Best DST Streaming Options For Week 14 Fantasy Football: Packers, Texans, Patriots
Ted takes a look at the top streaming defense options for Week 14's fantasy football slate.
Last week was a mixed bag, as things tend to be in the jungle that is streaming defenses. Of my top two picks, the Falcons were the top-scoring unit in most formats, so that's a big win, but the Jaguars got lit up by Jake Browning. Luckily, all three of my extra options (Buccaneers, Rams, and Chargers) performed somewhere between decent and great, so overall, that's a very solid week for streaming.
This week, we're once again going to be targeting New York teams and backup quarterbacks (although I've learned my lesson trying to pick on Browning). Let's get started!
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Week 14 Fantasy Football Defense Streaming Options
Green Bay Packers @ New York Giants
I don't understand where it's come from, but I've seen a few people arguing that Tommy DeVito has been at least okay for the Giants. He hasn't. Among quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks, he is second to last at -0.22 EPA per play. A large part of this can be attributed to the fact that he has been sacked 6.8 times per start. Some of this is on the Giants' offensive line, but he also has a 47.5% pressure to sack rate, a full 16% clear of the next-worst qualified quarterback. And sacks are by far the most predictable source of defensive fantasy scoring.
Chuck in that the Giants are still dead last in yards per game and second-worst in points per game, and this is a no-brainer. In this matchup, the Packers are my favorite streaming option of the week. Our Week 14 Projections have them as just the DST7, but I'd have them in the top three. Given that they are rostered in just under 28% of leagues, there's a good chance you can grab them this week.
Houston Texans @ New York Jets
I wasn't lying when I said we were going to be picking on the New York teams. By now, I don't need to tell you much about how bad the Jets' offense is. They just cut the guy they started for each of the last two weeks and are reportedly having to beg Zach Wilson to go back under center for them. They've managed to turn Breece Hall into one of the least efficient backs in the league. They are bottom three in both points and yards per game. You get it.
For their part, the Texans' defense has been up and down, but they are fresh off a three-pick, three-sack outing against a much better offense in the Broncos. One word of caution: Our projections, which I've found to be consistently accurate, are very down on the Texans this week, ranking them as the 23rd-best defense out of 26. It seems the main driver of this low ranking is a high projected points against of 25. Given that Vegas has the Jets' team total at 13.5, I'm going to chalk this up to a projections quirk and still happily stream the Texans, who are available in over 70% of leagues.
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Well, the Steelers' honeymoon period with new offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner was short-lived. After putting up a much-celebrated 400 yards in his first game in charge, they managed just 10 points against the hapless Cardinals in Week 13. To be fair to Faulkner, Kenny Pickett exited early with an ankle injury, leaving Mitch Trubisky under center. However, that will still be the case this week. For his career, Trubisky has a 19.3 pressure to sack rate and a 4.1 turnover-worthy play rate. Neither of those would be near the worst marks we've seen this season, but they're certainly not good.
However, in a rare change for these picks, this pick isn't entirely about the Steelers' offensive ineptitude. This pick is actually partially because the Patriots' defense has been very good over the last few weeks. It has been overshadowed by their offense playing so badly that they still lose every game (if the Steelers' defense was eligible for this article, they'd be right at the top of the list), but it has happened. They are available in 74% of leagues, but could easily give you a nice Thursday night head start in a critical Week 14.
?s=46&t=Ip42AyCa7MFiRlEwnIdjeAMinnesota Vikings @ Las Vegas Raiders
Whenever one of the top few teams in our projections is rostered under 50%, they almost always make this list, and the Vikings at DST2 and 28% rostered are no exception. Aidan O'Connell hasn't been that bad, but the Raiders have scored less than 20 points in each of their last three games. On the season, Vegas has the fourth-fewest yards per game, the sixth-fewest points per game, and the fifth-most turnovers per game. They are also fourth-worst in terms of offensive DVOA.
Speaking of DVOA, the Vikings' defense is actually the eighth-best unit in that metric so far this season. They also allow the eighth-fewest points per game and tenth-fewest yards per play. They also lead the league in blitz rate at an absurd 47.6%. That level of aggressiveness against a rookie quarterback behind a weak offensive line should be enough to generate at least a few sacks, and likely a turnover or two.
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