Streaming Defenses: Week 15 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses

Written by

Published on December 12, 2023

This is either the first week of the playoffs or the last of the regular season for most fantasy leagues, and we're looking at some huge shifts in the rankings relative to what was expected even a few days ago. The Chargers, for all their struggles this year, have still been one of the worst opponents for D/STs thanks to Justin Herbert committing only eight turnovers in 13 games.

Herbert has done that while dealing with a serious injury on his non-throwing hand, but the finger fracture he suffered on his right hand Sunday is another matter entirely and threatens to end his season a month early. He won't play this Thursday against the Raiders, which rockets Las Vegas up our rankings on the heels of a 3-0 loss to Minnesota.

The Vikings are another team that suddenly makes for a premium matchup, with QB Joshua Dobbs having completed his fall from grace and WR Justin Jefferson (chest) suffering a new injury his first week back from a two-month absence.

On the other end of the spectrum we have the Bengals, led by a surprisingly competent Jake Browning. A few weeks ago, I was projecting the upcoming Vikings-Bengals matchup as if Minnesota would be slight favorites. Instead, Cincinnati opens the week favored by 3.5 points, right in the thick of the AFC wild-card race. The way most people view the Bengals has now changed drastically, twice, within the span of a month.

The extent of QB injuries this year

The extent of QB injuries this year obviously hasn't been normal, but I still think it's all illustrative of why I advise against paying attention to stuff like rest-of-season rankings (even though I begrudgingly provide them at the bottom of the page). Stashing a defense for a specific matchup or two in the playoffs isn't a bad idea, but trying to find one unit to ride out for the rest of the season usually is. Better options tend to emerge, be it due to injuries or unexpected shifts in performance.

That's also worth keeping in mind as you plan for Weeks 16 and 17. It's a good bet that a defense not currently ranked in my Top 12 for those weeks will end up breaching the Top 8 (or higher) by the time the slate arrives. Anyway, we still have all the forward-looking stuff below; I just recommend focusing more on the current week unless you have a bye or nothing to play for.

Playoff Grid

	Week 15	Week 16	Week 17
1	Chiefs (at NE)	Chiefs (vs. LV)	Bills (vs. NE)
2	Dolphins (vs. NYJ)	Broncos (vs. NE)	49ers (at WAS)
3	Falcons (at CAR)	Eagles (vs. NYG)	Browns (vs. NYJ)
4	49ers (at ARZ)	Jets (vs. WAS)	Jaguars (vs. CAR)
5	Bengals (vs. MIN)	Packers (at CAR)	Broncos (vs LAC)
6	Saints (vs. NYG)	Bills (at LAC)	Chiefs (vs. CIN)
7	Raiders (vs. LAC)	Bengals (at PIT)	Rams (at NYG)
8	Browns (vs. CHI)	Steelers (vs. CIN)	Jets (at CLE)
9	Colts (vs. PIT)	Commanders (at NYJ)	Packers (at MIN)
10	Rams (vs. WAS)	Lions (at MIN)	Bears (vs. ATL)
11	Packers (vs. TB)	Bears (vs. ARZ)	Eagles (vs. ARZ)
12	Ravens (at JAX)	Seahawks (at TEN)	Falcons (at CHI)

Note: These recommendations are limited to team defenses that are rostered on less than 60 percent of teams on Yahoo or 45 percent on ESPN. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring, which doesn't include yards allowed.

Top Streaming Options for Week 15

1. Atlanta Falcons (at CAR)

32% Yahoo, 52% ESPN
Team implied total: 19.25 Opponent implied total: 16.25
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 16: 15th (vs. IND), Week 17: 12th (at CHI)

The Atlanta defense was missing a starter at each level for Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay, but things should go much better this week even if none of the injured guys makes it back to face the Panthers. Only three teams have allowed more fantasy points to D/STs, with each of Carolina's seven opponents since a Week 7 bye scoring seven or more. The Falcons put up 12 points against this same miserable offense back in Week 1, and it's not like the Panthers have made tangible progress since then. In fact, they haven't scored even 20 points since before the bye, and Bryce Young has taken at least three sacks in eight straight games.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (vs. MIN)

25% Yahoo, 13% ESPN
Team implied total: 21.0 Opponent implied total: 17.5
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 16: 7th (at PIT), Week 17: 32nd (at KC)

It looks like the Vikings will turn to Nick Mullens, who replaced Joshua Dobbs this past Sunday and led a game-winning FG drive for the only points of the day in a win over Las Vegas. While Mullens was always able to complete passes and put up yardage back in his days with the 49ers, he also has a career interception rate (3.4 percent) about 50 percent above league-average, having thrown 23 picks on 668 career attempts. If not Mullens, the Vikings will rely on a struggling Dobbs or rookie Jaren Hall, both of whom also provide a favorable matchup. It's also possible, though not certain that Minnesota won't have the services of Justin Jefferson, after his long-awaited return was spoiled by a chest/torso injury.

3. Las Vegas Raiders (vs. LAC)

7% Yahoo, 13% ESPN
Team implied total: 18.25 Opponent implied total: 15.25
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 16: 32nd (at KC), Week 17: 23rd (at IND)

If we strictly went by the betting odds, Las Vegas would be No. 1 on this list, facing a Chargers offense that opened the week with the second-smallest implied total on the slate (Patriots - 13.75). My concern, relatively speaking, is that both teams will sit on the ball Thursday night, content to play a run-heavy, slow-paced game without many sacks and turnovers even if points are in short supply.

That's nitpicking, perhaps, but we can afford to nitpick when there are so many disastrously bad QBs set to start. Easton Stick, a 28-year-old with one career pass attempt before this past Sunday, is probably about as bad as any of them, and the talent surrounding him is much less impressive than what Herbert had back in September (between the Mike Williams injury, Austin Ekeler's decline/injury and Quentin Johnston being a disappointment).

4. Indianapolis Colts (vs. PIT)

42% Yahoo, 30% ESPN
Team implied total: 22.25 Opponent implied total: 19.75
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 16: 19th (at ATL), Week 17: 13th (vs. LV)

Even a pick-six wasn't enough for the Colts defense to reach double-digit fantasy points for a fifth straight game, as the unit otherwise got shredded by Jake Browning and the Bengals this past Sunday, struggling with screen passes in particular. There's a general upward trend nonetheless after Indianapolis had one of the worst defenses in the league for the first two months of the season, and a home matchup with QB Mitch Trubisky tends to obscure a lot of weaknesses.

5. Los Angeles Rams (vs. WAS)

17% Yahoo, 15% ESPN
Team implied total: 28.0 Opponent implied total: 21.0
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 16: 14th (vs. NO), Week 17: 6th (at NYG)

The Rams would've been in excellent position for a wild-card spot if they'd pulled off the upset in Baltimore on Sunday. As is, they're still in decent shape, sitting at 6-7 ahead of matchups with the Commanders, Saints and Giants. Other teams may be worse at scoring points, but Washington is among the worst at avoiding negative plays, allowing the third most fantasy points to team defenses behind a barrage of sacks and turnovers. Sam Howell still has a shot at the single-season record for most sacks taken, and he's tied with Josh Allen for the most interceptions (14).