This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.
I may just have to accept that it's nearly impossible to identify five defenses and have each of them perform well, given the stipulation that they all need to be under 60-percent owned on Yahoo. I've yet to go 5-for-5 this season, instead settling for two or three hits and two or three misses most weeks. It does seem like the top recommendations tend to work out, and it also seems like we've identified at least one blow-up performance every week.
Last week's success stories just happened to be the three highest-scoring team defenses, with the Chargers (19 points), Patriots (17) and Panthers (17) pacing the league in Week 12. The bad news is that my top recommendation, Cincinnati, finished tied for 19th with only five points. My final recommendation, Atlanta, fared even worse with only two points.
With playoff berths now on the line, I'm glad to have the Chargers defense on my roster in the one league where I'm still clawing for a spot, as a home matchup with the Browns gives Joey Bosa and Co. a good shot to produce double-digit fantasy points for a fourth straight game. There's a big drop off if you can't get your hands on the Chargers, so don't be afraid to risk waiver position or a few FAAB dollars.
On that note, our list only goes four deep this week, as the candidates for that No. 5 spot (Green Bay, San Francisco, Detroit) are all pretty lousy options. You shouldn't have
I may just have to accept that it's nearly impossible to identify five defenses and have each of them perform well, given the stipulation that they all need to be under 60-percent owned on Yahoo. I've yet to go 5-for-5 this season, instead settling for two or three hits and two or three misses most weeks. It does seem like the top recommendations tend to work out, and it also seems like we've identified at least one blow-up performance every week.
Last week's success stories just happened to be the three highest-scoring team defenses, with the Chargers (19 points), Patriots (17) and Panthers (17) pacing the league in Week 12. The bad news is that my top recommendation, Cincinnati, finished tied for 19th with only five points. My final recommendation, Atlanta, fared even worse with only two points.
With playoff berths now on the line, I'm glad to have the Chargers defense on my roster in the one league where I'm still clawing for a spot, as a home matchup with the Browns gives Joey Bosa and Co. a good shot to produce double-digit fantasy points for a fourth straight game. There's a big drop off if you can't get your hands on the Chargers, so don't be afraid to risk waiver position or a few FAAB dollars.
On that note, our list only goes four deep this week, as the candidates for that No. 5 spot (Green Bay, San Francisco, Detroit) are all pretty lousy options. You shouldn't have any trouble securing one of the four teams listed, given that all of them are less than 45 percent owned and two are even below 25 percent (as of Tuesday morning).
Note: These recommendations are limited to D/ST units with under 60 percent ownership on Yahoo! as of Tuesday morning. All references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo! standard scoring.
Top Streaming Options for Week 13
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Cleveland Browns)
37% Yahoo ownership
The Browns actually looked semi-competent in Cincinnati on Sunday, and yet they've still allowed the most fantasy points to team defenses. Sunday's 30-16 loss marked the first time all season that Cleveland held an opposing defense to fewer than six points, and it was just the second instance with fewer than eight. Even with Corey Coleman and Josh Gordon back in the lineup, the Browns are stuck with the same old problem of lousy quarterback play. Cleveland has the lowest implied total (14.5) of the week and is also the biggest underdog (+13.5).
The other half of that equation is a Los Angeles defense that's overcome a slow start to the season and emerged as a top-10 unit, possibly even top five. The Chargers have recorded double-digit fantasy points in five of seven games since starting the year with an 0-4 record, averaging an incredible 14.4 over that stretch to fall right in the same league as Jacksonville and Baltimore. Led by a fearsome pass rush and standout cornerback Casey Hayward, the Chargers have been good enough that I'll consider starting them again in a Week 14 home game against the Redskins. At this point, it won't come as any kind of surprise if the Chargers run the table to finish 10-6 with an AFC West crown. Even if they do start "Chargering" and pull some kind of epic collapse, it probably won't happen this week.
Tennessee Titans (vs. Houston Texans)
24% Yahoo ownership
Tom Savage is pretty good at force-feeding DeAndre Hopkins but completely falls apart whenever he has to look elsewhere. Monday's 23-16 loss to the Ravens was a perfect example, with Hopkins' 125-yard effort going to waste when Savage committed a pair of brutal turnovers in the final five minutes of the game. Completely devoid of pocket presence, Savage has already lost seven fumbles, thrown five picks and taken 15 sacks, despite attempting only 162 passes in six games (five starts). It's pretty incredible that he leads the league in lost fumbles, with only Matthew Stafford (six) even falling in the same range.
While nothing special in its own right, the Tennessee defense has frequently been featured in this space the past couple months, courtesy of a favorable schedule. While yet to enjoy a true blow-up outing in fantasy terms, the Titans are coming off an eight-sack performance against the Colts just in time to face the aforementioned Savage, a statue who can't hold on to the ball. With Deshaun Watson (knee) no longer in the picture, it's safe to say this won't be a repeat of Houston's 57-14 beatdown of the Titans back in Week 4. The linemakers clearly agree, listing the Texans as 7.5-point underdogs with an implied total of 17.25. Tennessee may also be a low-end streaming option the next two weeks for road games in Arizona and then San Francisco.
New Orleans Saints (vs. Carolina Panthers)
42% Yahoo ownership
The Panthers rank middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed (17th most) to team defenses, but given the current assortment of weapons as well as Cam Newton's inconsistent play, I'd actually argue that the Carolina offense is comfortably sub-par and has been lucky to benefit from the help of a solid defense that allows Newton and Co. to play it safe for the most part. Newton essentially fell to pieces in the team's three losses this season, throwing eight interceptions and taking 11 sacks. The most memorable of those outings featured a duo of pick-sixes Week 7 in Chicago, and one of the others came in Week 3 when the Saints started their run of elite play with a 34-13 road win over the Panthers while sacking Newton four times and picking him off thrice.
The Saints subsequently have proven that performance wasn't a fluke, though their defense has fallen off the past couple weeks while dealing with some key injuries. My willingness to use the Saints this weekend will depend on the health of starting cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore (ankle) and Ken Crawley (abdomen). Both missed Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Rams, but there's a good chance the Saints get at least one of them back for a crucial NFC South matchup. This would only be a one-week acquisition, as the New Orleans defense won't be a playable option when it heads to Atlanta in Week 14.
Chicago Bears (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
18% Yahoo ownership
I'd have the Bears ranked a bit higher if C.J. Beathard (leg) were healthy, given that four of his five starts resulted in ugly performances by the San Francisco offense. As is, Jimmy Garoppolo figures to make his first 49ers start in his hometown, and while he's probably an upgrade on Beathard, the weapons aren't magically going to improve. This is an offense so desperate for playmakers that it has Carlos Hyde on pace for 71 catches despite his hideous mark of 4.1 yards per target. With Hyde getting so many targets and Marquise Goodwin miscast as a No. 1 receiver, it's actually surprising that seven teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing defenses. The Niners have an implied total of 18 and are 3.5-point underdogs to a Bears team that's only been a favorite one other time this season.
The Bears partially have been weekly underdogs due to their own struggles, but the other part of the equation is a schedule that's been absolutely brutal. The Chicago defense quietly has held its own against a monstrous slate, turning in double-digit fantasy performances against the Steelers, Ravens and Panthers, along with at least five points against the Vikings, Saints, Lions and Eagles. The Bears actually are slightly above average in most opponent-adjusted defensive metrics, including Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA. The recent performance has been a bit lacking as injuries have increasingly taken a toll, but Sunday's matchup should provide a respite. Looking further down the line, Chicago plays host to Cleveland during fantasy championship week, perhaps justifying a roster stash if you can afford to use two spots on defenses when the Bears travel to Cincinnati and Detroit in Weeks 14 and 15, respectively.
Honorable Mentions: Green Bay Packers (vs. TB), San Francisco 49ers (at CHI), Detroit Lions (at BAL)
Week 13 D/ST Rankings
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
2. Los Angeles Chargers (vs. CLE)
3. Baltimore Ravens (vs. DET)
4. Los Angeles Rams (at ARI)
5. Tennessee Titans (vs. HOU)
6. New England Patriots (at BUF)
7. New Orleans Saints (vs. CAR)
8. Chicago Bears (vs. SF)
9. Denver Broncos (at MIA)
10. Green Bay Packers (vs. TB)
11. Philadelphia Eagles (at SEA)
12. Detroit Lions (at BAL)
13. San Francisco 49ers (at CHI)
14. Kansas City Chiefs (at NYJ)
15.Arizona Cardinals (vs. LAR)
16. Seattle Seahawks (vs. PHI)
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (at CIN)
18. Cincinnati Bengals (vs. PIT)
19. Miami Dolphins (vs. DEN)
20. Oakland Raiders (vs. NYG)
21. New York Jets (vs. KC)
22. Minnesota Vikings (at ATL)
23. Washington Redskins (at DAL)
24. Dallas Cowboys (vs. WAS)
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at GB)
26. Houston Texans (at TEN)
27. Atlanta Falcons (vs. MIN)
28. New York Giants (at OAK)
29. Indianapolis Colts (at JAC)
30. Carolina Panthers (at NO)
31. Buffalo Bills (vs. NE)
32. Cleveland Browns (at LAC)
Looking Ahead to Week 14
The Packers travel to Cleveland.
The Bengals play host to Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears.
The Bills welcome the Colts to Buffalo for a potential bad-weather game.
The Texans host the 49ers.
