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D/ST Wins Championships - Week 9

GREEN BAY, WI - DECEMBER 2: Harrison Smith #22 of the Minnesota Vikings intercepts a pass intended for Greg Jennings #85 of the Green Bay Packers during the game at Lambeau Field on December 2, 2012 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers won 23-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Harrison SmithStarting the same D/ST every week is one of the worst moves a fantasy owner can make. It’s much safer to bet against a bad offense than it is to bet on a good defense. The notion of a ‘great’ D/ST is flawed; you can get top-level production by streaming defenses based on matchups. Check out this column every week to find out which D/STs you can and should pick up off of the waiver wire.

The Rules: Each week, I’ll highlight three easily-acquired D/ST’s that are worthy of a start in 12-team formats. The D/STs that I pick must be owned in less than 40 percent of leagues so that each unit is likely available in your own league. To establish credibility over the course of the season, I’ll review how my picks from last week did.

Last Week’s Picks: Last week’s column hit on two out of its three selections, naming a couple of top 12 units during Week 8. The piece advised picking up either the Vikings, Browns or Titans D/ST. In a 12-team league, both the Vikings and the Browns would have been more than reasonable starts. The Vikings and Browns’ D/STs ranked second and seventh, respectively, in the league in Week 8. Despite the fact that the league featured many high defensive point totals, the Vikings D/ST was able to crack the top three and put up 20 points. As for the Browns, locking down the Raiders and forcing three turnovers defined the spirit of the day. It’s becoming increasingly possible to nail defenses that will post a lot of points; we’ve hit at least two top 12 teams every single week of the season.

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