Week 10 Defense Rankings and D/ST Streamers

Four teams are on bye, so only 28 defenses are on the board. Houston leads at 8.6 projected points, and 89.6 percent of leagues already own it.

Plan your stream before the Sunday kickoffs. The wire is where this week is won. Indianapolis, Buffalo and the Giants each face an offense with a modest game line. All three are rostered in fewer than half of leagues.

Look at the length of each bar. A short bar is a safe week. A long bar is a gamble.

Blended from CBS, ESPN, FanDuel, FleaFlicker and Sleeper. Full PPR. Opp is this week's opponent. Range runs from floor to ceiling.

A tier is a group the projections treat as close to the same. Take the highest tier you can and stop splitting hairs inside it.

The Colts are DST6 and project 6.9. They are rostered in 26.0 percent of leagues. Miami comes in with an opponent total of just 17.5, the lowest of any streamer. Indianapolis is a 3.5 point favorite with its own total at 21.0. The season is the warning. They average 3.9 points, which is DST27 of 28. Opponents score 27.0 points a game against them, and they record 2.1 sacks. Yet the last three weeks were 7.0, 2.0 and 9.0. This is a matchup play and not a trust play. The sources split from 5.13 at FanDuel to 8.3 at CBS. Stream them for the opponent, and nothing else.

Buffalo is DST9 and projects 6.5. They are rostered in 32.1 percent of leagues. The Bills are 8.5 point favorites at the Jets, with a team total of 29.5 and an opponent total of 21.0. A big favorite forces the other side to chase, and that creates sacks and mistakes. Their last three weeks were 1.0, 15.0 and 16.0. They take the ball away 1.5 times a game and sack the passer 2.1 times a game. They allow 23.4 points a game. Their season average of 7.0 is DST13, which is the middle of the pack. Stream them first if you can only pick one.

The Giants are DST12 and projects 6.2, with a range of 5.4 to 6.9. That is the tightest range of the three streamers. They are rostered in 23.0 percent of leagues. They host Washington as 2.5 point favorites, and the opponent total is 19.0. They allow only 21.5 points a game for the season, with 2.0 sacks and 1.2 takeaways. Their last three weeks were 2.0, 1.0 and 14.0, an average of 5.7. One big week carries that average. The sources agree on a modest number, with a spread of 1.79. Use them if the Colts and Bills are gone.

Houston is DST1 at 8.59, with a range of 7.0 to 10.2. That makes them the top projection on the board, and 89.6 percent of leagues already own them. Their season average is 6.9, which is DST14, so the rank comes from the projection and not the record. The last three weeks were 1.0, 3.0 and 13.0. Houston is a 4.5 point favorite at Cleveland with a team total of 23.0. The Browns carry an opponent total of 18.5, which is modest. The sources range from 7.32 at FanDuel to 10.8 at CBS. If you own them, keep them. Do not trade real value for the top spot.

Pittsburgh is DST18 and projects 5.5, about half of what they average. They are rostered in 65.7 percent of leagues. Their season average is 10.5, which is DST2 of 28. Leagues start them at 30.0 percent. The last three weeks were 10.0, 9.0 and 21.0. This week is different. Pittsburgh is a 3.5 point underdog at Cincinnati with an opponent total of 26.5 and a game total of 49.5. A high scoring game hurts a defense, because every score they allow costs points. Pittsburgh scored 21.0 against Cleveland in Week 8, so the ceiling is real. This game is not that one. The sources sit between 4.73 and 6.6. Sit them if you have a streamer from the list above.

San Francisco averages 9.9 points, which is DST3 of 28, and they are rostered in 39.2 percent of leagues. That tempts a stream. The matchup says no. The 49ers visit Dallas, where the game total is 55.5 and the opponent total is 26.0. They are a 3.5 point favorite with a team total of 29.5, so the defense will face real volume. The projection is 4.83 and the range is 4.0 to 5.7. Their last three weeks were 20.0, 5.0 and 19.0, so the ceiling exists. But the sources put the floor and the median low. Leave them alone this week.

Streamers are defenses rostered in under half of Sleeper leagues. They are sorted by projection. Opp total is the points the game line gives the other offense. Lower is better.

Sacks and takeaways are per game, counted from the weekly box scores. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries.

Opp total is what the game line gives the offense across from you. Low means a soft draw. High means a tough one.

Position rank this week against last week's. Only moves of 3 spots or more. Risers are ranked inside the top 16 now. Fallers were inside it last week.

Risers:

Fallers:

How to read this. Projections blend CBS, ESPN, FanDuel, FleaFlicker and Sleeper, as published for Week 10. Rostered is the share of Sleeper leagues that hold the player. Tiers group players whose projections sit close together. Floor and ceiling for defenses come from how far the sources disagree, not from past results. Streamers are defenses rostered in under half of Sleeper leagues. Opp total is the points the game line gives the offense across from the defense. Sacks and takeaways come from the weekly box scores through Week 9. Scoring is full PPR.