Week 14 is upon us with a hugely difficult set of bye weeks to navigate at a crucial time. If you’re in the playoffs or in the hunt you’ll likely be looking for players and starting the wrong defense could be very costly.
With the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans all on byes, let’s look at the defensive rankings by projections on fantasy.nfl.com:
Week 14 Defense Rankings & Streamers ft.
- Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Panthers) – 8.06
- Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Browns) – 7.81
- New Orleans Saints (@ Giants) – 7.26
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Raiders) – 7.16
- Minnesota Vikings (vs. Falcons) – 7.16
- San Francisco 49ers (vs. Bears) – 7.04
- Tennessee Titans (vs. Jaguars) – 7.01
- Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Titans) – 6.75
- Kansas City Chiefs (@ Chargers) – 6.70
- Arizona Cardinals (vs. Seahawks) – 6.67
- Miami Dolphins (vs. Jets) – 6.67
- Buffalo Bills (@ Rams) – 6.62
- Detroit Lions (vs. Packers) – 6.60
- Seattle Seahawks (@ Cardinals) – 6.60
- Cincinnati Bengals (@Cowboys) – 6.53
- Cleveland Browns (@ Steelers) – 6.39
- New York Giants (vs. Saints) – 6.21
- Chicago Bears (@ 49ers) – 6.09
- Atlanta Falcons (@ Vikings) – 6.08
- Los Angeles Chargers (@ Chiefs) – 5.91
- Green Bay Packers (@ Lions) – 5.65
- Dallas Cowboys (vs. Bengals) – 5.63
- Los Angeles Rams (vs. Bills) – 5.63
- New York Jets (@ Dolphins) – 5.46
- Las Vegas Raiders (@ Buccaneers) – 5.25
- Carolina Panthers (@ Eagles) – 4.85
Given that some of the top defenses above will be taken, let’s look at three potential streamers that could be picked up and plugged in.
Week 14 Defense Streamers
#1, New Orleans Saints (@ Giants) – 16.6% rostered
The New Orleans Saints are the next team in line to face a New York Giants team that is very disappointing on offense. The Giants have regressed in several metrics this year and with Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock or Tim Boyle set to start, there is reason to believe this offense will not put up a lot of points.
In Lock’s first start this season, he was sacked 6 times and threw for 187 yards and an INT, and the Saints D looks set for a good day regardless of who starts under center.
#2, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jaguars) – 1.5% rostered
The Tennessee Titans‘ defense is better than many people appreciate and they face a Jacksonville Jaguars in similar straits in 2024. The Jags’ offense can’t get out of its own way, and they have scored just 13 points across two games.
When a 2-10 team faces a 3-9 division rival, anything can happen but it would not be a surprise to see Trevor Lawrence throw some INTs (or Mac Jones [2 TDs, 3 INTs]) in a game with little more than pride at stake. Lawrence has thrown for 11 TDs and 7 INTs in 10 starts this season, and has fumbled the ball three times.
#3, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Raiders) – 49.7% rostered
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an intriguing matchup against a Raiders team that showed some real steel on Thanksgiving against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, they were facing a bitter division rival and managed to find a way to lose, scoring only 17 points in the process.
The Raiders are not putting up a lot of points in 2024, breaking 20 points just once in November and averaging 18.5 per game across the season. Aidan O’Connell has looked okay with the ball, throwing 4 TDs to 2 INTs and fumbling once, but Las Vegas doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence offensively.
This feels like the kind of game where if the Bucs’ offense gets a two-score lead in the first half, the Raiders might abandon their NFL-worst rushing game. From there, sacks and INTs could start creeping in as the game gets away from the Raiders.