Unless most of the teams in your league carry a backup defense, more than half of the league should be available to you every week. Perhaps instead of playing one above average defense every week, regardless of matchup, we should instead target the widely available waiver wire defenses with the best matchups in any particular week? You can always make exceptions if your rent-a-defense gets hot - heck, you might find a team worth starting all year by accident. Even if you don't, good matchups will continue to get greater in number as more QBs get injured or yanked as the season goes on. You can steal some points from bad weather come December. Each week I'll list the startable fantasy defenses on most waiver wires and rank them.
**Note: Carolina and San Francisco have good matchups this week, but they are presumed to be owned in most, if not all leagues**
Week 11 Results
Tennessee (vs Indianapolis) - 1 sack
The game got off to a smashing start and the Titans were ahead and ready to rack up some D/ST points, then Andrew Luck did Andrew Luck things. The Titans AFC South hopes and their viability as a D/ST play both took huge hits.
A Look Ahead: @OAK @IND (@DEN ARI @JAX) - Matt McGloin is serviceable, who knew?
Houston (at Oakland) - 2 sacks, 1 ST TD
Matt McGloin is serviceable, who knew? Keshawn Martin saved the day for anyone who played the Texans D/ST.
A Look Ahead: JAX NE (@JAX @IND DEN) - The team is in turmoil, but it is still hard to pass up a matchup against the Jags at home.
Arizona (at Jacksonville) - 2 sacks, 2 INT
Adequate, but lacking the punch we were hoping for.
A Look Ahead: IND @PHI (STL @TEN @SEA) - The Cardinals D/ST has been a good-to-great play every week at home since Daryl Washington returned. You’ll want to stick with them if you have them.
Green Bay (at New York Giants) - 4 sacks, 1 INT
Like the Cardinals, adequate, but mostly disappointing, as the Giants controlled this game and Eli Manning settled down a bit.
A Look Ahead: MIN @DET (ATL @DAL PIT) - I don’t know who is starting for the Vikings at quarterback this week, but I have a good feeling that you’ll want to have the Packers D/ST in no matter who it is.
New Orleans (vs San Francisco) - 3 sacks, 1 INT
Not a command performance, as the back-and-forth game kept either defense from breaking it open from a D/ST perspective.
A Look Ahead @ATL @SEA (CAR @STL @CAR) - The Falcons are reeling, but the road factor makes it hard to play New Orleans because they haven’t had a good D/ST day away from the Superdome yet.
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda
Buffalo (vs NY Jets) - 4 sacks, 3 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
It was hard to endorse Buffalo coming off of their worst game of the year against a rested Jets team who should have been able to control the game in blustery conditions. The Bills home-field spirit and Geno Smith’s road woes came through in a big way for anyone who trusted them.
Tampa Bay (vs Atlanta) - 3 sacks, 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
When in doubt, pick a home team against a team that is waving the white flag. The Bucs had their first game with four or more sacks+takeaways since week 4.
New York Giants (vs Green Bay) - 3 INT, 1 DEF TD
Jason Pierre-Paul happens. The Giants didn’t have a standout day in terms of sacks or takeaways, but Pierre-Paul’s “you have to see it to believe it” leaping interception for a score more than made up for it.
**Note: Carolina and San Francisco have good matchups this week, but they are presumed to be owned in most, if not all leagues**
Week 12 Candidates
Baltimore (vs NY Jets)
The Jets are due for a win because it is an even-numbered week, but Geno Smith is on the road, and the Ravens have been good for at least four sacks+takeaways in every home game this year.
A Look Ahead: PIT (MIN @DET NE) - If the Ravens D gets hot at home in this one, you might want to keep them in against the Steelers next week.
Arizona (vs Indianapolis)
The Cardinals have accounted for at least four sacks+takeaways in every home game that Daryl Washington has played in, and they have players at every level of the defense who can create big plays. Andrew Luck was disappointing as a D/ST opponent last week, but it’s worth going back to the well even if the Titans let you down.
A Look Ahead: @PHI (STL @TEN @SEA) - Only one home game left, so the Cardinals might not be of much use to us from here on out.
Houston (vs Jacksonville)
The Texans are a team in turmoil, no doubt about it. In some ways, playing them this week is betting on this franchise rallying at their lowest moment in years, but this is also betting on the Jaguars to continue to be a good-to-great opponent for D/STs. JJ Watt alone could account for a solid D/ST day against the floundering Jags offense.
A Look Ahead: NE (@JAX @IND DEN) - If the Texans knock this one out of the park, perhaps holding them for week 14 will be called for.
St. Louis (vs Chicago)
The Rams probably have the least attractive matchup of the rent-a-defense candidates this week, but they are the most valuable to pick up for a stash during the playoff weeks. They also have a pass rush that is firing on all cylinders, with 21 sacks over the last five games. They also have 11 takeaways and three defensive scores over the same span.
A Look Ahead: @SF (@ARI NO TB) - Week 14 against a weak Cardinals OL and week 16 with the Bucs on the road both look like nice plays for this surging group.
Playoffs Preemptive Pickups
If you like to devote two roster spots to a D/ST, or you suspect other teams are going to stream defenses this year, you might want to grab a top option for the playoff weeks to stash away. Here are the best ones to target:
Tennessee (week 15 ARI, week 16 @JAX)
Houston (week 14 @JAX)
St. Louis (week 14 @ARI, week 16 TB)
