Streaming Defenses: Week 11 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses

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Updated on November 20, 2023 6:21PM EST

We have some really strong plays for D/ST in Week 11, with eight different teams favored by more than a field goal against an opponent that has an implied total below 19 points. Those eight make up the Top 8 of the weekly rankings, including four defenses which are unrostered in a majority of fantasy leagues ahead of home games against terrible offenses.

Two of those, Miami and Detroit, are kicking off prolonged stretches of favorable matchups, and while both teams are known for explosive offense more so than sturdy defense it's a good bet they end up winning some blowouts that include lofty scores for the D/ST unit over the next month. If you're already looking toward the playoffs and willing to roster multiple defenses, it'd make sense to pair one of those two with a unit that's likely to have friendly matchups Weeks 16-17 (e.g. JAX, ATL, PHI, NYJ, IND, GB, CHI). Granted, you probably don't need to lock down most of those defenses right now; the Falcons, Colts, Packers and Bears should mostly be available later on in December.

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 11

1. Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)

21% Yahoo, 20% ESPN
Team implied total: 23.5 Opponent implied total: 13.5
Upcoming Ranks

Top Streaming Options for Week 11

1. Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)

21% Yahoo, 20% ESPN
Team implied total: 23.5 Opponent implied total: 13.5
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 12: 32nd (at DAL), Week 13: 23rd (vs. MIA)

This one is all about matchup, with QB injuries having pushed the Giants past the Panthers for the honor of NFL's most hopeless offense. They did score a pair of touchdowns in Dallas this past Sunday, but New York's other nine drives (not including a kneel-down) accounted for a total of 34 plays and 40 yards. You can make the case that the Giants have the worst QB in the league, the worst WR group and the worst offensive line, though perhaps only the WR part would be true if not for a terrible run of injuries.

As is, the Giants are set to again trot out a JV team led by Tommy DeVito, who has completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 4.8 yards per attempt while taking sacks on an incredible 19.4 percent dropbacks. DeVito has been sacked 13 times and completed 13 throws for first downs.... the only thing mildly impressive so far is that he's managed to get beat up so badly without fumbling even once.

2. Miami Dolphins (vs. LV)

41% Yahoo, 50% ESPN
Team implied total: 30.0 Opponent implied total: 18.0
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 12: 5th (at NYJ), Week 13: 2nd (at WAS)

Coming off back-to-back wins in the wake of a coaching change, the Raiders in for a rude awakening with a cross-country road trip to face a likely playoff team coming out of a bye. Beating up on the Giants and Jets allowed Vegas to hide rookie QB Aidan O'Connell, who looks no better than Jimmy Garoppolo so far and ultimately may prove more susceptible to making big mistakes. His sack rate (8.8 percent) and INT rate (2.9) both are worse than league-average over a sample of 114 dropbacks, even though he's faced the Chargers, Bears, Giants and Jets — hardly murderer's row — in his four appearances. A meltdown in his biggest test yet wouldn't be the least bit surprising.

Also note that the Dolphins are kicking off a stretch of five consecutive favorable matchups, with Sunday's game against Vegas followed by: at NYJ (Week 12), at WAS (Week 13), vs. TEN (Week 14), vs. NYJ (Week 15). Just make sure to line up another defense for the fantasy playoffs, as the Dolphins will face Dallas and Baltimore in Weeks 16-17.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. TEN)

20% Yahoo, 23% ESPN
Team implied total: 22.75 Opponent implied total: 16.25
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 12: 23rd (at HOU), Week 13: 20th (vs. CIN)

Initial excitement over Will Levis has faded rapidly following back-to-back road games with four sacks, an interception and a completion percentage south of 60. The big debut against Atlanta also counts, of course, but his numbers are bad even if we include it — 56.1 percent completion rate, 6.5 YPA, 4:2 TD:INT, 10 sacks on 117 dropbacks (8.5 percent). A third consecutive road game spells more trouble, even after Jacksonville got dismantled by San Francisco this past Sunday. The Jags had been playing good defense before the Week 9 bye and Week 10 blowout, scoring five or more fantasy points in seven of their first eight games and nine or more points in each matchup Weeks 6-8.

4. Detroit Lions (vs. CHI)

30% Yahoo, 24% ESPN
Team implied total: 28.5 Opponent implied total: 18.5
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 12: 7th (vs. GB), Week 13: 10th (at NO)

The Lions have been miles better on offense than defense but should get it done on both sides of the ball against a feeble division rival. While Justin Fields' likely return from a thumb injury helps Chicago's odds of putting up points, it doesn't necessitate a huge change to the opponent's D/ST fantasy projection given his propensity for taking sacks and committing turnovers. It might be a while before the Lions lose again given that their next five games are against teams that currently have losing records, including a matchup with Jordan Love and the Packers on Thanksgiving (Week 12) and a rematch with Chicago in Week 13.

5. Houston Texans (vs. ARZ)

6% Yahoo, 5% ESPN
Team implied total: 25.5 Opponent implied total: 21.5
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 12: 22nd (vs. JAX), Week 13: 11th (vs. DEN)

The Texans are a distant No. 5 here, favored by more than a field goal but in one of the games that projects to be higher-scoring this week. Shootouts have been the recent trend, though they did manage four sacks and two interceptions of Joe Burrow in a 30-27 win over the Bengals this past Sunday. It was Houston's sixth time scoring seven or more fantasy points in nine games, with the caveat that they put up a zero against Tampa Bay and a minus-one against Indianapolis (both subpar offenses). And while they should do better than that against Kyler Murray this week, the Texans are a good distance behind the other teams on this list in terms of points projection (if not ranking).