We're beyond the halfway point of the season. By now, the reliable defenses are pretty well established. The usual top-five defenses are consistently in the top five regardless of matchup. For instance, we know the Broncos are typically the best fantasy defense week in and week out. Sure, the Broncos D/ST fell short for fantasy owners against the Indianapolis Colts -- a matchup that should have paid out huge for fantasy owners. It happens. It won't keep us from ranking them among the top teams this week. I've already spent too much time defending them. We know what defenses are more than just streaming options. They're worth keeping and starting weekly. As we get beyond the top-10 defenses, it's where the real questions begin.
Fantasy football rankings 2015: Defense/special teams, Week 10
Here are our consensus Week 10 defense/special teams rankings.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to be a weekly "maybe" option for anyone in need. They'll face a Dallas Cowboys team led by Matt Cassel. Dallas is rewarding fantasy defenses most weeks, and Tampa Bay is worth plugging in if you're in need. The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be one of the better streaming options out there, but their availability in most leagues seems to narrow each week. They have a great matchup against the Cleveland Browns. If it weren't for the question mark at quarterback in Pittsburgh, the Steelers would be a borderline must-start option.
As usual, we’ve put together our rankings for the week and average them out. Here are our Week 10 rankings.
Defense/Special teams, Week 10
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska. Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Diego and San Francisco are on bye.)
| Rk | Consensus | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | JD | SK |
| 1 | Denver Broncos | KC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | St. Louis Rams | CHI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Carolina Panthers | @TEN | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | HOU | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | MIA | 8 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers | DET | 14 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | Seattle Seahawks | ARI | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 10 |
| 8 | New York Jets | BUF | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| 9 | New England Patriots | @NYG | 5 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 13 |
| 10 | Arizona Cardinals | @SEA | 4 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 14 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | CLE | 12 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
| 12 | Buffalo Bills | @NYJ | 23 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 9 |
| 13 | Minnesota Vikings | @OAK | 16 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 16 |
| 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DAL | 13 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 |
| 15 | Kansas City Chiefs | @DEN | 10 | 21 | 12 | 16 | 21 |
| 16 | Dallas Cowboys | @TB | 19 | 12 | -- | 14 | 12 |
| 17 | Miami Dolphins | @PHI | 11 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
| 18 | Baltimore Ravens | JAC | 18 | 18 | 22 | 18 | 11 |
| 19 | Oakland Raiders | MIN | -- | 13 | 23 | 15 | 15 |
| 20 | Cleveland Browns | @PIT | 17 | 19 | 16 | 22 | 20 |
| 21 | Jacksonville Jaguars | @BAL | 20 | 23 | 17 | 21 | 24 |
| 22 | Tennessee Titans | CAR | 15 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 19 |
| 23 | New Orleans Saints | @WAS | 24 | 20 | 24 | 20 | 22 |
| 24 | Chicago Bears | @STL | 25 | 22 | 18 | 24 | 23 |
| 25 | Houston Texans | @CIN | 22 | 25 | 21 | -- | -- |
| -- | Detroit Lions | @GB | -- | -- | 19 | -- | -- |
| -- | New York Giants | NE | 21 | -- | -- | 25 | -- |
| -- | Washington | NO | -- | -- | -- | -- | 25 |
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SB Nation presents: Ndamukong Suh plays nice and the Dolphins get burned
