We are now in the third week of the fantasy football season. As always, it is crucial to know what players are the preferable starts. Taking player talent, performance, and matchup into account, here are my Week 3 DEF rankings.
Top 32 Fantasy Defense Rankings
1) Cleveland Browns (vs. NYG)
2) New York Jets (vs. NE)
3) San Francisco 49ers (at LAR)
4) Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. LAC)
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. DEN)
6) Buffalo Bills (vs. JAX)
7) Seattle Seahawks (vs. MIA)
8) Kansas City Chiefs (at ATL)
9) New England Patriots (at NYJ)
10) Indianapolis Colts (vs. CHI)
11) Cincinnati Bengals (vs. WAS)
12) Los Angeles Chargers (at PIT)
13) Chicago Bears (at IND)
14) Las Vegas Raiders (vs. CAR)
15) Baltimore Ravens (at DAL)
16) Dallas Cowboys (vs. BAL)
17) Green Bay Packers (at TEN)
18) Houston Texans (at MIN)
19) New Orleans Saints (vs. PHI)
20) Philadelphia Eagles (at NO)
21) New York Giants (at CLE)
22) Tennessee Titans (vs. GB)
23) Detroit Lions (at ARI)
24) Atlanta Falcons (vs. KC)
25) Miami Dolphins (at SEA)
26) Arizona Cardinals (vs. DET)
27) Carolina Panthers (at LV)
28) Denver Broncos (at TB)
29) Minnesota Vikings (vs. HOU)
30) Jacksonville Jaguars (at BUF)
31) Washington Commanders (vs. CIN)
32) Los Angeles Rams (vs. SF)
The Top Defenses To Start in Week 3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. DEN)
Do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a great defense? No. But the key to scoring a lot of fantasy points at defense has nothing to do with the caliber of defense. Rather, the primary factor is the ineptitude of the opposing offense.
With Bryce Young displaced (and perhaps even without it), Bo Nix is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. I can’t remember the last time a rookie looked so unbelievably overwhelmed.
I’m not saying Nix will never be good. But right now, he is far, far away from being a capable NFL starting quarterback.
Nix is completing just under 60% of his passes. He’s thrown four interceptions and has yet to throw a touchdown. He’s averaging 5.0 yards per attempt and has taken two sacks in each of his first two games.
The Bucs should get the lead early and force the Broncos into a negative game script. That is exactly what we want, as more pass attempts mean more opportunities for sacks and turnovers.
Seattle Seahawks (vs. MIA)
The Miami Dolphins are starting Skylar Thompson at quarterback. The last time we saw Thompson, he almost led the Dolphins to an upset victory over the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. He also completed just 18 of 45 passes for 220 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He took four sacks in that game.
Thompson attempted 105 passes for the Dolphins in 2022. He completed 57.1% of his passes, throwing one touchdown against three interceptions.
At home, the Seattle Seahawks should force the Dolphins into a negative game script. That’s bad news for a backup quarterback but good news for anyone streaming the Seahawks defense.