We’re done with byes, and for many leagues, it’s the fantasy playoffs! The big news of the week is a torn achilles for Daniel Jones, tragically ending what was a career year for Jones and the Colts. This is a big loss for football, and it shakes up our playoff planning because the Colts are now a viable matchup for fantasy defenses. Like last week, I’ll go through the defenses I think are worth using in the playoffs, grouped by when they look viable.
- Week 15 onward: The Texans (ARI, LV, @LAC), Saints (CAR, NYJ, @TEN) and Buccaneers (ATL, @CAR, @MIA) are the teams are the 3 teams that you can reasonably lock in for the rest of the season. The Texans face the Chargers in Week 17, but they’re a good enough defense to start in most matchups, and Justin Herbert has been one of the most sack-prone QBs in the league due to all the Chargers’ offensive line injuries. As an added bonus, all 3 of these teams have good matchups in Week 18.
- Week 16-17: If you have a bye or another plan this week, some good options after that are the Giants (MIN, @LV), Lions (PIT, @MIN) and Broncos (JAC, @KC).
- Week 15-16: If you’re lucky enough to have the Eagles this week, they should be usable again next week against the Commanders, who were just shut out by the Vikings. A couple other good two-week plays are the Chiefs (LAC, @TEN) and 49ers (TEN, @IND)
- Week 15 and 17: If you’re rolling with the Jags (NYJ, @IND) or Seahawks (IND, @CAR) this week, they’re definitely worth a bench spot in Week 16 to get to their fantasy finals matchups.
- Week 16 only: The Bills (@ CLE), Falcons (@ARI) and Jets (@NO) are all teams that could be worth stashing for a spot start in the fantasy semifinals.
- Week 17 only: There are several teams who you might consider saving for the finals: the Lions (@MIN), Rams (@ATL) and Patriots (@NYJ) are all teams I would definitely hang on to, and the Chargers (HOU), Steelers (@CLE) and Titans (NO) are interesting as well.
- Week 18: For week 18 leagues it will definitely be worth watching which teams sit their starters. As of now, the teams with good looking matchups are the Bills (NYJ), Packers (@MIN), Texans (IND), Jaguars (TEN), Chiefs (@LV) and Buccaneers (CAR).
Streaming Defenses: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire & Start/Sit Advice (Week 15)
We’re finally done with byes, and it’s an OK streaming week. There are a few great defenses in great matchups, and a few widely available teams with a good outlook, but the overall pool of viable defenses dries up pretty quick as you go down the ranks. Rostership numbers are from Yahoo. You can find me on Bluesky.
| Rank | Team | Vs. | Vs. QB | PA | Sacks | Turnovers | FPTS | Rost% |
| The Start Them With Confidence Tier | ||||||||
| 1 | PHI | LV | Geno Smith | 13.5 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 8.52 | 71% |
| 2 | JAC | NYJ | Justin Fields | 15 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 7.82 | 37% |
| 3 | SEA | IND | Riley Leonard | 14.5 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 7.14 | 93% |
| 4 | HOU | ARI | Jacoby Brissett | 16.5 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 7.08 | 83% |
| The Still a Fine Choice Tier | ||||||||
| 5 | SF | TEN | Cam Ward | 16 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 7.06 | 25% |
| 6 | DAL | MIN | J.J. McCarthy | 20.75 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 7.01 | 11% |
| 7 | CAR | @NO | Tyler Shough | 19 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 6.62 | 4% |
| 8 | CHI | CLE | Shedeur Sanders | 16.5 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 6.58 | 22% |
| 9 | KC | LAC | Justin Herbert | 19.75 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 6.40 | 51% |
| 10 | TB | ATL | Kirk Cousins | 20 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 6.00 | 70% |
| The Surely You Can Find Something Better Tier | ||||||||
| 11 | PIT | MIA | Tua Tagovailoa | 19.5 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 5.98 | 64% |
| 12 | NO | CAR | Bryce Young | 21.5 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 5.86 | 8% |
| 13 | BUF | @NE | Drake Maye | 24.25 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 5.65 | 52% |
| 14 | NYG | WAS | Marcus Mariota | 22.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 5.48 | 2% |
| 15 | ATL | @TB | Baker Mayfield | 24.5 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 5.39 | 25% |
| 16 | CLE | @CHI | Caleb Williams | 24 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 5.37 | 90% |
| 17 | MIA | @PIT | Aaron Rodgers | 23 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 5.22 | 36% |
| 18 | BAL | @CIN | Joe Burrow | 24.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 5.19 | 60% |
| 19 | GB | @DEN | Bo Nix | 20.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 5.15 | 59% |
| 20 | WAS | @NYG | Jaxson Dart | 25 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 5.13 | 26% |
| 21 | DEN | GB | Jordan Love | 23 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 5.10 | 98% |
| 22 | LAC | @KC | Patrick Mahomes II | 23.75 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 4.92 | 46% |
| 23 | LAR | DET | Jared Goff | 24.5 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 4.88 | 81% |
| 24 | ARI | @HOU | C.J. Stroud | 26 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 4.85 | 4% |
| 25 | LV | @PHI | Jalen Hurts | 25 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 4.71 | 10% |
| 26 | IND | @SEA | Sam Darnold | 28 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 4.67 | 33% |
| 27 | NE | BUF | Josh Allen | 25.25 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 4.66 | 48% |
| 28 | NYJ | @JAC | Trevor Lawrence | 26.5 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 4.53 | 9% |
| 29 | MIN | @DAL | Dak Prescott | 26.75 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 4.53 | 36% |
| 30 | CIN | BAL | Lamar Jackson | 27 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 4.26 | 3% |
| 31 | DET | @LAR | Matthew Stafford | 30 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 4.20 | 56% |
| 32 | TEN | @SF | Brock Purdy | 28.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 4.02 | 42% |
Matchup
- PHI vs LV: This is exactly the kind of matchup you dream about having in the fantasy playoffs. The Raiders operate one of the worst offenses, and best fantasy defense matchups, in the league. Since week 2, their only opponent not to finish among the top 12 defenses was the Jags in Week 9. The Eagles were on the losing side of a turnover extravaganza against the Chargers on Monday Night Football, but they still finished as the DST4 in fantasy thanks to a whopping 7 sacks. Justin Herbert has been one of the more vulnerable QBs in the league with all the injuries to his offensive line, but 7 sacks was a season-high. The Eagles overall have some issues but their defensive line is still elite, and should have no trouble with the Raiders.
- JAC vs NYJ: The QB Situation in New York just got complicated again. Tyrod Taylor, coming off a couple solid games, started but left early with a groin injury. Justin Fields had been the backup, but he was a scratch with a knee issue. The job fell to undrafted rookie Brady Cook, who had just been promoted from the practice squad when Fields was ruled out. It went about how you’d expect. Cook struggled with accuracy, and ended up throwing 2 picks in a 10-34 loss to the Dolphins. It’s not clear yet who will start for the Jets in Week 15, but I suspect it will just be whoever’s healthy. The Jets aren’t great but they have a solid run game, especially if Fields is playing. The Jaguars match up well against this – from a yards allowed perspective, they have the #1 run defense in the league.
- SEA vs IND: This was supposed to be one of the best games of the season, but sadly for the Colts and for football fans at large, Daniel Jones suffered a torn achilles tendon last week. 6th-round rookie Riley Leonard took over and led the team to two field goals, an interception, and a safety. Leonard is now dealing with a knee ligament strain, and Brett Rypien is next in line. The team has reportedly worked out 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who would be the first grandfather to play in the NFL since Brett Favre. Whether it’s the rookie Leonard, journeyman backup Rypien, or the ghost of Philip Rivers, the Colts are suddenly an excellent matchup for a great defense like Seattle.
- HOU vs ARI: Last week, the Texans unsurprisingly slammed the door on the Chiefs’ hopes of winning their division for the 8th consecutive season, holding them to just 10 points. The Texans are good enough to start in bad matchups, but this week they don’t need to be. Jacoby Brissett has been an improvement over Kyler Murray for the Cardinals, but he does still take sacks at a medium-high rate and operates a low-powered offense overall. That’s certainly within range for the Texans. The only reason they aren’t ranked even higher is that Brissett and the Cardinals don’t turn the ball over quite as much as the best matchups.
- SF vs TEN: Cam Ward reminds me a bit of Joe Burrow’s first couple years in the league. He’s clearly talented and shows a lot of promise, but still represents a good fantasy defense matchup even when he’s playing well due to a very high sack rate. Ward leads the lead in that category, and the only QB with more sacks taken on a per-game basis is Carson Wentz. The 49ers have not had much of a pass rush this season since losing Fred Warner and Joey Bosa to injury, but they did record 3 sacks for the first time this season against Shedeur Sanders and the Browns, in Week 13 before their bye. I expect similar against the most sackable QB in the league.
- DAL vs MIN: J.J. McCarthy, much maligned as the worst starting QB in the league, had a breakout game in a shutout win over the Commanders last week. He threw three touchdowns and zero interceptions, both career firsts. That’s great if you’re a Vikings fan, but as usual with young QBs, I’m going to need to see it a few more times before I stop targeting him with fantasy defenses. The Cowboys’ defense doesn’t look great if you’re reading stats, but stats don’t tell the whole story. They’ve been playing better than anyone expected following the Micah Parsons trade, and while the last 3 weeks were tough matchups, they’ve demonstrated an ability to put up good fantasy numbers in good matchups. They have top-5 finishes against the Commanders, Cardinals and Raiders in the second half of the season. This is another one of those good matchups.
- CAR @ NO: Saints QB Tyler Shough had a good game last week, where he scored two rushing touchdowns in a win over the Buccaneers. He’s a good scrambler, but still didn’t get much done in the passing game, where he threw one interception and recorded the lowest passing yards and QB rating of his 5 starts this season. The Panthers are fresh off their bye, and before that they upset the Rams in a game where they caught Matthew Stafford’s 3rd and 4th interceptions of the season. The Panthers have an average overall defense, which is certainly enough for this matchup.
- CHI vs CLE: Shedeur Sanders had the best game of his young career last week, and it was good enough for him to be named the starter for the rest of the season. He threw three touchdowns in a close loss to the Titans, who turned in a good fantasy day on defense anyway thanks to a pair of turnovers. The Bears appear playoff bound and they’ve recorded good sack totals in certain matchups, but overall their success as a fantasy defense is reliant on turnovers. That’s what you’re betting on this week, and it’s not an unreasonable bet.
- KC vs LAC: Thanks to multiple offensive line injuries, Justin Herbert has been one of the most sack-prone QBs in the league. He’s currently 3rd in total sacks taken, being only Geno Smith and Cam Ward. The Chiefs don’t have the most prolific pass rush, but I expect them to be able to take down Herbert a few times. The Chiefs aren’t technically eliminated from the playoffs, but they’re on the brink. They basically need to win out and get some help from teams that play the Texans.
- TB vs ATL: Kirk Cousins had his worst game of the season so far last week, throwing a pair of interceptions to the Seahawks. The Buccaneers are nowhere tear the defense the Seahawks are, but in recent weeks they’ve turned in serviceable point totals in similar medium-good matchups against the Cardinals and Saints. They’re a reasonable low-end option this week.