Unlock the Potential of Your Fantasy Football Defense in Week 12

TEAMS TO AVOID IN WEEK 12

As mentioned earlier, six teams will be on a bye this week. The Atlanta Falcons (18% rostered on sleeper) and Cincinnati Bengals (16%) are in a similar spot heading into the bye. Both are owned in less than 20% of leagues and near the bottom of the league in D/ST scoring. They could be streaming options down the road but are not worth considering for now.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (2%) are an interesting case. They're 25th in scoring and just got destroyed by Detroit. But after a matchup with Houston in Week 13, they have one of the easiest closing stretches to the season. They face Tennessee twice, as well as the Jets and Raiders. While they may not be worthy of being in anyone's lineup soon, their schedule forces us to keep an eye on them.

The New York Jets (70%) and New Orleans Saints (35%) are both near the middle of the league in D/ST scoring but have tough schedules ahead. While they may be worth a stream here and there, you don't need to hold onto them through their off week.

Finally, we have the Buffalo Bills (57%), who just gave the Chiefs their first loss of the season. They'll get an extra week to celebrate and are fourth in fantasy scoring. They look like a stash candidate through the bye, even with a stretch of SF/LAR/DET upcoming. On the bright side, they'll finish the season with home matchups against the Patriots and Jets, making them a great play for the end of the fantasy postseason.

MATCHUP-BASED

For D/ST streaming purposes, I'm fully avoiding the game between the Los Angeles Chargers (49%) and the Baltimore Ravens (64%). Both offenses are in the top five league-wide in limiting scoring for fantasy defenses. Although the Los Angeles offense looked great against a bad Cincinnati defense in Week 11, Baltimore lost a low-scoring battle to Pittsburgh and will be looking to bounce back. Both offenses should be humming in this one, and I won't be starting either defense.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS DST (25% ROSTERED ON SLEEPER)

I mentioned Tampa Bay as a potential stash candidate heading into their bye last week. This is mainly because of their incredible upcoming schedule of the Giants, Panthers, and Raiders over the next three weeks. Now that their bye is over, they're my favorite pick of this week as they enter the cupcake portion of their schedule and attempt to stay relevant in the NFC playoff picture.

This matchup with the Giants was already great, but some news on Monday made it even more tantalizing. Tommy DeVito had a solid season last year, but looking at his stats shows a more realistic picture. In nine appearances for the G Men, he threw for just over 1,000 yards with eight TDs and three interceptions. He was sacked 37 times, including four games with six or more sacks.

The Giants are clearly looking for someone to ignite their offense, and DeVito seems like the right guy. But it remains to be seen how much of an impact he can make. New York's 15.6 points per game has them ranked dead last in the league, and it's not all Daniel Jones' fault. I'm curious to see if DeVito can have the effect that Brian Daboll is hoping for.

I'm a bit nervous about putting a lot of faith in a Bucs defense that's been dismal at stopping the pass. But they're decent against the run, and their 28 sacks have them tied for ninth in the league. They know it's now or never if they want to make a run this season, currently sitting at 4-6 and the 11 seed in the NFC. A postseason appearance isn't out of the question, but they need to win this week.

CHICAGO BEARS DST (36%)

The Bears have been struggling over the past few weeks. After a solid start to the year, they've lost four straight and fired their offensive coordinator. The last two weeks have been especially painful, getting smoked by the Patriots and losing a divisional game to Green Bay on a blocked game-winning field goal attempt.

Since 1940, the Bears are 101-24-2 when they have 0 turnovers on offense and create a takeaway on defense. But they've had three losses in the last 3 weeks. This season, their defense has been their saving grace, currently tenth in D/ST scoring and tied for seventh with 17 turnovers forced. They're allowing less than 200 yards per game through the air and 18.7 points per game.

On paper, it seems crazy to have faith in a team that's coming apart at the seams. But Sam Darnold has been struggling for the Vikings, turning the ball over 17 times and being sacked 29 times. Minnesota could have more success with the run game, but their offensive line is ranked 20th by PFF. NFC North matchups tend to tighten up late in the year, and this one could be no different.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS DST (29%)

The Commanders have lost two straight for the first time this season and will look to get back in the win column at home against the Dallas Cowboys. Jayden Daniels has been the story of the year for Washington, but Dan Quinn's defensive turnaround is also worth noting.

Last season, the Commanders were terrible defensively, ranking dead last in total defense, pass defense, and scoring. This year, their pass defense has improved to sixth-ranked, allowing just 184.4 yards per game. Their best matchup is against a team like the Cowboys, who struggle to run the ball and don't have the QB talent to overcome falling behind.

Dallas has the second-worst rushing attack in the league, led by an aging Ezekiel Elliott and an inconsistent Rico Dowdle. Their offensive line has been disappointing, and with Dak Prescott out, they've scored less than 14 points per game since Cooper Rush took over. It remains to be seen if Rush can lead the team to victory.

Washington will stay at home after this week and host the Titans, making them a great two-week streaming option heading into their Week 14 bye.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Cleveland Browns (26%) were torched by Taysom Hill last week but will return home to host the Steelers. The Steelers beat Baltimore in Week 11 despite not scoring a touchdown.

The Los Angeles Rams (49%) have scored almost 14 points per game over the past three weeks and will look to continue that trend against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.

The Arizona Cardinals (4%) scored 13 points in each of the past two weeks and will return to action this week to face the Seahawks.