Well folks, this is it. The end of the line - for some, anyway.
In most fantasy football leagues, Week 14 marks the end of the regular season. And for some fantasy managers, that means the end of the year overall. Things haven’t gone as planned. There will be no playoffs. The Grinch done stole Christmas - and Cindy Lou Who isn’t riding to the rescue like Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams did last week in New York.
Williams was a one-man team defense in Seattle’s 26-21 win over the New York Jets. Really, he was - Williams logged two sacks, blocked a kick and returned an Aaron Rodgers interception 92 yards for a touchdown.
The big man admitted to reporters that last one just about wore the 300-pounder out.
“I remember running with it and I thought I was running fast,” Williams said. “All my teammates were hyping me up, saying I was moving. Once I crossed the 50, I was actually looking to pitch it to somebody. I saw the whole cavalry running down the field. I literally just laid down. I was exhausted.”
That’s a dozen or so fantasy points - depending on your scoring system. Williams accounted for almost all of Seattle’s scoring defensively in fantasy last week - and the Seahawks were a top-five squad.
It’s admittedly unlikely that Williams will repeat that feat in Arizona Sunday. But two weeks ago, the Seahawks limited the Cardinals to just six points, sacked Kyler Murray five times and scored on a pick-six.
In this most important of weeks, Seattle is at the very least a high-end streaming option.
THE NO-DOUBTERS
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Saquon Barkley’s fantastic season in Philly has gotten all the run, but Vic Fangio has turned a flawed defense that fell apart against the pass last year into the best defense in the league in terms of yards per game allowed and the highest-scoring fantasy defense in the league since Week 7. The Panthers have admittedly looked much more competitive over the past month or so, but we’re talking about a three-win team that spent the first seven weeks of 2024 allowing the most fantasy points per game to defenses in the NFC.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Yes, when these teams met two weeks ago things didn’t go as planned for Pittsburgh. Star edge-rusher T.J. Watt was held in check and the Steelers managed just one sack. However, three takeaways salvaged a so-so stat line, and Pittsburgh followed that up with four sacks, three takeaways and a defensive touchdown in a shootout win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns remain among the league leaders in sacks allowed and fantasy points given up to defenses, and there shouldn’t be a snowstorm to slop this rematch up.
Buffalo Bills (at Los Angeles Rams)
Granted, the elements played a part in last week’s blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers, but the Bills still managed two sacks, a trio of fumble recoveries and just 10 points allowed on the way to double-digit fantasy points. After 13 weeks, the Bills rank a respectable seventh in fantasy points at the position, and while the Rams are in the mix in the NFC West, the team has struggled to protect Matthew Stafford at times and has been a plus matchup for defenses - 13th in fantasy points per game surrendered to the position this year.
Chicago Bears (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
Things didn’t go the Bears’ way on Thanksgiving, but the defense can’t be blamed for that - holding the Detroit Lions to 23 points is about all that can be asked of a defense. At this point in the season, the Bears sit ninth among all defenses in fantasy points. The 49ers aren’t a great matchup for defenses, but the San Fran offense has been laid to waste by injuries - in last week’s loss to the Bills the team lost running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason to multi-week injuries. And while weather played a part, it appeared the Niners may have hit a breaking point.
Minnesota Vikings (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
The Vikings remain the highest-scoring fantasy defense in the NFC, but as the big plays have tailed off in recent weeks along with the Vikings’ fantasy production. However, it could be that the Falcons are just what the doctor ordered for the purple and gold. Kirk Cousins was terrible last week, throwing four interceptions. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last three games. And over the past month, only the New York Giants have allowed more fantasy points per game to team defenses than the Falcons. This is a get-right spot.
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STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Miami Dolphins (vs. New York Jets)
The Dolphins had built up a nice head of steam in winning three straight, but Miami cooled off literally and figuratively on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving Night. However, if the Dolphins are a little chilly, the Jets are hibernating - New York has lost eight of nine, there is talk of Aaron Rodgers being benched, and the Jets have given up the 12th-most fantasy points per game to defenses this year. The Dolphins badly need this win. The Jets badly want this season to just be over with already.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Las Vegas)
The Buccaneers haven’t been especially good defensively this season - Tampa is 28th in the league in total defense, 30th against the pass and ranks outside the top-20 in fantasy points. We also just saw Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O’ Connell throw for 340 yards and two scores in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Raiders haven’t exactly excelled at sustaining offense this season, and the team ranks well inside the top-10 in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses. Tampa is a viable streamer in Week 13.
Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
The Kansas City defense hasn’t been anything to write home about - the team barely ranks inside the top-20 in fantasy points for the season. The Chargers also haven’t been a great fantasy matchup for opposing defenses - the Bolts sit outside the top-20 in fantasy points per game given up to the position. But the J.K. Dobbins-less Chargers offense we saw last week looked - lost. And this is an opportunity for the Chiefs to make a statement in primetime - and all but put the “race” in the AFC West to rest.
Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Last week’s meltdown against the Washington Commanders aside, the Titans remain an excellent defensive team in some regards - second in the NFL in yards allowed and first in the league against the pass. But that success hasn’t really translated to fantasy - Tennessee ranks outside the top-25 team defenses and has hit double digits in a game just three times this season. However, the reeling Jaguars have been a plus matchup for defenses this year, especially of late. Over the past month, Jacksonville has given up the ninth-most fantasy points per game to the position.
New Orleans Saints (at New York Giants)
It has been a forgettable season for the Saints - one that has already gotten head coach Dennis Allen fired. The defense hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire either - only two teams have given up more yards per game, and the Saints rank in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points for the season. However, this week the Saints draw the best fantasy matchup for defenses in the league over the past month - last week the Dallas Cowboys (another struggling defense) logged six sacks, a pair of takeaways and a defensive touchdown.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS
Detroit Lions (vs. Green Bay Packers)
The Detroit defense doesn’t get nearly the credit that the offense does for the team’s 11-1 start, but despite a mounting pile of injuries the Lions remain a very difficult team to run on - fifth in the league at just 93.5 yards per game. The Ford Field crowd will undoubtedly be raucous Thursday night, but the Packers have the passing-game talent and quarterback to take advantage of a Lions secondary that is the defense’s weak spot. It’s also fair to question at what point all the injuries in Motown finally start taking a real toll.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on X at @IDPSharks.
