Daily Fantasy Football Team Defense Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings Week 1 - 9/10/17

Another season of DFS NFL is upon us and if you have played before you know the importance of picking a team defense. While some will just scroll to the bottom and pick the cheapest team in a good situation, I like spending up in the mid to upper tier to get access to a much higher ceiling. A few factors I consider when researching defenses is the individual player's talent level, the ranking of the opponents offensive line and quarterback and I also consider what Vegas thinks of the game in terms of game and team totals. Let's dig in and take a look at a few of my favorite defenses for week one.

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Top Defenses

Los Angeles Rams

There is certainly a lot to like about the Rams defense in week one. Despite ranking 23rd in takeaways(18) in 2016, they ranked second overall in sacks(49) which give them a high floor right off the bat. Then you consider they will be facing a and already beat up Colts team that will be starting Scott Tolzien who has attempted just 37 passes in his NFL career and add to it that the Colts have one of the worst offensive lines in the league. It also helps that the Rams should be able to score some points and get up on the Colts considering they are missing their top corner Vontae Davis. Look for new Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips to turn up the heat on Tolzien and the Colts which should benefit our fantasy lineups with multiple sacks and possible multiple turnovers. They will be the chalk this week but safe in all formats.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills make a nice play at defense for a couple reasons this week. First of all, Josh McCown and the Jets have the lowest team total of the week and were second to only the Chargers in 2016 in giveaways with 34 with no real light at the end of the tunnel in 2017. The Bills, much like the Rams, ranked lower overall in takeaways but ranked fourth in sacks with 46 on the season. Given they are the most expensive defense on DraftKings and 6th most expensive on FanDuel, it is likely they will be far lower owned making them a nice GPP pivot play off the Rams.

Houston Texans

The Texans are another expensive option that should come with some lower ownership than the chalk Rams this week. While their rank in sacks and takeaways took a hit in 2016 without the services of JJ Watt for most of the season, they led the league in yards allowed per game(301.3) and only allowed opponents to score an average of 20.5 points per game. Getting three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt back only adds to an already loaded defense(Benardrick McKinney, Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, Jonathan Joseph). Then you add the matchup vs. the Jaguars and Blake Bortles(yes he is still a starting QB in the NFL) and you have a very high upside play.

Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NFL optimizer for FanDuel and DraftKings, our MLB Optimizer, and our new Player Lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

First time with NFL? Be sure to read our free MLB and NFL Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.