Fantasy Football Rankings: Five Must-Start Defenses For Week 14 Of Season
To quote the legendary Jon Gruden — it’s showtime.
The fantasy football playoffs kick off this week in many leagues, which means it’s time to gear up for a championship run. And after all the hard work you’ve put in this season, you don’t want your team to come up short because your defense falls flat.
Three D/ST units topped 20 fantasy points in standard leagues in Week 13, so landing a quality defense actually can help put you over the top.
Here are our top five fantasy defense plays for Week 14.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
Is this a tough matchup against the red-hot Russell Wilson? You bet. But the Jags’ pass rush has been historically good all year, and Seattle’s offensive line will have its hands full after a cross-country flight. Roll with the defense that’s tallied 11 fantasy points or more in five of its last six games.
New England Patriots (at Miami Dolphins)
The Patriots traditionally have a hard time in Miami, so this isn’t exactly a slam dunk. That said, New England’s defense is on an absolute roll with nine forced turnovers in its last five games. The unit just lit up the Dolphins for 18 fantasy points two weeks ago.
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Washington Redskins)
A hot defense (eight interceptions, two fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns in its last three games) at home against an ice-cold offense (10 sacks allowed, six turnovers and two D/ST touchdowns allowed in its last two games) is quite the recipe for success.
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Chicago Bears)
Despite underwhelming performances in Weeks 12 and 13, the Bengals have a great matchup at home versus a Bears offense that’s scored 17 points combined in that span with 10 sacks allowed in its last four games. Cincinnati should be the top streaming play this weekend.
Green Bay Packers (at Cleveland Browns)
We thought for a second about giving the Browns a pass this week. Then that second ended. Green Bay is coming off a seven-sack performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is a top-tier play against Cleveland’s inconsistent offense — even with Josh Gordon back.
