Fantasy Football Week 3 Defense Rankings and Top Streamers feat. Packers, Raiders, and more 

Streaming defenses is a popular strategy in fantasy football, but picking the wrong one can make or break your scoring week. Listed below are our top-ranked defenses entering the Week 3 slate, followed by the best streamers of the week.

Fantasy Football Week 3 defense rankings

Week 3 Rankings	Opponent
1. Cleveland Browns	vs New York Giants
2. Tampa Bay Buccanneers	vs Denver Broncos
3. San Francisco 49ers	at Los Angeles Rams
4. New York Jets	vs New England Patriots
5. Green Bay Packers	at Tennessee Titans
6. Houston Texans	Minnesota Vikings
7. Las Vegas Raiders	vs Carolina Panthers
8. Seattle Seahawks	vs Miami Dolphins
9. Buffalo Bills	vs Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Chicago Bears	at Indianpolis Colts

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Best Defense Streamers for Week 3

Green Bay Packers v Philadelphia Eagles - Source: Getty

1] Green Bay Packers Defense at Tennessee

As long as quarterback Will Levis slings it for Tennessee, the fantasy and DFS communities should capitalize on his wildly comical turnover-prone play this season. It's too bad that NFL Films stopped producing their Greatest Football Follies on VHS because Levis would be its star attraction. Levis' lack of composure has led to two horrendous plays avoiding rushers in consecutive weeks, starting with an awful pick-six to prevent a sack that sealed his team's fate against Chicago in Week 1. Levis followed that up with another poor decision on a third-and-goal play last Sunday that had him fully parallel to the ground and desperately fumbling the football backwards, losing a crucial scoring opportunity for his team.

If you're looking for an alternative to the Baltimore Ravens defense this week, Green Bay is a widely available option and may have some of the best upside we're looking for in a streaming defense.

Fantasy Football is a funny game. After losing starting quarterback Jordan Love on opening day, I would've never considered recommending the Green Bay defense with a backup quarterback. Love returned to practice this week, but his status is still murky heading into the matchup with the Titans. But what hasn't been murky is the defensive side of the ball for Green Bay.

After two weeks of the season, this Packers unit leads all defenses in interceptions by turning seven turnover-worthy throws into five picks. Green Bay has been getting after quarterbacks so far this season with a 35.8% pressure rate, and Tennesse's offensive line has allowed the third-most quarterback hits in the league (16) after two games. The backend of the defense has been doing its part - the Packers are third in the league in completion percentage allowed (54.4%) and second in pass breakups (13). With all the attention put on the Green Bay offense, the defense is quietly one of the best units in football. The Packers' defense is shaping up to be a viable option in fantasy football, at least in Week 3, with Levis and possibly a shorthanded arsenal on offense with Tyjae Spears and DeAndre Hopkins banged up entering this contest. Get them in your lineup as a premier streaming option this week, as they have one of the highest probabilities for a defensive touchdown.

Tennessee Titans v Chicago Bears - Source: Getty

2] Chicago Bears Defense at Indianapolis Colts

Speaking of impressive defenses with zero fanfare heading into this season, the Matt Eberflus-led defensive unit in Chicago has turned in some impressive numbers after two fantasy weeks. It is year three of the Eberflus era and the Bears seem to have turned the corner, causing disruption among NFL offenses. The Bears are fifth in the league in pressure rate (41.9%), seventh in quarterback hits (14), and only allowed one dropback resulting in a clean pocket. With those numbers, Chicago has been unsurprisingly stingy against quarterbacks, allowing just 8.2 fantasy points per game and 10th in completion percentage (61.8%). Through two games, it has allowed a measly 5.7 yards per pass attempt, the fifth-best in the league. Chicago is also 10th in pass breakups (9) but could have been more advantageous with five turnover-worthy passes and zero interceptions on such throws.

The Bears have a nice matchup with Indianapolis coming up this weekend. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has a high variance week to week and has thrown four interceptions so far this season. Richardson has a completion percentage of 49.1% through two games. The biggest challenge will come from stopping the run, as Richardson and Jonathan Taylor pose a formidable rushing attack for any defense. Chicago's defense is 24th in explosive rate allowed, mainly due to their ability to prevent significant gains after the catch. The Bears are second in yards allowed after the catch, with 50 yards in two games. As a football fan, I think it would be great to see the Bears have a great defense again. For fantasy purposes, Chicago could be an every-week defense if it keeps up this pace all season.

Las Vegas Raiders v Baltimore Ravens - Source: Getty

3] Las Vegas Raiders Defense vs Carolina

If Andy Dalton is the answer, then Carolina Panthers fans should be terrified of the question. It took just two games for head coach Dave Canales to bench former top overall pick Bryce Young in favor of the veteran signal-caller. Only rookie Caleb Williams (5.5) has a worse fantasy points per game average after two weeks than Young (5.8), who owned a putrid 4.4 yards per pass attempt this season. Young could only complete 55.4% of his passes, with three interceptions and zero passing touchdowns against New Orleans and the Los Angeles Chargers.

As a unit, the offense has struggled with Young under center as his supporting cast has yet to eclipse the century mark in rushing or receiving on both games combined. Chuba Hubbard leads the backfield with 78 rushing yards and Adam Thielen leads the receivers with 69 yards receiving in two games. None of the skill players have a touchdown yet, and Young owns the only touchdown in the season for the Panthers on a rushing touchdown. Unsurprisingly, Carolina is dead last in offensive DVOA, including 32nd in passing offense and 31st in rushing offense. The matchup isn't as attractive now that the Panthers have turned to the 36-year-old Dalton. Still, the eye test and predictive stats show that the Panthers are the most desired offense to stream against, which is why the Las Vegas Raiders are in a prime position as a premiere streaming option in Week 3.

Las Vegas is coming off an impressive upset win on the road against a playoff contender in Baltimore last Sunday. Defensive menace Maxx Crosby and the Raiders defense were able to sack league MVP Lamar Jackson twice and picked him off once to hold on to a narrow victory in a challenging environment. Either Jackson was unwilling to take off in this game, or Antonio Pierce's staff devised a plan to keep Jackson from escaping the pocket against his defensive unit. In Week 1, Jackson scrambled from the pocket ten times and burned Kansas City for 122 rushing yards. On Sunday, Jackson only escaped the pocket twice for 25 rushing yards. Jackson completed 61.8% of his passes, and Las Vegas applied pressure on just nine of his 36 dropbacks. The Raiders also bottled up Derrick Henry in the first half with five yards on seven carries until the All-Pro eventually broke loose in the second half and finished with 84 yards and a wildcat touchdown.

With Dalton and the lowly Panthers on deck in the home opener, the Raiders should improve on its 25th ranking in defensive DVOA and be very popular as a decent DFS play. Dalton only played 77 snaps last year in Carolina and finished with a 58.6% completion percentage in two games. Finally, the Raiders might not be a one-and-done option. Las Vegas has a nice schedule after Sunday's game with Carolina, with Cleveland, Denver, and Pittsburgh up next.