I would like to believe that most Fantrax HQ readers know not to draft a fantasy defense/special teams unit too early. And by “too early”, I mean anything outside of the last two or three rounds. However, fantasy managers drafted seven D/ST units inside the top 200 based on our ADP data. It appears that I still have some work to do. If you are one of the offenders, then take notes while I unveil my Week 1 D/ST streamers. The only thing worse than a fantasy manager drafting a D/ST unit too early is grabbing more than one. So, in almost every league, nearly two-thirds of the league’s D/ST should be available every week. That means that there are a bunch of D/ST units sitting on the waiver wire that could be elite options each week. Week 1 is no exception.
When I’m looking for D/ST streamers, the key is to pick on poor offenses. Specifically, we want to focus on quarterbacks who tend to be a bit careless with the football. Those are the guys we want to attack when we target our D/ST streamers. It is no coincidence that the quarterbacks I am going after this week were all rookies in 2019. Of the six quarterbacks who had the highest interception rates last season, five were age 25 or younger, as were six of the seven signal-callers who fumbled the ball at least 11 times. And six of the nine “leaders” in sack rate last season were 24 or younger. It takes a while for most quarterbacks to develop pocket awareness and avoid major mistakes. Below are several D/ST units that were drafted outside the top 16 that could be top-10 units this week.
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Week 1 D/ST Streamers
Philadelphia Eagles (v. Washington Football Team)
Fantasy managers selected Philadelphia’s D/ST 17th on average during the 2020 draft season. They should immediately provide quite the ROI when they take on Washington in Week 1. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw seven interceptions and had six fumbles last season on just 203 pass attempts. For reference, Tom Brady had eight interceptions and four fumbles on 613 pass attempts. Haskins will face constant pressure until he proves he can protect the football. The Eagles have had a porous secondary in recent years, but they traded for Darius Clay and signed Nickell Robey-Coleman. That should tighten up their secondary a bit, and the duo will be primarily responsible for limiting the production of Terry McLaurin and Steven Sims on Sunday.
Washington scored the fewest points in the NFL last season, and their offense does not appear markedly more potent in 2020, despite the addition of offensive weapon Antonio Gibson, the fantasy community’s favorite rookie not named Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Vegas projects Washington to be one of the lower-scoring offenses in Week 1. Their implied total for this game is only about 18 points. If the Eagles can stop the run and grab an early lead, they will force Haskins to try to beat them. They should be able to tee off on him in the pocket and force him into some mistakes. The Eagles come in as my D/ST 6 for Week 1.
Indianapolis Colts (at Jacksonville Jaguars)
Gardner Minshew was the rare rookie quarterback who did an outstanding job avoiding interceptions last year. Minshew had just six interceptions while throwing the ball over 400 times. His interception rate was below that of several well-established signal-callers, including Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, and Matt Ryan. That is quite impressive considering he was a sixth-round draft pick who was unexpectedly thrust into action in Week 1 following an injury to Nick Foles. However, it was not all rainbows and roses for the mustachioed one in 2019. Minshew fumbled the ball a whopping 13 times last season, losing seven. The 13 fumbles were tied for fourth-most in the NFL, while the seven lost fumbles trailed only Daniel Jones’ 11.
With Jacksonville’s recent release of Leonard Fournette, the offense should run through their passing game in 2020. That should be a good thing for Minshew’s fantasy prospects, but it should also enable plenty of opportunities for the Colts to get to Minshew. Given Minshew’s issues holding onto the ball under pressure, Justin Houston and company will be looking to strip the Jock Strap King at every opportunity. Of the football, of course. The Colts should be able to control this game on both sides of the ball, and their defense should encounter little resistance against Jacksonville’s lackluster offense. I consider the Colts D/ST to be a top 10 outfit in this matchup.
Tennessee Titans (at Denver Broncos)
The Denver Broncos have a bit of a new-look offense in 2020. Change was necessary after the Broncos scored the fifth-fewest points in 2019. Denver made the permanent switch to quarterback Drew late last season. They added veteran running back Melvin Gordon in free agency, then used their first two picks in the 2020 NFL Draft to secure a pair of explosive wide receivers. Suddenly, the Broncos have the look of a legitimate NFL offense. However, I believe it may take a bit of time for their new pieces to mesh, particularly without having a regular preseason with which to iron out some of the kinks. A date with the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 does not figure to help matters.
Last season, Tennessee finished in the top half of the league in sacks, interceptions, fumble recoveries, and fantasy points. They recently added Javedeon Clowney to add to a defense that needed a boost upfront after they lost both Cameron Wake and Jurrell Casey. I do not expect Clowney to play a ton of snaps in this game, but he and third-year EDGE rusher Harold Landry will look to keep the pressure on Lock. Lock was not particularly susceptible to turnovers last year, but he was hit on nearly 12 percent of his dropbacks last season. I expect this to be a game where both teams look to control the clock on the ground. Tennessee’s turnover upside may be somewhat capped compared to the other streaming options. However, if you are looking for a defense that will limit points and yards, the Titans are a solid choice.
Like Mick’s D/ST Streamers? Then you definitely want to check out all of our 2020 NFL Week 1 content to help you kick off your fantasy football season in style.
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