Fantasy Football: 6 Things We Learned in Week 1

The Saints Defense May Not Be All It Was Cracked Up to Be

In 2017, the New Orleans Saints enjoyed something they hadn't seen in a long time: a functioning defense. Not a great defense, but a functioning one. They finished right at the league average for total yards allowed, but relative to the rest of the squad's performances in the Drew Brees era, the 2017 campaign was a smashing success.

What they excelled at was forcing turnovers, generating just one fewer interception than the elite Jacksonville D/ST over the course of 2017. This made them a top-performer as a D/ST play in fantasy more than it made them a brick wall for real football.

Week 1 of 2018 was a bucket of cold water to the face for those of us who thought the Saints' defense had turned the corner. Facing Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at home in the Superdome, the Saints allowed a league-leading 48 points and produced 0 interceptions.

But let's look on the bright side; the defense's regression unlocked Drew Brees in fantasy again. Brees threw for over 400 yards on Sunday, a feat he never accomplished in 2017, and added 3 passing touchdowns as well -- a total he matched only once the previous year.

We can no longer expect the Saints D/ST to produce week-winners in fantasy like they did last year, but fortunately we here at numberFire have you covered when it comes to streaming defenses. And most importantly, when one door closes, another one opens -- welcome back to fantasy superstardom, Mr. Brees.