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.
Week 12 Results
New Orleans (vs Carolina) - 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
This one hurt in points allowed leagues as the Saints defense fell apart. It looked like a potential blowout early, but Kyle Allen settled down and the Saints defense hung on for dear life
A Look Ahead: @ATL SF IND @TEN - Marshon Lattimore could be back and it’s a short week, but on the road. Atlanta did give up a defensive score late to Tampa in Week 12 so...
Atlanta (vs Tampa Bay) - 2 INT
This looked brilliant early as Jameis Winston was giving up the interceptions in bunches, but then Winston got things straightened out and the Falcons offense sputtered against the Bucs. Their renaissance as a fantasy D/ST option is over.
A Look Ahead: NO CAR @SF JAX - So long and thanks for the fish
Oakland (at New York Jets) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
This result and the Falcons outcome show how difficult it is to gauge what’s going to happen when two mediocre to bad teams get together later in the season, road/home, even playoff implications
A Look Ahead: @KC TEN JAX @LAC - We won’t talk ourselves into the Raiders again this year
Cleveland (vs Miami) - 4 sacks, 2 INT
This went about as well as could be expected with Myles Garrett suspended. Ryan Fitzpatrick is still competent, but the Dolphins remain an offense to target every week
A Look Ahead: @PIT CIN @ARI BAL - Duck Hodges (maybe? probably?) on the road and Andy Dalton would be worth considering if Garrett was still out there, but...
Buffalo (vs Denver) - 4 sacks, 1 INT
This was a hit in points and yards allowed leagues, but just a push in typical sacks/takeaways scoring
A Look Ahead: @DAL BAL @PIT @NE - We won’t come back to the Bills this year
Tennessee (vs Jacksonville) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
The script was perfect, but the defense was content to give up some soft scores and go home with a win instead of putting up helpful numbers for fantasy teams.
A Look Ahead: @IND @OAK HOU NO - Week 14 at Oakland could be fun if the Raiders play terribly again this week
Chicago (vs New York Giants) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
The defense played much better than the fantasy outcome implies. At least Khalil Mack got a strip sack
A Look Ahead: @DET DAL @GB KC - Jeff Driskel on Thanksgiving could work and it gives you a reason to watch the early game
Detroit (at Washington) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
The Lions defense didn’t make any game-turning plays, but they were missing some key performers up front.
A Look Ahead: CHI @MIN TB @DEN - Mitchell Trubisky is actually playing well (for a half at least) coming into this one. Pass.
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
Washington (vs Detroit) - 6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 3 INT, 1 ST TD
Steven Sims is fast. Like really fast. And Jeff Driskel is not good.
Tampa Bay (at Atlanta) - 6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD
When Ndamukong Suh saw Vita Vea score, he was jealous.
New York Jets (vs Oakland) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD, 3 points allowed
Brian Poole’s pick six was the high point of the year for the Jets
Seattle (at Philadelphia) - 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 INT
It wasn’t Carson Wentz’s fault. Okay it wasn’t ALL Carson Wentz’s fault
Week 13 Candidates
**San Francisco, New England, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are assumed to be rostered**
Kansas City (vs Oakland)
The Raiders offense is in freefall, the Chiefs are rested and this could be an almost division clincher for them. If the Jets defense can light up Oakland, let’s give the Chiefs a shot.
A Look Ahead: @NE DEN @CHI - if the defense is strong this week there’s an argument to play them for the rest of the season
Seattle (vs Minnesota)
Believe it or not Seattle’s D/ST has had back-to-back elite weeks, and both on the road. Against San Francisco and Philadelphia, which aren’t exactly creampuffs. Kirk Cousins isn’t either, but there’s enough of a trend here to give Seattle a shot.
A Look Ahead: @LAR @CAR ARI - The matchups give you no reason to move on from them as long as they stay hot
Philadelphia (at Miami)
When in doubt, target the Dolphins. The Eagles actually had six sacks and a pair of takeaways against the Seahawks, so they gave us another reason to pick them up this week.
A Look Ahead: NYG @WAS DAL - And another reason to pick them up as we can stick with them through Week 15
New Orleans (at Atlanta)
The Falcons mid-season rise from the ashes is over, so even at home, the Saints D/ST looks like one to add this week if you can’t get an option above them. Matt Ryan turned back into a pumpkin pie last week and even the Bucs had a good D/ST week against them
A Look Ahead: SF IND @TEN - Week 15 is intriguing facing the Jacoby Brissett Colts offense
New York Jets (at Cincinnati)
Usually we want to use D/ST’s that have playoff hopes, but once we get this far down on the list we have to make some exceptions. The Jets have been an excellent D/ST option over the last three weeks and get the winless Bengals. if Andy Dalton wasn’t announced as the starter, they might have been the #1 option this week.
A Look Ahead: MIA @BAL PIT - Next week’s matchup another reason to like the Jets this week
Carolina (vs Washington)
The Panthers front lost Dontari Poe and looks different than it did when the D/ST was hot earlier this year, but Dwayne Haskins is still a major work in progress and the Panthers showed a lot of fight in the Superdome this week.
A Look Ahead: @ATL SEA @IND - We’ll probably throw them back after this week
Playoffs Preemptive Pickups
Week 14
Green Bay (vs Washington)
New York Jets (vs Miami)
Houston (vs Denver)
Dallas (at Chicago)
Week 15
Philadelphia (at Washington)
Kansas City (vs Denver)
Green Bay (vs Chicago)
New York Giants (vs Miami)
Week 16
Kansas City (at Chicago)
Houston (at Tampa Bay)