The curtains closed on many leagues’ fantasy seasons in Week 16. If you’re reading this right now, you’re either still plugging away in the barren wastelands of Week 17 or you simply want one last fix of fantasy speculation before it’s all over. Either way, we’re glad you’re here. It’s our last opportunity to rank what fantasy owners can expect from their defenses and special teams.
Fantasy football rankings 2015: Defense/special teams, Week 17
It’s Week 17. You’re still here? So are we. Here are our consensus D/ST rankings.
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There really should be no surprises with the top-10 teams for the week. Most of them have been a top-10 D/ST all season. The Seattle Seahawks are barely hanging on against the Arizona Cardinals, who are the top scoring team in the NFL this season. The Seahawks' performance against the St. Louis Rams in Week 16 will leave a bad taste in the mouths of fantasy owners. Seattle's fantasy floor may be a bit more reliable than most teams, which keeps them from completely free falling in the rankings. Still, it's worth looking over our higher ranked options for the week.
After Seattle, there are some sleepers worth highlighting. The Indianapolis Colts are the hot topic of the week because the Tennessee Titans have been dreadful offensively. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger will once again lead the Titans, who have turned the ball over seven times through two games. The Titans also will be a D/ST sleeper. They'll be starting quarterback Charlie Whitehurst or Josh Freeman, who the Colts just signed off the street on Monday. The entire game will likely be a mess, which oftentimes leads to some success for either D/ST.
Both the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have been hit-or-miss offensively. Either D/ST is worth a grab. Minnesota is likely more readily available in fantasy leagues. They're worth a grab in deeper leagues. They should be able to keep owners afloat with a handful of points at the very least.
As usual, we’ve compiled rankings from five of our staff members and ranked based on those averages. Thank you for following us through these 17 weeks. See you in 2016!
Defense/Special teams, Week 17
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska)
| Rk | Consensus | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | JD | SK |
| 1 | Denver Broncos | SD | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | OAK | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | BAL | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Carolina Panthers | TB | 12 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | New England Patriots | @MIA | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| 6 | Houston Texans | JAC | 11 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | @CLE | 5 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| 8 | St. Louis Rams | @SF | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
| 9 | Arizona Cardinals | SEA | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks | @ARI | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 11 | Washington | @DAL | 16 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 |
| 12 | New York Jets | @BUF | 9 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | @GB | 21 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 11 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans | @IND | 8 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
| 15 | Buffalo Bills | NYJ | -- | 16 | 15 | 12 | 13 |
| 15 | Green Bay Packers | MIN | 20 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | Detroit Lions | @CHI | 22 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 14 |
| 18 | Indianapolis Colts | TEN | 18 | 20 | 11 | 18 | 17 |
| 19 | San Francisco 49ers | STL | 15 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 20 |
| 20 | Dallas Cowboys | WAS | 17 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 21 |
| 21 | Chicago Bears | DET | -- | 21 | -- | 17 | 18 |
| 22 | Baltimore Ravens | @CIN | 13 | -- | 22 | -- | 22 |
| 23 | Oakland Raiders | @KC | 14 | 25 | 23 | -- | 24 |
| 23 | New York Giants | PHI | 25 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 23 |
| 25 | San Diego Chargers | @DEN | 19 | 24 | -- | 25 | -- |
| 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | @NYG | 24 | 23 | -- | 21 | -- |
| -- | Jacksonville Jaguars | @HOU | 23 | -- | 24 | -- | 25 |
| -- | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | @CAR | -- | -- | -- | 24 | -- |
| -- | Atlanta Falcons | NO | -- | -- | 25 | -- | -- |
