Selecting a defense is never the most glamorous part of fantasy football. It often goes overlooked for the more fun positions that people want to watch and root for during the game. The good news is that if our opponents aren’t putting too much thought into their defense, we can gain an advantage with some research. So let’s dig in and try to identify some defenses that could be in a good position to score fantasy points this week.

With some backup quarterbacks playing this week, there are a lot of interesting defenses we can roster.

Philadelphia Eagles

FanDuel Salary: $4,800

This season continues to be a dream for the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans. They are cruising towards a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs and arguably are the most complete team in the NFL. That includes a great defense who we can use in fantasy.

The Philadelphia D/ST has really been getting after the quarterback of late. They've recorded 13 sacks in the past two games. This pass rush has been good all season, ranking second in the league in adjusted sack rate. The Eagles are also tied for the most takeaways in the league (23), and this has led to the defense ranking fourth in fantasy points per game.

The Eagles get a great matchup this week as they'll face the Chicago Bears. Justin Fields has made lots of improvements, but he still takes sacks at the highest rate in the NFL. Fields has also thrown four interceptions and fumbled twice in his last three games. He will be under heavy pressure in this game.

Philly is a nine-point favorite in this matchup and could definitely be the best defense on the slate this week.

Carolina Panthers

FanDuel Salary: $4,200

It's not been a season to write home about for the Carolina Panthers. They are still somehow in contention for the playoffs in the NFL's weakest division -- thanks in large part to their defense. The defense is set up nicely in a home matchup this week.

The Carolina D/ST ranks 11th in schedule-adjusted defense, according to numberFire. They've really turned it on in the last four weeks, allowing an average of 15.5 points per game. In those four games, they've had 14 sacks and 6 takeaways.

Carolina will be at home this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We don't know exactly who will be at quarterback this week for Pittsburgh with Kenny Pickett still in concussion protocol. This offense has struggled whether it's been Pickett or Mitchell Trubisky under center, and now there are calls for Mason Rudolph to get a start if Pickett can't go. All three of these quarterbacks are mistake-prone, and both Trubisky and Pickett have thrown three interceptions in a game this season.

The Steelers' implied team total is just 17.5 points this week and likely won't change much no matter who the quarterback will be. This makes the Panthers a good option at $4,200.

Denver Broncos

FanDuel Salary: $3,700

We all know how bad the Denver Broncos have been on offense this season. The defense, however, has been one of the best in the league. They'll be at home this week facing a backup quarterback.

The Denver D/ST allows just 14.9 points per game, which the fewest in the league. It hasn't always translated to fantasy success, but they've been good over the last two weeks with six sacks and five interceptions. They have elite personnel in the secondary, which makes things hard for opposing quarterbacks. Denver's overall defense ranks fifth in our numbers and gets to play as a home favorite this week.

The Broncos play host to the Arizona Cardinals, who are coming off a short week having played on Monday. In that game, they lost Kyler Murray for the season and will have to turn to Colt McCoy. McCoy took six sacks in that game while also throwing an interception and fumbling. He was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, and if he can't go, Arizona might have to turn to Trace McSorley or David Blough at quarterback.

Arizona's implied team total is even lower than Pittsburgh's, and it looks like it will be difficult for them to move the ball in this game.

Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.