NFL Fantasy Football Week 9 2025 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: D/ST

NFL Week 9 and Fantasy Football The season is here before we know it and fantasy managers are gearing up for another wild week of action within the league. Until the 8th week came with its fair share of upsets, injuries and memorable moments, fans will have to turn the page and look ahead to Week 9. Whether you’re stuck with D/ST all season or opt to stream week-t0-week, consistency at the position can mean your fantasy matchup on any given week.

Week 8 saw defenses like the Atlanta Falcons take a step back allowing 34 points to the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns and 32 points to the New England Patriots. Other defenses, like the Houston Texans’, stepped up strongly against the 49ers and were the main point of their victory.

Aside from the top-ranked units, we’ll take a look at which defenses you can safely start before Week 9 and which we decide to bench.

Week 9 BOY: Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 9 D/ST: Start ‘Em

Best D/ST starts this week:

1. Los Angeles Chargers D/ST (@TEN)
2. Los Angeles Rams D/ST (vs NO)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST (vs. LV)
4. Denver Broncos D/ST (@HOU)
5. Green Bay Packers D/ST (vs. CAR)

Detroit Lions D/ST (vs. MIN)

This should be an obvious choice as the Detroit Lions land just ahead of our Week 5 starters at No. 6. They will face a divisional test as the Minnesota Vikings come to town, but the Lions have owned this matchup with a 9-1 record in their last 10 games against Minnesota. In each of the Lions’ five wins this season, they’ve held opponents to 30 or fewer points.

They currently rank seventh among other offense defenses this season, posting their second-highest scoring total (13.0) of the season last week against Tampa Bay. The Vikings don’t have half the offensive power of the Buccaneers, so this Lions defense should be in another favorable matchup in a game they should win. Newly minted defensive coordinator Kelvin Shepard has this unit firing on all cylinders, so expect another double-digit performance in this one.

New England Patriots D/ST (vs. ATL)

The New England Patriots D/ST currently ranks No. 1 overall in ESPN formats and even though they have a tougher matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, this defense has shown the ability to stifle key parts of teams’ offenses, most recently Quinshawn Judkins and the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. In the last three weeks, Patriot Fantasy has scored a total of 380 points. mostly during that period of games.

It’s worth noting that the Miami Dolphins defense held Falcons RB Bian Robinson to just 25 yards and a fumble, so the Patriots can certainly take a page out of Miami’s book and contain Robinson the same way. With ongoing questions at the quarterback position for Atlanta, be sure to start the Patriots’ D/ST in the coming weeks.

Week 9 D/ST: Sit ‘Em

Chicago Bears D/ST (@CIN)

While the Chicago Bears defense was ranked in the top 15 for most of the season, they are coming off a disappointing effort against the Baltimore Ravens where they allowed 355 total yards and 30 points to QB Tyler Huntley and the offense. It’s worth noting that the Bears have also allowed 24 points to the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders in two of their last four games.

They swept the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, who, under new quarterback Joe Flacco, have now scored a combined 71 points in their last two games. Offensive weapons like RB Chase Brown and VR Ja’Marr Chase can flourish again, requiring a new game plan for the defenses this unit faces. While the Bears have been solid overall, this could be a solid week to put them in what could be a high-scoring game.

Baltimore Ravens D/ST (@MIA)

After a dominant performance at home where they held the Chicago Bears to just 16 points, the Ravens defense will hit the road to face the 2-6 Miami Dolphins. With quarterback Lamar Jackson one step closer to returning from injury, this should be a win for the Baltimore Ravens as they try to improve their own record.

However, the Miami Dolphins were the surprise of Week 8 as they managed to score 34 points against the Atlanta Falcons’ top-ranked defense. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa erupted with four touchdown passes and the game could have been a reawakening for Mike McDaniels and this offense. Barring any further surprises, we’ll stay away from the Ravens D/ST this week which has been one of the worst in the league in allowing total offense to opponents.