Skip to main content

Week 14 Defenses to Stream (Fantasy Football)

Week 14 Defenses to Stream (Fantasy Football)

All of this week’s highlighted streaming options on defense are owned in under 50% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues. In fact, many are available in over 75% of leagues. The best news about such wide availability of these defenses is that gamers don’t necessarily have to burn a high waiver claim on one since they can instead wait for the defenses to clear waivers and scoop whichever is left available.

*Spreads and totals are from Pinnacle, and stats and ranks in the tables are from Pro-Football-Reference and don’t include the Monday Night Football game.

How the pros dominate college bowl pools partner-arrow

Cincinnati Bengals

Opponent Spread/Total Ownership
ESPN/Y!
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank) Turnovers Forced (Rank) Sacks (Rank)
vs. CHI  Not Posted 46.7%/33% 19.5 (10th) 10 (T-30th) 33 (T-6th)

 
The Bengals played last night, so their season-long totals in the table aren’t the same as what you’ll find on Pro-Football-Reference today. After being held to just 14 points (one of the scores was a punt return, to boot) at home against San Francisco’s lowly defense, the Bears face a tougher challenge against the stouter Bengals defense in Cincinnati. The Bears give the football away at a higher than average rate ranking eighth in turnovers (19), they sit in the middle of the pack tied for 12th in sacks allowed (29), and they have the third lowest scoring offense (15.9 points per game), per Pro-Football-Reference. In other words, they make for a great unit to stream against. In addition to being a good matchup based streaming selection, Cincinnati’s defense is a solid pick-up based on their own above-average ranks in multiple categories — as you can see in the table above.

Buffalo Bills

Opponent Spread/Total Ownership
ESPN/Y!
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank) Turnovers Forced (Rank) Sacks (Rank)
vs. Colts Not Posted 14.9%/16% 23.6 (19th) 20 (T-7th) 20 (T-30th)

 
There’s no posted spread and total for the game at this time, and that’s likely due to the uncertainty about Tyrod Taylor‘s availability. Taylor hurt his knee in the fourth quarter of Buffalo’s home loss to the Patriots, and while he avoided structural damage, he’s day-to-day with a bruised patellar tendon in his knee and uncertain for this week’s contest against the Colts. If Taylor misses the game, Buffalo’s defense becomes a lower ceiling and riskier pick. Nathan Peterman was completely overwhelmed in his historically bad, 5-INT first-half first start in Los Angeles against the Chargers. The Colts defense isn’t nearly as imposing at the Chargers, but it’s hard to imagine Peterman’s capable of providing the defense a big lead to work with. Regardless, the Colts offense makes for a soft matchup. Indianapolis ranks 27th in scoring offense (17.1 points per game) and first in sacks allowed (50). The Colts have been held under 20 points in seven of 12 games, and they haven’t reached the 20-point plateau in their last three games.

Green Bay Packers

Opponent Spread/Total Ownership
ESPN/Y!
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank) Turnovers Forced (Rank) Sacks (Rank)
@ CLE -3.5/40.5 14.0%/32% 23.4 (17th) 20 (T-7th) 29 (T-15th)

 
Green Bay’s defense has the highest ceiling of the touted options, but the return of Josh Gordon last week and the Packers’ pass defense shortcomings do create a lower floor than has been tied to picking on the Browns to date. Cleveland’s offense is responsible for the most turnovers (30) and is tied for the third most sacks allowed (39) while ranking dead last in scoring offense (14.7 points per game). Gordon’s not a magic elixir that will fix all that ails the Browns, and Cleveland’s implied team over/under total of just 18.5 points is inviting for picking on. The Packers do an average job of sacking the quarterback and have an above-average, turnover-forcing defense, and they should pile up enough sacks and turnovers to offset any potential scoring spike from the Browns that results from Gordon’s return.

Dallas Cowboys

Opponent Spread/Total Ownership
ESPN/Y!
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank) Turnovers Forced (Rank) Sacks (Rank)
@ NYG -4.5/41 12.2%/9% 23.7 (20th) 16 (T-13th) 32 (T-10th)

 
It appears the Cowboys won’t be treated to a matchup with the Geno Smith-led Giants, but even with Eli Manning likely back under center in the aftermath of Ben McAdoo being canned, it’s a solid matchup. The Giants have a low implied over/under total of only 18.25 points. Big Blue ranks 31st in scoring offense (15.8 points per game) and is tied for the 12th most sacks allowed (29) this season. The Giants’ below-average ability to keep their quarterback off his keister will be put to the test by a Cowboys defense that’s tied for a top-10 sack total.


Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

More Articles

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by TJ Horgan | 3 min read
Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Tera Roberts | 3 min read
NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Joe Pepe | 3 min read
Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

fp-headshot by Thor Nystrom | 1 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

3 min read

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Up - RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Article