Streaming Defenses: Week 17 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses

A few of you may be in leagues that run through Week 18, but for the most part its championship or bust in Week 17. The focus below will be on the current week, although I'll still have look-ahead rankings for Week 18 at the bottom of the page, and I'm always more than happy to discuss planning-ahead strategy in the comments below (or on twitter - @rotocats).

Note: These recommendations are limited to team defenses that are rostered on less than 60 percent of teams on Yahoo or 45 percent on ESPN. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring, which doesn't include yards allowed.

Top Streaming Options for Week 17

1. Miami Dolphins (at CLE)

• 47% Yahoo, 46% ESPN
• Team implied total: 23.25     Opponent implied total: 16.75
• Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 18: 11th (at NYJ)

It's unclear if Dorian Thompson-Robinson (calf), Jameis Winston (shoulder) or Bailey Zappe will start at QB for Cleveland on Sunday. Zappe is horrible, and Winston turnover-prone, but nothing beats a matchup with Thompson-Robinson, who has thrown nine interceptions on 180 career pass attempts while producing just 3.9 yards per attempt. He's possibly the worst QB to play more than a few dozen snaps in the NFL in recent years, looking like someone who might be overmatched even in the CFL or UFL. 

If Thompson-Robinson starts this week, Miami is locked in as the No. 1 D/ST play. If Zappe starts, you could argue for the Colts or Eagles ahead of Miami, or at least on the same level. If Winston starts, it might push the Dolphins down to No. 7/8, i.e., still a solid play but not necessarily ahead of similar options that should be available in a lot of leagues. There's potential for Cleveland winter weather to help Miami's cause, although the weekend forecast looks mild as of Tuesday.

2. Indianapolis Colts (at NYG)

• 47% Yahoo, 28% ESPN
• Team implied total: 24.25     Opponent implied total: 16.25
• Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 18: 8th (vs. JAX)

Another start from a struggling Drew Lock (shoulder) would be ideal, but the Colts are a top-three D/ST play this week even if they face sack-prone Tommy DeVito instead. The Giants have been an absolute disaster of late, making a strong bid for the No. 1 overall pick while dealing with D- level QB play and a glut of O-line injuries. They've already lost LT Andrew Thomas and LG Jon Runyan to season-ending injuries, and now they've got LG Aaron Stinnie (concussion) and C John Michael Schmitz (ankle) looking shaky for Week 17. Putting Lock or DeVito behind a terrible offensive line is a recipe for disaster, even against a mediocre defense like the Indianapolis unit they'll face this weekend.

3. Seattle Seahawks (at CHI)

• 19% Yahoo, 20% ESPN
• Team implied total: 23.5     Opponent implied total: 20.0
• Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 18: 22nd (at LAR)

The Seahawks mostly have played up/down to their opponents, recording strong fantasy scores in favorable matchups and poor scores in the tougher ones. This week's draw falls on the easier end, even though QB Caleb Williams played okay in a loss to Detroit on Sunday. Each of Chicago's nine opponents since a Week 7 bye has scored six or more fantasy points — a streak the Seahawks likely will continue, facing an inconsistent rookie QB who just lost his starting left tackle (Braxton Jones) and starting left guard (Teven Jenkins) to injuries. Jones is already ruled out for the rest of the season, while Jenkins' status is less certain as of Tuesday.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. CAR)

• 44% Yahoo, 41% ESPN
• Team implied total: 28.75     Opponent implied total: 20.75
• Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 18: 6th (vs. NO)

This matchup looked much better a month ago, before Panthers QB Bryce Young remembered how to play football and the team's offense gained an identity behind RB Chuba Hubbard and WR Adam Thielen. If you believe in Young, there's no way you're starting a subpar Buccaneers defense this week. If you think the past few weeks were a mirage for Young, then it makes a lot more sense to start Tampa. I fall somewhere in the middle, figuring Young probably isn't a legitimate franchise QB but may settle in as a low-end starter (which is a huge upgrade from what he looked like as recently as two months ago).

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. TEN)

• 10% Yahoo, 14% ESPN
• Team implied total: 21.0     Opponent implied total: 20.0
• Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 18: 13th (at IND)

Per usual, there's a solid argument to use either defense from a Jags-Titans matchup. Their previous 2024 meeting was just three weeks ago, but you've probably already forgotten about the 10-6 snoozefest, which was Jacksonville's fourth win in the past five games between the two hapless franchises. Titans QB Mason Rudolph didn't play in that game, and while he hasn't been quite as bad as Will Levis year, Rudolph's sky-high interception rate (4.3 percent, eight INTs on 188 attempts) is promising for D/ST production. The real difference between Rudolph and Levis has been sacks, with the former doing a much better job avoiding them (only seven all season). The Jaguars defense would be ranked a few spots higher this week if Levis were still under center for Tennessee.

Week 17 Rankings

1. Dolphins (at CLE)
2. Eagles (vs. DAL)
3. Colts (at NYG) 
4. Seahawks (at CHI)
5. Buccaneers (vs. CAR) 
6. Jaguars (vs. TEN)
7. Chargers (at NE)
8. Saints (vs. LV) 
9. Raiders (at NO)
10. Titans (at JAX)
11. Bills (vs. NYJ)
12. Commanders (vs. ATL)
13. Chiefs (at PIT)
14. Ravens (at HOU)
15. Vikings (vs. GB)
16. Steelers (vs. KC)
17. Rams (vs. ARZ)
18. Bengals (vs. DEN)
19. Giants (vs. IND)
20. Packers (at MIN)

Looking Ahead to Week 18

These rankings assume all teams are playing their starters and going all-out for the win. That obviously won't be the case come Week 18, but as of Tuesday we don't know exactly which teams will be resting starters. Wins by Kansas City, Baltimore and Buffalo this week would leave KC, BUF and HOU locked in as the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 seeds, respectively. The NFC picture is a bit trickier to sort out, but it's probably fair to say that the Rams, Packers, Eagles, Falcons and Commanders all are at some risk of being locked into seeds before Week 18.

1. Eagles (vs. NYG)
2. Ravens (vs. CLE)
3. Packers (vs. CHI)
4. Texans (at TEN)
5. Bills (at NE) 
6. Buccaneers (vs. NO)
7. Falcons (vs. CAR)
8. Colts (vs. JAX)
9. Chargers (at LV)
10. Chiefs (at DEN)
11. Dolphins (at NYJ)
12. Commanders (at DAL)
13. Jaguars (at IND)
14. Steelers (vs. CIN)
15. Rams (vs. SEA)
16. 49ers (at ARZ)
17. Jets (vs. MIA)
18. Titans (vs. HOU)
19. Lions (vs. MIN)
20. Vikings (at DET)