ClutchPoints
As NFL Week 16 approaches, so do the fantasy football playoff semifinals. Defensive matchups become slightly more difficult to stream as NFL playoff intensity cranks up, but there are still multiple D/ST streaming options for fantasy football managers to turn to, even late in the week.
Most fantasy football managers stream defenses all season, making it difficult to find a serviceable option late in the week. The field further narrows with several go-to options — including the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams — facing difficult matchups, making them hard to trust in the fantasy playoffs. Others, including the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs, have injuries that also make them unreliable.
With a lot on the line at this point in the fantasy and NFL season, identifying the right D/ST unit can be a championship-altering decision. The best options are off the board, but there are still multiple teams capable of winning matchups available in most leagues.
Nobody in the fantasy playoffs has seriously played the Tennessee Titans’ defense, but they could actually be the biggest sleeper of the week. Despite allowing 53 points over the last two weeks, the Titans are gifted with one of the best matchups of the week in Week 16.
Sure, the Kansas City Chiefs are a horrific matchup on paper. However, the Chiefs, without Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton and down to their fourth-string left tackle, are much less intimidating.
The Titans went from preparing for one of the most dangerous offenses in the league to measuring up one of the most turnover-prone quarterbacks in Gardner Minshew II within one week. Even this defense, which has forced three turnovers in its last two games, is bound to create some chaos against a severely limited offense that has nothing to play for in Week 16.
The New York Giants should not be any fantasy football manager’s first choice of D/ST. They have been far from the team some expected them to be in the preseason, and now draw a tougher matchup against the Minnesota Vikings and J.J. McCarthy, who has recently found his footing in the NFL.
The Vikings have been a much-improved team over their last two, but it is still too early for opinions to change on this inconsistent offense. Minnesota’s two-game surge has come against a depleted Washington Commanders secondary and the Dallas Cowboys’ atrocious, zone-heavy defense.
McCarthy, who still averages 1.5 turnovers per game, plays much better against zone than he does against man. The Giants are not a good secondary by any means, but they utilize man coverage schemes at a top-10 rate, according to Pro Football Focus.
Until the Vikings figure out how to work star receiver Justin Jefferson back into the game plan, their ceiling remains capped. It is too quick to judge their turnaround after consecutive outings against bottom-barrel teams.
Cincinnati Bengals (at Miami Dolphins)...
