Streaming Defenses: Week 16 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses

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Updated on December 22, 2022 8:19AM EST

Another week, another slate full of over/unders below 40. It makes for plenty of streaming options, though I do think the top five in our Week 16 rankings are somewhat above the rest. Rankings will be updated Thursday/Friday once injury reports and weather reports provide us more information. Or, you can get updates if you follow me on Twitter (@JerryDonabedian).

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 16

1. Tennessee Titans (vs. HOU)

48% Yahoo, 27% ESPN

Team implied total: 21.25

Opponent implied total: 15.75

Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 17: 26th (vs. DAL), Week 18: 16th (at JAX)

The Titans are favored by a touchdown over a team that's given up the third most fantasy points to D/STs, including nine earlier this season when the teams met in Houston. The Texans still had RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) at that point, and while their first week without him went shockingly well, there's not much hope for a running game led by veterans who mostly played special teams the past few years (Dare Ogunbowale, Royce Freeman).

The Texans can't hide Davis Mills the way they tried to earlier this year, and it isn't clear he'll get Brandin Cooks (calf) and/or Nico Collins (foot) back in the lineup

Top Streaming Options for Week 16

1. Tennessee Titans (vs. HOU)

48% Yahoo, 27% ESPN

Team implied total: 21.25

Opponent implied total: 15.75

Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 17: 26th (vs. DAL), Week 18: 16th (at JAX)

The Texans can't hide Davis Mills the way they tried to earlier this year, and it isn't clear he'll get Brandin Cooks (calf) and/or Nico Collins (foot) back in the lineup this week. Either way, the Titans are our top streamer for Week 16, though the Browns and Lions are also worth considering if you anticipate having trouble finding a good option for Week 17.

2. Cleveland Browns (vs. NO)

26% Yahoo, 25% ESPN

Team implied total: 17.25

Opponent implied total: 14.25

Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 17: 11th (at WAS), Week 18: 15th (at PIT)

Forecasts call for a cold, snowy, windy weekend in Cleveland... potentially the type of game that has a lot of turnovers even if both teams try to avoid passing. The Browns should have the advantage here, given their superior backfield and offensive line along with homefield advantage (against a dome team). On the other hand, Cleveland's run defense remains awful, and we know the Saints will want to run it a lot even if the weather isn't too bad. The problem for New Orleans, as with many other bad teams, is that they often end up playing from behind and are then forced into Andy Dalton dropbacks — a good recipe for sacks and turnovers.

3. Detroit Lions (at CAR)

4% Yahoo, 2% ESPN

Team implied total: 23.5

Opponent implied total: 21

Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 17: 8th (vs. CHI), Week 18: 14th (at GB)

If we're going by betting odds, the Lions should be ranked lower and the Bengals, Bucs and Saints higher. But the Lions face arguably the worst QB of the group in Sam Darnold, and they've actually played better defense than the Bengals, Saints and Bucs in the second half of the season. The late-charging Lions even have seven straight games with five or more fantasy points, a feat they managed just once before Week 9. They can still be thrown on some, to be sure, but the Panthers have the worst passing game in the league and likely will try to run the ball repeatedly on a defense that's handed RBs some hideous rushing lines in the second half of the year (Saquon Barkley: 15-22-0, Dalvin Cook: 15-23-1, Zonovan Knight: 13-23-0).

The Lions should also be a strong play next week against Chicago, though the Bears did hit Detroit for 258 rushing yards not so long ago (Week 10, a 31-30 Lions victory).

4. New Orleans Saints (at CLE)

32% Yahoo, 56% ESPN

Team implied total: 14.25

Opponent implied total: 17.25

Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 17: 24th (at PHI), Week 18: 2nd (vs. CAR)

The underdogs in this likely snow game also make for a solid play, as you might've guessed by the lowest over/under we've seen in years (31.5 as of Tuesday morning). I'd probably bet the over there with such a low number this early in the week, though both teams involved have hit the under in three straight games. And the Browns managed only 13 points this past week against the Ravens even with Deshaun Watson looking somewhat crisper than in his first two games.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (at NE)

29% Yahoo, 34% ESPN

Team implied total: 22

Opponent implied total: 18.5

Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 17: 25th (at BUF), Week 18: 20th (vs. BAL)

Sunday's humiliating episode pushed New England into the top 10 for most fantasy points allowed to team defenses, with Mac Jones stiff-armed into oblivion as the insult to injury on top of a 13-for-31 passing performance. His rate stats for the year are all the same or worse as in his rookie season, with the 24-year-old now in the bottom half of the league for TD rate (32nd), INT rate (23rd), YPA (21st) and sack rate (19th). The Patriots still have a huge offensive line and can run the ball, but Jones is in trouble if the Bengals can grab a lead and force him to air it out.

Note: Cincinnati was listed ahead of New Orleans when this article was first posted Tuesday morning, but they've been flipped to correspond with rankings/projections changes throughout the week (due to injury reports, weather, line movement, etc.).