The key with defenses is finding defenses that will face a lot of passing plays. Fantasy point-scoring events like interceptions and sacks occur exclusively on passing plays, and fumbles actually occur more on passing plays than running plays. Defensive touchdowns are difficult to predict, but they're also more likely to occur on passing plays with 53 pick sixes last year compared to only 33 scoop 'n scores.

One of the best ways to identify defenses that will face a lot of passing plays is identifying Vegas favorites, preferably home favorites. And obviously the lower the opponent's implied point total, the better the matchup for the defense.

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In that respect, Carolina is in the best spot as a 13-point favorite at home against the Niners who have the lowest implied total of the weekend at 16.25. The Panthers are chalky for GPPs, but they're obviously a nice cash play and would make for a nice K-DST stack with Graham Gano in cash.

The other big home favorite facing an opponent with a low implied total is New England against Miami. New England is a 6.5-point favorite, and Miami has an implied total of only 17.5. ProFootballFocus has Miami attempting a higher-than-average 35.7 passes, so all the variables are working in New England's favor. The Pats are also significantly cheaper than the Panthers and thus are perhaps a more appealing option in cash games. But like the Panthers, the Pats should be a popular play that can be avoided in GPPs.

It should be mentioned that Baltimore is a nice-sized favorite (thought they're on the road) against Cleveland. In that context, Baltimore makes sense as a play, but with New England having identical price tags to the Ravens on both sites, the Ravens lose their appeal.

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A "sneakier" stud defense play might be Denver. They're a six-point favorite at home against the Colts who have the fifth lowest implied total of the weekend. Denver is obviously an elite defensive unit, but they won't be quite as popular this week against Andrew Luck and the Colts, especially with the Panthers being an obvious option. The Broncos are priced quite reasonably on FD and are an attractive GPP option there.

Another GPP option is Arizona. They're a 6.5-point favorite at home against the Bucs who have a below average implied total. The Cards rank fourth in Football Outsiders' DAVE defensive rankings which are still weighted heavily towards preseason projections at this point in the season. So this is a defense expected to be a top unit on the year with favorable Vegas variables going for them this week, yet they will not be highly owned this weekend.

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As for cheap options, Detroit, San Diego and Oakland are all home favorites facing teams with an implied total under 24. All three teams rank 22nd or worse in FO's DAVE rankings, so we're not dealing with elite units here. But San Diego has some appeal simply because they're dirt cheap if you're looking for a punt option. Oakland is also interesting given that PFF projects Atlanta for the fourth most pass attempts this week.