The wait is almost over. The mock drafts and preseason research feels like years ago now, and we’re finally approaching the fantasy postseason. If you’re reading this, it likely means you are prepping for your fantasy matchup, so congratulations for making it this far.
Once you’ve reached this stage, it’s easy to focus on optimizing your RB, WR, or FLEX spots and forget about the ever-important defenses. Last year, there were eight D/STs that put up over ten points per game from Weeks 15 to 17, and being able to identify those high-performing defenses early on can be the difference between an early exit and a fantasy championship.
READ: FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 14 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
A lot of factors come into play this time of year — injuries, matchups, past performance, and overall team motivation all come to mind. Luckily, we’ve compiled all of this information together to find the best D/ST targets for the fantasy postseason. We’ll start with a few defenses that you may want to avoid or replace, followed by some no-brainer options that you should absolutely hold onto if you have them. Finally, we’ll look at the <50% rostered (via Sleeper) options that are widely available and could be the pieces you look back on in a few weeks and thank for your fantasy glory.
That said, let’s take a look at the best 2024 fantasy football playoffs defense (D/ST) stashes as we head into Week 14.
DEFENSES (D/ST) TO AVOID IN THE 2024 FANTASY POSTSEASON
DETROIT LIONS (81% ROSTERED ON SLEEEPER)
The Lions are seemingly everyone’s favorite team this year as they’ve torn through their schedule to this point to the tune of an 11-1 start. While their offensive firepower has propelled them to the league’s number one scoring offense, their defense has been equally impressive, ranking third among defenses in points per game and seventh in fantasy scoring as of today. But despite all of this, I’m not riding them into the fantasy postseason.
Looking at matchups, Detroit will face Green Bay, Buffalo, Chicago, and San Francisco from Weeks 14 to 17. The first two matchups obviously jump out as negatives, as the Packers and Bills are both in the top five of the league in terms of limiting opponent D/ST scoring, but Chicago and the 49ers aren’t too far down that list, either. The Bears give up a lot of sacks but don’t turn the ball over a ton, and the 49ers are heavy on turnovers but don’t give up many sacks. Detroit, meanwhile, has just 30 sacks on the year (T-16th) and are very inconsistent in how they get them — over their past six games, they have had four or more sacks twice, and one or fewer sacks four times.
Detroit could also lock up their final playoff position relatively early, leaving little to play for in the final weeks of the year.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (66%)
The 49ers are still in the NFC Playoff Picture, which helps their standing here, but they’ve been decimated by injuries and are currently in last place in the NFC West at 5-7. Brandon Aiyuk is out for the year, and it seems like Christian McCaffrey may have suffered a similar fate in Week 13. And to make matters worse for San Francisco, they have a tough road ahead if they want to sneak into the playoffs.
The 49ers will face the Bears in Week 14 followed by the Rams, Dolphins, and Lions. Their three postseason opponents have all allowed less than five points per game to defenses over the past four weeks — the Rams’ and Dolphins’ season-long numbers aren’t as strong, but they’ve both gotten healthier and looked better offensively as the season has progressed. San Francisco is hoping the Lions don’t have much need to win in Week 17, but even Detroit’s B Team could give the 49ers 17th-ranked fantasy defense trouble.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (83%)
The Steelers are 9-3, and as is often the case when Pittsburgh teams are good, their defense is a huge part of it. They’re the second-ranked fantasy-scoring D/ST on the season and have scored almost 13 points per game over their last three, tearing through some recent divisional opponents. I also love to key in on late-season AFC North games that promise to be high-scoring, so I wasn’t expecting to be avoiding the Steelers, but here we are.
Pittsburgh is on its way to a postseason appearance, but the path there will be tough on its defense. After facing the Browns in Week 14, it will face the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs in the fantasy playoffs. As talented as they are, I’m not banking on them to win me a title with that stretch of games on the horizon.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (5%)
I know this is a waste of time, as most of you aren’t going to look to New England to anchor your fantasy roster at the D/ST spot, but I had to make sure I included them just to be sure. The Patriots have a bye in Week 14 before a brutal run of the Cardinals, Bills, and Chargers in the fantasy postseason. They’ve showed a bit of promise in recent weeks, but don’t go anywhere near them.
NO-BRAINER D/ST TARGETS FOR THE 2024 FANTASY PLAYOFFS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (89%)
If you have Minnesota’s defense on your roster, you’ve likely had them for most of the season to this point, as they’ve been the No. 1 scoring defense for essentially the entire year. If you don’t have them, check your league’s waiver wire, as they’re somehow still available in 11% of leagues despite their top-scoring ranking and a recent string of favorable matchups.
Unfortunately for Vikings owners, those matchups will get a bit more difficult moving forward. After Atlanta in Week 14, the Vikings will play divisional matchups at home against Chicago and Green Bay, with a trip to Seattle in the middle for good measure. Despite these tougher matchups, I still feel good about riding the Vikings into the postseason.
For starters, they’re chasing the 11-1 Lions in the NFC North and have the 9-3 Packers hot on their tail, so the Vikings won’t be doing any resting of starters or taking of their foot off the gas any time soon. They’re fourth in the league with 39 sacks to this point in the year, led by Jonathan Greenard with ten, while both Chicago and Seattle are in the top seven in sacks allowed.
They’re also tied for second with 24 turnovers forced this season, including a league-high 18 interceptions (Byron Murphy Jr. is tied for third with five of them), while two of their three postseason opponents (Green Bay and Seattle) have thrown 11 or more picks.
This section is called the No-Brainers for a reason — they’re the number one scoring D/ST in the league and have every motivation to continue dominating teams as they fight for their playoff seeding. If Minnesota is available, go get them.
BUFFALO BILLS (55%)
This is a tough one, because the Bills will start the fantasy playoffs with a potential Super Bowl preview against the Lions. That game could’ve had more potential for them at home, but in Detroit in a dome environment, I’m not feeling particularly optimistic about either defense’s chances that day.
However, once Week 15 has passed, the Bills end the fantasy postseason hosting the Patriots and Jets. It’s possible they may not have too much to play for in these games, especially Week 17, but the same is true for the offenses they’re facing, who are so far removed from playoff contention they don’t even know what it looks like.
The Bills are tied for second in the league with 24 takeaways, including 13 interceptions, while the Patriots and Jets have combined for 17 interceptions and 30 total turnovers on the year.
Buffalo has the fourth-ranked fantasy-scoring defense this year, and even if they start resting key players early to gear up for the playoffs, they’ll have no problem stifling two of the worst offenses in football. Buffalo hasn’t faced the Patriots yet this year and put up just seven points in their first game against the Jets, but especially with both games at home and the potential for inclement weather, they should handle both offenses easily and put up some solid fantasy production in the process.
GREEN BAY PACKERS (40%)
Currently the sixth-ranked fantasy D/ST in 2024, the Packers were slowing down heading into a Week 10 bye but have returned to prominence in recent weeks, putting up over ten points per game over their last three. Xavier McKinney is tied for the league lead with seven of the team’s eleven interceptions, and they’re tied for 12th with 32 sacks on the season.
The Packers won’t have any issues with motivation over the final weeks of the season, as they’re 9-3 but sitting in third place in the ultra-competitive NFC North. After what should be a tough matchup with Detroit in Week 14, they’ll face Seattle, New Orleans, and Minnesota in the fantasy playoffs.
Despite being on the road for their Week 15 matchup with the Seahawks, it may be the matchup I’m most excited about. Seattle has won some games recently but is trending the wrong way offensively, giving up a league-high 12.7 points per game to opposing fantasy defenses over the past four weeks. Their 19 turnovers is tied for fifth-most in the league, and their 40 sacks allowed is tied for the seventh-most.
After Seattle, the Packers will host a Saints team that is 4-8 and has struggled with injuries on offense all year long. At this point, if you can contain Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill for extended periods of time and mix in a few turnovers, you’ll be just fine. They’ll then face Minnesota who, despite their record, has given up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this year.
FANTASY FOOTBALL PLAYOFF DEFENSE STREAMERS (DST)
ARIZONA CARDINALS (16%)
The Cardinals have the 12th-ranked fantasy scoring defense in the league this year. They’re tied for ninth with 34 sacks on the season and tied for 17th with 13 turnovers. Arizona has been on an absolute tear since Week 9, averaging almost 12 points per game in four games over that stretch, and it appears that they’re getting hot at exactly the right time.
Arizona was in first place in the NFC West until recently, and they’re still just a game back of Seattle for the division. They’ll have plenty to play for in the final weeks of the season, and judging by the matchups coming up for them, they should be in a great spot to make a final push for the playoffs.
After a Week 14 home game against Seattle, who they put up 12 points on two weeks ago, the Cardinals kick off the fantasy playoffs with a home game against New England, who have given up the sixth-most points to opposing fantasy defenses this year. A team that’s top ten in sacks against the embarrassing collection of guys that the Patriots refer to as an “offensive line” should be a huge mismatch and lead to an easy double-digit day in Week 15.
In Week 16, the Cards travel east to play the Panthers in Charlotte. Bryce Young is clearly faring much better in his second stint as an NFL starter than his first, but he’s still quarterbacking a very flawed team. Carolina, if anything, is more incentivized to lose this game, while Arizona will continue to fight for its postseason life.
And finally, the Cardinals will stay on the road in Week 17 to face the Rams. Los Angeles has improved in the back half of the season as they’ve gotten healthier, and they’ll be fighting for likely the same postseason spot that Arizona is eyeing, but I like the Cards in this matchup as well. Arizona put up 12 points against the Rams in their first matchup in Week 2, which was a 41-10 beatdown in which the Rams rushed for only 53 yards all day.
If you are less optimistic and want to jump ship on Arizona after Week 16, there are some great options out there for Week 17 that have better matchups, like the Eagles (home vs. Dallas), the Chargers (at New England), or the Colts (at the Giants).
CINCINNATI BENGALS (11%)
Despite being the 29th-ranked fantasy scoring defense for the year, Cincinnati has me really excited heading into the fantasy playoffs. When you look at their recent performances, an obvious trend emerges: they have good games against bad offenses, and bad games against good ones.
The Bengals are as matchup-based as it comes, and if they do make a miracle playoff run or even get close, it’s clear they will have their late-season matchups to thank.
They’re a great Week 14 streaming option already with a matchup against Dallas, who’ve given up the seventh-most points to opposing D/STs this season and the second-most over the last four weeks. But it gets better from there, with the Titans and Browns in Weeks 15 and 16. All told, they’ll play the number one, four, and seven teams in points allowed to fantasy defenses over the next three weeks.
Cincinnati unfortunately falls short of a perfect four-game run with a tough game against Denver looming in Week 17, but they’ll be at home, and Denver could be locked into a playoff spot by then, so who knows what it will look like. If we get to that point and you don’t feel good about it, we’ve already thrown out some good Week 17 options like the Eagles, Chargers, or Colts.
My only wish (aside from an easier Week 17) is that Cincinnati had more to play for, as they have a slim chance of sniffing the postseason this year after a 4-8 start, but hopefully they play out the season strong for our sake.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2%)
I’ll admit, this one is at the end for a reason. Jacksonville is ahead of only Carolina and Las Vegas in fantasy scoring among D/STs, putting up just four points per game. They’re tied for 30th in turnovers forced with eight, they’re 28th in sacks with 23, and they’ve given up the most total yards and passing yards in the league. Hitching your wagon to them for the fantasy postseason feels like an insane move, and it probably is, but I couldn’t ignore these matchups.
From Weeks 14 to 17, the Jaguars will face off against the 26th, 27th, and 28th-ranked scoring offenses in the league in Tennessee twice, Las Vegas, and the Jets. It destroys me that a good defense couldn’t have been blessed with this stretch of matchups, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
However, given the matchups they have remaining, I couldn’t overlook the Jags despite their many flaws. In Weeks 14 and 17, they draw a Titans team who has been the wire-to-wire leader in points allowed to defenses this season, giving up 52 points over the first three weeks and never looking back. Between those games, they’ll have the Raiders, also in the top three in PA to defenses, and the Jets, who have moved down in those rankings recently but still have well-documented flaws in their offense.
I can’t say whether or not I’ll be starting the Jags in any playoff matchups this year, but I can say I’ll be considering them, and you might want to, too.
