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Matt's must-start fantasy football waiver wire defenses (D/ST) to stream and start for Week 12 of the 2025 season. His fantasy defense start 'em, sit 'em picks.
The fantasy season keeps ticking away, and for those of you in the playoff hunt, every roster move is of the utmost importance. D/ST decisions can be tough, but RotoBaller analyst Matt Donnelly shares his fantasy football must-start defenses (D/ST) for Week 12 of the 2025 season.
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2025 Fantasy Football: Week 12 Defenses To Start (D/ST)
Matt Donnelly drops his top Defenses for Week 12 of the 2025 fantasy football season:
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Week 12 Fantasy Football Defense Outlooks
Cleveland Browns D/ST at LV
The Cleveland Browns' defense will be a fantastic start in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders. This unit has totaled at least three sacks in eight of 10 games this season, which included bringing down Lamar Jackson five times in last week's loss. With Myles Garrett ranking fourth in edge pass rush win rate, it's hard not to roll with this D/ST in most formats.
The Raiders rank in the bottom 12 in pass block win rate, and Geno Smith has thrown 13 interceptions across his first 10 games. Given that the Browns rank tied for fourth in total sacks, they should rack up the fantasy points in this contest. This Cleveland D/ST will be a top-3 play this week.
Seattle Seahawks D/ST at TEN
The Seattle Seahawks will come in as the No. 1-ranked fantasy defense this week. They have been one of the best defenses through the first 11 weeks of the season, and this is an incredibly favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee has allowed the most sacks this year while ranking 32nd in points scored per game.
As a result, Seattle's D/ST must be started in every format in Week 12. This unit ranks tied for fourth in total sacks and ranks in the top 10 in both pass rush win rate and pressure rate this season. There isn't any better defense to start this week than the Seahawks.
Jacksonville Jaguars at ARI
The Jaguars are coming off one of their most impressive performances of these, where they held Justin Herbert and the Chargers ot just six points. In this contest, Kimani Vidal tallied just 13 yards on the ground while Justin Herbert threw for only 81 yards.
While they could face some trouble facing a pass-heavy offense driven by Jacoby Brissett, given the dominant showing last Sunday, they could push for another productive outing. Entering Week 12, the Jaguars have allowed a solid 22.6 PPG.
Baltimore Ravens D/ST vs. NYJ
Although the Jets will make a quarterback switch from Justin Fields to Tyrod Taylor, the Ravens are still a top defensive play in fantasy this week. This group has been playing much better over the past month, holding five straight opponents to under 20 points. Some of the teams that Baltimore has held to under 20 points during this stretch include the Rams (Week 6), Bears (Week 8), and Vikings (Week 10).
On top of that, the Ravens are coming off a game in which they totaled a season-high three sacks against the Cleveland Browns. So, this D/ST is a strong start in Week 12. The Jets have allowed the second-most sacks per game (3.6) this year, and the offensive line currently ranks 30th in pass block win rate.
Los Angeles Rams D/ST vs. TB
This Rams defense is legit. This group has totaled at least 10 fantasy points in four of the past five games and just forced a season-high four turnovers against the Seahawks last week. While the sacks haven't been there in recent weeks (one sack since Week 9), that could potentially change this week. Baker Mayfield has been brought down 10 times over his last four starts.
Week 12 D/ST Rankings
| Rank | Player Name | Pos |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 2 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 4 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 6 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 9 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 11 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 12 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 13 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 14 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 16 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 18 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 19 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 20 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 22 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 23 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 25 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 26 | New York Giants | DST |
| 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 28 | New York Jets | 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 12 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defenses like the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 12. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 12 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 12 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific defenses like the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 12.
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 12 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 12 (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 12 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 12 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams compared to others:
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