Best Week 11 Fantasy D/ST Streamers: Falcons Lead the Charge
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Every fantasy football manager knows the stress of weekly lineup decisions, but defense and special teams (D/ST) remain one of the trickiest positions to navigate.
Outside of a few elite options, most defenses remain volatile from week to week. This makes the streaming strategy, which rotates D/ST based on matchups, game script and injuries, oftentimes more valuable.
Below are three streamable D/ST options available in many leagues that could help you survive Week 11.
*Percentage denotes roster rate on ESPN and Yahoo*
Bears @ Vikings (ESPN: 17% Yahoo: 33%)
The Bears' D/ST has scored just four fantasy points combined over the last three weeks. However, they scored nine or more points in every other week, except Week 2. They faced the Vikings in Week 1 and scored 13 points while posting three sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown. J.J. McCarthy has struggled and is coming off a 20-of-42 passing performance in which he threw two interceptions. The Bears have the most takeaways of any team in the NFL with 20, which is three more than the second-place Jaguars. They give up yards and points, but have proved exceptional at forcing turnovers. Look for them to force a couple more against a turnover-prone rookie under center.
Falcons vs. Panthers (ESPN: 31% Yahoo: 36%)
The Falcons have been a top 10 D/ST unit in fantasy this year, which many didn’t expect heading into the season. They rank fifth in the NFL with 29 sacks and eighth in the NFL with 13 takeaways. Despite giving up 31 points vs. the Colts in Atlanta's last outing, it posted a season-high seven sacks and recorded a fumble recovery and an interception. This week, the Falcons have a much easier matchup against the Panthers. Carolina surrenders the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing D/ST units per game. It ranks bottom-five in points per game (17.7) and bottom-six in yards per game (297.1). The Panthers also rank fourth in giveaways this season (15).
Chiefs @ Broncos (ESPN: 27% Yahoo: 46%)
The Chiefs have been a solid D/ST all season and recorded 11+ fantasy points in two of their last three games. They’re also coming off a bye this week to face the Broncos. Denver has won seven straight and sits atop the AFC West with an 8-2 record. However, several of those wins didn’t come from big offensive performances. It put up just 10 points vs. the Raiders last Thursday, despite the Raiders being one of the most exploitable defenses in the league. Kansas City will not be an exploitable matchup for Bo Nix and the Broncos, as it allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (17.7) and the sixth-fewest yards per game (291.8).
Check out our Week 11 D/ST rankings.
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Michael Rovetto previously served as the staff writer for University of Maryland Athletics for nearly two years. There, he wrote, edited and managed all editorial content for all 20 of Maryland's varsity sports on umterps.com. Rovetto is recognized as a College Sports Communicators district award-winning writer. Many of his stories have also appeared on NCAA.org, garnering national attention. Before graduating from Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism in December 2023, Rovetto wrote for PressBox and Terrapin Sports Central, covering Maryland men's basketball and football. He also has experience in broadcasting, previously working as an analyst and camera operator for Big State Sports, and communication, interning for Shell Shock TBT as its Director of Communication & Content Development.