Thanksgiving week brings with it many challenges. If you are still looking for a defense to stream, we have you covered. Below, we look at the defense/special teams rankings for Week 13, with insights into particularly strong streaming units.
1) Denver Broncos (vs. CLE)
The Denver Broncos are a top-five D/ST on the season and have elite upside on Monday night against Jameis Winston and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are a bottom-10 offense by turnover rate since Winston became their starter in Week 8, having turned it over three times against both the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Denver is actually a middling unit by takeaways per drive, but the unit’s ability to generate high pressure rates should create a plethora of negative plays regardless. Winston also has a below-average sack rate, so expect the Broncos’ pass rush to carry this unit’s fantasy value.
2) Houston Texans (at JAX)
This ranking assumes that Trevor Lawrence is back at quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. While it’s unclear whether the Jags would risk putting the former No. 1 overall pick back on the field amid a lost season, Doug Pederson did say before the team’s Week 12 bye that he expects Lawrence back in Week 13.
Even if Lawrence returns, the Houston Texans are a strong start this week. The Texans are a top-10 defense by sack rate and just recorded eight sacks against the Tennessee Titans, while the Jags continue to rank in the bottom half of the league in sack rate allowed. With left tackle Cam Robinson traded weeks ago, the edge rusher tandem of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. gives Houston a fairly high floor.
3) Minnesota Vikings (vs. ARI)
For all their strengths, the Arizona Cardinals’ offense has been a below-average unit in terms of turnovers per drive this season. Against the defense that produces the most turnovers per drive, the Minnesota Vikings are still a strong start this week, even in a tricky matchup.
Kyler Murray also ranks in the bottom half of the league in sack rate when blitzed this season, despite his elusiveness as a scrambler. That spells trouble against a Minnesota defense that blitzes at the second-highest rate behind only the Denver Broncos.
4) Los Angeles Chargers (at ATL)
The Los Angeles Chargers have been a startable unit even in tougher matchups this season. LA owns a top-five sack rate this season, giving them a reasonable floor against the Kirk Cousins-led offense on the road.
The Atlanta Falcons have actually been a better offense on the road this season, as they’re averaging fewer than 20 points per game at home and producing an exactly average 0.00 EPA per play. Don’t be spooked by the 1 p.m. Eastern road start for a Pacific team either, as the Chargers were able to produce elite fantasy outings at Cleveland and Carolina earlier this season (albeit against much weaker offenses).
5) Washington Commanders (vs. TEN)
The Washington Commanders have not typically been a must-start D/ST in fantasy, but they’ve demonstrated the ability to take advantage of decent matchups. Matchups against the Panthers, Browns, and Cardinals have seen this unit post strong starting-level point totals.
Now, they’ll get a Titans offense that continues to rank in the bottom five in turnover rate and just gave up eight sacks against the Houston Texans. The Commanders are still rostered in roughly half of ESPN and Yahoo leagues, so check waivers to see if they’re available for this week.
6) Los Angeles Rams (at NO)
The Los Angeles Rams have produced multiple takeaways in three of their last four games. Overall, the Rams are a top-10 defense by both takeaways per drive and sack rate, something only two other teams (the Vikings and Texans) can say this season.
The New Orleans Saints have shown more signs of life on offense since parting ways with head coach Dennis Allen, and they are coming off their best performance since their two-week outburst to begin the season. Still, given the Saints’ lack of weaponry to stretch the Rams’ shaky secondary, Los Angeles is still worth a start.
7) Buffalo Bills (vs. SF)
This ranking assumes that Brock Purdy is back under center for the San Francisco 49ers in this matchup. If it’s Brandon Allen again (or Joshua Dobbs), the Bills are in the conversation for the top D/ST of the week.
Buffalo has picked up steam in recent weeks and now ranks second in takeaways per drive, behind only the chaotic Minnesota Vikings. The Niners have been more vulnerable to negative plays than past seasons with Purdy in the lineup, ranking middle-of-the-pack in turnover rate and sack rate. The Bills are at least a solid start if Purdy is the quarterback, and an elite one if it’s anyone else.
8) Seattle Seahawks (at NYJ)
The Seattle Seahawks have sat near the bottom of these weekly rankings for several weeks now, but it’s time for a significant bump. Mike Macdonald’s personnel tweaks have resulted in massively improved play the past two weeks, and now his unit gets a reeling New York Jets offense.
One season-long strength for the Seahawks has been its coverage against wide receivers. Seattle allows the eighth-lowest yards per attempt to wide receivers this season. Aaron Rodgers has targeted WRs at the eighth-highest rate since Davante Adams arrived in Week 7, an unsurprising fact given how reliant the passing game is on Adams and Garrett Wilson.
Seattle is available in roughly 90% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues due to the unit’s abysmal midseason struggles. But now that the Seahawks have seemingly turned a corner, they are a good streaming option in an above-average matchup.
9) Philadelphia Eagles (at BAL)
It’s not impossible to post a worthwhile fantasy showing against the Baltimore Ravens, as the Pittsburgh Steelers demonstrated two weeks ago. Still, you wouldn’t want to get caught in the spot that Denver Broncos D/ST managers were in when the Ravens shredded them for 41 points in Week 9.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been the best defense in the league by EPA per play and success rate since Week 5. They’ve passed tough tests against the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals with flying colors. It’s understandable if you can’t get away from this unit, but be aware that the risk of an implosion is always there for any defense facing Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
10) Pittsburgh Steelers (at CIN)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are becoming increasingly reliant on takeaways. The Steelers produce the third-most takeaways per drive, which has helped sustain a top-10 unit in EPA per play.
However, they are also a bottom-10 unit in sack rate while producing a below-average pressure rate overall. Joe Burrow already has the fifth-lowest interception rate overall in 2024 and has only turned the ball over three times all season when kept clean.
If the Steelers aren’t going to get home, it could be tougher to produce their usual supply of takeaways. That makes Pittsburgh a much shakier start in a difficult fantasy matchup.
11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at CAR)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a bottom-three defense in virtually every EPA measure, so a unit that weak can only rank so high. The Carolina Panthers’ offense has shown signs of life since Bryce Young returned to the starting lineup in Week 8, though not enough to rank above the bottom 10 in EPA per play or success rate.
The Bucs are rostered in less than half of ESPN and Yahoo leagues, so if you’re in a pinch in a deeper league, they’re not the worst option. Just be aware that the floor is always very low with this unit, and the Young-led Panthers are more competent than the Tommy DeVito-led New York Giants offense this unit just dominated.
12) Indianapolis Colts (at NE)
The Colts are a roughly league-average to slightly below-average defense in the majority of metrics you look at, making them the beige slacks of this article on a weekly basis. Even in a slightly positive matchup, this is about as high as the Colts can rank.
The Drake Maye-led Patriots have been far more explosive, so don’t expect many points based off points allowed or yards allowed. However, the Patriots still have the fifth-highest turnover rate since Maye became a starter in Week 6, providing sustenance for fantasy D/STs. Still, the Colts are not a preferred streaming option on the road.
13) New Orleans Saints (vs. LAR)
The way to shut off the Los Angeles Rams’ offense is by pressuring Matthew Stafford, who has one of the largest splits between EPA per dropback when kept clean vs. under pressure this season.
However, the Saints are not the defense to exploit that weakness. New Orleans is a bottom-10 unit in both sack rate and pressure rate. Coupled with their leaky run defense potentially allowing Kyren Williams and the Rams’ run game to produce at a higher efficiency than usual, the Saints are a stay-away this week.
14) San Francisco 49ers (at BUF)
This ranking assumes that Nick Bosa continues to be out. Only Trey Hendrickson has accounted for a higher share of his team’s pressures this season, and that’s with Bosa missing Sunday’s game vs. the Green Bay Packers.
Against a Buffalo Bills offense that appears to be peaking, the Niners are a worse D/ST option than they’ve been in quite some time. One particularly vexing weakness — San Francisco has allowed the fifth-most EPA on quarterback scrambles in 2024. Now, they face Josh Allen, who has produced the second-most EPA on quarterback runs behind only Jalen Hurts.
15) New York Jets (vs. SEA)
Since Robert Saleh’s firing after Week 5, the New York Jets rank 29th in EPA per play. Allowing explosive plays has been a big issue, as the Jets rank 20th in explosive play rate allowed over that span.
Now, they’ll face a Seattle Seahawks offense that feasts on explosives: Seattle ranks fourth in percentage of plays gaining 10+ yards this season. They should be primed to exploit a Jets defense that no longer appears as cohesive as it did the prior two seasons.
16) Tennessee Titans (at WAS)
The cat’s out of the bag with the Washington Commanders’ offense. Whether it’s Jayden Daniels’ persistent rib injury or Kliff Kingsbury’s annual late-season decline, the Commanders have regressed to an above-average offense rather than the best unit in the league as it currently stands.
The Tennessee Titans remain a better real-life defense than one you’d want to start in fantasy. The Titans are a below-average defense in sack rate and bottom-five in takeaways per drive. They’re not a unit worth streaming on the road in case Daniels happens to be feeling better this week and unlocks more of his early-season scramble rate.
17) Cleveland Browns (at DEN)
Hopefully you’re aware by now, but the Denver Broncos are no longer a plus matchup for D/ST streaming options. Since Week 7, the Broncos are a top-10 offense in both points per drive and turnovers per drive.
Most of the value for the Cleveland Browns D/ST lies in their ability to generate pressure. However, that could easily be mitigated against Bo Nix, who has the fifth-fastest average time to throw this season. Thus, the Browns don’t really have a ton of upside against a surging offense.
18) New England Patriots (vs. IND)
The nine-sack outburst against the Chicago Bears is looking even more like an outlier as the weeks go on. The Patriots remain a bottom-10 unit by pressure rate, takeaways, and EPA per play, leaving them as a rough play against even shaky offenses.
New England is also a below-average defense in yards per rush allowed and rushing defense success rate, so don’t expect a major uptick against the ground-bound Colts’ offense. The Pats also allow 10+ yard plays at the 10th-highest rate, which makes them vulnerable to a home-run-or-bust Indy offense.
19) Arizona Cardinals (at MIN)
The NFC West leaders have seen an uptick in performance, but much of that has come at home. While the Arizona Cardinals haven’t allowed a touchdown in their last three home games, they’re also allowing nearly 13 more PPG on the road compared to at home.
Sam Darnold may gift the Cardinals a turnover or two, but Arizona also allows 10+ yard plays at the second-highest rate of any defense and is a bottom-five pass rush in pressure rate. Arizona needs near-ideal circumstances to be a D/ST worth starting, and this matchup does not fit that criterion.
20) Cincinnati Bengals (vs. PIT)
The Cincinnati Bengals are really a one-man defense, with Trey Hendrickson likely to produce any of the splash plays in a given week. Hendrickson, who almost exclusively rushes against the left tackle, will get a plus matchup against Dan Moore Jr. this week. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ left tackle ranks 27th at the position in pressure rate allowed.
Because of that, there’s a touch more upside to the Bengals D/ST than usual. That doesn’t make them remotely worth starting, but it’s worth noting as you consider potentially streaming Russell Wilson at quarterback.
21) Baltimore Ravens (vs. PHI)
The glimmer of hope for the Baltimore Ravens’ D/ST in this matchup stems from their stellar run defense. The Ravens rank second in defense rushing success rate, and they face a Philadelphia Eagles offense that ranks seventh in offensive rushing success rate. Philly also leans heavily into that strength, calling designed runs at the highest rate in the league.
Of course, the Eagles will likely be happy to have Jalen Hurts bomb away on go balls given the Ravens’ woeful deep passing defense. Hurts has the third-highest passer rating on throws of 15+ air yards; the Ravens have allowed the fourth-highest passer rating on those throws.
Per usual, the Ravens are not a D/ST worth starting, and especially not against a rolling Eagles offense.
22) Atlanta Falcons (vs. LAC)
The Atlanta Falcons’ persistent pass-rush problems spell big trouble against Justin Herbert and the streaking Los Angeles Chargers offense. When kept clean, Herbert has thrown 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions, all while averaging the fifth-highest passer rating.
Now, he gets to face a Falcons defense that pressures quarterbacks at the second-lowest rate and sacks them at the lowest rate. Atlanta is not a D/ST worth keeping on your roster.
23) Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. HOU)
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense was actually fairly competitive in their Week 4 loss in Houston. They held the Texans to 24 points and produced two sacks plus a fumble recovery.
That said, let this be a reminder that the Jaguars allowed 52 points and a touchdown on every drive in which the Detroit Lions played their starters in their last outing. The only suspense each week is whether the Jags rank last or second-to-last in these rankings.
24) Carolina Panthers (vs. TB)
The Carolina Panthers are back in the basement this week. The Panthers rank 31st in EPA per dropback and now face a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that drops back to pass at the seventh-highest rate of any offense.
Baker Mayfield has led a strong fantasy offense with or without his full complement of weapons, but Tampa Bay is healthy at the skill positions now minus Chris Godwin (who won’t return this season). Most units are an automatic sit against the Bucs, and that is especially true for the Panthers.