Week 10 of the NFL season is slowly fading into the rear view mirror, and it was one of our most informative yet. What did we learn?
The Patriots are for real. The Colts aren’t perfect but Jonathan Taylor just might be. The Steelers and Bills are both beatable and both might’ve blown their seasons by not adding offensive talent at the trade deadline. The Texans are, apparently, never out of a game, and the Lions, Rams, and Seahawks are all forces to be reckoned with in the NFC.
All that, and we still have Monday Night Football in Green Bay!
Last week, we went with the Killer B’s strategy on our picks with the Browns, Bears, and Bucs. Unfortunately, the stingers did not come out, and we didn’t have a lot of great showings from our selections. The Bears led the way with a respectable eight points — much to the chagrin of the roughly 40% of fantasy football Reddit that gave me a hard time for picking them in a cupcake matchup — followed by the Browns with five points and the Bucs with a lowly two.
Cleveland allowed two return TDs to the Jets, while Tampa mustered up just one sack against the team that’d given up the second most sacks through nine weeks. Hard to predict that kind of incompetence, but if my betting picks and personal fantasy results are any indication, I think I’m the problem.
Anyway, looking ahead to Week 11, we’ve got a few duds but also a handful of really solid games on the Sunday slate. In the early window, Buffalo and Tampa Bay both look to avenge Week 10 losses while the Jaguars host the Chargers. Rams vs. Seahawks and Chiefs vs. Broncos in the late window should both be solid, and then we have the Lions in Philly to face the Eagles on Sunday Night Football. Not bad!
While I repeatedly rewatch the video of Trump reading “state your name” and getting booed for his entire speech at the Commanders game, let’s take a look at the best fantasy football Week 11 defense streamers (D/ST) that should be available on the waiver wire.
TEAMS TO AVOID IN WEEK 11
Cleveland Browns (74% rostered): The Browns were one of my streamer selections last week as their ownership was down coming off their bye week and they were facing the Jets. The defense wasn’t awful, but special teams allowing a 99-yard kickoff return TD and a 74-yard punt return TD in the first quarter basically ended any chance at a solid day. Myles Garrett recorded a sack, one of three for Cleveland on the day, and they had an interception as well, but when your special teams unit lets up 14 points in the opening ten minutes of a game, things aren’t going to go well.
I’m now flipping sides to fade the Browns this week, not just because of their poor showing in Week 10, but also their matchup against the surging Ravens. Baltimore has allowed just four total points to opposing defenses over the last two weeks since Lamar Jackson returned to the lineup and they look primed to leap back into the playoff conversation after a three game win streak with the Browns, Jets, and Bengals up next. The Browns follow up this week with the Raiders, 49ers, and Titans, so they’re worth stashing if you can.
Denver Broncos (96% rostered): Denver hasn’t been able to replicate their insane scoring from last season, but they’re still the DST3 heading into Week 11 with double digit outputs in five of ten games in 2025. They have only five interceptions this year, putting them on pace for just half of their 15 from 2024, but their 46 sacks leads the league by an insanely wide margin (the Steelers are in second with 32) and they have the number three scoring defense in football.
I’m still high on the Broncos for the rest of the year, especially with Washington and Vegas on deck after their bye, but I’m not starting them against a Chiefs offense that has looked better every week since Rashee Rice returned from suspension. Patrick Mahomes is playing like an MVP again and the Chiefs know how important this matchup is in their quest for a tenth straight division title. Like Cleveland, Denver is a unit you should absolutely hold onto despite having a bye after this game, but I can’t recommend starting them this week.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 11 DEFENSE STREAMERS (D/ST)
BALTIMORE RAVENS (49% ROSTERED)
Just a few short weeks ago, Baltimore was dead. The odds-on preseason AFC North favorite was 1-5, boasted the last ranked fantasy defense, and looked likely to cede their division title to the Steelers. Now, not only has Pittsburgh lost three of four, but the Ravens are looking like themselves again. Winners of three straight with Lamar Jackson back for the last two, they’ve scored over ten fantasy points per game on defense since their Week 7 bye and are now the favorites in the north once again.
The Ravens still have plenty left to figure out on defense, but they’re trending in the right direction. After eight sacks and three turnovers in their first six games, they’ve had four sacks and six turnovers in their last three, including two picks and a sack against the Vikings in Week 10. With each loss incrementally decreasing their playoff odds more and more, the Ravens know they have to take advantage of this light stretch of their schedule that started with Miami and Minnesota and continues with the Browns, Jets, and Bengals.
The Browns, on the other hand, started slow and haven’t changed a bit in 2025. Sitting at 2-7 heading into this matchup, Cleveland’s only goals for the rest of the season are to keep their franchise players healthy and land a decent draft pick. Dillon Gabriel hasn’t been awful for Cleveland since taking over as the starter and Quinshon Judkins has been solid, albeit inconsistent, but the Browns offense still ranks 31st in total yardage and 29th in both passing and scoring.
Cleveland has given up the second-most points to fantasy defenses in 2025, trailing only the Titans. Their 26 sacks allowed are tied for ninth-most, their eight interceptions put them in a tie for sixth-most, and they’re scoring just over 16 points per game.
Baltimore’s overall numbers against the run aren’t great, but over their three game win streak they’ve kept their opponent’s RB1 under 70 yards all three games and under 50 twice. If they can keep Judkins in check to a similar degree and force Gabriel to try to manufacture offense with his underwhelming group of pass catchers, the Ravens will have everything they need to cruise to a win.
These two teams faced in Week 2 with Baltimore winning 41-17, and while both of these teams are in very different spots than they were in that contest, I’m expecting a similar result. And with Baltimore facing the Jets and Bengals over the next two weeks and primed to go on a run, you can hold onto them for at least a few weeks, if not longer.
ATLANTA FALCONS (10%)
I picked the Falcons in Week 8 when they were two weeks removed from beating the Bills and were about to face Miami on the road. They rewarded me by getting smoked by the Dolphins and finishing with just one sack and zero fantasy points, but after two straight solid weeks and heading into a matchup with Carolina, I am ready to get hurt again.
Since their disappointing result in South Beach, Atlanta has faced two of the best offenses in the AFC with New England followed by the Colts. The Falcons lost both games, but they put up an average of 13 fantasy points per game in the two contests with 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, and four turnovers. They invested two first round picks this year into their linebacker group, and both Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. have begun to look like great picks over the last few weeks. Meanwhile, they’re the number one ranked defense against the pass and are top ten in both sacks and interceptions.
Given their recent performances against two explosive offenses, I’m excited to see what Atlanta can do against a Panthers team that has looked like a contender at times but also just lost 17-7 to the Saints.
While Carolina is 5-5 and still in the NFC playoff picture, they took a huge step back in Week 10 as they failed to follow up an impressive win over the Packers. Bryce Young threw for just 124 yards with an interception, while Rico Dowdle finished the game with less than three yards per carry. Carolina has won more games than most expected coming into the year, but their offense is still a work in progress, ranking 30th in passing and 28th in scoring. Over the course of the season, they’ve allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing defenses with over eight per game.
The only hope for Carolina to spoil this pick will be a huge Rico Dowdle bounce back game. Atlanta clearly struggles against the run as Jonathan Taylor so emphatically pointed out in Berlin this week, and even with a poor showing on Sunday Dowdle is still third in the league in rushing yards. I imagine Atlanta’s primary defensive focus this week will be on shoring up their run defense, so if they’re able to make the necessary adjustments, they should open up opportunities to get pressure on Bryce Young and force Carolina’s young receiving group into mistakes.
Atlanta follows this game up with road matchups against the Saints and Jets, so they’re a solid option throughout almost the whole rest of the fantasy regular season.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (49%)
I did a triple take at the Sleeper fantasy app when I saw Pittsburgh in streamer territory, but here we are. Coming off a five-sack, five-turnover performance against the Colts in Week 9, people just weren’t interested in taking on the Steelers defense as they hit the road to face the Chargers. This turned out to be the right decision as Pittsburgh finished with just five points despite another five sack game, but now you can take advantage as they head into a home matchup with the Bengals.
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I remember what happened the first time these two teams squared off. In Joe Flacco‘s first game with Cincinnati, he threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, taking only two sacks as Pittsburgh finished with one fantasy point on the day. Flacco has continued to look good and now has over 1,000 yards and nine TDs to two interceptions in three games with the Bengals.
Flacco’s last two games have been against teams that are in the bottom half of the league in sacks, while Pittsburgh is second to only Denver in that category and has ten over their last two games. The Bengals offense can only survive off momentum for so long, and I think this is the week that their offensive line turns back into a pumpkin and Flacco spends a lot of time on the turf.
As long as the Steelers generate this pressure, they should be in for another day with a handful of sacks and potentially some turnovers. And with Baltimore turning things around, the Steelers know each win is crucial as they strive for an AFC North title.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Kansas City Chiefs (25%): I almost made Kansas City a featured pick, but being on the road in Denver was a huge factor. However, the Chiefs are coming off a bye and will be looking to bounce back from a Week 9 loss to Buffalo.
Dallas Cowboys (5%): Dallas hasn’t been great this year but has put up 13 or more points in two of their last three contests. They’ll face the Raiders in Las Vegas on Monday Night.
San Francisco 49ers (29%): The 49ers struggled to contain the Rams on Sunday with just one sack, no turnovers, and 42 points allowed, but will look to bounce back against an Arizona team that let the Seattle defense score twice en route to a 23-point afternoon.
