For those of you with fantasy football matchups this week, it is crucial to know what players are the preferable starts. Here are my Week 18 rankings for the DST position.
Which DST Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
1) Dallas Cowboys | DAL (at WAS)
2) New York Jets | NYJ (at NE)
3) New England Patriots | NE (vs. NYJ)
4) New Orleans Saints | NO (vs. ATL)
5) Philadelphia Eagles | PHI (vs. NYG)
6) Denver Broncos | DEN (at LV)
7) Las Vegas Raiders | LV (vs. DEN)
8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB (at CAR)
9) Pittsburgh Steelers | PIT (at BAL)
10) Houston Texans | HOU (at IND)
11) Detroit Lions | DET (vs. MIN)
12) Cincinnati Bengals | CIN (vs. CLE)
13) San Francisco 49ers | SF (vs. LAR)
14) Cleveland Browns | CLE (at CIN)
15) Kansas City Chiefs | KC (at LAC)
16) Baltimore Ravens | BAL (vs. PIT)
17) Jacksonville Jaguars | JAX (at TEN)
18) Green Bay Packers | GB (vs. CHI)
19) Buffalo Bills | BUF (at MIA)
20) Chicago Bears | CHI (at GB)
21) Indianapolis Colts | IND (vs. HOU)
22) Miami Dolphins | MIA (vs. BUF)
23) Seattle Seahawks | SEA (at ARI)
24) Atlanta Falcons | ATL (at NO)
25) Los Angeles Rams | LAR (at SF)
26) Minnesota Vikings | MIN (at DET)
27) Carolina Panthers | CAR (vs. TB)
28) Arizona Cardinals | ARI (vs. SEA)
29) Tennessee Titans | TEN (vs. JAX)
30) Los Angeles Chargers | LAC (vs. KC)
31) New York Giants | NYG (vs. PHI)
32) Washington Commanders | WAS (vs. DAL)
Top DSTs To Start in Week 18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at CAR)
Two weeks ago, the Carolina Panthers looked quite good offensively against the Green Bay Packers, but that didn’t scare us from fading them by starting the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense in Week 17.
It worked out well with the Jaguars finishing as the second-highest scoring defense.
MORE: Katz’s Week 18 Rankings — QB | RB | WR | TE | K
Next up, we have a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has everything to play for. A win gets them the NFC South title and a home game in the Wild Card Round.
When these teams played in Week 13, the Bucs recorded four sacks and an interception. They should once again force the Panthers into a negative game script, creating opportunities for sacks and turnovers.
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. CLE)
Are the Cincinnati Bengals a great defense? No. Are the Cleveland Browns a bad offense? They are this week.
The Browns have the No. 5 seed locked up. They are going to play a road game against whoever wins the AFC South regardless of what happens in Week 18. Therefore, they are not going to play starters.
That means we get the Bengals at home against Jeff Driskel — without Amari Cooper or David Njoku. They are heavy favorites with a low projected point total. Need I say more?
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!