Chicago Bears and New York Jets Best Defenses to Sit in Week 17
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Okay, Week 17 is here at last. The fantasy finale of sit columns is here. Maybe, the dramatics and theatrics are less drama-filled. However, only six defenses scored in double digits and six were in negative territory for Week 16. A fantasy football player may want to take their eyes off certain teams, especially when it comes to streams, etc.
So last week, the Detroit Lions were in negative territory at home. The Kansas City Chiefs went belly up too. Green Bay was a bit of a surprise but without several players, maybe they were not. Dallas and Washington are obvious choices this week. Despite this, it is more beneficial to spotlight other defenses to ride the pine.
The problem with Dallas and Washington is that they play on Christmas. Kansas City is there too and that Detroit-Minnesota matchup is the nightcap on the day of Santa. Let's move along and look at 13 other contests from Week 17. It is time to find the sits.
Chicago Bears (@ San Francisco 49ers)
The San Francisco 49ers suddenly look like world beaters. A bye week was just what the 49ers needed as they have piled up 85 points and 870 yards in the last two weeks. Granted, they played Tennessee and Indianapolis, but Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey are rolling. The offense has put up plus points beyond expectation in seven straight contests.
Chicago has a defense that always feels like it is flirting with disaster. The first two weeks of the season saw them get burnt and severely. Even in the first Green Bay meeting, the Bears were fortunate only to allow 28 points. Meeting number two saw them give up nearly 400 yards but the Packers were considerably banged up (Josh Jacobs, Jordan Love, and then even Malik Willis).
The 49ers and their balance could prove to be too much this week as Chicago truthfully should still win the NFC North. San Francisco, in theory, is the better team especially on offense right now.
Indianapolis Colts (vs Jacksonville Jaguars)
Again, this is a case where sitting both defenses may be wise in the AFC South clash. Indianapolis is on its last legs after giving up 48 points to San Francisco on Monday Night Football. Not even Phillip Rivers could prevent the albatross the Colts' defense has become.
The Indianapolis Colts' defense suffered one of its most embarrassing performances in recent memory on Monday night, giving up over 400 yards in a 48-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.https://t.co/fGhIKCU14O
— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) December 23, 2025
It was not just the yardage allowed but the way the San Francisco offense dictated tempo. The 49ers did whatever they wanted at will. Indianapolis was powerless to stop it at critical times. When the Colts' offense could not keep up, San Francisco was able to pull away. It is a scene that could repeat itself on Sunday.
While the defense is middle of the pack in metrics, the December schedule was always going to be brutally tough. This is a Colts team that just needs to play downhill and not be down in games. The difference is night and day when they must try and play catch-up.
New York Jets (vs New England Patriots)
The New York Jets are two weeks from historical ineptitude. It is a defense that has not intercepted a single pass from an opponent all season. That is also a huge reason why the Jets are 32nd in turnover differential. A turnover percentage of 1.8% is almost unheard of in this era. Drake Maye and the New England Patriots should be able to treat this as nearly a home game on Sunday.
Another tough loss, another unwanted milestone.
— Mike Gruseke (@mic53222) December 21, 2025
The #Jets defense made history vs the #Saints.#nfl #nyjets #newyorkjetsnewshttps://t.co/9UUJhi0bQp
It will be intriguing to see how vanilla the defense comes out for New York. Miami is probably another defense to sit along with Carolina and these are all home teams by the way. The Jets SRS (Simple Rating Score) is also dead last at -11.51. That is mostly because of how bland they are on both sides of the ball but particularly on defense.
