The title “Let’s Stream Defenses” hides the fact that this article series is about quarterbacks. As discussed last week, finding a good fantasy defense is all about finding the right kind of quarterback to face. Bad quarterbacks are great, but the best quarterbacks are those who give up the most sacks and turnovers, which are more impactful in fantasy than actual scoring. That means and important part of the defense streaming lifestyle is keeping track of the quarterback situations across the league. Football is both competitive and dangerous, so they are constantly changing. Here are the big takeaways from Week 1:

• Dak Prescott is out for 6-8 weeks with a thumb injury that required surgery. The backup Cooper Rush will start in the meantime, meaning the Cowboys will be a likely target for opposing defenses for the next several weeks.
• Joe Burrow had a total meltdown last week, throwing four interceptions in the first half and taking seven sacks. There’s no reason to think his job is at risk, but this is something to keep an eye on. Burrow has always been a solid if high-risk DST target thanks to his high sack rate. I don’t love the idea of starting the Cowboys against him this week, but if Burrow has similar struggles in what should be an easy matchup, we might have a nice mess of a season on our hands.
• Speaking of messes, Aaron Rodgers had a horrible week, taking four sacks while the Packers only put up seven points. We know that this isn’t who Rodgers is and I don’t think I’d ever intentionally start an opposing defense. But he is 38 years old, and this is Jordan Love‘s third season. The guard has to change some time, right?
• Patriots QB Mac Jones suffered a back injury this week, and it’s unclear if he’ll play in Week 2. While last week was bad, he’s still not a QB I’m super interested in starting defenses against.

Week 2 DST Projections

This is a good week for streaming. There are a lot of offenses with low projections – 8 of them are looking at fewer than 20 points. While many of their opponents have high rostership, enough of them don’t that getting a streamer should be pretty reasonable in most leagues. Rostership numbers are from Yahoo. You can find me on Twitter.

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Matchups

1. GB vs CHI: Last week, the 49ers were my #1 defense because they were facing Chicago. While Justin Fields didn’t have the kind of total meltdown befitting the top spot (more on Joe Burrow later), he had a pretty meh game, leading the Bears to only 19 points. Vegas has even lower expectations for the Bears this week, with a rock-bottom 16.5 projected points. This is a great spot for the Packers at home.
2. SF vs SEA: Thanks to some all-time bad coaching on the part of Nathaniel Hackett, the Seahawks managed to beat the Broncos with only 17 points. A score that low is always good news for the opposing defense, because it results in a respectable DST fantasy line even if the sacks and turnovers aren’t numerous. I have no reason to suspect Geno Smith and the Seahawks will do any better on the road this week.
3. DEN vs HOU: When a game Team Fortress 2 ends in a tie, it’s very clear that both teams are losers and should consider it a failure. That’s exactly what happened to the Texans and Colts last week, and now Houston has to visit the Broncos for their home opener. Davis Mills avoided throwing any interceptions, but 3 sacks and a fumble, along with a medium-low point total, meant it was a solid fantasy day for the Colts. The Broncos this week should do even better.
4. LAR vs ATL: This week, the Marcus Mariota-led falcons have the honor of having the largest spread in the league as 10.5-point underdogs. Mariota avoided sacks and interceptions (and passing touchdowns) last week, but thanks to a couple fumbles it was still a solid fantasy day for the opposing Saints. That’s what I would consider a good showing for the Falcons, one I would not expect them to repeat on the road in LA.
5. CLE vs NYJ: Last week the Jets turned in a very well rounded bad offensive performance, putting only 9 points on the board while allowing a respectable 3 sacks and 2 turnovers. This is exactly the kind of showing I expect from the Jets, and why their opponents will be among the best fantasy DSTs to start every week until we see something else. The Browns have much lower rostership than everyone ranked ahead of them, so if you’re streaming there’s a high likelihood that they’re your best option, and that’s a good place to be.
6. BUF vs TEN: The Titan fell short of their 24.5-point projection last week, scoring just 20. Expectations for this week are lowered to match, especially on the road against a Bills team that sacked Matthew Stafford 7 times last week. If you have the Bills that almost certainly means you drafted them, and there’s no reason to jump ship now.
7. CIN @ DAL: It’s quite unusual for there to be as many as 8 different teams projected for fewer than 20 points this week, but it’s not surprising that the Cowboys are among them. During last week’s game Dak Prescott suffered a thumb injury that required surgery, and will sideline him for 6-8 weeks. In the meantime, Cooper Rush will start for the Cowboys, making them an interesting DST target. We don’t have a lot of data on Rush – in 5 years on the Cowboys’ depth chart he has 1 real start. I have no hesitation starting his opponents until he reveals himself to be the next Gardner Minshew or something.
8. TB @ NO: Jameis Winston is the textbook example of a boom-bust quarterback, and last week was more of a boom, with 27 points in a win. He did still take four sacks, so it ended up being a fine fantasy day for the Falcons anyway. Against his former team in Tampa, it’s the same story. Winston probably won’t burn you, but you are accepting some risk when you start his opponents.
9. NE @ PIT: The Steelers are the first opponent in my rankings who didn’t turn in a good performance for their opposing DST (the Bengals) last week. Their offense only scored 16 points (they also had a defensive touchdown, but that doesn’t count against the opposing DST), but Trubisky avoided turnovers and only took 1 sack. Trubisky’s been in the league long enough that I don’t think such a clean game should be our normal expectation for him.
10. CAR @ NYG: The Giants offense showed signs of life last week with a nice come-from-behind victory over the Titans. Nonetheless, Daniel Jones still took 5 sacks and turned over the ball twice, landing the Titans in the top 10 defenses of the week. That’s the kind of performance you’re hoping for if you start the Panthers this week, who are very likely to be available in your league. In my opinion, those hopes are well-founded.
11. DAL vs CIN: I don’t think it’s a great idea to start the Cowboys this week, especially given that their offense is probably in shambles without Dak Prescott. Still, we can’t deny the total meltdown that Joe Burrow had last week, taking 7 sacks and throwing 4 interceptions in the first half, including one for a Touchdown. That made the Steelers the top-scoring DST of the week by a long shot with 26 points (the Dolphins were in 2nd with 18). That could happen again, but planning on it is a risky move that probably isn’t worth it this early in the season.

Jacob Herlin is a Data Scientist for FantasyPros. For more from Jacob, check out his archive and follow him @jacoblawherlin.