Best DST Streaming Options For Week 16 Fantasy Football: Broncos, Seahawks, Commanders
Ted takes a look at the top streaming defense options for Week 16's fantasy football slate.
If you used any of the teams I mentioned last week, the big question is whether you picked the right side of the Thursday Night matchup. Both my recommendation of the Bengals and my fade of the Rams had mediocre weeks — which was better may depend on your scoring, but it's unlikely either lost or won a matchup for you. The Chargers and Raiders, however, both teams I recommended, certainly could have. Hopefully, more of you ended up with the Raiders and their 25+ points than the Chargers and a large negative score.
Heading into Week 16, the semifinals in most fantasy football leagues, I will obviously be shooting for more performances like the Raiders' and fewer like whatever that was from the Chargers. A few of the top options are already over 50% rostered, but there are plenty of teams that aren't. Let's try and pick the ones in the best positions to succeed this week.
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Week 16 Fantasy Football Defense Streaming Options
Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots
I mentioned the Broncos last week as a team to stash if you were looking ahead to this week, and nothing that happened in Week 15 has led me to change my mind. The Patriots managed just 206 total yards of offense and 17 points (only 10 before garbage time) against the Chiefs last week, with Bailey Zappe taking four sacks and tossing a pick. The Broncos, meanwhile, got absolutely lit up by the Lions. But, as I say every week, matchup is by far the most important thing to consider when it comes to streaming defenses, even more than the strength of the defense itself.
The Patriots rank dead last with an embarrassing 13.3 points per game. That number is somehow even lower if we look just at Bailey Zappe's three starts, as an absolute goose egg against the Chargers drags him down to 12.7 points per game. Zappe also ranks third-worst in yards per attempt, seventh-highest in turnover-worthy play rate, and sixth-highest in pressure-to-sack rate. In a year of some truly terrible quarterback play, that's almost impressive. I expect the Broncos to bounce back this week with a big game at home in a week that is huge for their playoff chances. I clearly wasn't the only one looking ahead to Week 17, as their roster percentage is up nearly 20% from last week, but it is still just 38.1%. That's not bad for a team our projections rank as the seventh-best option this week.
Seattle Seahawks @ Tennessee Titans
This is one where I'm backing our projections over the industry consensus. We have Seattle ranked as the DST10, while FantasyPros' Expert Consensus Rankings have them all the way down at DST20. I personally probably land somewhere in the middle, but certainly a lot closer to 10 than 20. This play isn't without risk (streaming defenses) never is. When they're rolling, Derrick Henry and the Titans can put up points, and the Seahawks' eighth-worst run defense isn't exactly a very formidable force.
On the other hand, the Titans rank seventh-worst in yards per game and sixth-worst in points per game. There is also a solid chance rookie QB Will Levis will miss this week's game with a leg injury, leaving Ryan Tannehill as Tennessee's starter. While he's had some solid years with the Titans, Tannehill's five and a half games this season were rough. Among players with at least as many as his 98 attempts this season, he ranks third-worst in TD-INT% and eighth-worst in success rate. He also has the third-worst pressure-to-sack ratio of any QB with at least 100 dropbacks — not good given the Titans have one of the worst pass-blocking units in the league. This setup isn't quite as good for the Seahawks if Leivs plays, but he hasn't been that much better by most metrics, although his gunslinger mentality does come with more upside. Rostered in just 19.9% of leagues, the Seahawks are a solid deep-league choice for the fantasy semifinals.
Washington Commanders @ New York Jets
Remember earlier when I said the strength of a defense isn't actually all that important to consider for fantasy streaming decisions? Well, the Commanders might actually be the exception to that rule. They were already one of the league's worst defenses when they traded arguably their two best players at the deadline. They allow 30.2 points per game, over FIVE more points than the next closest team.
With all that said, this is absolutely a case of a very movable object meeting a very stoppable force. As bad as the Commanders are at defense, the Jets might be worse at offense. The Jets average the fewest yards per game (255.1) and second-most turnovers (2.0) of any team. They are so bad that our DST projections have the Commanders as a top 12 option, admittedly just barely at No. 12. It's a high-risk play, but if you're desperate, the Commanders, who are rostered in just 11.7% of leagues, could certainly rack up some points in the Meadowlands this week. It is also worth noting that they have performed well in other soft matchups so far this season, with solid outings against the Giants in Weeks 11 and 7, the Falcons in Week 6, and the Cardinals in Week 1. Hopefully they can do it again this week.
Week 17 Look Ahead
As you may know, I'm a huge proponent of stashing defenses ahead of time in the fantasy football playoffs. This is obviously most important heading into Week 17, the fantasy football championship. Here are some teams worth adding now that could literally win you your league:
- Los Angeles Rams (45.8% Rostered) @ New York Giants: They nearly made this week's list with a matchup against the Saints, but the Rams will absolutely be the top defense streaming option in Week 17 against the Giants. I fully expect this number to be above 75% after waivers run tomorrow, so make sure you get your bid in.
- Denver Broncos (38.1% Rostered) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: The Broncos did make this week's last, and they make it next week, too. The Chargers are in a tailspin as a team and organization. They may get a new head coach boost this week, but they're still worth targeting as long as Easton Stick is under center.
- Houston Texans (44.9% Rostered) vs. Tennessee Titans: The Texans just held their division rivals to 16 points in Tennessee. There's no reason to think they can't perform well again, at home, with C.J. Stroud presumably healthy, in Week 17.
