Top Fantasy Football Streaming Defenses for Week 3

Defensive scoring in fantasy football depends more on weekly matchups than maybe any other position. There are very few true every-week starting options out there, and all but the absolute worst defenses can be worth using if they're in the right matchup.

Every week there are plenty of defenses worth starting that are available on the waiver wire, and it pays to be vigilant in keeping up with the best weekly plays at the position.

With that said, here are the top three fantasy football streaming defenses for Week 3, all of which are owned in fewer than one-third of Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues.

3. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens (32% Owned)

Epitomizing the idea that defenses don't need to be especially good in real life to offer fantasy football value, the Kansas City Chiefs finished seventh in fantasy scoring in 2018 and are tied for 10th so far in 2019. They are up against a Baltimore Ravens' offense that has impressed so far this year, but the Ravens have also dealt with two very soft matchups. The Chiefs are 7-point favorites at home, per FanDuel Sportsbook, and playing with a big lead often correlates well with opportunities for sacks and interceptions.

2. San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (20% Owned)

A line that would have seemed absurd just a few weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers are favored by 6.5 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Mason Rudolph will be making his first career start on the road in this one, and he has already thrown one interception in his 19 attempts to open the season. The 49ers have opened the year 2-0 while getting to opposing QBs for the NFL's sixth-highest sack rate (8.2 percent) and they're tied for the second-most interceptions in the league (four). The 49ers are likely to make Rudolph's first pro start a rough one.

1. Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos (20% Owned)

The Green Bay Packers are one of only two defenses to post double-digit fantasy scores in both weeks to open the 2019 season, and they rank fourth on the year with 24.0 fantasy points. They're likely in line for another low-scoring game with this week's contest against the Denver Broncos sporting a 42.5-point over/under. Sitting tied for second in the NFL with 17 QB hits while also ranking sixth in pass breakups (15) and interception rate (3.9 percent), the Packers sit sixth in our Week 3 fantasy football defense rankings.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.