Even though we’d love to leave our fantasy football drafts with a roster we could keep intact all season, it’s highly unlikely to happen.
And that’s actually okay.
Scouring the waiver wire each week to improve your team incrementally is one of the best ways to build a championship-caliber squad.
One of the main areas to improve during the season is with your team defense. Rarely do we know which defense/special teams units will rank among the elite at season’s end. So one popular strategy is simply finding DSTs with the best matchups each week. You can start doing that on draft day.
Best starting schedules for D/STs
By focusing on the short term rather than the full season, fantasy managers open up the possibility of picking up one of the season’s top emerging D/STs or simply streaming the best available unit from week to week.
As the relative strengths of each team get sorted out early in the season, here are some non-elite defenses with the most promising early-season matchups in Weeks 1-4 – before the bye weeks start to kick in.
San Francisco 49ers (at Seahawks, at Saints, vs. Cardinals, vs. Jaguars)
The Niners have reunited with former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and could be much improved from their DST26 ranking last season. They open on the road – but against two teams with new quarterbacks – before coming home to face the Cardinals and Jags.
Minnesota Vikings (at Bears, vs. Falcons, vs. Bengals, vs. Steelers, vs. Browns)
The Vikings led the NFL in interceptions a year ago and finished as the fantasy DST2. Yet they don’t seem to be getting a lot of preseason buzz. Their early schedule should raise their profile. The opener will be the Bears’ first game under new coach Ben Johnson, followed by three consecutive home games (sure, the Bengals will be formidable) and as a bonus, the Browns in Week 5.
Los Angeles Rams (vs. Texans, at Titans, at Eagles, vs. Colts)
The Rams will open at home against a Texans offense that won’t have top running back Joe Mixon, who’ll start the season on IR with a foot injury. Next, they’ll face the Titans and rookie QB Cam Ward. After an NFC divisional playoff rematch with the Eagles, they’ll get the Daniel Jones-led (maybe?) Colts.
New England Patriots (vs. Raiders, at Dolphins, vs. Steelers, vs. Panthers)
The Pats only forced 12 turnovers the entire 2024 season (only the Jaguars had fewer) so relying on them early will be risky. But they face three of last season’s bottom-10 offenses in their first four games – with three of those at home.