RADIO
The playoffs are here, and that means we're going to do things a little differently. I want to take a look at the playoffs as a whole (and in this case we are considering Weeks 14-16) and determine which DSTs you can ride all the way through and which ones you should stream this week. Those streamers will be likely options in multiple weeks of the playoffs.
Below are RotoBaller's Week 14-16 playoff defense tiers and rankings, or which defenses to stream, start and target off the waiver wire for Week 14 of the NFL and fantasy football season. In case you missed it, this is our seventh year now writing this weekly column.
Our weekly tiered defense rankings are a guide to making waiver wire pickups to improve your lineups, and to decide which defenses to start, sit, target, avoid or stream for Week 14 and beyond. Starting the right defense every week can be a difference-maker. Below we have broken out our defense rankings into tiers with analysis on each matchup. Some of these Week 14 defenses have good matchups and are not widely-owned, representing fantasy scoring opportunities if they are available on your league's waiver wire for a Week 14 pickup or add. Good luck in Week 14 RotoBallers!
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best NFL Series, MLB Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
Playoff Defenses To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings
Breakdowns don't make a ton of sense here since my analysis will be different for each team each week, so I've gone with pure rankings in order of confidence in that team over the ENTIRE three-week playoff schedule.
Tier 1 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 14 Opponent | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 1 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers Defense | @ ARI | vs. BUF | @ NYJ |
| 2 | 1 | Baltimore Ravens Defense | @ BUF | vs. NYJ | @ CLE |
Tier 2 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 14 Opponent | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 3 | 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars Defense | vs. LAC | @ OAK | @ ATL |
| 4 | 2 | New England Patriots Defense | vs. KC | @ CIN | vs. BUF |
| 5 | 2 | Philadelphia Eagles Defense | vs. NYG | @ WAS | vs. DAL |
| 6 | 2 | New York Jets Defense | vs. MIA | @ BAL | vs. PIT |
Middle and Lower Tier Defenses
Tier 3 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 14 Opponent | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 7 | 3 | Seattle Seahawks Defense | @ LAR | @ CAR | vs. ARI |
| 8 | 3 | Green Bay Packers Defense | vs. WAS | vs. CHI | @ MIN |
| 9 | 3 | Dallas Cowboys Defense | @ CHI | vs. LAR | @ PHI |
| 10 | 3 | Houston Texans Defense | vs. DEN | @ TEN | @ TB |
| 11 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers Defense | @ NO | vs. ATL | vs. LAR |
| 12 | 3 | Buffalo Bills Defense | vs. BAL | @ PIT | @ NE |
| 13 | 3 | Cleveland Browns Defense | vs. CIN | @ ARI | vs. BAL |
Tier 4 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 14 Opponent | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 14 | 4 | New Orleans Saints Defense | vs. SF | vs. IND | @ TEN |
| 15 | 4 | Washington Redskins Defense | @ GB | vs. PHI | vs. NYG |
| 16 | 4 | Kansas City Chiefs Defense | @ NE | vs. DEN | @ CHI |
| 17 | 4 | Minnesota Vikings Defense | vs. DET | @ LAC | vs. GB |
| 18 | 4 | Tennessee Titans Defense | @ OAK | vs. HOU | vs. NO |
| 19 | 4 | Los Angeles Chargers Defense | @ JAC | vs. MIN | @ OAK |
| 20 | 4 | Indianapolis Colts Defense | @ TB | @ NO | vs. CAR |
Tier 5 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 14 Opponent | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 21 | 5 | Carolina Panthers Defense | @ ATL | vs. SEA | @ IND |
| 22 | 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense | vs. IND | @ DET | vs. HOU |
| 23 | 5 | Denver Broncos Defense | @ HOU | @ KC | vs. DET |
| 24 | 5 | New York Giants Defense | @ PHI | vs. MIA | @ WAS |
| 25 | 5 | Miami Dolphins Defense | @ NYJ | @ NYG | vs. CIN |
| 26 | 5 | Los Angeles Rams Defense | vs. SEA | @ DAL | @ SF |
Week 14 Streaming Defenses: Rankings
These are all DSTs who are owned in 50% or fewer of ESPN leagues (the ownership percentages are typically pretty similar regardless of platform).
| Rank | DST | Week 14 Opponent | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks Defense | @ LAR | @ CAR | vs. ARI |
| 2 | Green Bay Packers Defense | vs. WAS | vs. CHI | @ MIN |
| 3 | Dallas Cowboys Defense | @ CHI | vs. LAR | @ PHI |
| 4 | Houston Texans Defense | vs. DEN | @ TEN | @ TB |
| 5 | Washington Redskins Defense | @ GB | vs. PHI | vs. NYG |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs Defense | @ NE | vs. DEN | @ CHI |
| 7 | Tennessee Titans Defense | @ OAK | vs. HOU | vs. NO |
| 8 | Los Angeles Chargers Defense | @ JAC | vs. MIN | @ OAK |
| 9 | Indianapolis Colts Defense | @ TB | @ NO | vs. CAR |
| 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense | vs. IND | @ DET | vs. HOU |
| 11 | Denver Broncos Defense | @ HOU | @ KC | vs. DET |
| 12 | New York Giants Defense | @ PHI | vs. MIA | @ WAS |
| 13 | Miami Dolphins Defense | @ NYJ | @ NYG | vs. CIN |
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
