Alright, let’s talk about defense streaming for week 1. It’s always a bit of a scramble, you know? I never seem to grab one of those top-tier defenses in the draft. Either they go too early, or I just forget, focusing on filling out my starters. So, streaming it is. Most years, anyway.
Getting Started – The Waiver Wire Dive
First thing I did, probably Tuesday night, was check who was actually available in my league. It’s a 12-teamer, so the waiver wire isn’t exactly overflowing with amazing options. You gotta sift through the leftovers.
I basically looked at the matchups. Who’s playing a terrible offense? That’s step one. I pulled up the schedule, looked at teams like the Cardinals, the Texans maybe, teams that people expect to be pretty bad offensively, especially early in the season.
- Checked available defenses: Scrolled through that long list on the league site.
- Looked at matchups: Cross-referenced available defenses with who they were playing week 1.
- Ignored the big names: Knew the Cowboys, 49ers, Eagles defenses were long gone. Had to be realistic.
Narrowing It Down
Okay, so after looking, a couple of options popped out. I remember seeing the Washington Commanders were available, and they were playing the Cardinals. That looked pretty tempting. Arizona’s offense felt like it was gonna be rough, especially week 1.
Then there were the Jacksonville Jaguars, playing the Colts. Colts have a rookie QB starting his first game. That’s usually a good sign for the opposing defense. Seemed like another decent bet.
My main contenders were basically:
- Commanders (vs. Cardinals)
- Jaguars (vs. Colts)
- Maybe the Seahawks? Can’t remember who they played now. It gets blurry.
Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I put myself through this waiver wire grind each week. It eats up time, scanning matchups, checking injury reports. Remember that time I missed out on a killer defense stream ’cause I forgot the waiver deadline by like, 5 minutes? Ugh. Probably cost me a playoff spot back in ’19. Still bugs me. Anyway, back to this year’s week 1.
Making the Pick
So, I went back and forth between the Commanders and the Jaguars. The Commanders felt like the safer floor play against Arizona. The Jags felt like they had maybe more big-play upside against a rookie QB, but also maybe a bit riskier if the kid came out firing.
In the end, I just went with the Washington Commanders. Put in a waiver claim, didn’t even need to spend much FAAB, maybe zero or a dollar, can’t recall exactly. Just wanted a defense that hopefully wouldn’t give me negative points and might snag a few sacks or a turnover.
How’d It Go?
Well, week 1 happened. The Commanders… they were okay. Not great, not terrible. They got some pressure, I think a couple of sacks. Didn’t completely shut down the Cardinals, but didn’t get blown up either. Got me, what, maybe 6 or 7 points? Something like that. Didn’t win me the week, but didn’t lose it for me either.
So, that was the process for week 1. Log in, check the wire, look at matchups, make a gut call, put in the claim, and hope for the best. Now, gotta figure out who to grab for week 2. The cycle continues. That’s the life of a defense streamer, I guess. On to the next headache.
