 10 sacks.

The Browns rank fourth in the league with 24 sacks through eight games, and have built their defensive identity on hunting quarterbacks. The Browns’ top-10 rushing defense will be tested against the league’s second-ranked unit.

The Jets average 143.6 rushing yards per game, and are sure to emphasize designed runs for Justin Fields to escape away from Myles Garrett and a menacing defensive line. The Browns would like to see enough from rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel to force the Jets to keep up through the air.

The more likely result will be a low-scoring, throwback-style game where the forward pass is a lost art, and the first team to 10 points wins.  This matchup screams for defensive streamers in Week 10, with the Browns rostered in just 45% of leagues.

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