I’m not sure which fantasy football manager has peeved off the NFL scheduling overlords, but we’re officially heading into treacherous bye-week waters with a whopping six teams out of commission. You’ll have to construct your Week 12 lineups without the lines of the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets.
Fantasy football defense rankings: Top D/STs for Week 12, plus three viable streamers
Kate Magdziuk shares her Week 12 defense rankings and highlights several streaming options that could be available in your leagues.
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Though not all of those teams have defenses worth starting in fantasy (outside of the Bills and Jets on occasion), there are a couple of teams who have been suitable matchups to stream against (*ahem* Jaguars), which means we’ll be tasked to improvise.
To help you set your lineups, here are several defense streamers to consider, plus rankings for each D/ST that is in commission for Week 12.
Week 12 defense streamers
Houston Texans D/ST vs. TEN
The Texans defense is coming off its fourth top-four fantasy finish this season (and sixth top-10 finish), taking full advantage of a struggling Dallas Cowboys offense that’s yet to find its footing without starting QB Dak Prescott. This crew notched five total sacks, a pick-six, a fumble recovery and should have had several other interceptions on the day, if it weren’t for some tough dropped would-be picks. Expect them to keep the momentum rolling in Week 12 against the mistake-prone Tennessee Titans offense, which ranks bottom three in scoring drive percentage (27.6%) and EPA per play (-0.169) while ranking top three in offensive turnovers (18). No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing defenses than the Titans this year; in Will Levis we trust.
Washington Commanders D/ST vs. DAL
The Washington Commanders aren’t the greatest defense in the league, but overall, things have been ... better than anticipated (which wasn’t a high bar to clear). Currently standing as the DEF20 on the year, the two spots they’ve been able to post double-digit outings have been predictably bad offenses, including games against the Cleveland Browns (13 points) and Carolina Panthers (16). In those games, the Commanders allowed a combined 20 points and 392 yards of offense, and they could be in a similar spot to produce in Week 12.
This week, they’ll get an intradivisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys — the soup du jour to stream against for fantasy given the current state of despair for the offense. The Cowboys have scored the second-fewest offensive touchdowns in the league (16) this year while tying for a league-high 20 offensive turnovers. In two games with QB Cooper Rush as a starter, the Cowboys have totaled just 16 points, while allowing a combined 39 fantasy points to the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST vs. NYG
To be clear, the Bucs do not have a great defense in real life, though they do have several decent playmakers (S Antoine Winfield Jr., DT Vita Vea, EDGE Yaya Diaby, among others), that talent just hasn’t translated particularly well to the field. But we can save the diagnosis of the Bucs’ defensive woes another time; what really matters here is the opportunity they have facing the New York Giants in Week 12 and what it means for fantasy managers.
The Giants were already yielding the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defense with Daniel Jones under center. Now, they’ll be turning to QB Tommy DeVito (Mr. Cutlets for you degenerates out there) as the starter moving forward. Though it sounds like a net-positive move, the offense wasn’t much better in his six starts in the 2023 season. The offense averaged just 256 yards per game (290.6 with DJ as a starter since 2023) and -9.86 offensive EPA per game to -8.6 offensive EPA per game with Jones as a starter. Things are looking bleak in New York (we don’t even have to be specific about which NY team here), which could provide a solid opportunity for their third double-digit fantasy outing of the season.
Fantasy football: Week 12 defense rankings
| # | Player (team) | Matchup | ECR | vs. ECR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Texans (HOU) | vs. TEN | 4 | +3 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT) | at CLE | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Denver Broncos (DEN) | at LV | 1 | -2 |
| 4 | Washington Commanders (WAS) | vs. DAL | 8 | +4 |
| 5 | Minnesota Vikings (MIN) | at CHI | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Detroit Lions (DET) | at IND | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs (KC) | at CAR | 3 | -4 |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB) | at NYG | 7 | -1 |
| 9 | Miami Dolphins (MIA) | vs. NE | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | Chicago Bears (CHI) | vs. MIN | 10 | 0 |
| 11 | San Francisco 49ers (SF) | at GB | 12 | +1 |
| 12 | Philadelphia Eagles (PHI) | at LAR | 11 | -1 |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns (CLE) | vs. PIT | 13 | 0 |
| 14 | Green Bay Packers (GB) | vs. SF | 15 | +1 |
| 15 | Tennessee Titans (TEN) | at HOU | 16 | +1 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Rams (LAR) | vs. PHI | 23 | +7 |
| 17 | Arizona Cardinals (ARI) | at SEA | 14 | -3 |
| 18 | Los Angeles Chargers (LAC) | vs. BAL | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | New York Giants (NYG) | vs. TB | 17 | -2 |
| 20 | Baltimore Ravens (BAL) | at LAC | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Seattle Seahawks (SEA) | vs. ARI | 19 | -2 |
| 22 | New England Patriots (NE) | at MIA | 21 | -1 |
| 23 | Las Vegas Raiders (LV) | vs. DEN | 24 | +1 |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys (DAL) | at WAS | 22 | -2 |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers (CAR) | vs. KC | 26 | +1 |
| 26 | Indianapolis Colts (IND) | vs. DET | 25 | -1 |
Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.
