Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
As you lock in your fantasy football lineups for Week 2, here are 10 D/ST sleepers to target.
In Week 1, hopefully one of our Week 1 D/ST sleepers helped you put a mark in the fantasy win column. Upon further review, not many came through. By moving on…Week 2 is another week.
Based on timing, a reminder the Thursday night game will not apply in this space each week as it’s already been played by the time you’re reading this.. For Week 2, that takes away at least one candidate for a D/ST sleeper or streamer, with the New York Giants taking on the Washington Football Team. But there are still some solid sleeper candidates this week.
As will be the case every week, many of the D/STs in this column are widely available in fantasy leagues. So if you’re streaming defenses, this list will qualify for that purpose.
Fantasy Football: 10 D/ST sleepers for Week 2
10. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals allowed 24 points to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, but also had three sacks and one takeaway. Frankly, with how much they pressured Kirk Cousins (nearly 31 percent of his dropbacks), they probably should’ve had more sacks.
In Week 2 the Bengals will face the Chicago Bears and quarterback Andy Dalton, as head coach Matt Nagy remains committed to starting him over Justin Fields. Fields is likely to see action, but if he’s not starting that’s to Cincinnati’s advantage.
The Bears have too much talent to be completely shut down. But the Bengals are lined up for a handful of sacks and takeaways on Sunday, with natural upside and a solid floor, facing Dalton for the majority of the snaps.
9. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins held the New England Patriots in check during Week 1, allowing 16 points with a sack and two fumble recoveries. Week 2 is a tougher matchup against another divisional opponent and one they struggled to stop last year.
The Buffalo Bills had one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2020. But they were held in check by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener, scoring 16 points as Josh Allen was sacked three times. Miami’s defense is not as good as Pittsburgh’s front-to-back, but the Steelers might have offered some film insight on how to limit Buffalo. You can bet the Dolphins’ defensive coaches have found something they can use.
The Bills are too good to not put up points two weeks in a row. But the Dolphins’ defense is good at forcing turnovers, and a couple of sacks of Allen would round out a surprisingly solid fantasy outing.