D/ST Fantasy Football Playoffs Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Defenses With Easy/Tough Matchups (Week 17)

Andy's D/ST fantasy football playoffs start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 17 (2025). His top defense streamers, starts, cuts with easy/tough matchups.

After a long and grueling 16 weeks of fantasy football, we are here at the championship. With a win-or-go-home matchup on the slate, managers must take an extra look at their lineup and find any possible edge to lead them to victory.

Typically, the position to do this for is defense. Throughout the season, managers may have leaned on some of the top options like the Texans or Seahawks, or constantly relied on a revolving door of units to find the best matchups.

In this piece, we will spotlight some of the most rostered defensive units on Yahoo! and determine if managers should continue to ride the hot hand in the postseason or pivot to a streamer with more favorable matchups.

Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.

Tough Calls - Top Defenses With Bad Week 17 Matchups

Houston Texans DEF @ LAC - 100% Rostered

The Houston Texans defense has been nothing short of dominant this season. Entering Week 17, the Texans have scored the second-most total fantasy points, trailing only the Seahawks. They have averaged a strong 9.6 FPTS/G, placing them 0.9 FPTS/G behind the Seahawks and 1.3 FPTS/G above the No. 3 scoring unit, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Last weekend, the Texans had potentially the most positive matchup on the slate, hosting the Las Vegas Raiders. In their victory, they held the Raiders to 21 points and forced one interception and three sacks. Their interception was returned for a touchdown, which gave them an even higher fantasy output.

Derek Stingley Jr.'s first career pick-6 was a 🔑 play in the @HoustonTexans Week 16 win! @progressive pic.twitter.com/3pcudh0E7o

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2025

The week prior, they had a modest showing against a potent Arizona offense, forcing only one interception and two sacks. However, in Weeks 12 through 14, they posted an elite 9.7 FPTS/G as they held the Chiefs, Bills, and Colts to under 20 points in each contest.

While their floor remains high, their upside is very limited facing the Los Angeles Chargers. Entering this game, Justin Herbert is coming off one of the best games of his season as he threw for 300 yards and two scores with no turnovers in the victory over the Cowboys.

While he has thrown a rather high 12 interceptions, which should provide the Texans with opportunities to force turnovers, the Chargers are averaging 11th-most total yards per game and a solid 23.3 PPG. You're still likely starting Houston's defense, but expectations can be tempered a bit.

Los Angeles Rams @ ATL - 65% Rostered

The Los Angeles Rams enter Week 17 averaging the fifth-most FPTS/G (7.8) and sit just 0.1 behind the Eagles for the fourth spot on the leaderboard. The Rams have an elite pass rush that has tallied the sixth-most sacks in the sport and an opportunistic secondary that has tallied the sixth-most interceptions.

Last weekend, they were recommended as a sit facing the Seahawks and did not live up to their potential. In that contest, they surrendered a hefty 38 points and 415 total yards of offense. The week prior, they did not fare much better, allowing 34 points to the high-scoring Detroit Lions.

Managers should not expect them to break this skid when facing the Falcons in Week 17. While the Falcons may be out of the playoff picture, they have quietly been one of the more productive offenses over the last two weeks. Over their last two games, the Falcons have exceeded the 25-point mark in each contest and even scored 29 points in Week 15 in their victory over the Buccaneers.

During this recent surge, running back Bijan Robinson has led the way, tallying 84.5 rushing yards and 87.0 receiving yards per game. QB Kirk Cousins has also been very efficient, going 51-of-79 with 285.0 yards per game and a 5:1 TD:INT ratio.

While their matchup is not as tough as Houston's, managers should look to pivot given their recent two-game slump.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ IND - 60% Rostered

The No. 3 scoring defense for fantasy this season has been the Jacksonville Jaguars. They enter the fantasy championships boasting an 8.3 FPTS/G mark despite being one of the eight teams in the sport that have yet to hit the 30-sack mark. Instead, much of their success has come from interceptions (19, second-most in the league), forced fumbles (nine, tied for fifth-most in the league), and points per game allowed (20.8, 10th-lowest mark in the league).

Last weekend, they had a tough matchup on paper against the Broncos and did not have much success, forcing only one sack and one interception. The week prior, they held the Jets to 20 points while being very effective, recording three interceptions and three sacks.

In Week 17, the Jaguars will travel to Indianapolis in what could be the highest-scoring game on the slate. Currently, this game has a high 47.5 O/U on DraftKings Sportsbook, trailing only the matchups between the Bears and 49ers on Sunday night and the Rams and Falcons on Monday night.

Given that Philip Rivers looked quite comfortable under center on Monday evening, going 23-of-35 with 277 yards and a 2:1 TD:INT ratio, managers should not look to start the Jaguars in their win-or-go-home matchup.

ANOTHER ONE FOR AP 😤

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/WPbK2OAOHK

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 23, 2025

Other top defenses with tough matchups:

• Philadelphia Eagles @ BUF
• Kansas City Chiefs vs. DEN

Top D/ST Streamers to Start for Week 17

Streaming options are under 60% rostered

Detroit Lions DEF @ MIN - 50% Rostered

When considering the widely available streaming options, managers should prioritize the Detroit Lions. The Lions will travel to Minnesota on Christmas Day and face the Max Brosmer-led Vikings. During their victory over the Giants last weekend, second-year QB J.J. McCarthy, who has recently begun to turn the corner in the NFL, suffered a right-hand injury that will keep him out for this contest.

With Carson Wentz (shoulder) done for the season, Brosmer is set to make his second start of the season. During his first start, Brosmer stumbled against the potent Seahawks defense. In that contest, he went 19-of-30 with 126 yards, no scores, and four interceptions. In relief last weekend, Brosmer tallied only 52 yards on seven completions and once again did not find the back of the end zone.

While the Lions defense has not been overly reliable, allowing the 10th-most PPG this season, their matchup against a struggling QB makes them an elite streaming option.

New York Giants DEF @ LV - 15% Rostered

The Giants enter Week 17 as one of the league's worst defensive units, but are on the streaming radar due to their matchup. Through 16 weeks, the Giants have allowed the fifth-most PPG (27.5) and are averaging just 3.6 FPTS/G, tied for the second-lowest mark in the league.

However, when facing the Las Vegas Raiders, any defense is worth a look. The Raiders were able to somewhat break out of their slump last week by scoring 21 points against the Texans. This was the first time since November 2 (Week 9) that the Raiders hit the 20-point mark.

Over his last seven outings, QB Geno Smith has averaged just 204.3 yards per game and held an 11:5 TD:INT ratio. Smith's poor decision-making and lack of offensive firepower on this unit put the Giants on the radar in deeper 12-team leagues.

#Giants EDGE Abdul Carter in Week 16:

- 81.3 pass rush grade
- 6 pressures (1 sack)
- 20.7% win rate

* 90.4 pass rush grade since Week 13 is the second highest in the NFL

📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/lFu0pCN4vf

— Ryan Smith (@PFF_RyanSmith) December 23, 2025

Tennessee Titans DEF vs. NO - 10% Rostered

The final streaming option to consider is also for deeper formats. Like the Giants, the Titans have not been a reliable unit this season, averaging just 5.7 FPTS/G, placing them 20th among units in the sport.

However, they flashed some upside last weekend and could look to stay hot when facing an inconsistent New Orleans Saints offense. Last weekend, the Titans held the Chiefs to just nine points. In that game, the Titans tallied four sacks.

While Tyler Shough and company have begun to turn the corner over the final stretch, they have only eclipsed 20 points scored just twice since the start of November. The Titans should provide a solid floor with decent upside, especially if they can hold the Saints to under 20 points.

Other streaming options

• Dallas Cowboys @ WAS

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