Week 9 didn’t turn out quite the way I had hoped.
Cleveland and Minnesota were adequate streaming plays, both finishing with 7 fantasy points, tied for 10th in standard scoring leagues. So while they didn’t necessarily lose you your matchup, they probably didn't win it for you either.
Washington’s defense ended up being a disastrous call, finishing with just two sacks, no forced turnovers, and just one fantasy point.
*Sad Face*
Even though last week’s results were less than stellar, this week offers us some prime streaming matchups, including two recommendations with extremely high scoring ceilings that are available in nearly half of fantasy leagues.
Week 10 is approaching – let’s get at it.
Baltimore Ravens
Owned - ESPN: 29.4%, Yahoo: 55% Week 10 numberFire Rank: 2nd
There’s no denying that Baltimore got shelled last week against the seemingly unstoppable offensive juggernaut known as the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They gave up six touchdowns passes to Ben Roethlisberger and were a return touchdown away from finishing near the bottom of the fantasy ranks last week.
Despite their Week 9 meltdown, Baltimore has been extremely tough on defense, ranking 7th in Adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points (NEP) per play even with Week 9 included. The Ravens D/ST has scored at least 6 fantasy points in all but 3 games and have averaged 7.5 points per game.
Luckily for the Ravens, they get Tennessee this week, which ranks 28th in Adjusted Offensive NEP per play.
Expect the Ravens to come out aggressive as 9.5-point favorites at home and control the game from the defensive side of the ball.
Miami Dolphins
Owned - ESPN: 69.4%, Yahoo: 45% Week 10 numberFire Rank: 4th
In case you haven’t noticed, Miami’s D/ST unit is on fire.
Over the last two weeks, they’ve turned in back-to-back #1 performances, averaging 24 fantasy points per game. Over the same span, they've accumulated eight sacks, five interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns.
Not only have the Dolphins been tremendous from a fantasy standpoint, they've also become the clear-cut best defense from an efficiency standpoint as well. Miami’s -33.14 Adjusted Defensive NEP more than doubles second-place Detroit's mark of -14.88.
Miami has been especially stifling against the pass (-17.76 Adjusted Defensive Pass NEP), and are one of only two teams with a negative mark in that category (NE, -1.97).
Traveling to Detroit this week is no easy task considering the Lions may get Calvin Johnson back from his nagging ankle injury, but I’m willing to roll with a defense that can seemingly do no wrong at the moment.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Owned - ESPN: 20.9%, Yahoo: 24% Week 10 numberFire Rank: 8th
Riding the wave of momentum initiated by their offense, the Pittsburgh defense has slowly become a decent fantasy option.
Once seemingly unable to force turnovers, the Steelers’ D/ST has accumulated four interceptions, three fumble recoveries, seven sacks, and one defensive score over the last three games. This has largely masked the raw amounts of points and yardage the defense has continually surrendered.
And while Pittsburgh is still not a top-flight defense for real football purposes (22nd in Adjusted Defensive NEP), the fantasy production should continue in Week 10 as they face the hapless New York Jets.
The Jets currently rank 25 in Adjusted NEP and have allowed 10.1 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. If Pittsburgh can continue their aerial assault on Sunday, Michael Vick could morph into a turnover-machine, creating fantasy goodness for streaming owners.
Deeper Streamers
Green Bay Packers (vs. Chicago Bears), Buffalo Bills (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)