Well, let us thank the fantasy gods. Despite Part 2 of the bye-week apocalypse offering minimal options for streaming defenses, all four of our choices last week hit, with the Packers as the only group to not muster double-digit points. It'll be tough to repeat that level of success in Week 10, but I'll continue with the same process and hope for more positive results in your fantasy lineups. .
As always, I'll rely on the streaming D/ST qualifications previously established by Matt Harmon and Matt Franciscovich in this column: good matchups, home teams, favorites, and obviously talented defenses.
And without further adiue, here are my defenses worth streaming in Week 10.
Baltimore Ravens D/ST (14.9 percent owned) vs. Cleveland Browns
In surprising fashion, the Ravens sit atop the AFC North after nine weeks of action, and that is thanks in large part to their defense. To date they've held half their opponents to 17 points or fewer, and over the last month they've averaged 9.75 fantasy points per game thanks to a couple of touchdowns and a boatload of sacks and turnovers. The Browns look to be a team with a future under Hue Jackson, but their present remains bleak. Look for the Ravens to take care of business at home on the short week of preparation against an inferior opponent.
San Diego Chargers D/ST (19.6 percent owned) vs. Miami Dolphins
Touchdowns have played a part, but the San Diego defense has scored 12 or more fantasy points in three of its last four outings. Despite big injuries to stars like Jason Verrett, this unit is getting strong push up front and great play on the back end from the likes of free agent acquisition Casey Hayward, whose five interceptions are tied for the league lead. The Chargers have been a strong offense to stream defenses against for much of the year, though since refocusing their offense through the ground game they've been a riskier play. Ryan Tannehill was sacked nearly 3.5 times per game during the first five weeks, but has only been taken down twice in the three games since Jay Ajayi broke out. Still, the Miami defense is a sieve, so the Dolphins could be playing from behind if Philip Rivers gets up early at home. That would force Tannehill into a more pass-heavy game script that could lead to more sacks and turnovers, making the Chargers a strong streaming play once again.
Washington Redskins D/ST (11.6 percent owned) vs. Minnesota Vikings
Rather quietly, the Washington defense has been piecing together a stellar fantasy season. They've failed to score six or more fantasy points just twice this season, and have only one game with negative points (the Week 1 primetime disaster against the Steelers). This is thanks to a unit adept at pressuring opposing quarterbacks, with 22 sacks (seventh-most) on the year. Per Next Gen Stats, Washington is pressuring the quarterback frequently even when they aren't generating sacks. Their nearest rusher is 2.8 yards away from the quarterback at the time of the throw (on average, which is just .2 yards off from Green Bay's 2.6 average -- second-best in the league). This pressure-generating front faces a Vikings offensive line that has allowed Sam Bradford to be sacked 13 times in the last three games. Washington should get home against Bradford early and often, helping rack up fantasy points and setting them up with big-play potential.
Green Bay Packers D/ST (30.9 percent owned) at Tennessee Titans
While the Packers defense wasn't as great of a streamer last week, they still notched six fantasy points despite allowing 31 points. This week, they'll face Marcus Mariota and a Titans offense that, despite playing well of late, is still giving away bunches of fantasy points to opposing defenses. The Titans have conceded two double-digit fantasy outings to stop units in the past three weeks, with the outlier being their Thursday night shellacking of the Jaguars. In those two generous games, the Titans have allowed three sacks and committed four turnovers, three of which resulted in touchdowns. The Packers, as mentioned above, have the second-best pressuring defense per Next Gen Stats' distance from QB metric, and could welcome back Clay Matthews this week (a late scratch for Week 9). Even though Green Bay's defense is on the road, they're a solid streamer for Week 10.
Chicago Bears D/ST (3.8 percent owned) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Thanks in large part to the scheming of coordinator Vic Fangio, the Bears defense has swung back into fantasy relevance in 2016. They have at least two sacks in seven of eight games so far, with 14 total over their last four games. In Week 10, fresh off a bye, they'll travel to Florida to battle the Buccaneers. While Jameis Winston has been putting up points for the Bucs, he's also been giving opposing defenses some points as well. Since his Week 6 bye he's been sacked seven times and committed two turnovers against the murderer's row of defenses that includes the 49ers, Raiders and Falcons. If the Bears defense can continue its current trend of solid performances against a Tampa Bay offense with a rocky run game and a banged up Mike Evans, they could turn in a surprisingly good defensive performance.
-- Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexGelhar
