With no teams on bye, the fantasy DST rankings in the middle range are likely to determine a matchup or two in your league. Here’s how I stack up the top fantasy football defenses for the week ahead.
Which DST Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
MORE rankings from Soppe: TE | QB | RB | WR | K
1) Dallas Cowboys | DAL (vs. WAS)
2) San Francisco 49ers | SF (at SEA)
3) Cleveland Browns | CLE (at DEN)
4) Baltimore Ravens | BAL (at LAC)
5) New Orleans Saints | NO (at ATL)
6) Pittsburgh Steelers | PIT (at CIN)
7) Kansas City Chiefs | KC (at LV)
8) Detroit Lions | DET (vs. GB)
9) Minnesota Vikings | MIN (vs. CHI)
10) Philadelphia Eagles | PHI (vs. BUF)
11) Miami Dolphins | MIA (at NYJ)
12) New England Patriots | NE (at NYG)
13) Denver Broncos | DEN (vs. CLE)
14) New York Jets | NYJ (vs. MIA)
15) Jacksonville Jaguars | JAX (at HOU)
16) Washington Commanders | WAS (at DAL)
17) New York Giants | NYG (vs. NE)
18) Cincinnati Bengals | CIN (vs. PIT)
19) Los Angeles Chargers | LAC (vs. BAL)
20) Seattle Seahawks | SEA (vs. SF)
21) Houston Texans | HOU (vs. JAX)
22) Carolina Panthers | CAR (at TEN)
23) Tennessee Titans | TEN (vs. CAR)
24) Los Angeles Rams | LAR (at ARI)
25) Buffalo Bills | BUF (at PHI)
26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB (at IND)
27) Arizona Cardinals | ARI (vs. LAR)
28) Atlanta Falcons | ATL (vs. NO)
29) Indianapolis Colts | IND (vs. TB)
30) Green Bay Packers | GB (at DET)
31) Chicago Bears | CHI (at MIN)
32) Las Vegas Raiders | LV (vs. KC)
The Top DSTs To Start in Week 12
Pittsburgh Steelers (at CIN)
The Steelers defense has showcased a high fantasy floor by producing at least six fantasy points in four straight games, and the fifth blitz-heaviest unit in the league certainly carries upside.
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Pittsburgh has earned 17+ fantasy points twice this season, an outcome that is very much in play against a Bengals offense influx as they look to adjust to a life that doesn’t include Joe Burrow.
Detroit Lions (vs. GB)
The Lions defense has cleared 10 fantasy points three times this season, one of which came against these same Jordan Love-led Packers back in Week 4. Their high-powered offense is likely to put the mistake-prone Love into situations where he has to be even more aggressive than he already is — fantasy gold!
With Aaron Jones out, this figures to be a pass-heavy script for Green Bay, and that’s exactly what you want to target in a fantasy defense.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!