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, Arizona, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco and New England are assumed to be rostered**
Week 15 Results
Miami (vs New York Jets) - 6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Zach Wilson didn’t make any major mistakes and actually got off to a good start, but slowed down as the game went on. This was an acceptable result but not a week winner.
A Look Ahead: @NO @TEN - Taysom Hill is prone to big mistakes, but the Dolphins have to build a lead first
Kansas City (at Los Angeles Chargers) - 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
The Chiefs D/ST finally slowed down, but Patrick Mahomes II saved them in the fourth quarter and overtime
A Look Ahead: PIT @CIN - This looks like a good spot as long as they can play with a lead
Philadelphia (vs Washington) - 2 sacks
Garrett Gilbert was safe with the ball and Washington hung around thanks to points off of two early turnovers, so a good defensive performance by the Eagles wasn't good for fantasy.
A Look Ahead: NYG @WAS - Jake Fromm or Mike Glennon, either way, the Eagles D/ST still looks like a good play in Week 16
Cleveland (vs Las Vegas) - 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
The Browns defense held down the Raiders for the most part and gave the team a chance to win. If they hadn’t been shorthanded, they probably would have been an even better play.
A Look Ahead: @GB @PIT - So long for 2021 Browns D/ST
San Francisco (vs Atlanta) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Too bad D/ST’s don’t get points for fourth down stops inside their own 10. The 49ers had three of them.
A Look Ahead: @TEN HOU - The Titans offense is short-handed and it’s a short week of preparation, so we have to consider San Francisco.
Indianapolis (vs New England) - 1 sack, 2 INT, 1 ST TD
The Colts turned the tables on Bill Belichick, who often gets a defensive or special teams score to get control of a game. A punt block score helped the Colts build a 20-0 lead and win a crucial game.
A Look Ahead: @ARI LV - Kyler Murray was flat this week at Detroit, but don’t expect that two weeks in a row.
Houston (at Jacksonville) - 3 sacks, 1 ST TD
The Texans defense was effective against Trevor Lawrence, but it was actually a 98-yard kick return score by Tremon Smith that keyed the good D/ST result
A Look Ahead: LAC @SF - The Texans were actually useful at times despite heading to a top five pick, and we thank them for their service
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
New Orleans (at Tampa Bay) - 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 0 pts allowed
The Saints defense brought the lumber and also saw Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Leonard Fournette leave with injuries. They are frustrating Tom Brady like no unit since the Rex Ryan Jets.
Pittsburgh (vs Tennessee) - 4 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 INT
The defense made their opportunities against an undermanned Titans offense and got to Ryan Tannehill in a scrappy performance to keep the team’s slim playoff hopes alive.
Minnesota (at Chicago) - 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, 9 pts allowed
The fumble problems continue for Justin Fields. The Bears only managed a field goal and garbage time touchdown.
New York Jets (at Miami) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INT, 1 DEF TD
Tua Tagovailoa had a few lapses and one resulted in a pick six that tightened the game to make the Jets a good play
Week 16 Candidates
**Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco and New England are assumed to be rostered**
Kansas City (vs Pittsburgh)
The Chiefs might have been dropped to dodge the Chargers matchup. You should rectify that with an ice cold Ben Roethlisberger heading to Arrowhead.
A Look Ahead: @CIN - The Bengals haven’t been a bad matchup for D/ST lately, so there’s some potential here
New Orleans (vs Miami)
The Saints defense threw a shutout against Tom Brady, so it’s easy to want to get on this train. Tua Tagovailoa just threw a pick six against the Jets, so this could be a real test for him.
A Look Ahead: CAR - Whether it’s Cam Newton or Sam Darnold, this looks good in the Superdome
Indianapolis (at Arizona)
The Colts have been one of the best and most consistent D/ST’s all season, but they might have been dropped ahead of the New England matchup. Arizona on the road isn’t a great spot, but the Colts have posted multiple takeaways in 11 games and multiple sacks in 10 out of 14 so far this year.
A Look Ahead: LV - Not an optimal matchup but if they keep producing, why go away from them?
Cincinnati (vs Baltimore)
The Bengals sacked Lamar Jackson five times in the first matchup. This week they could get a less than 100% Jackson or a looser but almost equally exciting Tyler Huntley. The Bengals have at least three sacks in each of the last four games, and multiple takeaways in three of the last five.
A Look Ahead: KC - There have been good D/ST scores against Patrick Mahomes II, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Atlanta (vs Detroit)
The Falcons defense had a good performance against Cam Newton two weeks ago and could face Tim Boyle or David Blough if Jared Goff can’t get cleared from the covid list.
A Look Ahead: @BUF - Moving right along
New York Jets (vs Jacksonville)
The Jaguars get one step closer to the #1 pick with every loss. Trevor Lawrence didn’t experience a post-Urban bounce against the Texans.
A Look Ahead: TB - At one time the Jets gave Tom Brady trouble, but that was a long time ago
Fantasy Playoffs Preemptive Pickups
Week 17
San Francisco (vs Houston)
Chicago (vs New York Giants)
New Orleans (vs Carolina)
Los Angeles Rams (vs Baltimore)