November 15, 2016

Bill's fantasy football rankings for Week 11 defenses (DEF) -- streamers, starts, sits and D/ST waiver wire pickups to add. His Week 11 (2016) tiers and ranks for all NFL defenses.

Editor's Note: Through eight weeks, Bill is the fourth-ranked expert overall for DST on FantasyPros.com, so you know you can trust him. This man has been nailing his defenses!

Below are RotoBaller's Week 11 defense tiers and rankings, or which defenses to stream, start and target at the end of your 2016 drafts for Week 11 of the NFL and fantasy football season. Our tiered defense rankings are your guide to drafting defenses, making waiver wire pickups/adds to improve your lineups, and to decide which defenses to start, sit, target, avoid or stream for Week 11.

Any and all _____ or ______ questions can be answered by the rankings--whoever I have ranked higher is who I would start. Starting the right defense every week can be a difference-maker, so we have broken out our defense rankings into tiers with analysis on each matchup. Some of these Week 11 defenses have good matchups and are not widely owned, representing fantasy scoring opportunities if they are available on your league's waiver wire for a Week 11 pickup or add. Good luck in Week 11, RotoBallers!

Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 11 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 11 Defenses To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings

Teams on bye: Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets

Tier 1 Defenses

1. Seattle Seahawks (vs. PHI)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. TB)
3. Arizona Cardinals (@ MIN)
4. Miami Dolphins (@ LA)

The Seahawks sit once again atop my rankings thanks to a home matchup against the middling Philadelphia offense in Week 11. The Eagles offense looked capable in Week 10 thanks to a resurgent Ryan Mathews, but I don't see him finding any room to run against the Seahawks front seven.

What in the world are the Dolphins doing up here? Well, with three sacks in back-to-back weeks to go along with six turnovers in that time frame, the finally-healthy 'Fins are all of a sudden looking like a serviceable fantasy DST. It's never wise to try and predict a defensive turnover, but I did it successfully last week (Chiefs) so let's go for it again. Dolphins take an errant Case Keenum pass back for six.

Tier 2 Defenses

5. Detroit Lions (vs. JAX)
6. Los Angeles Rams (vs. MIA)
7. Minnesota Vikings (vs. ARI)
8. New England Patriots (@ SF)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (@ CLE)

The raw talent of the Vikings defensive unit keeps them in the second tier, but their failure to produce (from a fantasy perspective) since their Week 6 bye can not be ignored. Expect the Vikings to throw everything but the kitchen sink at David Johnson--if they can contain him, they should merit fantasy consideration.

The Cleveland Browns may very well go 0-16, but if Cody Kessler is allowed to play a full game, they may not roll over in Week 11. The Steelers simply don't have the statistical upside to merit a higher ranking, as they sit tied for 21st in takeaways and 26th in sacks. The Browns under Kessler have just enough upside to make me nervous about the Steelers DST. They're a decent streaming option, but to expect more than 5-6 points is folly.

Tier 3 Defenses

10. Philadelphia Eagles (@ SEA)
11. Washington Redskins (vs. GB)
12. New York Giants (vs. CHI)
13. Dallas Cowboys (vs. BAL)
14. Carolina Panthers (vs. NO)

The Redskins offer some upside against the Packers thanks to their recent string of successful quarterback pressure. They have at least three sacks in each of their last five games, and Aaron Rodgers has not played mistake-free football in 2016 as he has in years past. You could do much worse if seeking a streaming option.

The Panthers DST has regained some of its former glory since their Week 7 bye, with 15 total sacks and four turnovers in their last three games. They don't have an easy matchup with the Saints visiting in Week 11, but it's impossible to ignore the home/road splits of Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints offense. I'm not starting the Panthers if there are better options available, but if you're stuck with them their is some hope for a solid fantasy outing.

Tier 4 Defenses

15. Baltimore Ravens (@ DAL)
16. Buffalo Bills (@ CIN)
17. Chicago Bears (@ NYG)
18. Green Bay Packers (@ WAS)
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ KC)
20. Oakland Raiders (vs. HOU)