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Matt's must-start fantasy football waiver wire defenses (D/ST) to stream and start for Week 11 of the 2025 season. His fantasy defense start 'em, sit 'em picks.
With time quickly running out on fantasy football's regular season, every roster move carries serious weight. That's especially true for Defense (D/ST) decisions. RotoBaller analyst Matt Donnelly shares his fantasy football must-start defenses (D/ST) for Week 11 of the 2025 season.
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2025 Fantasy Football: Week 11 Defenses To Start (D/ST)
Matt Donnelly drops his top Defenses for Week 11 of the 2025 fantasy football season:
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Week 11 Fantasy Football Defense Outlooks
Houston Texans D/ST at TEN
The Houston Texans will come in as the No. 1-ranked defense in fantasy this week. They will be going up against a Titans offense that ranks dead last in points per game (14.4) and sacks allowed per game (4.2). That's enough reason to start a Texans defense that ranks seventh in pass rush win rate and top-5 in pressure rate through 10 weeks.
That's why this Houston defense should be started in all formats this week. This unit is coming off a five-sack performance against the Jaguars in Week 10, and five different D/ST have scored in double figures in fantasy against Tennessee's offense this year. Additionally, this Texans D/ST shut out the Titans earlier this year in Week 4.
New England Patriots D/ST vs. NYJ
Starting defenses against the Jets' offense feels like an easy decision at this point in the year. The Jets rank 31st in pass block win rate, tied for 31st in sacks allowed per game (3.8), and 26th in points scored per game (21.7). Considering Justin Fields completed just 6-of-11 passes for 54 yards, one touchdown, and one interception last week, the Patriots are a must-start D/ST this week.
Although New England has only totaled four sacks over the last three weeks, this could be a game where this defensive line gets to the quarterback. Fields has been sacked 20 times across the last five games, and the Patriots have players like Milton Williams and K'Lavon Chaisson who rank top-20 at their respective positions in pass rush win rate.
Atlanta Falcons D/ST vs. CAR
Some fantasy managers might stay away from the Falcons' D/ST this week. This unit gave up 24 points and only sacked Bryce Young once in a matchup against the Panthers back in Week 3. That resulted in this defense scoring just two fantasy points. However, this Atlanta defense is a much better play this time around.
The Falcons have 13 sacks over the past two games and have totaled at least four sacks in three of the past five weeks. Since the Panthers have scored under 17 points in three straight contests, Atlanta is a top-5 play in Week 11. This defense also ranks sixth in pass rush win rate, which should come into play against a Carolina offensive line that ranks 21st in pass block win rate.
Miami Dolphins D/ST vs. WSH
The Dolphins have actually played well on the defensive side in recent weeks. They held the Atlanta Falcons to just 10 points in Week 8 and then delivered their best defensive performance of the season last week against the Buffalo Bills. This Miami defense allowed just 13 points while also totaling three sacks, forcing two fumbles, and picking off Josh Allen once.
Therefore, fantasy managers can start this Dolphins' D/ST in some 10-plus team leagues. Jayden Daniels (elbow) will be out once again, meaning Marcus Mariota will start his fifth game of the year. Mariota has been sacked eight times in his four starts, and Miami surprisingly ranks 10th in pass rush win rate this season.
Dallas Cowboys D/ST at LV
Starting the Cowboys' defense could be considered a risk in most leagues. However, this Dallas defense has some reinforcements coming with Quinnen Williams, Logan Wilson, and DeMarvion Overshown all expected to be active for this game. That's enough to start this unit in some 14-plus team leagues. Geno Smith was just sacked six times in his last start.
Week 11 D/ST Rankings
| Rank | Player Name | Pos |
| 1 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 2 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 4 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 5 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 6 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 8 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 9 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 10 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 11 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 13 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 14 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 15 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 16 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 17 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 18 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 20 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 21 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 22 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 23 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 26 | New York Giants | DST |
| 27 | New York Jets | DST |
| 28 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 29 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 30 | Las Vegas Raiders | 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 11 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defenses like the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 11. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 11 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 11 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific defenses like the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 11.
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 11 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 11 (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 11 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 11 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys compared to others:
No matching players.
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