X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Week 9 Defense (DEF) Streamers and Starts - 2022 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Patriots Defense - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Team Defense, IDP Sleepers, Devin McCourty

Eric breaks down all 2022 fantasy football Week 9 defenses (DEF) -- streamers, sits/starts, and D/ST waiver wire pickups to add. His Week 9 rankings and tiers for all of the NFL defenses.

For weeks I was saying that the New Orleans Saints have shown me no reason to play them as a fantasy defense. Even Warren Sharp tweeted out last week that the Saints were the biggest defensive disappointment on the season. So it's only fitting that the Saints completely dominated the Raiders, even without Marshon Lattimore, and finished as the number-one fantasy defense on the week.

It feels par for the course with the craziness of fantasy defenses this year in a season with so much inconsistent football being played. In reality, the only defenses it seems as though we can really trust every week are the Eagles, Cowboys, and Bills. However, even the Bills' DST just put up five points against the Packers, so perhaps they're not even consistently elite.

And maybe that's the takeaway from the first half of this season. Perhaps we need to find the safe defenses, the ones with the solid floor, and just keep them in our lineups. We got 10 points from the Vikings this week, seven from the Broncos, five from the Ravens, and eight from the Jets. Maybe that's enough? Maybe instead of chasing that ceiling game that seems so hard to pin down this year, we focus on the defenses we know will just be fine. They might not win us our matchup every single week but they also won't cause us major headaches. That's a win in its own right.

Editor's Note: Access RotoBaller’s trusted fantasy football rankings for PPR, Standard, Dynasty, Super Flex, and Best Ball formats. Get tiered cheat sheets, expert analysis, and player outlooks to dominate your draft from every angle.

As a reminder, every week I do a YouTube DST video called Pick 3(DST) where I give you three defenses I like during the week and one that I'm fading. We have some fun with it, but I think it gives a lot of the same reasoning I present here, so check it out for some video fun. And my BOD Leaderboard is available on Public Tableau, where you can see my updated BOD rankings, plus a leaderboard for the individual defensive stats I use for the BOD formula, and some of the offensive stats that I think can help us determine which DST to play or not. Also, make sure to always check back with this article over the weekend because I will my updated rankings as the week goes on when we get injury news or troubling weather information, etc.

 

What is the BOD Ranking Formula?

Last year I introduced my Best Overall Defense (BOD) rankings formula, and I'll be using it again this year. I'll give a quick overview of the formula below, followed by my general strategy for streaming defenses, and then my Week 9 fantasy football defense (DST) rankings. Good luck in Week 9 everyone!

The BOD (Best Overall Defense) formula takes into account my favorite stats for picking the right defenses (both positive and negative) and weighs them in a formula. You can view the RANKINGS AND COMPLETE LEADERBOARD of all the stats I use here. I tweaked the formula as the season went on last year, and I feel like it gives us a pretty good indicator of who has the best defenses for fantasy purposesIf you don't want to click that link, the formula is:

(Pressure Rate x 2) + (Sacks) + (QB Hurry Rate) + (Pass Break-Ups) + (%Drives ending in a Turnover x 2)

Minus

(Missed Tackles)+ (% Drives ending in a Score x 2) + (Yards per play)

It's important to clarify that the BOD rankings ARE NOT to be treated as weekly rankings. BOD is meant to tell us who the best fantasy defenses are, but depending on the matchup, they might be ranked differently in a given week. That's why we have this column where I will be breaking down my rankings for each week and an explanation of why I have the defenses ranked the way I do. The rankings will take into account their BOD ranking, opponent, injuries, weather, etc., but I hope my explanation will help make sense of each ranking.

 

Picking The Right Defenses To Pickup and Start

Just a quick recap of my general philosophy and what we discussed at length last year: when choosing a defense, you want to look for defenses that get consistent pressure and takeaways. Sacks and turnovers are more valuable for fantasy defense than preventing yardage and even, to a certain extent, preventing points. If a defense allows a stingy yards-per-play number, that's great and I'll cite some of those numbers below. However, they better also be able to get into the backfield or force turnovers or else it won't really matter in the long run.

Essentially, we need to move away from points against as being the most important factor in choosing a fantasy defense. In 2021, NFL offenses gained 343.6 yards per game and scored 23.0 points per game. While that's down from the 24.8 scored in 2020 (most likely because of the deep safety defenses), it's still the third-most in the Super Bowl era.

With offenses putting up video game numbers, it means that we can't continue to judge a defense solely by the number of points they allow or the number of yards they give up. Those numbers will naturally be higher than we're used to. Instead, we need to look for which offensive lines are truly weak points and which defenses will either be blitz-heavy or get consistent pressure with their pass rush. These are all incredibly important pieces of information in determining which defenses to play in any given week.

Starting the right defense every week can be a difference-maker, so remember to check back here during the week as I will make updates once we get more information on some of these injuries and also get a better sense of the weather for the game.

 

Season Record

41-39 correctly predicting top-10 defenses

I want to track how correctly I pick the top 10 this year, so I'll keep track using FantasyPros total points. If anybody has other suggestions, let me know.

 

Week 9 Defenses To Start and Stream: Tiered Rankings

Confidence Ratings (out of 15) - Since every league's DST scoring is different, projections don't always make a ton of sense. The confidence rating is a guideline for how much more I like one team over another instead of just a point projection. This is the best way to see just how much I like one team over another. Not all one or two spot differences are the same.

A zero means "do not start," and then the confidence rises from there. Typically the top three tiers will be DSTs you should target, with Tier 4 being options in deep leagues.

 

Tier 1 Defenses - Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 9

I mentioned that there are very few elite fantasy defenses this year, so we're going to let the rankings show that. The Eagles and Bills have consistently been two of the best fantasy DSTs all year and now they find themselves in plus matchups, so I don't think we need to overthink it.

Tre'Davious White will be back for the Bills this week (perhaps on a snap count) and the Jets look like a completely different offense without Breece Hall. It puts too much pressure on Zach Wilson to make plays, and that has gone horribly so far in his short career.

 

Tier 2 Defenses - Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 9

The Patriots' defense has continued to be a solid unit since a rough start to the year. They may not have the upside of last year's DST, but this is still a strong team that's 2nd in the NFL in pressure rate, 6th in sacks, and 4th in turnover rate. They now get a Colts team that is still in shambles a bit. Sam Ehlinger did some OK things in his NFL debut, and he's far more elusive in the pocket than Matt Ryan, but this offense (and offensive line) didn't look any better. I'm going to trust Bill Belichick against a rookie quarterback and an offense giving up the 2nd-most fantasy points to opposing DSTs. FRIDAY UPDATE: It seems highly unlikely Jonathan Taylor will play, so fire up the Pats with confidence. 

Minnesota has an underrated defense from a fantasy perspective. They're 8th in turnover rate, 9th in sacks, and 10th in tackles for a loss and are now going up against a Commanders offense that has been fairly average. Taylor Heinicke has been a slight improvement on Carson Wentz, but this is still a team giving up the 7th-most fantasy points to opposing DSTs and is a matchup I think we should be targeting with a solid defense.

This Chiefs ranking is assuming Ryan Tannehill is back. If Malik Willis were to play again, I would move Kansas City up. The Chiefs have been a bit down on defense this year, ranking 10th in pressure rate but not much else positive. However, I don't think Tennessee is a particularly scary matchup. We know they want to run the ball with Derrick Henry, but there's not much in the passing game apart from Robert Woods. I expect Kansas City to put up points, which means Tennessee will have to throw and that's when the Chiefs can capitalize on this offense being outside of their comfort zone. FRIDAY UPDATE: It seems like Malik Willis will start for the Titans, so I love this matchup for the Chiefs. 

This Bucs ranking is pending health. Last week against the Ravens, the Bucs were missing cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting, plus safety Antoine Winfield Jr., and defensive end Akiem Hicks. Those are no small losses. None of Davis, Murphy-Bunting, or Winfield practiced at all last week, so we need to keep an eye on them, but if they're back, this is still a good unit. Tampa Bay is 3rd in sacks, 5th in the percentage of drives that end in an opponent's score, and 2nd in tackles for a loss. This Rams offense also gives up the most fantasy points per game to opposing DSTs at 13.3 points per game. There's also the potential that Cooper Kupp will be at less than 100% after injuring his ankle last week, which would make this an even better spot. FRIDAY UPDATE: Davis and Murphy-Bunting were back at practice this week, so Tampa Bay is getting healthier in their secondary. 

 

Tier 3 Defenses - Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 9

The Colts' defense is also relevant on the other end. The Patriots give up the 13th-most fantasy points to opposing defenses, so they're a slightly above-average matchup, but Mac Jones has looked increasingly shaky of late and now will be without DeVante Parker, not that it's a huge difference. This is a Colts defense that is 3rd in tackles for a loss, 11th in pressure rate, and 10th in the percentage of drives that end in an opponent's score. They're a solid but not spectacular unit in a solid but not spectacular matchup, so I think they finish in the back half of the top 10.

The Ravens made a huge trade on Monday when they acquired stud linebacker Roquan Smith. It's unclear how ready Smith will be for Sunday's game, but that's a big acquisition for a defense that has been hit-and-miss this season. The Ravens are 3rd in the NFL in turnover rate and 6th in pass breakups but the rest of their metrics are decidedly below-average. Still, we know the talent this defense has and the Saints give up the 4th-most points to opposing fantasy defenses, so I think the Ravens are still likely a top-ten unit this week.

When you have the Cowboys, Broncos, and 49ers on bye, your list of defenses that can sneak into the top ten becomes a little weird. This Packers' defense is hard to pin down. On one hand, they're 5th in pressure rate and 5th in tackles for a loss, but, on the other hand, they're 24th in turnover rate and 19th in the percentage of drives that end in an opponent's score. Detroit also has dynamic weapons in D'Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but they give up the 8th-most points to opposing fantasy DSTs, and the loss of T.J. Hockenson will take some bite out of the Detroit offense. I'm not really sure which way this game goes, but I expect the Green Bay pressure to get to Jared Goff and make the Packers a playable defense.

We've seen Jacksonville sneak into the top ten a few times before, and they were actually trending as a top-ten unit before giving up that late touchdown to Denver. It's not a pick that excites us, but we just saw how bad Les Vegas can be last week against a Saints defense that had done nothing this year. The Jags are just outside the top 10 in the percentage of drives that end in an opponent's score and turnover rate, and they lead the NFL in pass breakups so I think they could produce a solid floor week to sneak into the top ten.

This Seahawks defense has been getting progressively better as the year goes on. They're 8th in sacks, 8th in tackles for a loss, and 9th in turnover rate. They don't have an easy task against the Cardinals, but they did hold Arizona to nine points earlier in the year (albeit without DeAndre Hopkins) and Kyler Murray still takes far too many sacks for a player with his ability. The Seattle pressure could lead to a few sacks and/or bad throws that allow them to sneak into the top ten.

POST SUBMISSION UPDATE: As of now, I'm keeping Miami here even after trading for Bradley Chubb because we're not sure if he'll play this week. As we get more information, I may move them up the rankings since he is obviously an elite talent and a difference-maker. You may be tempted to put the Dolphins higher, but I would be careful. This Bears offense is very different over the last two weeks now that they're letting Justin Fields get many designed runs each game. The Bears gained 371 yards against the Cowboys and put up 29 points. If it wasn't for a fumble that Micah Parsons returned for a touchdown (which is not a consistent week-to-week occurrence to bank on), the Cowboys would have finished with just four fantasy points. Oh, and this Cowboys' defense is way better than Miami's.

 

Tier 4 Defenses - Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 9

I think both Cincinnati and Carolina are playable here, but only the Bengals make this tier. It's clear that P.J. Walker has made this Panthers offense better, but they are still really short on playmakers and Cincinnati has a solid defense (although they didn't show it on Monday night). However, the Panthers' defense is also feisty, and it's clear that the Bengals have issues on offense without Ja'Marr Chase. Joe Mixon and the running game can't get anything going, so I think this could be a bit of a sloppy game overall. I don't love either option, but they are in play. SATURDAY UPDATE: The Bengals will now be without cornerbacks Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie as well as defensive tackles DJ Reader and Josh Tupou. That just leaves this defense a bit too short-handed for me to have tons of confidence in. 

Tier 5 Defenses - Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 9



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Houston Rockets

Jock Landale Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner, Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
James Wood

Goes Yard in Five-Hit Night
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Los Angeles Lakers

Jaxson Hayes Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Max Muncy

Out at Least Six Weeks
Clarke Schmidt

Leaves Start with Forearm Tightness
Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
Max Scherzer

Cleared to Start on Saturday
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Kodai Senga

Could be "in Play" to Return Before All-Star Break
Ha-Seong Kim

Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim From Injured List
Christian Moore

Placed on Injured List With Thumb Sprain
Luis L. Ortiz

the Subject of Gambling Investigation
Jordan Lawlar

to Miss Multiple Weeks With Hamstring Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Receives Encouraging News on his Hand
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Jacob Monk

Sees Plenty of Work With Starters
Avonte Maddox

has Impressed Dan Campbell
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Chicago Bears

Ruben Hyppolite Shows Notable Improvement
Sandro Mamukelashvili

Heading to Toronto
Daron Payne

Commanders Coaches Impressed With Daron Payne
Danny Gray

Makes Impression During Offseason Workouts
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dane Belton

Should Have a Role in 2025
Kaiir Elam

Flashes During Offseason Workouts
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Ryan McLeod

Inks Four-Year Extension with Sabres
NAS

Predators Bring in Nick Perbix on Two-Year Deal
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
LA

Cody Ceci Moves to Los Angeles
Charlotte Hornets

Spencer Dinwiddie Lands With Charlotte
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
Milwaukee Bucks

Taurean Prince Staying in Milwaukee
Jeff Green

Signs One-Year Deal to Remain in Houston
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Daniel Suarez

and Trackhouse Racing Parting Ways After 2025 Season
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF