You’ve got your fantasy football lineup all but set for the week, with a few tweaks to be made here and there as Sunday’s slate of games is ready to kick off.
But you’re trying to optimize your lineup to make sure you get the most points. And that’s why you have to make sure your D/ST position has the best possible squad to win you the week.
That’s what these rankings will help with: A look at the elite, solid, and streamable options that could win you some virtual games in your league.
Let’s break down the Week 5 D/ST tiers:
Elite
1. Seattle Seahawks (vs. Giants)
2. Denver Broncos (vs. Raiders)
3. Minnesota Vikings (vs. Jets)
4. Chicago Bears (vs. Panthers)
5. New York Jets (at Vikings)
The Jets and Vikings, as well as their elite defenses, kickoff in London this week. No team playing in England has scored more than 30 points since the Carolina Panthers put up 37 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019.
Solid
6. Washington Commanders (vs. Browns)
7. Miami Dolphins (at Patriots)
8. Baltimore Ravens (at Bengals)
9. San Francisco 49ers (vs. Cardinals)
10. Las Vegas Raiders (at Broncos)
The Dolphins-Patriots game figures to be pretty ugly with neither side having a reliable offense at the moment. The Cardinals can put up points in a hurry, but struggled to do so against Washington last week and now have to face a vaunted 49ers defense.
Streaming Options
11. New England Patriots (vs. Dolphins)
12. Indianapolis Colts (at Jaguars)
13. Green Bay Packers (at Rams)
14. New Orleans Saints (at Chiefs)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cowboys)
Admittedly not the greatest week to need a streaming defense with the Eagles, Lions and Chargers on a bye, but there are options out there. The Rams are beat up, the Chiefs are one wideout injury away from asking fans to tryout and Pittsburgh is always a high-floor unit.