10 D/ST sleepers to target for fantasy football in Week 1
As it nears time to lock in your fantasy football lineups for Week 1, here are 10 D/ST sleepers to target.
Week 1 of the NFL season also means it’s Week 1 of a new fantasy football season, and setting a lineup to try to kickoff the new season on the right foot.
In fantasy circles, thoughts on how (or even if) leagues should do defense greatly vary. A league I was in that’s rebooting this year is going with any defense (team defense) for the first time. But it does offer interesting possibilities, with IDP and team defense/special teams.
In this space each week, we’ll highlight 10 D/ST sleepers to target in your fantasy football lineups (Sunday and Monday night games). Many will qualify as streaming options, under the generally adopted 50 percent ownership threshold to be a plug-and-play.
For Week 1, here are your 10 team D/ST sleepers to target in fantasy.
10 D/ST sleepers to target for fantasy football in Week 1
10. Cleveland Browns
I know what you’re saying–don’t the Browns play the Chiefs in Week 1? Indeed they do, but stick with me.
A horrible showing in the Super Bowl led to the Chiefs overhauling their offensive line during the offseason. There will be five new starters on Sunday, in their first substantial action together. Going against Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and a solid Browns’ defensive line. Patrick Mahomes is probably fine, but he is coming off a toe injury.
If the Browns hold the Chiefs under 24 points on Sunday, it will be surprising. But a handful of sacks, and the possibility for a residual turnover or two as a result of putting pressure on Mahomes, makes the Cleveland defense a viable fantasy sleeper for this week.
9. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons defense was not very good last year, and they’re not projected to be better this year. As Cody Parker of numberFire cited though, they were slightly better than their surface numbers (23rd in the league) in Net Expected Points per play last year (0.14).
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a fantasy stud in his three full games as a rookie last year. But he had accuracy issues (52 percent completion rate), with a 2.7 percent interception rate and an 8.1 percent sack rate. He has a lot to prove this year, even with league-winning upside.
Sunday’s Eagles-Falcons game is sure to be high-scoring. If you can stomach the possibility of allowing 28-35 points, the potential for a handful of sacks and turnovers along with the threat of Cordarrelle Patterson in the return game makes the Falcons a below the radar D/ST sleeper for Week 1.