Week 2 Defense (DST) Streamers For Fantasy Football: The Rams Check in As An Elite Streamer Once Again

The weekly DST streamers article is back! The results from Week 1 are in and it was a solid outcome with both the Cardinals and Rams delivering usable performances, although the Miami Dolphins didn't look interested in playing football.

We have a number of interesting matchups in Week 2, and it is particularly tricky to know how much to react versus stick to our priors after just one game. It is also worth pointing out that most offenses struggled in Week 1, with the majority of games going under their projected point total. This made a bunch of fantasy defenses viable, but we should see offensive production normalize over the next few weeks, which will make your streaming decisions more important moving forward.

The Best DST Streamers For Week 2 Fantasy Football

My philosophy on streaming defenses is based on the ability to create sacks and turnovers rather than minimizing points allowed to the other team, although those two things are correlated. I think this is one of the bigger mistakes fantasy managers make when thinking about fantasy defenses. As you will see in this article, I am generally focused on three things: offensive line play, QB turnover rates, and game script.

A poor offensive line matched up against a strong defense line is one of the best signs for a fantasy defense. Putting the opposing QB under pressure increases the likelihood of sacks, fumbles, and interceptions. However, not all QBs are created equal, so we also want to target those who have a history of turning the ball over.

Lastly, a defense on a team that is heavily favored is another good sign because it means the other team may be forced to call more pass plays as a result of a negative game script, and pass plays are more likely to lead to scoring opportunities for the defense than rush attempts are.

Los Angeles Rams - 29% rostered

The Rams were featured in my Week 1 article, but remain available in the large majority of leagues. They put up a strong performance against C.J. Stroud and the Texans, holding their offense to just three field goals while racking up three sacks and two forced turnovers. 

The Rams now get to take on rookie Cam Ward, who took six sacks and completed just 43% of his passes in Week 1. To be fair, that performance came on the road against the Denver Broncos, probably the best defense in the NFL. 

The Titans play at home in Week 2 and the Rams defense isn't as good as Denver's, but this is still a plus matchup for LA. The Rams are also favored by 5.5 points, which suggests Ward could be in a position where he's forced to drop back often, creating opportunities for sacks and turnovers.

I think Ward is going to be a solid pro and there were flashes of the arm talent in Week 1, but until we see him string multiple efficient performances together, I am willing to pick on the rookie by streaming the opposing DST.

New England Patriots - 14% Rostered

This Patriots vs Dolphins matchup is one of the most interesting to me on the entire Week 2 slate. Have the Dolphins already mailed it in? Will the Patriots continue to air the ball out? I don't think we know who either of these teams is yet, but both desperately need a win to avoid falling to 0-2. 

One stat that stood out to me from Week 1 was New England ranking third in pass rush win rate. They still gave up 362 passing yards to Geno Smith, but they may fare better against QBs who don't handle pressure as well as Geno does. That may be the case in Week 2 against Tua Tagovailoa and a suspect Dolphins offensive line. Although he was only pressured six times by the Colts, Tua took three sacks and threw two interceptions in Week 1. If New England can dominate in the trenches again, they have a good shot at accumulating fantasy points.

My biggest concern with this matchup is that New England has a horrible track record playing on the road in Miami early in the season. There is definitely a chance we see the Dolphins bounce back at home after an embarrassing loss to the Colts, but they looked like the worst team in football. If you need a streaming option in Week 2, the Patriots offer significant upside if Miami doesn't improve on their opening week performance.

San Francisco 49ers - 36% rostered

This is probably going to be a common theme throughout the year. If the DST facing the Saints is available in more than 50% of leagues, they are likely to be featured in this article. San Francisco gets that opportunity this week and is favored by 4.5 points on the road in New Orleans despite uncertainty over who is going to start at QB for the 49ers. 

The 49ers have a lot of new faces on their defense this year, but they got off to a strong start, holding the Seahawks to just 13 points while recording the third-best pass rush win rate and 14th-best run stop win rate on the week. I expect this to be an average defense over the course of the season, but they have enough talent to make a strong start in favorable matchups. 

Spencer Rattler didn't even look like the worst starting quarterback in Week 1, but I am leaning on the larger sample size from last year where he took a ton of sacks and turned the ball over at a high rate in his seven appearances. It was also encouraging that new Saints HC Kellen Moore let Rattler attempt 46 passes in Week 1. If that trend continues in trailing game scripts, the 49ers defense should have opportunities to get after Rattler and potentially create turnovers.

The biggest risk here is that the 49ers offense might disappoint if they are without both Brock Purdy and George Kittle. That is definitely a risk, but Mac Jones played well enough last year and the system is so good that I still expect this to be a comfortable victory for the 49ers.

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