Fantasy football defense rankings: Top D/STs for Week 3, plus four streamers

If you made the decision to pay up for a defense in your fantasy football drafts, you were probably left with a whole ‘lotta regret through the first two weeks of the season!

The first five defenses off the board (49ers, Ravens, Jets, Cowboys and Browns) are all currently ranked outside of the top-12 scoring units so far, but the schedule in Week 3 might finally be conducive to extracting some value from these units.

If you elected to roll with the streaming route when it comes to your D/ST this year, there are plenty of options for you in Week 3, too. Here are four streamers to consider, plus my top-28 defense rankings for Week 3.

The Chargers are just one of two defenses in the league to have logged a top-five fantasy finish in each of the first two weeks of the season (the other being the Minnesota Vikings). In Week 3, their hot streak should continue facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who rank bottom five in average yards per play (4.2) and are tied for a league-low six total offensive points scored through the first two weeks, leaning heavily on kicker Chris Boswell for scoring production.

It’s normally inadvisable to stream a fantasy defense against one of the best offenses in the league starring Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane. However, with news that QB Tua Tagovailoa has officially been placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 2, the Dolphins will be starting 2022 seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson in his place. That means, my friends — it’s time to stream your fantasy defenses against the Miami Dolphins.

Thompson has gone 1-2 as a starter in his career, averaging 153.7 yards per game with 1 touchdown and two interceptions. Expect Mike McDaniel’s offense to continue leaning heavily on the run given the circumstances, which could put a generally underrated Seahawks defense in position to take advantage early.

The Carolina Panthers have been the team to stream your fantasy defenses against through the first two weeks of the season. However, now that they have officially benched 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young after two disastrous outings, they’ll look to veteran Andy Dalton as a stabilizer under center.

There is a reason that the Raiders aren’t higher on this list, however. Though the Panthers don’t stand to be among the elite producing offenses with Dalton either, they should still see a slight uptick in production while limiting some of the errors on the part of Young. If Dalton is able to better execute Dave Canales’ offense, this team may catch the Raiders slightly off guard.

The Tennessee Titans just can’t seem to get out of their own way with quarterback Will Levis continuing to make boneheaded mistakes. The good news is that those boneheaded mistakes have created an opportunity for fantasy football managers to identify a potential streaming option. In Week 1, the Bears ranked as the top-scoring defense of the week, while the Jets ranked as the DEF5 against the Titans in Week 2.

Next up, the Titans will host the Packers, who have been an average defense to this point but are tied to lead the league with six forced offensive turnovers through the first two weeks. It’s a match made in heaven for the quarterback who’s thrown two interceptions (including a pick-six), lost a fumble and is one of only nine quarterbacks with 7+ sacks taken to start the year.

Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.