While it’s not quite Week 15, it’s never a bad thing to prepare your defense. Regardless of whether you are aiming for the playoffs or looking to ruin a friend’s day, it’s important to have the best weapons in place. Let’s take a look at the defensive rankings ahead of Week 15, as per projections via fantasy.nfl.com:
Week 15 Defense Rankings
- Kansas City Chiefs (@ Browns) – 6.52
- Baltimore Ravens (@ Giants) – 6.49
- Denver Broncos (vs. Colts) – 6.44
- Cincinnati Bengals (@ Titans) – 6.32
- Minnesota Vikings (vs. Chicago) – 6.25
- Arizona Cardinals (vs. Patriots) – 6.17
- Atlanta Falcons (@ Raiders) – 6.13
- Washington Commanders (@ Saints) – 5.94
- New York Jets (@ Jaguars) – 5.94
- Dallas Cowboys (@ Panthers) – 5.80
- Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Steelers) – 5.80
- San Francisco 49ers (vs. Rams) – 5.76
- Chicago Bears (@ Vikings) – 5.74
- Carolina Panthers (vs. Cowboys) – 5.72
- Seattle Seahawks (vs. Packers) – 5.65
- Green Bay Packers (@ Seahawks) – 5.62
- Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Buccaneers) – 5.61
- Pittsburgh Steelers (@ Eagles) – 5.50
- Houston Texans (vs. Dolphins) – 5.48
- Miami Dolphins (@ Texans) – 5.46
- Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Jets) – 5.36
- Indianapolis Colts (@ Broncos) – 5.35
- Los Angeles Rams (@ 49ers) – 5.34
- Buffalo Bills (@ Lions) – 5.32
- Tennessee Titans (vs. Bengals) – 5.32
- Detroit Lions (vs. Bills) – 5.29
- New Orleans Saints (vs. Commanders) – 5.13
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ Chargers) – 5.04
- New England Patriots (@ Cardinals) – 5.03
- Cleveland Browns (vs. Chiefs) – 4.95
- Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Falcons) – 4.91
- New York Giants (vs. Ravens) – 4.45
3 Week 15 Defense Streamers
Given that fantasy’s best-performing defenses on this list are likely taken, let’s take a look at some you might be able to target on waivers.
#1, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Patriots) – 35.7% rostered
The New England Patriots offense has been a regular target for fantasy managers streaming defenses in 2204. The Patriots have been struggling to score TDs all season, and while they are an improved offense under Drake Maye, the Cardinals could be in for a good day.
Arizona’s D took a bit of a bruising against Seattle in what was a bad day at the office but will look to rebound against a Patriots team that has scored the second-fewest points in the NFL this season (221 [17 per game]).
The Cardinals have 6 INTs and 7 fumble recoveries this season, and you’d think they might be able to get a turnover against a Patriots team that has allowed 43 sacks this season.
#2, Atlanta Falcons (@ Raiders) – 5.4% rostered
The Atlanta Falcons are sliding of late and are on a four-game losing streak. Their NFC South and postseason hopes are now in jeopardy, and they will aim to right the ship against a Raiders team that has lost 9 games on the bounce.
Expect the Falcons to take this one seriously, and while they may play down to Las Vegas, the Raiders are just not scoring a lot of points and haven’t broken 20 since early November. QB Aidan O’Connell has thrown for 899 yards, 4 TDs and 3 INTs in 6 games (2 fumbles), while the team’s rushing struggles have been well-documented.
Given O’Connell left the game on Sunday with a possible concussion, his status is up in the air and his replacement, Desmond Ridder, has not yet shown he can be an NFL-starting QB (15 TD, 12 INTs in 23 games).
#3, Washington Commanders (@ Saints) – 17.0% rostered
The Washington Commanders could benefit from an injury to Saints QB Derek Carr, with the suggestion being that he may have fractured his non-throwing hand. The nature of the injury and whether he will start for New Orleans in Week 15 are both uncertain at this point, but regardless, the Commanders D could be in for a big game.
If Carr can play, he will likely be in a lot of discomfort, which will affect his game significantly. If he can’t, Spencer Rattler will take over QB duties and he looked very wobbly in his 3 starts this season. Rattler threw for 571 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs, fumbling the ball 3 times, which bodes well for Washington.
If not Rattler, Jake Haener could start, and he has completed 14 of 29 career pass attempts for 177 yards and 1 TD at a 48.3% pass completion percentage.