Week 11 NFL Defense (DEF) Fantasy Football Rankings: Dolphins In An Upside Spot Vs Denver

Week 11 Team Defense Rankings & Projection

Week 11 opens up with some limited defense options and part of that reason is that the Bills and Bears are both on by this week. But the Bears, Giants, and 49ers offenses are also on bye which means less good matchups for opposing defenses this week. However, we get the Jets back and the Chargers will welcome them. The Vikings could provide a streaming option against the Cowboys and the Dolphins are in an excellent spot. It was a low scoring week, where weather played a factor in a few games. The Jaguars defense weirdly came out strong, although nobody played them this week. Tampa Bay, Cleveland, and Green Bay had a decent week. Indianapolis really held strong on a short week against the Titans. They are in a tough spot this week.

Week 11 Top Options

No surprise to see the Steelers once again in a good spot this week as they take on the Jaguars. Pittsburgh has been one of the top defenses in the league this season with 32 sacks and 15 turnovers. They are averaging the most fantasy points per game on the year. It was another shutdown week for the Steelers defense facing Cincinnati and the matchup gets easier. The Jags struggled to move the ball through the air as expected and James Robinson is their best source of moving the ball but should struggle against a top-five run defense. The Buccaneers played well this week and churned out a strong fantasy performance. They continue to force mistakes and the run defense continues to be one of the best. Opposing backs are averaging just 77.9 rushing yards per game against this group. That will be big facing a Rams defense that has done well on the ground. However, they can rattle Jared Goff and force him into mistakes.

Philadelphia was a let down this week on all fronts. However, I am willing to go back to the well against the Browns. Baker Mayfield is still someone that is capable of allowing a big game to opposing defenses and the Eagles will need to focus on stopping the run, which is generally a solid defense against the run. Injuries have hurt the Ravens front line but they still are a good defense and the Titans have struggled over the past few weeks against better defenses.

Streaming Options

It was another strong week for the Dolphins (32%), who has been a mixture of alucky and good on the defensive side of late. They are a great pick up over the next three weeks as they face the Broncos, Jets, and Bengals. Miami is currently top-8 in scoring this season. This is about the matchup though as the Broncos have been handing defenses fantasy points in a gift basket. Denver has allowed the most points per game to opposing defenses on the season and Drew Lock continues to turn the ball over through the air. This is a good secondary and a good enough pass rush to cause some more problems this week. The plus side about picking up Miami is the games ahead of them where you can use them for another two weeks.

Getting a pass rush has been what the Chargers (28%) do best. They should have no issues this week against the Jets offensive line. The Chargers defense has been mediocre from a fantasy standpoint, and that has been the case for a few years now despite loads of talent. Although health continues to be a consistent problem on the defensive side of the ball. The Jets are allowing the 7th most fantasy points per game to defenses on the season.

The Vikings (30%) have been a bit better on the defensive side of late, but this is still not the unit from the last few years and won’t be until they rebuild. While they rank 19th in points over the last five weeks, they face a Dallas offense that continues to struggle. Over the past three weeks, the Cowboys have allowed 12 sacks, turned the ball over five times, and have scored 31 points in the last three games. I am willing to take a shot on the Vikings if the Dolphins or Chargers are not available.

Defenses To Avoid

While Green Bay looked below average against the Jaguars this past week, it was a poor weather game in addition to just some sloppy play. If they do play like that again, then the Colts will have a field day but I expect the Packers to not take this one lightly. Overall defenses have not had big numbers against the Packers this season, averaging just 2.8 fantasy points per game. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t take sacks and turn the ball over, so it will be tough for the Colts to generate any pass rush on him. I don’t love the Saints that much this week, even though they have been playing better. This secondary has improved but they still are not enough to call them a shut down or matchup proof. Opposing defenses have averaged just 3.9 fantasy points per game against the Falcons on the year.

The Broncos defense has always had some name value but they have now allowed 30+ points in four straight games this season and Miami is playing great football. While they have had some rookie mistakes and a couple of errors leading to turnovers, I don’t trust this Broncos defense anymore. They are also running into a schedule where they face the Saints, Chiefs, Panthers, and Bills. I would expect them to get big numbers. The Packers could be in line for an interception or two in this one, but overall this isn’t a game I want to bank on the Packers. Opposing defenses are averaging less than five points per game against the Colts this season. The offensive line is one of the best in the league and has allowed just one sack per game. Green Bay doesn’t have a good pass-rush that can even cause some issues. I would stay away as the Jaguars were just a one-week thing.