3 FanDuel Defenses to Target in Week 1

Picking a defense can be an overlooked part of playing daily fantasy football on FanDuel. It makes sense, too, as D/STs rarely produce huge outputs.

However, we still need to give a lot of thought to which defense we roster, and there's definitely an edge to be had if you hit on a D/ST.

With that in mind, here are three defenses to have on your radar for this week's main slate.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Washington D/ST

FanDuel Salary: $4,900

There are a few high-salary defenses in a good spot this week, and while you can make a strong case for the Ravens' D/ST ($5,000) at home versus a rookie passer making his first start, I'm going to side with the Washington D/ST.

Washington is at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Joshua Dobbs is expected to be under center for the Cards, and Arizona's implied total is just 15.75 points, the lowest of the main slate.

In 2022, Washington gave up the 12th-fewest yards per play (5.2) and ranked second in QB knockdown rate (13.4%). They have the ability to make it a long day for Dobbs and company, and assuming Washington gets out front, the Commanders' defense should have a chance to rack up pressures, sacks and turnovers.

numberFire's model ranks Washington as the slate's top D/ST, projecting them for 9.6 FanDuel points.

Seattle D/ST

FanDuel Salary: $4,200

There are three quality options in the midrange. I see plenty of appeal in the Green Bay D/ST ($4,100; at the Chicago Bears), Denver D/ST ($4,000; vs. the Las Vegas Raiders) and Seattle D/ST ($4,200; vs. the Los Angeles Rams).

Between the three, give me Seattle.

Even before Cooper Kupp was ruled out, this was a nice matchup for Seattle. With Kupp sidelined, it's an elite matchup.

Seattle was slightly better than league average against the pass last year, permitting 6.1 net yards per attempt. They've since added Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick and could vault into the ranks to the top defenses in 2023.

But this is mostly about the matchup with a weapon-less Rams offense that's guided by Matthew Stafford, a QB who finished 2022 with the fifth-highest sack rate (8.7%) and ninth-highest interception rate (2.6%).

The thing that pushes Seattle above Denver and Green Bay for me is that among those three squads, the Seahawks' offense is the one I most trust to light up the scoreboard and put the opposition into a pass-heavy script. Seattle's 25.50-point implied total is the slate's fourth-highest, and the Rams are 5.5-point 'dogs. The idea of Stafford dropping back a ton without much to throw to is a mouth-watering thought.

Seattle is projected for 7.8 FanDuel points, per numberFire, making them the D/ST6 of the slate.

Tampa Bay D/ST

FanDuel Salary: $3,100

Personally, I'm always looking for a low-salary D/ST I can talk myself into. The Tampa Bay D/ST is that defense in Week 1.

For starters, the Bucs' D is good. In 2022, they surrendered the eighth-fewest yards per play (5.1) and the fourth-fewest net yards per pass attempt (5.6). They amassed the 11th-highest QB knockdown rate (10.2%). Tampa Bay might be a bad team this year, but defense isn't likely to be the problem. This is a better unit than what we usually have available to us on the clearance rack.

There are certainly some worrying things about the Bucs' Week 1 matchup at the Minnesota Vikings. Ideally, we want our D/ST to play with a lead, something that doesn't look likely with Minnesota a 6.0-point favorite, the third-largest favorite of the slate. However, Minnesota had the third-highest pass rate in 2022 (64.4%) -- sixth-highest pass rate over expectation (+2.5%) -- and might still drop back plenty even if they're out front.

Plus, Kirk Cousins isn't immune to mistakes. He ended last campaign right around the league average in sack rate (6.7%) and interception rate (2.2%), finishing with the fifth-most picks (14).

All in all, if you're rostering a defense that is salaried at $3,100, you're going to have to be willing to overlook some things. I think the Bucs are worth a roll of the dice given how much salary they free up. They're the second-best point-per-dollar play at D/ST, according to numberFire's model.

Looking to build some NFL DFS lineups? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.