Fantasy Football 2019: Thursday Night Football Start Em, Sit Em Week 3
By Kole Berrey
Start of the Week: Tennessee Titans D/ST
35. . D/ST. Tennessee Titans. Tennessee D/ST. 1. player
I told you guys this was going to be rough. I do think that the Tennesee Titans defense is the safest and best option for you this week, though.
This is going to be a good time to bring up the tactic of streaming defenses. Hardcore fantasy fans do this, but there are a ton of casual fantasy football fans who draft one great defense on draft night, start them all year, and call it good. Streaming new defenses weekly is where you can get an edge on your competition.
The best way to stream defenses is to not look at the defenses talent overall, but rather the offense they are facing. This week, the Titans get to face off against a Jaguar team that is starting rookie sixth round pick Gardner Minshew II.
Fun fact about Gardner Minshew II, is that no one else in his family has the same name as him. Where the II part comes from is a mystery. While Minshew may be the most interesting man off the football field, he has yet to prove that he can produce at a high level yet on the field. Enter the Titans defense.
Tennessee had a high point total with 23 points in week one and then a respectable eight points in week two. Against the Jaguars, they offer one of the safest options across the entire league. Jacksonville just struggled to score against a Texans defense that is average.
The Jags offense only produced 12 points, and that is where the safeness for Tennessee comes in. If Jacksonville can’t score, then the Titans have a high floor. They also have a high ceiling. If they can get a sack or two, and a turnover, they can flirt with the high teens/low twenties in fantasy points.
Getting a solid performance out of your defense can be a game winner for you in a given week. I just lost a match-up because a Le’Veon Bell fumble lost me points while also giving my opponent a few extra because he started the Browns Defense.
If you are playing someone starting Leonard Fournette this week, you can try to double down on that strategy. If you think the Titans are going to have a good week, that’ll mean Fournette should have a rough going and it can be a double dip for you against an opponent.
Look for the Titans to be a top five fantasy defense in week three.