With Thanksgiving week upon us, the push for the fantasy playoffs is reaching a fever pitch. Injuries to key offensive players have made selecting the best defenses to stream a necessity for many teams fighting for those final playoff positions.
There were some stellar performances last week, as five different teams had a defensive score (the Los Angeles Chargers had two) and six teams had three or more interceptions. Things are heating up and with no more bye weeks there are 32 defenses to choose from.
OK. The Jaguars are a weekly start, so make that 31.
Let’s take a look at the Week 12 streaming defense/special team recommendations.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Green Bay)
Pittsburgh’s defense is coming off one of its best games, putting up a top-10 fantasy finish last week. The Steelers shut down the Titans running game, limiting DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry to 42 yards on 15 carries. Led by Cameron Heyward’s two sacks, the pass rush managed to get to the quarterback five times while being credited with 15 hurries and four hits. A hurried Marcus Mariota threw four interceptions, and I see a similar type of game from the Pittsburgh defense this week against the Packers. Green Bay’s offense is in a free fall, having just been shut out while allowing six sacks and turning the ball over five times in Week 11.
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Cleveland)
Always chase the Browns offense. Always. Cleveland continues to hand out fantasy points to opposing defense/special team on a weekly basis. In Week 11, the Jaguars put up five sacks while also forcing five turnovers and scoring a defensive touchdown against a Browns offense that lacks a viable NFL quarterback. In the past two games Cleveland has given up nine sacks with seven turnovers and two defensive touchdowns. The Bengals are getting better production from Carlos Dunlap of late as he posted a pair of sacks in a victory over Denver last week. Do not fret that back in Week 4 when the teams met that Cincinnati managed just two sacks and an interception. These are two units heading in opposite directions.
Los Angeles Chargers (at Dallas)
The absence of Ezekiel Elliott and Tyron Smith has left the Cowboys offense in a state of disarray and the Chargers defense is coming off a huge Week 11 performance. While they managed just a single sack, the Chargers did pick off rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman five times and scored two defensive touchdowns. A closer look reveals that Los Angeles was credited with 12 quarterback hurries with three hits, so the pass rush was there. Without offensive tackle Smith in the lineup, Dak Prescott has been under siege as Dallas has now given up 12 sacks in the past two weeks. The bookend pressure that Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram will bring on Thanksgiving will be too much for the Cowboys to handle.
Minnesota Vikings (at Detroit)
This lines up as a Thanksgiving feast for a dominant Vikings defensive line. The Lions continue to struggle in pass protection even with offensive tackle Taylor Decker back on the field. The Lions have allowed seven sacks in the last two games and rank among the top five in the NFL with 33 allowed on the season. The Vikings just shut down the high-powered Rams offense, holding them to seven points and under 300 total yards. With a struggling running game Detroit will have to take to the air and that will allow Minnesota to pin their ears back and get after Matthew Stafford. In the first meeting between these teams in Week 4 the Vikings sacked Stafford six times but failed to register any other big plays. The strip sack will play a big part in this matchup.
Baltimore Ravens (vs. Houston)
The Ravens defense is flying high after shutting out the Packers last week. It was the first time that Green Bay had been shut out at home since 2011. The Packers were of course without Aaron Rodgers and it’s no secret that Brett Hundley has struggled since taking over the offense. Nevertheless, the Ravens did what they were supposed to do and used a blitzing attack to take advantage of a struggling quarterback. Baltimore finished the game with six sacks and forced five turnovers. Since Week 8 this is a top-five fantasy defense and they have a nice matchup this week. The Texans were able to get a win against the Cardinals in Week 11 but remain a team that allows big numbers to opposing defense/special teams. In their past three games Houston has allowed 10 sacks, turned the ball over eight times and given up a defensive score.
Oakland Raiders (vs. Denver)
It may surprise some people that the Raiders defense makes an appearance on the streaming list as it currently sits at or near the bottom of the league in fantasy scoring. It’s always about the matchup this time of year, though, and Oakland has perhaps the best of Week 11. The Broncos offense continues to free fall and has been the most generous to opposing defenses over the last five games. Denver gives up points in all facets of the games as they’ve allowed two defensive scores as well as 15 sacks and two return touchdowns in that five-game span. One last tidbit is that since their bye in Week 5 the defense/special team facing the Broncos has put up a top-10 finish in most standard scoring formats. Do not be afraid to stream the silver and black this week.
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Chicago)
The Eagles have been a frequent flyer on the streaming list and they find themselves perched there once again. They have been pressuring the quarterback consistently utilizing defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s ‘Wide-9’ scheme and have 11 sacks in their last three games. That pressure has also led to seven interceptions over that time as well as a pair of defensive touchdowns. On the season the Eagles lead all teams in quarterback hurries with 166. The Bears offensive line held up well last week, allowing just a single sack to Detroit but did give up five sacks to Green Bay in Week 10. We liked the Eagles last week against a banged-up Dallas offensive line and this week we like them facing an inexperienced quarterback in Mitch Trubisky. Look for multiple sacks and turnovers from a defense that is soaring.
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