Week 17 NFL Defense (DEF) Fantasy Football Rankings: Colts Defense In A Must Win Game

Week 17 Team Defense Rankings & Projection

If you streamed a couple of NFC South defenses this week, chances are you did alright in that position. That is of course the two top scoring defenses on the slate with the Panthers and Buccaneers. Baltimore, Washington, and surprisingly the New York Jets also scored over double-digit fantasy points. The Bears, Steelers, and 49ers are also honorable mentions. Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Indy were some of the letdowns. For those who play into Week 17, we have you covered with our rankings for this week. Also, feel free to use the rankings if you are playing DFS.

Week 17 Top Options

Baltimore once again is in a good spot as they wrap up their season facing the Bengals. Cincinnati has allowed the 5th most fantasy points to defenses and has a lackluster offensive line that should allow the Bengals to get pressure on Brandon Allen. The Ravens offense should also put up points forcing the Bengals to throw the ball a ton. They are strong options and a terrific DFS defense that will be higher priced this week. The Colts need a win and some help at this point. Luckily they face the Jaguars, who continue to struggle and will be without James Robinson who has been their best offensive player this season. Jacksonville has one of the lower implied totals on the board and there is plenty of upside for the Colts to finish strong in Week 17.

New Orleans will take on the Panthers, who have been a decent offense this season but have started to show cracks when it comes to protecting Teddy Bridgewater. They have allowed 11 sacks over the past three games and the Saints have a good pass rush that can make things uncomfortable. The Panthers rushing attack has also really fallen apart late in the year. New Orleans is also one of the better run defenses and have been playing better against the pass in the second half of the season. The Rams will take on the Cardinals this week, who struggled against the 49ers. Both teams need a win this week and the Rams might be doing it without Jared Goff. The Rams had a decent game last time out but the touchdown really bailed them out against the Cardinals.

Streaming Options

While your league should really not be playing in Week 17, there are some streaming options available for those leagues that do two-week rounds or simply have the championship in Week 17. There are not a ton of streaming defenses to use this week but the Patriots and Eagles have the most enticing matchups of lesser-owned defenses. New England has an average rostered percentage of 47% and the Eagles are 24%. The issue that remains with Week 17 is how motivated defenses are. Both the Eagles and Patriots don’t have anything to play.

While the Eagles just allowed a big game to Andy Dalton and the Cowboys, Washington down multiple quarterbacks and possibly not having Terry McLaurin again is a disaster for the offense. Washington has allowed the 8th most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses this season. The Jets have allowed the 9th most, so there are a few options to consider. I also don’t mind the Vikings if Matthew Stafford is out, which it doesn’t seem good with multiple injuries. There will be no return of Kenny Golladay this week and the Lions are just a mess on all fronts. They have allowed the 10th most fantasy points to defenses this season.

Defenses To Avoid

Washington managed to post a decent score this week despite the offense continuously putting them in bad spots and keeping them out there on the field. Washington now faces the Eagles this week, who have had a far better offense with Jalen Hurts under center. While Washington can get to the quarterback, having Hurts at quarterback is going to take away some of that production. The Eagles team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to defenses is not the same team anymore.

Facing Buffalo this week, it is tough to trust the Miami defense. Opposing defenses have averaged just 4.7 fantasy points per game. They have a good offensive line in combination with Josh Allen’s mobility where there aren’t enough sacks to make up for whatever points they allow. Miami does need to continue to win this week as the AFC playoff picture is in place, and we will see where Buffalo is at as they might want to keep pushing for the two-seed.

Chicago is the other defense and they are solely name value right now with how they have been playing of late. They were fine against the Jagaurs but last few weeks have been a bit soft. Chicago needs to win but need to go through Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Chicago has rarely played well against Green Bay of late and I wouldn’t be looking their way to roll out the defense. Opposing defenses have averaged 3.9 fantasy points against Green Bay this season.