Many fantasy football owners weren't happy with their starting D/ST heading into last week's games, and while there were some solid performances, not all were by widely started units (Jets, Raiders, Dolphins, Titans). Our Week 11 fantasy defense rankings have a similar profile, with only a handful of "obvious starts", some weak waiver wire streamers, and more potential busts than sleepers.
We'll start with the positive: The Jets and Redskins play each other. Both feature turnover-prone offenses, and both D/STs are widely available. We were high on the Jets heading into last week's matchup with the Giants, but they're owned in just 22 percent of Yahoo leagues, so you can hope lightning strikes twice. This matchup is on the road, but it's against a similar turnover-prone rookie QB.
WEEK 11 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker
The Raiders also look like a nice, albeit risky, sleeper this week against rookie Ryan Finley and the Bengals. Oakland has posted back-to-back multi-takeaway games and seems to be playing better at home, so there's legitimate upside there.
WEEK 11 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
That's where the streamers end (unless you want to take a shot on the Dolphins against the Bills). Unfortunately, the potential busts include the Ravens (vs. Texans), Eagles (vs. Patriots), and Broncos (@ Vikings). The Bears (@ Rams) and Panthers (vs. Falcons) aren't in great spots either. Throw in borderline starting units on bye (Packers, Titans, and Seahawks) -- plus a stream-against offense on bye (Giants) -- and you have another down week. Injuries might free up more sleepers, though. If Matthew Stafford (back, hip) and Jacoby Brissett (knee) are once again out, the Cowboys and Jaguars look a lot better.
WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Of course, as we saw last week, surprise performances can happen from anyone, and no matter what, your defense will always have a chance at a random pick-six or scoop-and-score. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
MORE WEEK 11:
Waiver wire | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts | Fantasy playoff SOS
Reminder: These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for updates and analysis!
MORE WEEK 11 DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder
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Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defense
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers @ Browns. If you haven't been paying attention, the Steelers are the new Patriots. Over the past four games, Pittsburgh has 14 sacks, 14 takeaways and four D/ST touchdowns. Going back even further, Pittsburgh has multiple takeaways in every game starting in Week 2, posting six games of at least four sacks in that span (eight total games). Pittsburgh is an easy call at No. 1 against turnover-prone/sack-prone Cleveland on Thursday night, and the good times should keep rolling with the Bengals, Browns again, Cardinals, Bills, and Jets on tap through Week 16. |
| 2 | Buffalo Bills @ Dolphins. The Dolphins probably deserve more respect, but we saw multiple turnovers and three sacks allowed last week, so the floor for any defense playing them is still pretty high. Buffalo has disappointed in the takeaway department lately, but with consistent QB pressure and the ability to keep scores low, this is a solid spot for the Bills to regain their early-season form. |
| 3 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Cardinals. The 49ers mustered three sacks and no takeaways while allowing 25 points to the Cardinals in Week 9, but that game was in Arizona. The 49ers have been one of the top fantasy defenses all year, so getting a rookie QB in San Francisco should yield a good fantasy day. Arizona turned it over (twice) for the first time since Week 4 last week, and the Cardinals are always good for a few sacks allowed. |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings vs. Broncos. Minnesota is a fairly consistent high-floor D/ST, but with zero touchdowns and a steady stream of unfavorable matchups, we haven't seen many huge games from the Vikings this year. Minnesota exploited its last matchup like this, limiting the Redskins to nine points while recording four sacks and two takeaways in Week 8. Brandon Allen held his own against Cleveland in his starting debut in Week 9, taking three sacks and throwing no INTs, but Minnesota has a much tougher defense. Getting the Broncos in a noisy dome should also help the Vkings rack up fantasy points. |
| 5 | New Orleans Saints @ Buccaneers. Jameis Winston and the Bucs are back to turning the ball over (15 giveaways over the past four games), and the Saints are generally a steady source of sacks, racking up six when these teams faced off in Week 5. Even the road, the Saints have a lot of upside here, so expect a solid showing. |
| 6 | New England Patriots @ Eagles. The Patriots faced a "real" offense in Week 9 and were finally held in check, as they managed just one sack and two fumble recoveries while allowing 31 offensive points. The Eagles aren't quite as dominant on offense as the Ravens, but they're still a mostly neutral matchup. New England will still get sacks (Philly has allowed 10 the past three games) and a few takeaways and likely turn in a performance similar to what Minnesota did against the Eagles in Week 6 (two sacks, three takeaways, 20 points allowed). Obviously, the upside is there for even more, so continue to start the Pats with confidence. |
| 7 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Bears. The Rams might be disappointing on offense, but the defense is still putting up fantasy points. Over the past three games (Falcons, Bengals, Steelers), the Rams have allowed 31 total points and recorded 13 sacks, five takeaways, and two defensive TDs. In that same span, the Bears have allowed 12 sacks and turned it over three times while averaging 16.7 points per game. This is a mostly positive home matchup for the Rams, who should provide a high floor this week. |
| 8 | New York Jets @ Redskins. Dwayne Haskins' starting debut in Week 9 wasn't a disaster (four sacks, no turnovers), but for the third straight game, Washington scored fewer than 10 points. Defenses facing the Redskins have a high floor because of the sacks allowed and lack of points, and the Jets have shown a knack for big plays with four D/ST touchdowns this season. Given Haskins' INT issues earlier in the season, this looks like a great spot for the Jets. |
| 9 | Washington Redskins vs. Jets. Congratulations to Sam Darnold and the Jets -- you didn't turn the ball over last week. It was the first time all season the Jets didn't have a giveaway, and it scored a season-high 28 offensive points. That was against the Giants, though, and while the Redskins haven't been great on defense, it's mostly taken advantage of favorable matchups this year. Against the Giants in Week 4, the Redskins had four takeaways, and against the Bills in Week 6, Washington recorded five sacks and two takeaways. With a week off and a favorable home matchup, the Redskins are a high-upside sleeper. |
| 10 | Oakland Raiders vs. Bengals. Ryan Finley only threw one INT in his starting debut last week, but as a whole, the Bengals managed just 13 points, turned it over three times, and allowed two defensive TDs. The Raiders finally returned home in Week 9 after a six-week "road" trip, and in the two games since, they've posted seven sacks, five takeaways, and a defensive touchdown. Clearly, they're playing better, and a third straight home game should help them post starter-worthy numbers in Finley's first road start. |
| 11 | Dallas Cowboys @ Lions. The Cowboys D/ST turned in two solid performances prior to last week's dud (eight sacks, seven takeaways), so there's plenty of upside here with Jeff Driskel starting for the Lions. |
| 12 | Carolina Panthers vs. Falcons. The Panthers remain one of the top pass-rushing teams in the league, and the Falcons have varied between tough-to-stop high-scoring offense and turnover-prone, low-scoring mess (three times with 12 or fewer offensive points, four times with three turnovers). WIth this game outdoors in November and both Devonta Freeman (foot) and Austin Hooper (knee) likely out, Carolina should post decent numbers. |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns vs. Steelers. Mason Rudolph wasn't a complete disaster in terms of sacks and turnovers earlier in the year, but things have gotten worse over the past two games. Rudolph has taken four sacks and the Steelers have turned it over four times while allowing two safeties and a defensive touchdown. The Browns have been a big disappointment this season, but in a home Thursday matchup, they should have some extra juice and provide a decent amount of fantasy points. |
| 14 | Chicago Bears @ Rams. The Rams offense isn't the same as last year, but after a rough start to the year in terms of fantasy points allowed D/STs, they seemed to right the ship -- until running into Pittsburgh last week. The Bears are closer to the Steelers than the Bengals and Falcons (L.A.'s previous two opponents)...but not by much. Since the start of Week 5 (five games), Chicago has eight total sacks and four takeaways, and is allowing 22 offensive points per game. This isn't even close to the same defense as last year, and their name value can only carry them so far, especially on the road. If there were more decent options this week, Chicago would be about four-to-five spots lower, but it's still on the start-sit bubble because of big-play upside. |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts vs. Jaguars. The Colts have multiple takeaways and at least three sacks in three of the past four games, so their floor is being raised. The Jaguars will be welcoming back Nick Foles (shoulder), which could easily go poorly just as much as it could go well. Either way, we know the Jags will allow some sacks (at least two allowed in each of the past six games), and the Colts have a decent amount of upside. |
| 16 | Jacksonville Jaguars @ Colts. Jacksonville eploited favorable matchups against the Bengals and Jets in Weeks 7 and 8 (10 sacks, seven takeaways, 32 total points allowed), then took a step back against Houston in Week 9 (one sack, one takeaway). If Jacoby Brissett (knee) plays, this matchup is somewhere in between, giving Jacksonville a moderate amount of value. If Brian Hoyer is forced to start again, this matchup is closer to the first two, which makes the Jags a must-start. |
| 17 | Baltimore Ravens vs. Texans |
| 18 | Miami Dolphins vs. Bills |
| 19 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chargers (in Mexico) |
| 20 | Arizona Cardinals @ 49ers |
| 21 | Los Angeles Chargers vs. Chiefs (in Mexico) |
| 22 | Denver Broncos @ Vikings |
| 23 | Atlanta Falcons @ Panthers |
| 24 | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Patriots |
| 25 | Houston Texans @ Ravens |
| 26 | Detroit Lions vs. Cowboys |
| 27 | Cincinnati Bengals @ Raiders |
| 28 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Saints |
