I have written a number of articles for Fantrax. However, breaking down defensive streamers will be my first regular weekly Fantrax piece. Why did the Week 1 DST Streamers Fantasy Football 2023 Season get assigned to me? Because management hates me and no one else wanted it.
Kidding! Well, sort of.
The first part isn’t true (at least I hope it isn’t) and there is some truth to the latter. I was not the first, second, or even third to sign up for articles. But the DST streamers article was just sitting there and it immediately grabbed my attention. Because even though the use of fantasy defenses is waning in fantasy leagues, I think it is still a very important element of fantasy football. After all, defense is half the game! Or if you want to separate out special teams, it’s at worst a third of the game.
However, depending on the size and dynamics of your leagues, streaming is often the most advisable way to go. It’s simply much easier to exploit a bad offense than trust a good defense and that’s just what we’re going to do here. However, Week 1 is always a little tougher.
But no worries. Until our own Nick Skrip includes DST rankings in his weekly Fantrax rankings we will avoid choosing any DST from Fantasy Pros consensus Top 12 DST options. With that out of the way, let’s get to the 2023 Week 1 DST streamers of the Fantasy Football 2023 Season.
Week 1 DST Streamers
Cincinnati Bengals (at CLE)
So I’ll admit, maybe I’m just hoping this one works out. We experts are sometimes just like you and do stupid things in our drafts. I clicked on them accidentally and ended up nominating the Cincinnati Bengals in my auction league the other day. Naturally, that nomination was met with crickets. So I have a vested interest in them doing well. But I kind of like the matchup this week against Cleveland.
For one, Cleveland will be featuring the stylings of DeShaun Watson at QB, who has not exactly seen a ton of football action over the last couple of years. In his limited time last year when he threw the ball just 170 times, he was intercepted on five of those, on his way to a mediocre-at-best 79.1 quarterback rating.
Secondly, this defense is better than you might recall. They allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards as well as the lowest pass-completion percentage last season. They were also not in the top dozen fantasy defenses last year because of the “Damar Hamlin game”. Give them their average fantasy output for that game and they suddenly pop into the top dozen.
They did lose Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell in the offseason, but Dax Hill, Nick Scott, Tycen Anderson, and Jordan Battle are decent replacements. My “mistake” might turn out to be an actually good move, especially this week!
Green Bay Packers (at CHI)
I know, there is plenty of optimism in Chicagoland with Justin Fields at the helm and a whole new set of offensive weapons this year. But what if the optimism is short-lived against their rivals to the north?
The Packers are typically an above-average fantasy defense. They were seventh last season in pressure rate, as well as third in turnover rate. On top of that, they added a few decent pieces to the defensive line like Lukas Van Ness, Colby Wooden, and Karl Brooks. Don’t be surprised if the sack numbers rise to match the pressure rate, especially against a young scrambling quarterback like Justin Fields.
Minnesota Vikings (vs. Tampa Bay)
I am really not sure how Minnesota is outside the top 15 this week. The matchup is reason alone. Minny is taking on Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ “offense”. I remind you that Mayfield does not even possess a career 2:1 TD-to-INT ratio (102 to 64). He had some nice moments last season, but it is difficult to overlook his 26 QBR score (remember, that’s on a 100-point scale) last year.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has very unproven RB options that even if they were proven, are running behind a questionable offensive line. And said offensive line just lost their starting center, Ryan Jensen. I’m not going to be playing the Minnesota defense a lot this year, but against the Buccaneers this week is one week I certainly will.
Other Week 1 D/ST Streamers to Consider
Atlanta Falcons:
Remember above how I mentioned the Bengals lost Jessie Bates? Well, guess where he landed. He is one of the better safeties in the game. Bates is likely drooling at the opportunity to take on Bryce Young in his career regular-season start. Expect Young to make some rookie mistakes early on, making Atlanta a viable option this weekend.
Carolina Panthers:
The Carolina Panthers have 3 building blocks on defense.
▪️DT Derrick Brown (2020 1st)
▪️EDGE Brian Burns (2019 1st)
▪️CB Jaycee Horn (2021 1st)Adding a franchise QB like Bryce Young will help put the defense in more favorable situations.
Don't sleep on the Panthers in 2023.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) May 1, 2023
Meanwhile, on the other side is the Carolina Panthers, who had just one game with more than three sacks. And yup, that was a five sack game against Atlanta, who still has some major questions with their offensive line. Draw your own conclusions.
If you’d like to see more of my work or have any questions, reach me on Twitter @MarkStrausberg
Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End