Yet another week of fantasy football action is in the books, as owners everywhere look to the waiver wire the best available defense streams. Looking around the league shows that teams like the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals offer the best chance of positive performance in the upcoming week.
Note that in order to be eligible for this list, the defense needs to be available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues. Obviously, there is some variation from league to league, so make sure to peruse all available defenses before making your claims. There could be better streaming options available in your specific league that didn’t qualify for this list.
Week 4 Waiver Pickups: Running Back – Wide Receiver – Tight End – Quarterback
Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals Highlight Fantasy Football Week 4 Defense Waiver Wire Streams
Denver Broncos
Yes, the Denver Broncos just got destroyed by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I don’t care. Each and every week, the ideal fantasy football defense is the one that has the luxury of playing against the New York Jets. Adam Gase ruins everything he touches, and this is one of the most talent-poor offenses in football. The offensive line is in ruins, the supporting cast is injured, and nobody could possibly expect Sam Darnold to make something out of Braxton Berrios and nobody else. Barring something completely unforeseen, the Broncos should be able to rack up sacks and turnovers while keeping points scored to a minimum.
Cincinnati Bengals
Full disclaimer: there are not many good streaming options this week. Gardner Minshew has plenty of good moments on tape, but he’s yet to prove capable of leading an NFL offense without DJ Chark. Minshew didn’t have his best receiver in Week 3, and the results were underwhelming. Overall, the Jaguars scored just 13 points and Minshew threw an interception against a subpar Miami Dolphins defense. Nobody knows whether or not Chark will play in Week 4, and you probably shouldn’t stream the Bengals defense if Chark plays. However, if he doesn’t, you could do a lot worse than Cincinnati in Week 4.
New York Jets
This is another one that won’t feel good to do. The New York Jets are an absolute train wreck, and most of the time you’d want to be as far away from them as humanly possible. However, they face a favorable matchup in Week 4 that could make them a somewhat-tolerable streaming candidate.
The Denver Broncos are in quarterback hell after losing Drew Lock in Week 2. They started Jeff Driskel in Week 3, and the results were exactly what you’d expect. Now, they have no choice but to start Driskel, Brett Rypien, or Blake Bortles. All three players are prone to turnovers and mistakes, so the Jets really won’t have to do too much to be a decent streaming option.
Detroit Lions
Do not do this unless you’re truly, truly desperate. More likely than not, this will blow up in your face. However, this article exists primarily for fantasy football owners in deep leagues, and the Lions have a chance to be a decent stream in Week 4. No matter what the final box score says, Drew Brees simply does not have his old mojo anymore. The future Hall of Famer simply cannot throw the ball more than 10 yards downfield with any sort of reliability, and he probably won’t have Michael Thomas in Week 4. Even if Thomas does suit up, he’ll be very limited.
This offense is entirely dependent on Alvin Kamara, and the Lions will probably devote all their resources to stopping him. If this plan works, then Brees will need to prove that he can beat a defense with somebody else. Right now, it’s hard to imagine that happening. Again, this shouldn’t be your first play, as Matt Patricia is a bad coach and this is a bad defense. However, it’s a decent option if all else fails.
Week 4 Waiver Pickups: Running Back – Wide Receiver – Tight End – Quarterback
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