RADIO
We are in the home stretch of the fantasy football season and getting close to the end. With most fantasy playoffs starting in Week 15, there are just two regular season games remaining. That means it's time to start looking ahead at matchups to secure the best fantasy defense.
I am a firm believer in streaming defenses every week. In all my leagues, you will not find me rostering the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, or San Francisco D/ST. All three also have tough matchups upcoming, likely forcing many fantasy managers to stream the position anyway.
If you stream D/ST in fantasy, you have come to the right place. This article will feature the best fantasy defenses to stream and some to avoid in Week 13 and Week 14 to help your team clinch a playoff spot.
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D/ST Strength Of Schedule Overview
There's a lot that goes into determining a fantasy D/ST strength of schedule. It's not just how many points the opposing team has scored per game this season. But how is the offensive line? Do they give up a lot of sacks? Do they have a backup quarterback starting for the time being? Does this team turn over the ball a lot? What's the over/under? What's the opposing team's implied points?
It's a long process to find the right defense to start every week in fantasy based on several key data points. But even then, the offense might have a surprising game. For example, if you started the Cowboys D/ST in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, they got you just one point. On paper, it was an excellent matchup. Sometimes it's just too hard to predict everything that will happen.
I am taking over for Scott Rinear on this article. But I am going to keep the same process for determining which D/ST to pick up in Week 13 and beyond.
- “Temporary” Streamer: D/ST with a good matchup in Week 13
- “Part-Time” Streamer: D/ST with multiple nice matchups in a row.
- “Recruit” Streamer: D/ST with an easy schedule upcoming that you pick up earlier to stash on your bench.
- “Fool’s Gold” Streamer: D/ST that on paper looks like a good option but should be avoided
DST Strength of Schedule: Weeks 11-14
There has been a common theme this season in terms of which offenses to target when you are streaming defenses in fantasy. If you can target the New York Giants, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Washington Commanders, or Carolina Panthers, chances are your defense will have a very safe floor and a high ceiling if they're playing one of those offenses.
You can also add in the Las Vegas Raiders, who continue to start rookie Aidan O'Connell, and the Tennesee Titans, who will start rookie Will Levis for the rest of the season. But one thing most of those teams have in common is their inability to protect the quarterback.
The Giants (69), Commanders (55), Jets (47), Panthers (43), Titans (36), and Bears (35) have given up the most sacks this season and occupy the top six spots for the league lead. As you can see, the Commanders and Giants are teams to target every week, as they allow over 4.5 sacks per game in 2023.
The Patriots, Jets, Commanders, and Bears also give up plenty of turnovers. Mac Jones has 14 turnovers on the year, Zach Wilson has 12, Sam Howell has 15, and the two Bears quarterbacks (Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent) have 19 combined turnovers. That means there are plenty of defensive options to target in the coming weeks.
Week 13 D/ST Streamers
Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST (Part-Time Streamer)
- Week 13 Opponent: Bengals (9th)
- ESPN Rostership: 26.2%
- Over-Under: 38.5 points
- Opponent’s Implied Total Points: 16.75
If you're fighting for a playoff spot and need a fantasy defense over the next two weeks, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be a go-to option. They play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 without quarterback Joe Burrow and then will take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 14. The Jaguars D/ST will be facing backup quarterbacks in back-to-back weeks.
That makes them an intriguing option to pick up and play over the next two weeks. The Jaguars D/ST is also a possible stash candidate after that as they will take on the 1-10 Carolina Panthers in the fantasy football championship in Week 17.
But focusing on Week 13, the Jaguars are a great option. The Bengals have the third-lowest implied total of the week and are coming off a game where they scored just 10 points while giving up four sacks. Jacksonville only has 24 sacks this season, but do have at least two sacks in four straight games. They are a strong option in Week 13 and Week 14.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST (Temporary Streamer)
- Week 13 Opponent: Carolina Panthers (29th)
- ESPN Rostership: 15%
- Over-Under: 37.5 points
- Opponent’s Implied Total Points: 16.25
The Carolina Panthers continue to struggle on offense, which makes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST a strong option in Week 13. Fantasy defenses that play the Panthers this season are averaging an impressive 11.1 fantasy points per game. Last week, the Tennessee Titans kept up with that average by totaling 11 fantasy points behind a four-sack performance.
The Buccaneers should have their way in Week 13 against a Panthers offensive line that has given up the fourth-most sacks this season. Tampa Bay's secondary has been the team's weak part in 2023, but the defensive line continues to generate sacks. They have totaled at least three sacks in six of 11 games.
With a lot of coaching changes happening in Carolina heading into Week 13, Tampa Bay should be a nice fantasy defensive option. But after 13, they likely don't warrant a reason to be kept with games against middle-of-the-pack teams in Week 14 (Atlanta Falcons) and Week 15 (Green Bay Packers).
Atlanta Falcons D/ST (Borderline Part-Time Streamer)
- Week 11 Opponent: New York Jets (31st)
- ESPN Rostership: 16.5%
- Over-Under: 33.5
- Opponent’s Implied Total Points: 16.25
The Atlanta Falcons D/ST possibly has the best matchup this week, playing a New York Jets team that will once again be starting Tim Boyle. That opportunity should lead to many fantasy points for the defense. Last week, the Dolphins D/ST sacked Boyle seven times while forcing two turnovers (one touchdown) while allowing just seven points.
In a game that has the lowest over/under of the week, the Falcons D/ST has a very safe floor in Week 13. After that, they'll face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14 and the Carolina Panthers in Week 15. Earlier in the year, Atlanta scored double-digit fantasy points against both division opponents. They are a nice pickup in Week 13 with potential great matchups approaching.
Green Bay Packers D/ST (Recruit Streamer)
- Week 13 Opponent: N/A
- ESPN Rostership: 24.5%
- Over-Under: N/A
- Opponent’s Implied Total Points: N/A
The Packers are not a strong fantasy play in Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs. But if you already have this week figured out, Green Bay is a defense you should be looking to pick up for Week 14. They will face the New York Giants and undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy Devito next week.
Last week, the Patriots D/ST scored 13 fantasy points while sacking DeVito six times. Targeting the Giants offense has worked in the past and the Packers D/ST should have a very high floor in Week 14. Fantasy defenses that play New York are averaging 13.5 fantasy points this year. Look ahead and grab them before someone else does.
Recruit Streamers
If you have Week 11 already figured out, let's look ahead at some defensive options that you could start in Week 12:
- Houston Texans (7.7% rostership)- Week 14 opponent: 31st-ranked Jets
- Detroit Lions (50% rostership)- Week 14 opponent: 27th-ranked Bears
- Minnesota Vikings (60.8% rostership but should drop with Week 13 bye)- Week 14 opponent: 25th-ranked Raiders
Fool’s Gold Streamers
Los Angeles Rams D/ST
- Week 13 Opponent: Cleveland Browns (26th)
- ESPN Rostership: 4%
Facing a backup quarterback in Week 13, the Los Angeles Rams could be a strong defensive option. And while this defense has been in recent weeks, they don't present much of a high ceiling in Week 13 compared to other matchups. They have only scored double-digit fantasy points in one game this year. The Rams D/ST has a nice fantasy floor this week against either P.J. Walker or Joe Flacco (with Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the concussion protocol). But the Browns might be able to put up some points in this one.
DST Streaming Action Plan
Planning out your fantasy DST might require some work, but it might be necessary in order to target the best matchups every single week. If you don't want to pick up the Dolphins, who are a nice long-term option, or the Lions, here is an action plan for each defense to pick up and play in Weeks 13 and Week 14.
- Week 13: Stream the Falcons versus the 31st-ranked Jets.
- Week 14: Stream the Packers versus the 32nd-ranked Giants.
Rest of Season DST Rankings: Strength of Schedule
This chart below was created by my colleague Scott Rinear in his last D/ST streaming piece from Week 6 to Week 10. I thought this would be handy for those who wanted to access it. So I wanted to leave this for those who might be looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs in Weeks 15-17.
Obviously, things have changed over the past four weeks. But for the most part, most of the green matchups (Bears, Panthers, Patriots, Commanders, and Giants) are still in the green. One change could be Minnesota, which is in green on this chart. Even with Kirk Cousins (Achilles) out for the year, you likely want to stay away from them for any defensive streams.
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