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Fantasy football rankings - updated defense (DST) Week 17 rankings for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football DEF rankings for NFL team defenses.
A big week from your fantasy defense can propel you to a league title, so finding the best option has never been more critical. Use our updated Week 17 fantasy football defense (DST) rankings for 2025 to pinpoint the best team defense for your lineups. In the rankings below, you will see where the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, and more defenses stand, among all other D/STs.
Our defense fantasy football rankings for Week 17 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find key fantasy football outlooks from our RotoBaller staff, as well as the "Who to Start?" tool. Also, be sure to check our fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings:- Overall fantasy football rankings
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Week 17 Defense (DST) Rankings for Fantasy Football
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 1 | 2 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 3 | 7 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 3 | 8 | New York Giants | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 5 | 15 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 5 | 18 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 5 | 19 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 6 | 21 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 6 | 22 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 6 | 23 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 6 | 25 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 7 | 26 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 7 | 27 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 7 | 28 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 7 | 29 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 8 | 30 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 8 | 31 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 8 | 32 | New York Jets | DST |
Week 17 Defense (DST) Rankings Outlooks
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST
The Pittsburgh Steelers recorded three sacks and a forced fumble while surrendering 24 points to the Detroit Lions in a Week 16 victory. The Steelers DST didn't have a huge fantasy showing, but it held Detroit to just 15 rushing yards and kept the Lions off the scoreboard for two of four quarters. Even without star linebacker T.J. Watt (lung), cornerback James Pierre (calf), and cornerback Brandin Echols (groin),
Pittsburgh shouldn't have too much trouble against the Cleveland Browns this week. The Browns are averaging just over 16 points and 1.5 giveaways per game. Given this contest's low projected point total, fantasy managers aren't likely to find many safer options than Pittsburgh in Week 17. The Steelers DST can be started with confidence on Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks D/ST
The Seattle Seahawks D/ST continues to be a dominant unit in 2025. They draw a matchup with the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. Carolina's offense has been highly inconsistent this season. They will go from scoring 30 points in one week to half as many in the next. The success of the Seahawks D/ST will depend heavily on which version of the Panthers' offense shows up this week. If anything, the Seahawks D/ST should be able to limit the Panthers' yardage and scoring output, giving the unit a solid floor in fantasy.
Carolina has thrown for less than 200 passing yards in 12 games this season. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has done well to protect the ball this season, but Seattle has a chance to force him into a couple of turnovers. Additionally, Seattle should be able to record a handful of sacks with their talented defensive front. The Panthers are not the D/ST matchup that we have come to love in fantasy in recent years, but given the talent of Seattle's defense, this should be a good matchup for the team.
Houston Texans D/ST
The Houston Texans D/ST has fueled the team's seven-game winning streak, and they'll go on the road this week in a critical matchup against the Chargers on Saturday afternoon. The Texans can clinch a playoff spot with a victory, and they had four sacks and four interceptions against Justin Herbert when they faced him in last year's playoffs. Pass-rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter will look to continue their impressive seasons and continue to force turnovers.
Last week, the DST had a touchdown, an interception, and three sacks against the Raiders. The Chargers have been a top-10 matchup for DSTs this season, and since they have a playoff spot wrapped up, they may be slightly less aggressive this week. Even on the road against a playoff team, the Texans DST still ranks as the No. 6 DST in RotoBaller's rankings, so start them with confidence on Saturday afternoon as they look to lock up a return to the postseason.
Green Bay Packers D/ST
The Green Bay Packers' defense and special teams unit have been a disappointing unit most of the season, and they'll host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17. Against the Bears in Week 16, Green Bay did not tally a sack or a turnover in its second game since losing star pass rusher Micah Parsons for the season. Since losing Parsons, the Packers have not sacked the quarterback once in two games.
Green Bay has only forced one turnover in that span as well, so fantasy managers have likely moved on from the Packers D/ST in terms of fantasy options. Even with the potential of Tyler Huntley under center for the Ravens in Week 17, the Packers may not be good enough as a unit to take advantage of that matchup. Green Bay is a high-risk fantasy option in Week 17.
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 17 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defense options like the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and Houston Texans. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 17.
Week 17 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 17 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.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, 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 circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 17 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 17 (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 17 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 17 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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