Unless most of the teams in your league carry a backup defense, more than half of the league should be available to you every week. Perhaps instead of playing one above average defense every week, regardless of matchup, we should instead target the widely available waiver wire defenses with the best matchups in any particular week? You can always make exceptions if your rent-a-defense gets hot - heck, you might find a team worth starting all year by accident. Even if you don't, good matchups will continue to get greater in number as more QBs get injured or yanked as the season goes on. You can steal some points from bad weather come December. Each week I'll list the startable fantasy defenses on most waiver wires and rank them.
**Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and New England are assumed to be rostered**
Week 12 Results
Philadelphia (at New York Giants) - 3 sacks
The Eagles miscues on the Giants side of the field led to a costly loss and a good fantasy day for the Giants D/ST instead of the Eagles.
A Look Ahead: @NYJ BYE WAS - As long as Zach Wilson is starting for the Jets, this is still a good matchup
Dallas (vs Las Vegas) - 3 sacks, 1 ST TD
The Cowboys defense had a long afternoon on Thanksgiving, but Tony Pollard’s 100 yard kickoff return still made the D/ST a good play
A Look Ahead: @NO @WAS @NYG - No reason to go away from them now
Indianapolis (vs Tampa Bay) - 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
They didn't have a massive game but still notched multiple sacks and takeaways against Tom Brady
A Look Ahead: @HOU BYE NE - The Colts D/ST is a marquee play this week.
Chicago (vs Detroit) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
The Bears barely beat the Lions, so the D/ST was a dud
A Look Ahead: ARI @GB @MIN - No thanks.
Baltimore (vs Cleveland) - 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
The Browns D/ST was the better play with Lamar Jackson throwing four picks, but the Ravens D/ST was still solid
A Look Ahead: @PIT @CLE GB - Ben Roethlisberger looks like a drowning man searching for a life preserver. Consider the Ravens.
Cincinnati (vs Pittsburgh) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INT, 1 DEF TD
Mike Hilton had a pick six on a pointless pass with the Steelers falling apart at the end of the first half to put the cherry on this sundae.
A Look Ahead: LAC SF @DEN - The Bengals D/ST has multiple sacks and takeaways in three of the last four games, so they have to be a consideration at home.
Houston (vs New York Jets) - 4 sacks, 1 INT
The Texans lost to Zach Wilson, but it wasn’t because of the defense. You’ll take it if you gave the Texans D/ST a shot.
A Look Ahead: IND SEA @JAX - Maybe we’ll try them again in Week 16.
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
Miami (at Carolina) - 5 sacks, 3 INT, 1 DEF TD
Cam Newton turned back into a pumpkin. Only New England’s D/ST was better from Weeks 9-12 than Miami
Denver (vs Los Angeles Chargers) - 3 sacks, 2 INT, 1 DEF TD
The Broncos are alive in the playoff hunt after they boxed in Justin Herbert
Green Bay (vs Los Angeles Rams) - 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD
Rasul Douglas had a pick six and has been one of the most important pickups of the season
Cleveland (at Baltimore) - 2 sacks, 4 INT
Lamar Jackson had a miserable night and the Browns still lost
New York Giants (vs Philadelphia) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 3 INT
The bend but don’t break Giants defense gets the W in this one
Minnesota (at San Francisco) - 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 ST TD
Kene Nwangwu took off for a kick return score to power the MIN D/ST in Week 12
Week 12 Candidates
**Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and New England are assumed to be rostered**
Arizona (at Chicago)
Most teams probably found a way to carry the Cardinals D/ST through the bye, but pounce if they had to be dropped in a roster crunch
A Look Ahead: LAR @DET IND @DAL - The Cardinals D/ST will be a good fantasy play for at least two more weeks.
Miami (vs New York Giants)
The hottest D/ST this side of the Patriots against Daniel Jones? Sign me up.
A Look Ahead: BYE NYJ @NO @TEN - If the Dolphins D/ST stays hot, it will justify holding them through the bye.
Indianapolis (at Houston)
They probably aren’t out there, but double check with the Texans up this week.
A Look Ahead: BYE NE @ARI LV - The Colts schedule probably isn’t compelling enough to hold them through the bye, but we might pick them back up if there aren’t any obviously better options
Los Angeles Rams (vs Jacksonville)
The Rams D/ST is ice cold so they might have been dropped heading into this juicy matchup
A Look Ahead: @ARI SEA @MIN @BAL - We’ll probably throw them back after this week
Kansas City (vs Denver)
Andy Reid is outstanding after the bye and the Chiefs defense went into the off week with a three week streak of multiple takeaway games and two week stream of multiple sack games. The Broncos offense can be rendered harmless when they are playing from behind.
A Look Ahead: LV @LAC PIT @CIN - The AFC West matchups are unpredictable, but if this week works out, we’ll likely stick with the still hot Chiefs defense.
Dallas (at New Orleans) **Thursday**
The Cowboys D/ST could be out there if they were dropped for the Raiders matchup. Taysom Hill is a curveball, but one this defense could still hit if they are well-prepared
A Look Ahead: @WAS @NYG WAS ARI - Washington doesn’t look like as good a matchup as it did a few weeks ago, but the Cowboys have been as consistent as any D/ST this year, so we’ll likely stick with them if they frustrate Hill and the Saints limited offense.
Minnesota (at Detroit)
This D/ST has been pretty useful over the last month plus and they get a choice matchup at Detroit
A Look Ahead: PIT @CHI LAR @GB - Yes we will consider the D/ST facing Ben Roethlisberger
Baltimore (at Pittsburgh)
Ben Roethlisberger is on his last leg and the Ravens would love to be the team that sweeps it
A Look Ahead: @CLE GB @CIN LAR - Looks like this is the last week that we’ll use the Ravens D/ST
Philadelphia (at New York Jets)
Zach Wilson is still a quarterback we want to target, especially when Darius Slay is on the other side of the ball.
A Look Ahead: BYE WAS NYG @WAS - Maybe this remaining schedule isn’t as attractive as it looked a few weeks ago
Week 14 Preemptive Pickups
Denver (vs Detroit)
Tennessee (vs Jacksonville)
New Orleans (vs New York Jets)
Fantasy Playoffs Preemptive Pickups
Week 15
Arizona (at Detroit)
Week 16
Los Angeles Chargers (vs Houston)
Week 17
San Francisco (vs Houston)