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Fantasy football rankings - updated defense (DST) Week 16 rankings for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football DEF rankings for NFL team defenses.
Defenses will likely have a significant say in who wins fantasy football championships, so be sure not to overlook the position. Use our updated Week 16 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 San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, and more defenses stand, among all other D/STs.
Our defense fantasy football rankings for Week 16 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.
Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings:- Overall fantasy football rankings
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Week 16 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 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 1 | 3 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 3 | 8 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 5 | 15 | New York Giants | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 5 | 17 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 5 | 18 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 5 | 19 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 6 | 21 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 6 | 22 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 6 | 23 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 6 | 24 | New York Jets | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 7 | 26 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 7 | 27 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 7 | 28 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 7 | 29 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 8 | 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 8 | 31 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 8 | 32 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
Week 16 Defense (DST) Rankings Outlooks
Minnesota Vikings D/ST
The Minnesota Vikings' defense/special teams can be considered a startable fantasy option in Week 16 when taking on the last-place New York Giants. Minnesota will be without edge rusher Jonathan Greenard (shoulder) and do-it-all safety Joshua Metellus (shoulder), both of whom opted for surgery with the team out of playoff contention, but the Vikings have been an overall good defense that ranks seventh in yards per play allowed and fourth in pressure percentage.
The Giants have had some enjoyable moments with quarterback Jaxson Dart at the helm, but are ultimately a 2-12 team playing out the string with an interim head coach, a rookie quarterback, and a host of injuries. Through 15 weeks, New York ranks in the bottom 10 in completion percentage (28th), penalties (27th), passing touchdowns (23rd), and red-zone touchdown percentage (27th). Rookies typically haven't fared well against defensive coordinator Brian Flores' exotic blitzes, which gives the Vikings starting potential this week.
Detroit Lions D/ST
The Detroit Lions' defense has had its struggles of late, allowing an average of 32.3 points per game over the last four weeks. The Lions' pass defense has been the major issue, as it currently ranks 27th in the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed (7.5) and tied for 30th in passing touchdowns allowed (28). Detroit has lost both safety Brian Branch (Achilles) and Terrion Arnold (shoulder) to season-ending injury, and will remain without All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph (knee) in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh profiles as a middling pass offense, entering the week ranked 23rd in total passing yards (2,904) and 18th in yards per pass attempt (6.9). However, the Steelers are coming off two of their better offensive performances of the season, dropping 27 points on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14 and 28 points on the Miami Dolphins in Week 15. Given their banged-up secondary and recent difficulties, the Lions D/ST profiles as a unit for fantasy managers to avoid in Week 16.
Kansas City Chiefs D/ST
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense will take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. The Chiefs' defense has struggled mightily over the last six games, losing five of six and allowing 20 or more points in five of six. The Kansas City defense was able to hold the Los Angeles Chargers to 16 points in Week 15, but they were unable to come away with the win. The Chiefs should have an easier time this week against the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans are tied for the second-fewest points per game this season, averaging 16.1 points per game. The Chiefs have also gotten a takeaway in two of their last three games and have three or more sacks in back-to-back games. The Kansas City defensive unit is ranked as the third-best defense in our RotoBaller rankings, making them one of the best options at the position this week.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST
The Philadelphia Eagles' defense/special teams unit achieved their first shutout of the season against the Raiders, while also recording four sacks and an interception. Philly has racked up 11 sacks over the last two weeks, and will now face the Commanders who have given up 33 sacks this season-tied for 13th-most in the NFL.
Washington has also turned the ball over 20 times in 14 games, which is tied for the fourth-most in the league. The Commanders are also without starting QB Jayden Daniels, and Philly held Raiders backup QB Kenny Pickett to 64 passing yards and an interception last week. It's a promising matchup, and the Eagles D/ST is definitely a solid start in Week 16.
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 16 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defense options like the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Minnesota Vikings. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 16.
Week 16 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 16 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 16 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 16 (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 16 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 16 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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