This is it. Week 14. The last hurrah. The final showdown to punch your ticket to the fantasy football playoffs. There’s no fun and games here — this is serious business. Roster decisions this week will have major implications, and defense is no different. Let’s go through the rankings and identify some defense streamers for Week 14.
Defense Rankings for Week 14 | 1-14
1. Green Bay Packers vs. CHI
2. New Orleans Saints @ NYJ
3. Denver Broncos vs. DET
4. Seattle Seahawks @ HOU
5. Los Angeles Chargers vs. NYG
6. Carolina Panthers vs. ATL
7. Cincinnati Bengals vs. SF
8. Dallas Cowboys @ WAS
9. Tennessee Titans vs. JAC
10. Baltimore Ravens @ CLE
11. Kansas City Chiefs vs. LV
12. Cleveland Browns vs. BAL
13. Arizona Cardinals vs. LAR
14. Minnesota Vikings vs. PIT
Defense Rankings for Week 14 | 15-28
15. Washington Football Team vs. DAL
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. BUF
17. San Francisco 49ers @ CIN
18. Buffalo Bills @ TB
19. New York Giants @ LAC
20. Los Angeles Rams @ ARI
21. Atlanta Falcons @ CAR
22. Detroit Lions @ DEN
23. New York Jets vs. NO
24. Las Vegas Raiders @ KC
25. Pittsburgh Steelers @ MIN
26. Jacksonville Jaguars @ TEN
27. Houston Texans vs. SEA
28. Chicago Bears @ GB
Week 14 D/ST Streaming Options
If you’re looking to stream a defense this week for the final playoff push, here are three options to consider with a lot of upside. Let’s get to it!
Green Bay Packers (vs. Chicago Bears)
Whether it’s Justin Fields or Andy Dalton under center for the Bears, Chicago’s offense can struggle to get things going and can allow defenses to make big plays. The Packers are coming out of their bye week with their sights on a late-season push for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and they’ll be hungry. Chicago is limping through a lost season marred by injuries and questions about when Matt Nagy will be fired. These two franchises are not the same.
The Packers’ defense is the No. 4 overall defense over the last four weeks. They’ve generated 8 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries over that stretch. Going against the Bears, who have scored 16 or fewer points five times this season, Green Bay should have no problem at home in prime time for fantasy managers.
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. New York Giants)
The Giants look like they will be on their third-string quarterback (second-year QB Jake Fromm), whom they signed off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. It’s not exactly an encouraging situation for Big Blue, considering Fromm has not attempted a pass in the NFL, has no chemistry with any of New York’s receivers, and has to take a crash course in the playbook.
This is gold for the Chargers. The Giants will almost certainly have to work with a simplified playbook, and all it takes is one miscommunication with a receiver to turn into an interception (and potentially a touchdown) for the defense. Derwin James, Chris Harris, and Co. should have a field day with the young quarterback.
Cleveland Browns (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
The Baltimore Ravens have sustained a ton of injuries along their offensive line, and it looks like it may be catching up to them. Yes, they’ve been winning some games, but they haven’t scored more than 19 points in any of their last three games. Over that stretch, Lamar Jackson has averaged only 218.7 passing yards per game while throwing 6 INTs to only 3 TDs. He’s also only completed 61.6% of his passes in the last three games.
The Cleveland defense has been the No. 6 unit over the last four weeks, creating 8 INTs, 1 fumble recovery, and scoring a TD on defense during that time. The Browns are also allowing the 12th-fewest rushing yards per game this season, which bodes well going against Baltimore. Myles Garrett and that defensive front should make life difficult for Jackson in Week 14, and Cleveland profiles as a good streaming option.