Start Seahawks D/ST over Falcons D/ST — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Seahawks D/ST brings the home-field floor Falcons D/ST can't match

Start the Seahawks D/ST: home field, a lower opponent scoring outlook and New England's greater sack exposure create the stronger floor and ceiling. Atlanta's only real edge is the higher Steelers implied total, which can produce more chances if Pittsburgh is forced into a pass-heavy script, but it also raises the risk of a low-impact defensive outing. The Seahawks are the better call, though not an automatic smash because defensive scoring still depends on converting pressure into takeaways.

What flips it: A late move pushing New England's implied total above Pittsburgh's.

AI editor

Falcons D/ST

D/STATLvs PIT

4.24.24.2 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Seahawks D/ST

D/STSEAvs NE

7.47.47.4 Projected Points

Start

Why Falcons D/ST

Toss-Up

Toss-up — a middling defensive matchup (No. 23 this week): on the road, and 4.2 pts projected vs PIT.

Pittsburgh's higher scoring outlook gives Atlanta more opportunity if the Steelers must throw late.
Atlanta's road setting and low crowd support make its ceiling harder to trust.

Why Seahawks D/ST

Start

Start — the No. 4 defensive matchup this week: 7.4 pts projected vs NE.

Seattle's home setting pairs with a lower opponent scoring outlook, giving the unit a cleaner path to a usable floor.
New England's sack rate allowed supports Seattle's pressure-based upside beyond its already favorable baseline.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Falcons D/ST	Seahawks D/ST
Projected points	4.24.24.2	7.47.47.4
Projection rank	Proj.DST23	Proj.DST4
Started in	1% of leagues	92% of leagues
Opponent sacks allowed / game	2.4(2025)	3.0(2025)
Opponent turnovers / game	0.9(2025)	0.9(2025)
Opponent implied total	22.8	20.5
Home / away	Away	Home