After a busy and somewhat-crazy Week 8 with zero byes, four teams will be off in Week 9. On top of that, a number of usually decent D/STs have difficult matchups in their immediate future. Our Week 9 fantasy defense rankings will help you see where you stand and whether you should target better options to help out your starting lineup.
What the heck is going on in the NFL? The Broncos, the worst defense in the league through seven weeks, just beat the Chiefs 24-9 and scored the most D/ST points (18) on Sunday. The Giants D scored 13 standard points despite losing 13-10 to the Jets, who had 10 D/ST points. A handful of solid defenses — the Bills, Browns, Patriots, Saints, 49ers, and Eagles — scored five or fewer fantasy points.
Hot diggity, what a weird week in the NFL. Now that we have caught our breath a bit, let's hit the reset button and get prepared for another loaded slate of football. Below, we will list the best fantasy defenses, the top sleepers and streamers of the week, and our full D/ST rankings for Week 9. Let's go!
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Which fantasy defenses are on bye in Week 9?
After zero byes last weekend, we have four teams off in Week 9: the 49ers, Lions, Jaguars, and Broncos. Owners of San Francisco, Detroit, and the red-hot Jaguars will be scrambling to stream a sub unless they prepared with the help of our Week 9 waiver wire watchlist.
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers
The good news is that three competent offenses are off the board, reducing the bad matchups and creating more sleepers.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers
Who are the best fantasy defenses in Week 9?
The Browns (vs. Cardinals in Week 9) may have lost to the Seahawks last week, but they did pick off Geno Smith twice and they limited Seattle to 17 first downs. Myles Garrett and company should annihilate the Cardinals at home, with Josh Dobbs set to start one more week before Kyler Murray (knee) makes his 2023 debut. Jonathan Gannon's squad has committed seven turnovers over its past four games and ranks as a bottom-five passing team on the season.
The Saints (vs. Bears) and Patriots (vs. Commanders) both enjoy big jumps up the rankings due to favorable home games. Chicago has turned the ball over multiple times in seven different games this season, while Washington's Sam Howell has been sacked more than any QB in the league. We like New Orleans and New England even more than the New York Jets (vs. Chargers), who continue to make QBs look bad week in and week out.
The Colts (@ Panthers) get the weekly "Carolina Reaper" bump, as the past four D/STs playing Bryce Young and company have averaged 11.5 standard points per game. The Ravens (vs. Seahawks) look to carry over momentum from a big win over Arizona in the desert, heading back home to face a Geno Smith-led offense that has quietly turned the ball over seven times in three weeks.
The Steelers (vs. Titans) might have been higher on this list if not for the incredible Week 8 heroics of rookie Will "The Thrill" Levis. The Seahawks (@ Ravens) also looked good -- but not great -- against the Browns last week, so we'll cautiously rank this underrated Seattle D toward the back-end of the top 10 against Lamar Jackson. That's also where you'll find the low-floor Chargers (@ Jets) in a high-ceiling game, and the high-ceiling Eagles (vs. Cowboys) in a low-floor game.
WEEK 9 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Who are the best fantasy defense sleepers, waiver pickups in Week 9?
The Bengals (vs. Bills) have become close to a must-start D/ST under Lou Anarumo. They got the best of Brock Purdy and the 49ers last week and could wreak havoc on Josh Allen at home. People will fear the matchup, but Cincy has eight takeaways and nine sacks over its past three games and Allen entered Week 8 with an NFL-leading eight interceptions.
The Rams (@ Packers) have not been great defensively, but Jordan Love and the Pack have also been really bad offensively. With Aaron Donald and company attacking a weak Green Bay o-line in colder weather, Los Angeles could be the stream of the week. We also give a bump to the Falcons (vs. Vikings) with Kirk Cousins (Achilles) and Justin Jefferson (hamstring) out, the Commanders (@ Patriots) against Mac Jones and a limited New England offense, and both sides of the Raiders vs. Giants game (yuck-and-poo passing offenses).
Many will flock to the Buccaneers (@ Texans) because they rank among the best takeaway defenses in the NFL. However, we're treading lightly, as DeMeco Ryans has this Houston team playing inspired football on both sides of the ball. We'll still take Tampa over the Packers (vs. Rams), Vikings (@ Falcons), Titans (@ Steelers), and the rest of the bad defenses/terrible matchups. For the love of God, people, don't start the Dolphins or Chiefs against each other in Germany either!
Be sure to check in throughout the week for updates and tweaks. Good luck and have fun in Week 9!
WEEK 9 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 9: Who to start, sit at D/ST
Rank Player
1 Cleveland Browns vs. Cardinals
2 New Orleans Saints vs. Bears
3 New England Patriots vs. Commanders
4 New York Jets vs. Chargers
5 Indianapolis Colts @ Panthers
6 Baltimore Ravens vs. Seahawks
7 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Titans
8 Seattle Seahawks @ Ravens
9 Los Angeles Chargers @ Jets
10 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cowboys
11 Cincinnati Bengals vs. Bills
12 Buffalo Bills @ Bengals
13 Dallas Cowboys @ Eagles
14 Los Angeles Rams @ Packers
15 Atlanta Falcons vs. Vikings
16 Washington Commanders @ Patriots
17 Las Vegas Raiders vs. Giants
18 New York Giants @ Raiders
19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Texans
20 Green Bay Packers vs. Rams
21 Minnesota Vikings @ Falcons
22 Tennessee Titans @ Steelers
23 Arizona Cardinals @ Browns
24 Carolina Panthers vs. Colts
25 Houston Texans vs. Buccaneers
26 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dolphins
27 Chicago Bears @ Saints
28 Miami Dolphins vs. Chiefs
Week 9 D/ST fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
Draft Sharks projections for the new week will update every Tuesday and be constantly adjusted throughout the week
We're proud to offer SN Fantasy readers an exclusive look at Draft Sharks’ award-winning projections and rankings every week. To see Draft Sharks' Week 9 3D floor-to-ceiling projections for D/ST -- plus get access to all of Draft Sharks' industry-leading tools -- become a Draft Sharks' member today at the link below!
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