We saw it in the Wild Card round, and we will likely see it again this weekend — fantasy football DST rankings matter in a big way. The Houston Texans posted a big performance last week, and while their unit as a whole isn’t the most talented, they were in a great spot against an overly aggressive quarterback who was forced to take shots.
Are there any defenses in that spot this weekend? With two elite units back in the mix, are they the clear top options?
Which DST Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
Of course, every league will offer tweaks (player limits per team, unique scoring bonuses, etc.), so use this as a guide more than anything. Or, hit me up on social media with your specific situation, and I’ll advise as best I can.
MORE: Soppe’s Divisional Round Rankings — QB | RB | WR | TE | K
Before I get to the positional rankings, many fantasy managers may take part in “rest of playoff” formats and/or are just curious as to how I see the remainder of the postseason playing out. Naturally, projecting results is a big part of doing the rankings, so these picks factor into my rankings.
AFC Playoff Picks
- Saturday: Baltimore Ravens over Houston Texans
- Sunday: Kansas City Chiefs over Buffalo Bills
Conference Champion: Ravens
NFC Playoff Picks
Saturday: San Francisco 49ers over Green Bay Packers
Sunday: Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Detroit Lions
Conference Champion: 49ers
Fantasy Football DST Rankings
1) San Francisco 49ers | SF (vs. GB)
2) Baltimore Ravens | BAL (vs. HOU)
3) Kansas City Chiefs | KC (at BUF)
4) Buffalo Bills | BUF (vs. KC)
5) Detroit Lions | DET (vs. TB)
6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB (at DET)
7) Green Bay Packers | GB (at SF)
8) Houston Texans | HOU (at BAL)
Which DST Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
San Francisco 49ers, DST (vs. GB)
Stepping in front of the Jordan Love heater isn’t ideal — he’s tallied 12 touchdown passes with zero interceptions over his past five games and averaged 8.8 yards per attempt in the process.
But the profile of the 49ers after having the better part of two weeks off is simply too much to overlook.
This season, San Francisco blitzes at the third-lowest rate, yet they manage to create heat at a league-average rate. The ability to create pressure without having to use a jailbreak defense figures to put Love in positions to take risks that simply didn’t exist last week against an overly aggressive Dallas Cowboys bunch.
We’ve seen Love thrive, like most, when connecting on the deep ball and/or excelling in the red zone. The 49ers allow the fifth-lowest deep-completion rate and the seventh-lowest red-zone passer rating.
The paths to Love struggling are plentiful, and if San Francisco’s offense can control the ball (seventh in time of possession this season, compared to the 17th-ranked Packers), Green Bay’s offense could take on more risk than they have over the past two months.
The Baltimore Ravens’ defense is just as stout and is the other Tier 1 option in play for this weekend.
MORE: FREE Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
My minor concern with them when splitting hairs atop the ranks is a slightly lower pressure rate, combined with a slightly higher blitz rate along with far more missed tackles. I think they succeed at a high level, but the range of outcomes is a little more concerning than what the 49ers offer in their respective spots.