Bye Week Hell has begun. Four teams are on bye this week, and that’s just the beginning. We will have four again next week, and then six teams out in Week 12, followed by a one-week break before we have six more byes in Week 14. It didn’t turn out too badly this week, with a nice handful of good defenses facing good matchups. Bench spots will be in short supply over the next five weeks, so weekly streaming can be helpful.

The streaming landscape has been up and down so far this year, largely due to variation in the number of teams deploying quarterbacks that profile as truly good matchups. So let’s check in on some teams that have had recent quarterback changes and how they look as fantasy defense matchups:

• The Dallas Cowboys have had a tough season, going 3-5 so far with it looking like the Super Bowl window has closed. It just got worse, with Dak Prescott suffering a hamstring injury in last week’s game that is expected to keep him sidelined for multiple weeks. Cooper Rush will be the starter as they deal with three tough matchups over the next few weeks, against the Eagles, Texans and Commanders. Rush is probably not the worst backup in the league, but on a team that was already struggling, he should be a very good matchup for defenses. The Cowboys also have Trey Lance on the roster and I suppose it’s possible they give him a shot if Rush is really terrible, but I don’t see that as particularly likely. The Cowboys are a good fantasy defense target as long as Dak is sidelined.
• The Carolina Panthers benched Bryce Young after week 2, but he returned to start the last two games after Andy Dalton injured his hand in a car accident. Dalton was questionable last week and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was able to play this week, but his health isn’t the only consideration. Young played OK last week, and that was enough to pick up the second win of the season for the Panthers. From a long-term perspective it seems wise to give Young more reps in his sophomore season, but he was originally benched for a reason. As a matchup for fantasy defenses, I would rate the Panthers as good with Dalton and very good with Young.
• The Tennessee Titans have started Mason Rudolph for the last three weeks in relief of the injured Will Levis. Levis might be able to return this week, and the job is waiting for him. Levis was highly prone to mistakes with 10 turnover sin 5 games, but Rudolph has continued the tradition of throwing interceptions, and operated a less powerful offense overall. The Titans are a good matchup with both quarterbacks, but will be more boom-bust with Levis as he has higher potential for both turnovers and scoring.
• The Indianapolis Colts benched Anthony Richardson ahead of last week’s game. This was widely criticized because Richardson had really only played 9 full games of football since being drafted fourth overall in 2023, due to injuries. Even though veteran Joe Flacco played well through three games earlier this season, the Colts were punished for this decision last week with a pretty dismal showing against the Vikings. The Colts are an excellent matchup with Richardson and a viable target for good defenses, such as this week’s Bills, with Flacco.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers are two games in to the Russell Wilson era. They continued with their plan to start Wilson when he got healthy even though the team was able to record a 5-2 record with Justin Fields. This was the right decision as Wilson has opened up the passing game for a team that already runs well. The Steelers are a bad matchup for defenses overall, but Wilson is prone to taking sacks and can be an upside play for good defenses.

Streaming Defenses: Waiver Wire & Start/Sit Advice (Week 10)

There are four teams on bye this week – CLE, GB, LV and SEA. It’s an interesting streaming week. There are a handful of teams I feel very good about, including one under 10% rosterhip, but there is a sharp drop off in confidence outside the Top 7. Rostership numbers are from Yahoo. You can find me on Twitter and Threads.

Matchups

1. CHI vs NE: Last week was just Drake Maye‘s third full game as a starter, and we witnessed some growing pains as he turned the ball over three times against the Titans. While Maye has handled New England’s prous offensive line admirably, he can only do so much, and last week that resulted in his second game with four sacks taken. This week is another road game for the Patriots against a pretty good Bears defense that should be able to take advantage of the pass protection situation.
2. NYG @ CAR: Bryce Young had a bit of redemption game in his second week back in the starting job while Andy Dalton deals with a hand injury. Young picked up just his third career win against a spiraling Saints team that promptly fired their head coach. Young wasn’t extremely impressive in this game, but he was able to limit mistakes with just one turnover and one sack. The question of who will start at QB for the Panthers going forward is up in the air, but after last week I would be surprised not to see at least one more start for Young. I’m expecting more sacks this game, as the Panthers have to face DPOY front runner Dexter Lawrence and the Giants Defense.
3. LAC vs TEN: Mason Rudolph has looked like an upgrade over Will Levis for the Titans, but that’s a pretty low bar. Last week’s win over the Patriots only required 20 points. Meanwhile the Chargers defense took no prisoners against the Browns, holding them to just 10 points while recording three interceptions and 6 sacks against Jameis Winston. Rudolph might not take as many risks as Jameis or Levis, but he is every bit as outmatched against one of the best defenses in the league.
4. PHI @ DAL: Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury last week, and is likely headed to IR meaning we will get at least four weeks of backup Cooper Rush. Rush has spent most of his career as Dak’s backup since the Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Rush’s most significant recent playing time was when he started 5 games in Weeks 2-6 of the 2022 season. Rush played pretty well in that stretch picking up four low-scoring wins, but that came crashing back to earth with a 3-interception performance against the Eagles. He has a much worse team to work with in 2024, and all signs point towards the Eagles dominating this division rivalry game.
5. KC vs DEN: Bo Nix and the Broncos got ran over by the freight train that is the Ravens last week, and Nix notably failed to take advantage of what was supposed to be a pretty weak passing defense. Nix and the Broncos offensive line have done well to avoid taking lots of sacks this year, but last week was their first time allowing four. Things should only get worse this week against a Chiefs team that is 8-0 largely thanks to their defense. The future is bright for the Broncos, but not this week.
6. BUF @ IND: The Colts’ decision to bench Anthony Richardson was widely criticized. Richardson had not been good, but this move was seen as way too early to give up on the future of the franchize. Those criticisms were validated last week when the Colts failed to be any better with veteran Joe Flacco under center, recording a measly 13 points against the Vikings. The Bills’ defense has had and will continue to have a tough schedule, but they’ve been able to turn in good fantasy performances in their few good matchups, and this should be another one of those weeks against a Colts team that’s in crisis.
7. MIN @ JAC: The Vikings have been one of the best defenses in the league this year, and that continued last week as they embarrassed the Colts for their decision to bench Anthony Richardson for Joe Flacco. Now they get to face a 2-6 Jaguars team for whom Trevor Lawrence just turned in his worst performance of the year, throwing two interceptions to the Eagles.
8. CAR vs NYG: Daniel Jones had is best game of the season as a passer against the Commanders last week, but that only added up to 22 points in a loss. The Panthers are far from the most exciting defense, as reflected in their 1% rostership rate on Yahoo. For a dart throw streaming option that’s available in just about every league, you could do worse than taking the home defense in this meeting of two of football’s worst teams.
9. WAS vs PIT: Russell Wilson has certainly proved that he deserves the Steelers’ starting QB job over Justin Fields, but he still took 4 sacks against the Giants in Week 8 before the bye. Wilson has been known to take a lot of sacks throughout his career, even when he’s playing his best. The Commanders’ defense has continued to exceed low expectations, and is currently tied (with the chargers) for 8th in sacks this Season. This is a scary defense to deploy this week becuase of the possibility of a shootout, but the vegas-based points projection for the Steelers is on the low side, and the outlook for sacks is good.
10. NE @ CHI: Caleb Williams and the Bears had their worst offensive showing of the year, totaling just 9 points from 3 field goals against the Cardinals despite never turning the ball over. After a hot stretch in Weeks 4-6, Williams’s numbers look pretty abysmal in two games since the Bears’ Week 7 bye, with zero passing touchdowns and 9 sacks taken. The Patriots’ defense is not particularly good, but they still have potential for a big fantasy day if the Bears keep playing this badly.