With the regular season over for most fantasy leagues, attention turns to the playoffs, and every move matters more than ever. For many, defense is an overlooked position, and the idea of targeting the right defense each week is more effort than it’s worth. However, even when rostering a top defense, identifying the best weekly matchups can be a huge advantage.
The difference between the top-ranked and 12th-ranked defenses each week is almost always more than 10 points, and regularly more than 15 or 20. That’s like having an extra WR2 or WR3 in your lineup each week. With that in mind, here are some of the best defenses to pick up for the fantasy playoffs, both overall and for each week.
Top Three Fantasy Defenses for the Fantasy Playoffs
If you’d prefer to add a defense now, and not have to worry about swapping them out each week, here are three defenses you should be able to depend on from Weeks 15-17.
All defenses are currently rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues, unless otherwise stated.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. NYJ, at DEN, at IND)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team on the up, on both sides of the ball. Things are beginning to click between Trevor Lawrence and his receivers, while first-year Anthony Campanile has gotten great results from the team’s defense.
The Jaguars’ defense ranks fourth on the year, having averaged 8.3 fantasy points per game after 14 weeks. The Jaguars are also in form, having recorded four top-nine fantasy finishes in their last five games.
New England Patriots (vs. BUF, at BAL, at NYJ)
The New England Patriots’ defense ranks sixth on the year, and is only available due to the team’s Week 14 bye. A Week 15 matchup with the Bills looks daunting, but Mike Vrabel’s team tallied three turnovers in Buffalo in Week 5 and was the seventh-ranked defense in fantasy that week.
The Patriots have recorded eight top-12 fantasy finishes in their 13 games this season, and are an upgrade on most defenses if you’re looking to make a change before the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins (at PIT, vs. CIN, vs. TB)
The Miami Dolphins are a less-obvious choice, but they head into Week 15 in red-hot form. The Dolphins have recorded four consecutive top-seven fantasy weeks and face two shaky AFC North offenses in the next two weeks.
Top Defenses to Stash for Week 16
If you have a Week 15 bye or a defense that faces a tough matchup in Week 16 (Seattle Seahawks vs. LAR), you may want to stash one of the following defenses.
Miami Dolphins (vs. CIN)
As mentioned above, the Dolphins are a team in form, tallying 10 defensive turnovers in their last four games, with at least 2 in each. The Cincinnati Bengals can obviously put up points, but their miserable defense will continue to put pressure on them to be aggressive.
Miami has conceded more than 17 points just once in its last six games, while the Bengals’ offense has turned the ball over nine times in its previous five games. That includes two interceptions from Joe Burrow against the Bills on Sunday.
Buffalo Bills (at CLE)
The Bills’ defense is 52% rostered on Yahoo, but is worth mentioning for their spectacular Week 16 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has announced that Shedeur Sanders will be the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the year, which is excellent news for this pick.
Sanders appears to be growing into his role in the NFL, and despite not putting it all together just yet, is a far more aggressive quarterback than Dillon Gabriel. That has led the Browns to commit two offensive turnovers in each of their last three games.
Meanwhile, the Bills’ defense has recorded multiple takeaways in four of their last five games and in five of their previous seven.
San Francisco 49ers (at IND)
The San Francisco 49ers defense strung together three top-12 fantasy finishes before their Week 12 bye and is finding its feet under Robert Saleh. Meanwhile, their Week 16 opponents are on a different trajectory.
The Indianapolis Colts have been unstoppable at times this year, but are facing a quarterback crisis after Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon on Sunday. Anthony Richardson is also out with a long-term injury, and rookie backup Riley Leonard is now week-to-week with a knee injury.
The 49ers have won three straight, while the Colts have lost three straight, and things may get worse before they get better for Indianapolis.
Top Defenses to Stash for Week 17
If you’re set for the next two weeks, but want the best chances of success in championship week, here are two defenses to have on your roster.
Jacksonville Jaguars (at IND)
The Jaguars, as mentioned, are a defense in excellent form, and get a potentially dream matchup against the Colts mentioned above in Week 17. It’s too early to know which quarterback the Jaguars will be facing in fantasy championship week, but they’re a great stash for the most crucial week of the year.
New England Patriots (at NYJ)
The Patriots are an excellent defense in any situation, but they get a great match-up against Tyrod Taylor and the New York Jets in Week 17. Taylor has definitely improved the Jets offense, but the last three defenses to face New York have recorded top-10 fantasy finishes, with two finishing in the top five.
Garrett Wilson is eligible to return from IR in Week 15 and could potentially be healthy for this game, but that shouldn’t prevent you from trusting the sixth-ranked fantasy defense.
Defenses to Stream in Week 15
Alternatively, if you want to focus on the week ahead, there are three defenses on waivers that should be able to help you out.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. NYJ)
The reasons for backing the Jaguars’ defense and for targeting the Jets’ offense have been mentioned above. This one is a no-brainer, especially with the added value in Week 17.
San Francisco 49ers (vs. TEN)
The Tennessee Titans are the 31st-ranked offense in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric this season, but that hasn’t always translated into fantasy gold for opposing defenses. However, the 49ers are a defense in form and should be able to make things happen against sub-par opposition.
Miami Dolphins (at PIT)
The Pittsburgh Steelers have totalled nine offensive turnovers in five non-divisional matchups since their Week 5 bye. Comparatively, Mike Tomlin’s men have committed just two offensive turnovers in four divisional games in that time.
The Dolphins’ defense is coming off four-straight top-eight fantasy finishes, with multiple turnovers in each of those games.
