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Matt's must-start fantasy football waiver wire defenses (D/ST) to stream and start for Week 10 of the 2025 season. His fantasy defense start 'em, sit 'em picks.
As we move into the second half of the NFL season, every fantasy football decision matters - including the D/ST spot on your rosters. RotoBaller analyst Matt Donnelly drops his fantasy football must-start defenses (D/ST) for Week 10 of the 2025 season.
We've got you covered with top Week 10 D/ST streamer options to give you the tools needed to set those winning lineups and dominate your matchups.
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2025 Fantasy Football: Week 10 Defenses To Start (D/ST)
Matt Donnelly drops his top Defenses for Week 10 of the 2025 fantasy football season:
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Week 10 Fantasy Football Defense Outlooks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. NE
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a Week 9 bye and will host the New England Patriots. In their last game, they shut down the New Orleans Saints, allowing just 3 points while recording five sacks and two interceptions. Over their previous three games, the Buccaneers never allowed more than 24 points in a single game and faced several top offensive units, including the Detroit Lions.
While they will have a tougher task this week, facing the Patriots, the Buccaneers should carry a safe floor given that they have tallied the eighth-most sacks in the sport and the fourth-most FPTS/G (8.6). They could also be facing a short-handed New England team that may be without deep threat Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) and starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson (toe).
Cleveland Browns at NYJ
It is a bit surprising that not only are the Jets favored in this game, but New York is projected for 20 total points. That seems a bit too high for an offense that has been held under 12 points in two of its last three games. As a result, the Browns are a fantastic start in a favorable matchup against this Jets offense.
Cleveland has had one of the best defenses in the NFL through the first nine weeks. This unit has totaled at least three sacks in six of its eight games, and those sacks should come into play in this matchup against the Jets. New York's offense line has given up the fourth-most sacks this season. That's enough reason to start a Browns' D/ST that ranks first in pass rush win rate.
Buffalo Bills at MIA
Things are definitely trending up for this Bills defense. This unit totaled seven sacks and allowed just seven points to the Panthers in Week 8, and then forced Patrick Mahomes to have his worst game of the season last week. Buffalo sacked Mahomes three times while holding Kansas City's offense to only 21 points.
Now, this defense will go up against a Dolphins offense that has scored under seven points in two of its past three games. Considering Tua Tagovailoa has thrown 11 interceptions and has been sacked multiple times in four of the past five weeks, the Bills' D/ST is a nice play in Week 10. Buffalo pressured Mahomes on 52.9% of his dropbacks last week.
Los Angeles Rams at SF
The Los Angeles Rams will get a rematch against the San Franci 49ers, whom they lost to back in Week 5. In this game, Mac Jones was sacked just one time. The 49ers tallied 407 total yards from scrimmage. However, the Rams enter this contest with significant momentum and appear poised to flip the script.
Over their last three games, they have allowed no more than 10 points and even held their opponents to under double-digit points in two of them. They enjoyed their most dominant showing in Week 7, when they sacked Trevor Lawrence seven times. The Rams enter this game with the third-most sacks in the sport.
Baltimore Ravens D/ST at MIN
The Ravens' defense is getting healthier, which is resulting in much better play on the field from this group. Baltimore has held the Rams (17 points), Bears (16 points), and Dolphins (six points) to under 20 points in three straight games. This unit has also forced three turnovers over the past three games.
As a result, the Ravens could be started in most leagues this week. The Vikings' offensive line is allowing the most sacks per game, and J.J. McCarthy was just brought down five times in last week's win. In three McCarthy starts this year, he has been sacked a total of 14 times. So, start this Baltimore defense with confidence.
Week 10 D/ST Rankings
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Pos. |
| 1 | 1 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 4 | 12 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 4 | 13 | New York Jets | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 4 | 15 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 5 | 18 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 5 | 19 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 5 | 21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 5 | 22 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 6 | 23 | New York Giants | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 6 | 26 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 6 | 27 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 7 | 28 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 10 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defenses like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams. Cleveland Browns. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 10. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific defenses like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams. Cleveland Browns. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams. Cleveland Browns compared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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