Well folks, this is it. 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 means the end of the year overall. Things did not go according to plan. There will be no play offs. The Grinch stole Christmas — and Cindy Lou Who isn’t riding to the rescue like Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams last week in New York.
Williams was a one-man defense in Seattle’s 26-21 win over the New York Jets. He really was — Williams recorded two sacks, blocked a kick and returned an Aaron Rodgers interception 92 yards for a touchdown.
A big man he admitted to reporters the latter almost wore out the 300 lbs.
“I remember running with it and thinking I was running fast,” Williams said. “All my teammates were yelling at me saying I was moving. When I turned 50, I wanted to offer it to someone. I saw all the cavalry running across the field. I literally just lay there. I was exhausted.”
That’s about a dozen fantasy points – depending on your scoring system. Williams accounted for nearly all of Seattle’s defensive fantasy scoring last week — and the Seahawks were top five lineup.
Williams is unlikely to repeat that feat on Sunday in Arizona. But two weeks ago, the Seahawks limited the Cardinals to just six points, sacking Kyler Murray five times and scoring on six.
In this most important week, Seattle is at least the top streaming option.
THE DOUBTS
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Saquon Barkley’s fantastic season in Philly is in full swing, but Vic Fangio has turned a flawed defense that fell apart against the pass last year into the league’s best rushing defense and the league’s highest-scoring defense of the year since 7th week. The Panthers have undoubtedly looked much more competitive over the past month, but we’re talking about a three-win team that has allowed the most through the first seven weeks of 2024 fantasy points per game on defense in the NFC.
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 just one sack. However, three takeaways salvaged a so-so stat line, and Pittsburgh followed that up with four sacks, three takeaways and a defensive touchdown in a shootout over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns remain among the league leaders in sacks allowed and fantasy points surrendered to the defense, and this rematch shouldn’t be a blizzard.
Buffalo Bills (at Los Angeles Rams)
Granted, the elements played a role in last week’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, but the Bills still managed two sacks, a trio of fumble recoveries and just 10 points allowed en route to double-digit fantasy points. Through 13 weeks, the Bills rank a respectable seventh in fantasy points at the position, and while the Rams are in the mix in the NFC West, the team has struggled to protect Matthew Stafford at times and has been a plus for the defense – 13th in fantasy points per game they gave up that position this year.
Chicago Bears (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
The Bears didn’t go as planned 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 are ninth among all defenses in fantasy points. The 49ers aren’t a great matchup on defense, but San Fran’s offense has been hampered by injuries — in last week’s loss to the Bills, the team lost running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason to multi-week injuries. And while the weather played a role, the Niners seemed to hit a tipping point.
Minnesota Vikings (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
The Vikings remain the most valuable fantasy defense in the NFC, but as the big plays have declined along with the Vikings’ fantasy production in recent weeks. 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 has not thrown a touchdown pass in the 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. This is the right place.
Don’t miss episodes from Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and Rotoworld football show throughout the season for the latest player news, waiver wire help, start/sit advice and much more.
STREAMS OF THE WORLD, CONNECT!
Miami Dolphins (vs. New York Jets)
The Dolphins have built up a nice steam by winning three straight, but Miami literally and figuratively went cold on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving Day. But if the Dolphins are a little chilly, the Jets are hibernating — New York has lost eight of nine, there’s talk of Aaron Rodgers being benched, and the Jets have surrendered the 12th-most fantasy points per game to a defense this year. . The Dolphins badly need this win. The Jets really want this season to be over.
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 outside the top 20 in fantasy points. We also just saw Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O’Connell throw for 340 yards and two scores in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Raiders haven’t excelled on offense this season, and the team ranks well in the top 10 in fantasy points per game allowed by the defense. 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 ranked in the top 20 in fantasy points for the season. The Chargers also haven’t been a great fantasy matchup for opposing defenses – the Bolts sit outside the top 20 in fantasy points per game given to the position. But the JK Dobbins-less Chargers offense we saw last week looked — lost. And this is an opportunity for the Chiefs to make a prime-time statement — and all but put the AFC West “race” to rest.
Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Last week’s collapse against the Washington Commanders aside, 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 into fantasy — Tennessee ranks outside of the top-25 team defenses and has only reached double figures in a game three times this season. However, the reeling Jaguars have been a plus for the defense this year, especially of late. Over the past month, Jacksonville has given up the ninth-most fantasy points per game.
New Orleans Saints (at New York Giants)
It’s been a forgettable season for the Saints — one that already saw head coach Dennis Allen fired. 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 terms of fantasy points on the season. This week, however, the Saints drew the best fantasy defensive game in the league over the past month – last week the Dallas Cowboys (another struggling defense) posted six sacks, a pair of sacks and a defensive touchdown.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, PEOPLE
Detroit Lions (vs. Green Bay Packers)
Detroit’s defense doesn’t get nearly as much credit as the offense in the team’s 11-1 start, but despite a slew of injuries, the Lions remain a tough team to play against — fifth in the league at 93.5 yards per game. . The crowd at Ford Field will undoubtedly be raucous on Thursday night, but the Packers have the talent at pass and quarterback to take advantage of the Lions’ secondary, which is a weak spot on defense. It’s also fair to wonder when all of Motown’s injuries will finally start to take a real toll.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him to X o @IDPSharks.