by Well friends, that’s it. The end of the line – for some, anyway.
In most fantasy football leagues, Week 14 marks the end of the regular season. And for some fantasy managers, that basically means the end of the year. Things didn’t go as planned. There will be no playoffs. The Grinch stole Christmas — and Cindy Lou Who isn’t coming to the rescue like Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams did last week in New York.
Williams was a one-man defense in Seattle’s 26-21 win over the New York Jets. Really, he was — Williams recorded two sacks, blocked a kick and returned an Aaron Rodgers interception 92 yards for a touchdown.
The big man confessed to journalists the latter has almost exhausted the 300 books.
“I remember running with it and thinking I was running fast,” Williams said. “All my teammates were getting me excited by saying I was moving. Once I crossed the 50 mark, I was actually looking to introduce him to someone. I saw all the cavalry running on the field. I literally lay down. I was exhausted.
That’s a dozen fantasy points – depending on your scoring system. Williams accounted for almost all of Seattle’s defensive scoring in fantasy last week – and the Seahawks were a top five team.
Williams is certainly unlikely to repeat that feat in Arizona on Sunday. But two weeks ago, the Seahawks held the Cardinals to just six points, sacked Kyler Murray five times and scored on a pick-six.
During this most important week, Seattle is at the very least a premium streaming option.
THE WITHOUT DOUBTS
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Saquon Barkley’s fantastic season in Philadelphia won the entire race, but Vic Fangio transformed a flawed defense that collapsed against the pass last year into the league’s best defense in terms of yards per game allowed and the fantastic defense with the best scoring in the league since Week 7. The Panthers have certainly looked a lot more competitive over the past month, but we’re talking about a three-win team that has spent the first seven weeks of 2024 allowing the more fantasy points per game to the NFC defenses.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Yes, when these teams met two weeks ago, things didn’t go as planned in Pittsburgh. Star edge rusher TJ Watt was held in check and the Steelers managed only one sack. However, three takeaways salvaged a mediocre stat line, and Pittsburgh followed up with four sacks, three takeaways and a defensive touchdown in a shootout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns remain among the league leaders in sacks allowed and fantasy points allowed to defenses, and there shouldn’t be a snowstorm to spoil this rematch.
Buffalo Bills (to Los Angeles Rams)
Sure, the elements played a role in last week’s blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers, but the Bills still managed two sacks, three fumble recoveries and just 10 points allowed en route to double-digit fantasy points . After 13 weeks, the Bills rank a respectable seventh in fantasy points at the position, and although the Rams are in the mix in the NFC West, the team has struggled at times to protect Matthew Stafford and has been a positive match for defenses – 13th. in fantasy points per game given up at the position this year.
Chicago Bears (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
Things didn’t go the Bears’ way on Thanksgiving, but the defense can’t be blamed for that – holding the Detroit Lions to 23 points is about all you can ask of a defense. At this point in the season, the Bears rank ninth among all defenses in fantasy points. The 49ers aren’t a great matchup for defenses, but San Francisco’s offense has been marred by injuries — in last week’s loss to the Bills, the team lost running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason due to multi-week injuries. And while the weather played a role, it appears the Niners may have reached a breaking point.
Minnesota Vikings (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
The Vikings remain the highest-scoring fantasy defense in the NFC, but big plays have declined in recent weeks along with the Vikings’ fantasy production. However, it could be that the Falcons are just what the doctor ordered for the purple and gold. Kirk Cousins was terrible last week, throwing four interceptions. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last three games. And over the past month, only the New York Giants have allowed more fantasy points per game to team defenses than the Falcons. It’s a good place.
Don’t miss the episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and Rotoworld football fair throughout the season for the latest player news, waiver form help, starting/sitting tips and much more.
STEAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Miami Dolphins (vs. New York Jets)
The Dolphins had gained momentum by winning three straight, but Miami literally and figuratively cooled off on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving evening. However, if the Dolphins are a little cold, the Jets are hibernating – New York has lost eight of nine, there’s talk of Aaron Rodgers on the bench and the Jets have given up the 12th most fantasy points per game to defenses this year . . The Dolphins need this win badly. The Jets really want this season to end already.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Las Vegas)
The Buccaneers haven’t been particularly good defensively this season – Tampa is 28th in the league in total defense, 30th against the pass and ranks outside the top 20 in fantasy points. We also just saw Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O’Connell throw for 340 yards and score twice in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Raiders haven’t exactly excelled at maintaining offense this season, and the team ranks well in the top 10 in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses. Tampa is a viable streamer in Week 13.
Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
Kansas City’s defense is nothing to write home about – the team barely ranks in the top 20 in fantasy points for the season. The Chargers haven’t been a great fantasy matchup for opposing defenses either – the Bolts are outside the top 20 in fantasy points per game allowed at the position. But the JK Dobbins-less Chargers offense we saw last week looked lost. And it’s an opportunity for the Chiefs to make a prime-time statement — and all but end the “run” in the AFC West.
Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Aside from last week’s collapse against the Washington Commanders, the Titans remain an excellent defensive team in some respects – second in the NFL in yards allowed and first in the league against the pass. But that success hasn’t really translated to fantasy – Tennessee ranks outside the top 25 team defenses and has only reached double figures in a game three times this season. However, the shell-shocked Jaguars have been a boon to defenses this year, especially of late. Over the past month, Jacksonville has given up ninth in most fantasy points per game at the position.
New Orleans Saints (to New York Giants)
This has been a forgettable season for the Saints – one that has already resulted in the firing of head coach Dennis Allen. The defense hasn’t exactly set the world on fire either – only two teams have given up more yards per game, and the Saints rank in the middle of the pack in fantasy points for the season. However, this week the Saints had the best fantasy game for defenses in the league over the past month: Last week the Dallas Cowboys (another struggling defense) recorded six sacks, two putbacks and a touchdown defensive.
WARNING EMPTOR, PEOPLE
Detroit Lions (vs. Green Bay Packers)
Detroit’s defense doesn’t get the same credit as the offense for the team’s 11-1 start, but despite a growing number of injuries, the Lions remain a very difficult team to run – fifth in the league with only 93.5 yards per game. . The Ford Field crowd will undoubtedly be loud Thursday night, but the Packers have the passing game talent and quarterback to take advantage of a Lions secondary that is the defense’s weak spot. It’s also fair to wonder at what point all the injuries at Motown finally start to take their toll.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on @IDPSharks.
