Streaming Defenses: Picking a Week 17 Defense

This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.

Colts

Without QB Marcus Mariota the Titans have scored 30 points over their last three games combined. Their best pass catcher remains TE Delanie Walker, who won't stretch the defense. WR Dorial Green-Beckham has made strides this season, but was held without a catch last week against the Texans, showing he still has more room to grow.

The Titans have no discernible running game and RB Antonio Andrews is a reason why with only 3.6 YPC. The Colts rank tied for 21st in YPC and can be run on, but likely not by the Titans. This should be an offensive struggle, as both teams limp toward the end of the season. Vegas has no over/under for this game, though the Colts are favored by 6. Facing the Titans at home, the Colts defense/special teams has an ownership of 5.4 percent at ESPN and 17 percent at Yahoo.

Redskins

The Cowboys will finish up with no Tony Romo and no Dez Bryant, as they look to end what has been a miserable season. QB Kellen Moore has one touchdown and four interceptions in his two games with a 50 percent completion rate. It's a limited sample size, but not encouraging none the less. WR Terrance Williams led the team in targets last game and was followed by WR Brice Butler, neither of whom topped 75 yards against the Bills. The Redskins rank 22nd in YPA (7.2), but this is not the QB or offense to exploit that.

RB Darren McFadden may be the lone bright spot on offense for Dallas, as he's averaged 4.4 YPC and remained healthy all season long. The Redskins rank 31st in YPC (4.8) and could be in for a long day against McFadden. Then again Dallas running the ball will likely keep the score down, so that might help too. Vegas has no over/under for this game, though the Cowboys are favored by 3. Facing the Cowboys on the road, the Redskins defense/special teams has an ownership of 9.1 percent at ESPN and 9 percent at Yahoo.

Vikings

It might seem crazy to go up against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, but they haven't exactly been dominant this season. Rodgers hasn't topped 275 yards since Week 10 and the on-again, off-again Eddie Lacy has 83 rushing yards combined in his last two gams. He has averaged 4.2 YPC this season which is decent enough, but only mustered three rushing TDs this season. The Vikings rank tied for 21st in YPC (4.3) and could see a healthy dose of Lacy.

The Packers WR corps has taken a real hit this season without Jordy Nelson, as Randall Cobb has stepped up and James Jones has done his best to fill a secondary role, but Davante Adams has struggled and only has one TD on the season. The Vikings are ranked tied for 11th in YPA (6.7) and know Rodgers well, so that should help. The last time these teams played almost a month ago, Rodgers threw two touchdowns, but was held to 212 yards and the ground game got 100 yards from Lacy, but no rushing touchdowns, as the offense had to settle for five field goals. Vegas has this over/under set at 46 with the Packers favored by 3, which puts this at about a 25-22 game. Facing the Packers on the road, the Vikings defense/special teams has an ownership of 41.4 percent at ESPN and 32 percent at Yahoo.

Giants

With Chip Kelly fired this week, it'll be interesting to see what kind of offensive game plan interim head coach and current offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur comes up with. QB Sam Bradford ranks 26th in YPA (6.89) and has racked up some nice passing yard totals in his last two games (361, 380). The team has had to play from behind, so those totals are a bit inflated, but he has the capability of producing. WR Jordan Matthews has had a fine season and should be the focal point of the Giants secondary. After him though, it'll be up to TE Zach Ertz to do work, as there really isn't a third option among the WR/TE corps. The Giants rank 27th in YPA (7.4) and could have trouble with Matthews.

On the ground, the Eagles have struggled to find an identity, as free agent DeMarco Murray has been a bust, averaging only 3.5 YPC. Ryan Matthews has been more effective, when healthy, at 5.2 YPC, but he hasn't seen enough touches to be troublesome for most defenses. RB Darren Sproles might be the best weapon out of the backfield, but hasn't always been part of the game plan from week to week. The Giants rank 24th in YCP (4.4), but shouldn't be exposed by this group. Vegas has this over/under set at 51.5 with the Giants favored by 3, which puts this at about a 27-24 game. Facing the Eagles at home, the Giants defense/special teams has an ownership of 16.5 percent at ESPN and 21 percent at Yahoo.

Titans

Who will start at QB this week for the injured Colts? It likely won't be Matt Hasselbeck (shoulder) or Andrew Lucky (kidney). The team signed Stephen Morris and put Charlie Whitehurst on IR and signed Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley off the street. Any of the trio of Morris, Freeman, or Lindley should be viewed as fantasy friendly matchup for the Titans, who rank 28th in YPA (7.5). WRs T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief will yet again have to adjust to a new QB or QBs making this a tough week to trust either of them to produce.

RB Frank Gore has been steady this season, but at 3.7 YPC, his age is showing there isn't much tread left on those tires. He scored two rushing TDs last week against the Dolphins, in what was his one of his best games of the season. The Titans are ranked ninth in YPC (3.9) and should have a unit capable of slowing him down and forcing the Colts to throw the ball more than they would like. Vegas has no over/under for this game, though the Colts are favored by 6. Facing the Colts on the road, the Titans defense/special teams has an ownership of 13.9 percent at ESPN and 12 percent at Yahoo.

Here are my rankings for this week and the remainder of the season: