Defenses (DEF) to Start in Week 5: Fantasy Tiers & Rankings

September 30, 2014

Matt Lib analyzes which defenses (DEF) to sit or start, and provides his Week 5 rankings and tiers for all of the NFL defenses. Starting the right defense in fantasy football can be a game changer.

For those of you fantasy football owners out there who are streaming defenses, RotoBaller has got you covered with around-the-league analysis of the Week 5 NFL matchups.  Week 5 shouldn't be an issue with bye weeks meaning there should be a good selection on the free agency market, so be sure to stay on top of the NFL matchups and defensive opponents.

We’re here to give you the insight to help make your defense streaming decisions and Week 5 lineup decisions a bit easier. Some of these defenses may have good matchups, and be sleepers available on your league’s waiver wire, so make sure to take a look at your waiver wire options as well.

Teams that have bye weeks in Week 5: Miami Dolphins & Oakland Raiders

Editor's Note: Make sure to check out all our Week 5 Waiver Wire Analysis, including the top waiver wire pickups at each position, QB waiver wire streamers, deeper wide receiver and running back waiver wire pickups and our daily updated waiver wire pickups list.

Week 5 Defenses: Tiers & Rankings

Tier 1: Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions

Only three teams here this week, two of which have over 90% ownership in Yahoo and Fleaflicker leagues. Included are my top two defenses in the league, as well as my top two teams overall. The Seahawks find themselves in Washington against the new look Redskins. And while Cincinnati goes on the road to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots, New England has been one of the biggest offensive disappointments in the league thus far. Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen just aren't scaring defenses now. While my opinion may be partially biased as I am a Bengals fan living in Boston (and yes if you watch the game I'll be that one Cincinnati fan in the stands), the Bengals defense is for real. They given up 11 points per game, have the corners and safety personnel to contain a passing offense that has looked lackluster so far, and are coming with a front seven that's ready to take on a weakened O-Line without Logan Mankins.

Detroit has been one of the biggest surprises defensively through the first four games of the season, giving up a league low 267 yards per game, and are second in the league in passing defense at 187 yards per game. The Lions take on the Buffalo Bills in week 5 who just benched EJ Manuel so Kyle Orton will be at the helm. Not a great look for Sammy Watkins, Mike Williams and even C.J Spiller or Fred Jackson. This looks to be a juicy matchup against an offense in flux so I'd feel more than comfortable starting any of these tier 1 defenses.

Tier 2: New England Patriots, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns,

Tier two has some defenses that are more than likely owned in your league (Patriots, Texans, and Niners), and others that may be available in the Broncos, Chargers, Steelers and Browns. The Pats' defense has been fairly dominant prior to their Week 4 disaster against the Chiefs, and has 8 takeaways through three games. But the Bengals' offense is their toughest matchup yet. Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill are going to bring it. Houston has been one of the league's biggest defensive disappointments so far, but finally lived up to expectations against the Bills and are looking to continue rolling against in-state rivals versus the Cowboys.  The Niners somehow continue to do what they've been doing for years defensively, even with the crazy amount of injuries and suspensions they've endured. Holding the Eagles to 21 points was no easy task, and I look for them to continue against the Chiefs in week 5. It will be no easy task against Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis and Travis Kelce, but I think they can get it done.

Another disappointing team defensively has been the Broncos, but they've had some tough matchups going up against the Colts, Chiefs, and Seahawks. This week they'll face off against the Cardinals after coming off their bye week. While Carson Palmer may get the nod this week, quarterbacks coming off of nerve issues in their throwing shoulder often have to deal with "sapped" throwing strength. It may be a shaky day for Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown.

One of the league's surprises defensively has been the Chargers. The loss of Manti Teo didn't look to hurt them too much in Week 4, but it was against the Jags. Look for the Chargers to capitalize on the Jets' 7 giveaways through four games. With a seemingly constantly hampered Eric Decker, and Geno Smith's inconsistencies, the Chargers will continue their defensive dominance giving up only 16 PPG and 325 YPG. After all Chris Ivory can't do everything himself.

The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Jaguars, automatically making them a good defensive pickup. And while their defense has been quite un-Steelerly this year, James Harrison returning to the team should come with some of that defensive mindset and nastiness. Jacksonville is only scoring 14.5 PPG and gaining 279 yards of total offense on average, giving the Steelers ample opportunity to show that they still have a defense worthy of Pittsburgh's expectations.

The Cleveland Browns defense has been worse than expected so far, especially in terms of yardage, but they've been better in the takeaway department with three interceptions and one forced fumble. In Week 5 the Browns face up against the Tennessee Titans who have only been posting 15 points per game, and have 7 turnovers through four games. Look for Joe Haden, Donte Whitner, and my favorite named player in the NFL in Barkevious Mingo to capitalize on the Titans inability. Regardless of whether Jake Locker plays, it may be a tough game for Kendall Wright, Delanie Walker, Justin Hunter and Bishop Sankey.

Any of these tier 2 defenses are worth a look in all fantasy football leagues this week, and I'll be starting a few of these teams myself with confidence.

Tier 3: Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, St Louis Rams, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills,  Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, 

I'd be remiss if I didn't admit it's getting harder to instill faith in the Carolina Panthers defense, especially to start off tier 3. But they have had 6 takeaways, and Jay Cutler and the Bears may be reverting to their haphazard gun-slinging ways. With Brandon Marshall clearly not at 100% the Panthers can concentrate on trying to stop Martellus Bennett, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte. Look for Roman Harper and Thomas Decoud to contain Martellus Bennett much more effectively than other teams have so far. On the other side of the ball, the Chicago defense will take on a disappointing Panthers offense that's only been putting up 328 yards per game. The Panthers have only given up two turnovers through four games, but in that same span the Bears have had 8 takeaways. Look for Jared Allen, Shea McClellin, and Lance Briggs to show up in a big way against a hindered Cam Newton to bring their team above .500 again.

The Rams have been another one of the league's most disappointing defenses so far, but they're coming off their bye week with two weeks to prepare for one of the league's most potent offenses in the Philadelphia Eagles. This is the Rams' best chance to prove that the lofty expectations of their defense were for good reason, and with the Eagles already having 9 giveaways, will look to capitalize on mistakes. It'll be interesting to see if Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Jeremy Maclin and Zach Ertz can bounce back.

The Giants have been looking much better offensively, but now teams have film to watch of how their offense is actually run. Atlanta has 7 takeaways through 4 games, and will look to bounce back in a big way after letting up 41 points to the Vikings in Week 4. The Falcons should be able to take advantage of Eli Manning's 5 interceptions thus far, and I wouldn't bank on Larry Donnell catching three touchdowns again. It'll be interesting to see how an inconsistent Victor Cruz holds up.

While the Buccaneers have looked much better with Mike Glennon leading the offense, the Saints' defense lead by Rob Ryan and Kenny Vaccaro has to show up at some point this season. The Saints have given up 11 less points per game inside the dome compared to away games since the beginning of last season, and Tampa Bay has 8 turnovers at this point. Doug Martin wasn't all that impressive in his return against one of the league's softest defenses, and Vincent Jackson just isn't performing like his normally dominant self, so look for the Saints to make Mike Glennon throw the ball in what may be yet another divisional shootout.

Indianapolis has been making me look good the past two weeks. Even without Robert Mathis they've played well albeit against Jacksonville and Tennessee. Expect this trend to continue against the Baltimore Ravens. The Colts have 7 takeaways and I still don't have faith in Joe Flacco and Steve Smith Sr. to continue lighting secondaries up. Baltimore has been better than most expected without Ray Rice offensively, and nobody would have guessed Torrey Smith would be as quiet as he was prior to last week, but the Colts are trying to get above .500 and are the better team. It'll be interesting to see if Bernard Pierce gets any carries, or if they'll continue to roll with Justin Forsett and Lorenzo Taliaferro.

The Arizona Cardinals are somehow only owned in 66% of Yahoo leagues currently, and while they are going up against the Broncos in Denver this week, they're still one of the elite defenses in the league. Whether fantasy managers need a defense this week, or are just looking for a backup defense, the Cardinals are one of the best options out there in most cases. If they are available on your league's waiver wire, snatch them up. I'm still starting Arizona this week in a couple of leagues against the Broncos, as they've had two weeks to prepare, and look to stay as one of the two unbeaten teams along with the Cincinnati Bengals. Will they be able to slow down Peyton Manning, Demarius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Monte Ball? It'll be fun to see.

Kansas City was one of those defenses that a lot of people were down on to start the year, and justifiably so with the off-season moves and injuries that have taken place since last year. But the Chiefs are proving they are still one of the better options for fantasy managers this season, and will look to continue to impress against San Francisco in Week 5 who already has 5 turnovers. Dontari Poe, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry will take advantage of Colin Kaepernick's indecisiveness and show up in a big way in a huge divisional game.

These third tier teams are for owners in deeper leagues, and for fantasy managers looking for that boom-bust opportunity with their defense.

Tier 4: Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans

The fourth tier is where things really start to get dicey. Starting off with the Vikings in a divisional matchup at Lambeau Field, I'd like to note that I try to avoid Thursday night games at all costs. These short weeks seem to really affect gameplay, and unless we're talking about an elite player or defense, there are probably better options available. All that being said, the Teddy Bridgewater era has begun, and looks to be shaping up nicely for the Adrian Peterson-less Vikings. On the other side, Packers fans can finally heed Aaron Rodgers' advice and R-E-L-A-X after the offensive clinic he put on with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb against the Bears in Week 4. Neither of these defenses are all that enticing, and when going up against each other in what should be a divisional shootout, I'll take a pass on this one.

The Eagles defense has been about what I expected coming into this season, mediocre at best. And while the St. Louis Rams aren't lighting things up offensively with 19 points per game, they've been much better than many thought they would be without Sam Bradford. The Rams have the weapons to attack Philadelphia's corners in Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, and Brian Quick, and I'm personally waiting for the Eagles' defense to prove me wrong before I instill any sort of faith in them.

The Dallas Cowboys certainly didn't look like the worst defense in the league against the Saints in Week 4, but that doesn't mean I'm going to start having any sort of confidence in them. They take on the Houston Texans in Week 5, who are putting up 22 points per game and look to be gaining chemistry as an offense. DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson have what it takes to shred the Cowboys' secondary with Ryan Fitzpatrick behind center.

Washington will face the defending champions on Monday night this week, and the Seahawks are tied for the league best with one turnover through three games. The Seahawks offense isn't all that scary, even with Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, but the Redskins defense is. Even with their vast improvement from last season, I'm staying away from Washinton's defense until they prove me wrong.

Matt Stafford and the Lions are putting up 21 points per game, and are starting to figure out how their running game is going to work for them this season. Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Reggie Bush and possibly Joique Bell are a formidable bunch. With that in mind, I'm not looking at the underrated Buffalo Bills defense as a viable option except for desperation plays in deep leagues.

Along the same line as the Bills, the Ravens are being somewhat overlooked as a defense with their depleted roster. But this isn't the week to pick them up off the waiver wire or start them. Baltimore will go up against Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne and the Colts. Andrew Luck has been everything his advocates could have expected and more so far this season, averaging 34 points per game for the Colts.

The Titans will take on the Brian Hoyer led Browns who are averaging 25 PPG. The Titans are giving up 27 PPG, and only have 5 takeaways to account for through their first four games. While I'm not a big believer in the Brown's offense, this isn't the week I would be looking to bet against them.

Many of these tier 4 defenses may be available on your Week 5 waiver wire, but proceed with caution.

Tier 5: New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets

I don't want to come anywhere near these tier 5 defenses this week. The New York Giants face off at home against Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who score a lot of points behind Julio Jones, Roddy White and others. While the Saints haven't looked like themselves yet offensively this year, I'm not touching Tampa Bay in the Superdome this week. Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Brandin Cooks, Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas are liable to go off for 50 points at any time, as the Falcons did to the Buccs not too long ago.

Jacksonville takes on the not-so-defensively-minded Steelers at home, but Big Ben has been lighting it up with Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. The New York Jets end up in San Diego this week against Philip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Eddie Royal, Antonio Gates and the lightning quick Chargers offense. Stay away from these fantasy defenses in Week 5.