When it comes to defense/special teams units in fantasy football, owners have to make one of two choices.

The first choice is drafting a defense relatively high — for example the Seahawks, 49ers, Broncos, Panthers and Bengals. These defenses were all taken fairly high in this year’s drafts due to their stellar and consistent play last season.

Many owners also took the Kansas City Chiefs defense high in the 2014 draft this year because of their incredible point total last season. However, if owners had done their due diligence they would have noticed that the Chiefs lost a lot of key players in their secondary in the offseason.

This practically spelled out draft day bust. This choice that owners make can give you a weekly stud that almost guarantees double digit points every week. But what happens when this “stud” defensive unit becomes a dud?

The Cincinnati Bengals started off their season as a top five fantasy scoring defense before their bye in week four. Since returning from their bye week they tallied negative three points at New England and negative two points at home against the Panthers. This dramatic downward spiral has certainly hurt fantasy owners who drafted this defense with a relatively high pick.

The Carolina Panthers have put owners in a similar situation this season. Three of their games have given owners double digit points. However, the other three games the Panthers have played in have resulted in negative points on two occasions and one point on another.

Teams like Seattle, Denver, and San Francisco have been fairly consistent and productive this season making them solid options on a weekly basis. However, teams like the Panthers and Bengals seem to be too risky of a play going forward, creating a difficult situation for owners.

The second option owners have when it comes to defenses goes by the name of “streaming.” Streaming a defense is when you pick up different defenses on a weekly basis depending on their matchup.

This option carries much more risk due to the lack of consistency but potentially greater reward. For example, teams playing the Jacksonville Jaguars this year have received fantasy point totals of 14, 10, 17, 17, 13, and 19 over the last six weeks, according to ESPN.com.

So when streaming, try and grab the defense playing the Jaguars. Teams playing the Oakland Raiders have seen similar success in fantasy points. When streaming a defense there are several keys to success: finding a favorable matchup, defenses playing at home, possible injuries to the opponents offense, and being able to realize trends.

If you are an owner who didn’t choose a top defense, then streaming on a weekly basis is the option for you. It only requires minor analysis and can yield a huge reward. If you have a top defense already then there is no need to change up your strategy. Stick to your studs; they may have a down week but they are top tier options for a reason. The top tier defenses consist of Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver.

If you are an owner whose defense has been playing poorly as of late, don’t feel bad about dropping them or stashing them on your bench in favor of playing the odds of streaming.

The defense you pick has a chance of hurting you, but if the matchup is right it can also win your weekly matchup for you. After all, fantasy football seems to favor the bold; sometimes the risky play is the right play.