Atlanta Falcons and 2 Other Must-Start Defenses in Week 18 Fantasy Football
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As a Fantasy Football Manager, you cannot ignore certain aspects of your team. A defense is just as important as your Quarterback or your RB1. We must find the best units to start and then, we may be on a path to victory. If you league is still running into Week 18, these will be three must-start defenses to use.
Atlanta Falcons (vs Saints)
Jessie Bates has recorded a pick 6 EACH year he’s been an Atlanta Falcons #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/HKqMaaviV7
— 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚 (@ATLFalconsMuse) December 30, 2025
This is a tad dicey as the Saints as ultra-hot right now. However, if I have learned anything, it is that Jeff Ulbrich knows how to shutdown a thriving Quarterbacks. He has done this countless times with Josh Allen in the AFC East and most recently, he shutdown Matthew Stafford on Monday Night Football.
The Saints are Bottom-10 in Sacks Allowed and Giveaways. The Falcons are 2nd in Sacks per Game and 8th in Takeaways. The Tyler Shough party may be coming to a halt in Week 18's rivalry game.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs Ravens)
In a division-deciding affair, you say? Yes. The Steelers rank highly in key metrics and most of all, they are playing their best defensive football over the past month. The Steelers are allowing (18.5) Points per Game over their last four, including games where they faced the Lions and Ravens offenses. In that Ravens game, the Steelers won 27-22.
The Steelers are 6th in Sacks per Game and 3rd in Takeaways. The Ravens are 22nd in Sacks Allowed and 25th in Giveaways. I would venture to say that if Lamar Jackson plays, it fares even better for the Steelers. The eye test, crazy to say, has it looking like Tyler Huntley>Lamar Jackson.
Buffalo Bills (vs Jets)
Brady Cook’s 28.6 PFF grade is the worst single-season grade among all QBs with at least 150 dropbacks in the PFF era (since 2006).
— Justin Fried (@JustinTFried) December 29, 2025
PFF has also charted Cook with 1 big-time throw (BTT) and 13 turnover-worthy plays (TWP) this season.
That 1-to-13 BTT-to-TWP ratio is also the…
Despite some questions regarding the Bills starters, they should all play in Week 18. They have seeding implications to play for, and it would be rash to ignore that fact. Even if not at 100% speed, they are playing the Jets. With Brady Cook, they are the worst offense in the NFL.
The Jets are 31st in Sacks Allowed and 29th in Giveaways. They legitimately could be 32nd in both statistics if Cook had played all 17 Games to date. The Bills are only an average defensive unit, but anyone is start-able against the New York Jets.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.