Consider starting these defenses in fantasy football playoffs

Author:
Michael Beller
Publish date:
Dec 5, 2014

Most of our focus this week has been on the first round of the fantasy playoffs, but this week is already old news to those of you who secured first-round byes. If you’ve already qualified for your league’s semifinals, you can get a jump on your future opponent by grabbing a stream-worthy defense for Week 15, and potentially even Week 16, too. Let’s take a look at some of the best defenses to stream for the semifinal and championship rounds.

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Week 15

Green Bay Packers -- There’s a chance someone already swiped up the Packers since they’re also a great stream option in Week 15, but if they’re out there, grab them while you can. Green Bay’s offense rightfully gets all the attention, but its defense is ranked seventh in standard-scoring leagues. The Packers have 28 sacks and 23 takeaways, and have looked even better since moving Clay Matthews inside, most notably by holding the high-flying Patriots to 21 points. Green Bay visits Buffalo in Week 15, a team they should be able to keep in check. If and when they get Kyle Orton in predictable passing situations, they will take advantage.

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Baltimore Ravens -- The Ravens are available in nearly half of fantasy leagues, but that likely won’t be the case after we go through Week 15 waivers. Baltimore may have one of the worst secondaries in the league, but they’re also 13th in fantasy points and have one of the best possible matchups in the fantasy semifinals. They’ll host the Jaguars, who have allowed a league-high 50 sacks and turned the ball over 24 times this year.

Kansas City Chiefs -- The Chiefs are owned in about 60 percent of fantasy leagues, so they’re not quite as readily available right now as are the Packers and Ravens. Their Week 15 matchup with the Raiders at Arrowhead makes them particularly attractive. They had just one sack and one fumble recovery in their first meeting with the Raiders two weeks ago, but you always want to exploit the Oakland offense when you can.

Week 16

Green Bay Packers -- That’s right, if you manage to get the Packers for Week 15, you can ride them in the championship, as well. After playing Buffalo in the semifinals, the Packers head south to take on the Buccaneers in Tampa. Not only is this a great matchup on its face, it could follow a script that leads to the Buccaneers being in obvious passing situations. If that’s the case, the Packers should be able to tee off on Josh McCown.

Jacksonville Jaguars - There hasn’t been a whole lot to like in Jacksonville this season, but the Jaguars boast one of the league’s best pass rushes. They rank third with 37 sacks. They got to the quarterback three times they faced the Titans and held them to 16 points. What’s more, they also held the Titans to fewer than 300 total yards.