X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Week 14 Defense (DEF) Streamers and Starts - 2018 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Bill Dubiel breaks down all 2018 fantasy football Week 14 defenses (DEF) -- draft targets, streamers, sits/starts, and D/ST waiver wire pickups to add. His Week 14 rankings and tiers for all of the NFL defenses.

It's playoff time--hopefully you're still alive in at least a few of your leagues. Below are RotoBaller's Week 14 defense tiers and rankings, or which defenses to stream, start and target off the waiver wire for Week 14 of the NFL and fantasy football season.

Our weekly tiered defense rankings are a guide to making waiver wire pickups to improve your lineups, and to decide which defenses to start, sit, target, avoid or stream for Week 14. Starting the right defense every week can be a difference-maker. Below we have broken out our defense rankings into tiers with analysis on each matchup. Some of these Week 14 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 14 pickup or add. Good luck in Week 14 RotoBallers!

New for this year: Confidence Rating - since every league's DST scoring is different, projections don't make a ton of sense. The confidence rating is a guideline for how much more I like one team over another instead of a straight point projection. A zero means "do not start," then the confidence rises from there. Initial rankings do not factor in Monday Night Football stats. Ranks may be re-evaluated after that game.

Editor's Note: Stay on top of your draft prep with RotoBaller’s fantasy football rankings, featuring expert analysis, ADPs, and draft insights for both PPR and non-PPR leagues.

 

Week 14 Defenses To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings

Tier 1 Defenses

Rank Tier DST Opponent Confidence Rating
1 1 Denver Broncos @ SF 12.25
2 1 Los Angeles Chargers vs. CIN 11.75
3 1 Pittsburgh Steelers @ OAK 11.5

The Broncos have quietly turned it on over the last few weeks, although you wouldn't know it based on their fantasy scores. Tough matchups at the Chargers and home against the Steelers hide the fact that since their Week 10 bye, the Broncos defense is averaging just 16.33 points allowed per game, along with 2.67 turnovers per game. In a matchup against the cellar-dwelling 49ers, they should be a stone-cold lock, especially given the fact that Nick Mullens has thrown five interceptions since his huge Thursday night debut in Week 9. it was against the Raiders, so does it even really count?

The Chargers have burned up the back half of the season in 2018, posting 8+ fantasy points in six of their last eight games. The return of Joey Bosa has helped an already-strong pass rush take it to the next level, and the Chargers should have an absolute field day against Jeff Driskel and the Bengals, regardless of how "athletic" Andy Dalton's back-up is. The Chargers are seventh in the NFL in points allowed per game (20.8), and I expect that number to improve this week with A.J. Green and Andy Dalton out--with the exception of Joe Mixon, there just isn't much to fear in the Cincy offense.

The Steelers have had back-to-back poor defensive showings, but they're all but certain to right the ship this week against the lowly Raiders, who are 29th in the NFL in points per game coming into this week. Derek Carr actually hasn't thrown an interception since Week 5, but that kind of caution has been a by-product of an offense that takes very few risks and therefore cashes in very few rewards. The Steelers lead the NFL with 41 sacks, and that's where the upside is for this matchup--Oakland is surrendering sacks at the fifth-worst rate in the NFL (39). This one could be over by halftime.

 

Tier 2 Defenses

Rank Tier DST Opponent Confidence Rating
4 2 New England Patriots @ MIA 10.65
5 2 Washington Redskins vs. NYG 9.5
6 2 Los Angeles Rams @ CHI 9.15
7 2 Tennessee Titans vs. JAC 8.6
8 2 New Orleans Saints @ TB 8.1

The Patriots defense apparently got right during their Week 11 bye, as they've posted back-to-back strong outings against the Jets and Vikings. I love them this week in a matchup against the Dolphins, especially if Ryan Tannehill will still be without his most reliable receiver in former Patriot Danny Amendola. The Patriots fail to crack the top tier due to their inability to generate much of a meaningful pass rush (30th in sacks), but there is some turnover upside here--the Pats are ninth in the NFL in takeaways entering Week 14.

The Titans DST stumbled into the fantasy playoffs, but I'm here to tell you not to give up on them yet. They'll draw one of the very best schedules of any DST for the fantasy playoffs (vs. JAC, @ NYG, vs. WAS) and it starts in Week 14 in a home matchup against the Jags. Cody Kessler might be better for the offense than Blake Bortles (which is saying absolutely nothing), but he's the type of QB you can target from a defensive standpoint--he's averaged 6.7 yards per pass attempt in his career. That type of conservative play bodes extremely well for keeping points off the board, and as long as the Titans front seven can keep the run game bottled up, they're a great streaming option for this week.

 

Tier 3 Defenses

Rank Tier DST Opponent Confidence Rating
9 3 Buffalo Bills vs. NYJ 7.8
10 3 Kansas City Chiefs vs. BAL 6.95
11 3 Dallas Cowboys vs. PHI 6.35
12 3 Houston Texans vs. IND 5.55
13 3 New York Giants @ WAS 5.15
14 3 Jacksonville Jaguars @ TEN 4.9
15 4 Detroit Lions @ ARI 4.7

The Bills positively thrashed the Jets in Week 10, and the DST has been pretty productive all season, including 7+ fantasy points in their last three outings. I'm attempting to temper my expectations in this one, although if Sam Darnold does get the starting nod, I will likely move the Bills up into the second tier. Darnold has missed the last three games and STILL leads the NFL in interceptions (14), so there will be plenty of upside for a Bills defense that already has 11 interceptions on the season.

The Texans are behind only the Bears in ESPN standard scoring this year, and with good reason--their vaunted pass rush has led the way to the fourth-most sacks in the NFL, the tenth-most takeaways, and the third-fewest points allowed per game. I have to curb my expectations against Andrew Luck, who is second only to Patrick Mahomes in passing touchdowns. The Jaguars just showed a blueprint for how to stop Luck, but I'm viewing that as more of an outlier than the norm--prior to that Luck had eight straight games of three or more touchdowns. I'm likely not cutting the Texans considering they've got the Jets, Eagles, and Jags to finish out the season, but I might be looking for a safer option in the first round of the playoffs.

Tier 4 Defenses

Rank Tier DST Opponent Confidence Rating
16 4 Seattle Seahawks vs. MIN 4.25
17 4 Chicago Bears vs. LAR 3.9
18 4 New York Jets @ BUF 3.4
19 4 Indianapolis Colts @ HOU 3.15
20 5 Carolina Panthers @ CLE 2.75
21 5 Arizona Cardinals vs. DET 2.4

For the most part this season, the Seahawks defense has played to their opponent--they've beaten up on bad offenses, faltered against good ones, and found some sort of middle ground against the mediocre ones. The Vikings are a mediocre offense by just about every metric despite some of their explosive personnel. If Kirk Cousins is on, one or both of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen can torch this Seahawks secondary--if he's off, the Seahawks will eat. I'm betting on Cousins struggling somewhat in Seattle, and that keeps the Seahawks on the fringe of the streaming conversation, but there's still plenty that can go wrong in a hurry against this Minnesota offense.

There was a time in this very season where you could just circle whatever team was playing the Buffalo Bills and stream that defense. That is simply no longer the case, now that Josh Allen has embraced his inner Barry Sanders--in the last two weeks, Allen has posted rushing lines of 13-99-1 and 9-135-0. That kind of mobility is incredibly difficult to counter, and the Jets certainly don't have the personnel to shut it down. In the deepest of leagues, you might still consider the Jets, as Allen rarely is mistake-free through the air, but I'm avoiding them for the fantasy playoffs if I'm able to.

Tier 5 Defenses

Rank Tier DST Opponent Confidence Rating
22 5 Philadelphia Eagles @ DAL 2.25
23 5 Minnesota Vikings @ SEA 2.1
24 5 Cleveland Browns vs. CAR 1.9
25 5 Green Bay Packers vs. ATL 1.5
26 5 Baltimore Ravens @ KC 1.25

 

More Weekly Lineup Prep


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Marvin Mims Jr.

Could be on Track for First 1,000-Yard Season
Jaylen Johnson

Chargers Place Jaylen Johnson on PUP List
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Kendrick Bourne

Kayshon Boutte Fighting for Final Spots
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
DeMario Douglas

Kyle Williams "Locks" for Receiving Corps
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Finalizing Massive Extension
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Expected to Ease Anthony Richardson Sr. Back in
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Terry McLaurin

Undecided on Whether he Will Report to Training Camp
Colston Loveland

Says his Shoulder is 100 Percent
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Sam Williams

has Potential to be Elite Edge Rusher
Shemar Stewart

Considering Going Back to College?
Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions Want Jahmyr Gibbs "More Involved" in Passing Game
Jordan Addison

Could be Facing Three-Game Suspension
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Reed Sheppard

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
Paul George

Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Najee Harris

Likely to Miss Time at Start of Training Camp
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Collin Morikawa

Misses The Cut at Genesis Scottish Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 13th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooks Koepka

Finishes Tied For 32nd at LIV Andalucia
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For 34th at Genesis Scottish Open
Jason Day

Misses The Cut at John Deere Classic
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Cam Taylor-Britt

has Benefited From Addition of Al Golden
Rome Odunze

Could Take Off in Year 2
RJ Harvey

to Get "Significant" Work in Broncos' Passing Game
Jackson Powers-Johnson

More Comfortable Heading into Year 2
Luke McCaffrey

In Line for Larger Role?
Braelon Allen

Jets Viewing Braelon Allen as Long-Term Starter?
Joel Embiid

Participating in Partial Basketball Activities
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Cleared to Return After Blood-Clot Recovery
Mike Williams

Heading to PUP List
Garrett Wilson

Lands Historic Deal
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF