Kate Magdziuk shares her Week 11 defense rankings and highlights several streaming options that could be available in your leagues.
Welcome to Week 11, folks! There are four teams on bye this week, including the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately for those streaming their fantasy football defenses, a couple of those teams (Panthers, Giants) have been among the top teams to stream against this year.
Fear not, though, dear friends. There are still plenty of favorable matchups that are worth consideration for a spot in your lineups. Here’s a look at three D/ST streamers, as well as Week 11’s top-28 fantasy defense rankings to help make your lineup decisions.
Week 11 defense streamers
Green Bay Packers D/ST vs. CHI
The Green Bay Packers have been a surprisingly productive fantasy defense this year, currently tied for the seventh-most points among D/STs — right along with their divisional rival, the Chicago Bears. That has been thanks in large part to their ability to force turnovers, tied for second in the league with 18 offensive turnovers forced through the first 10 weeks of the season, only behind the Minnesota Vikings (yes, another divisional rival — is the NFC North underrated on defense? Perhaps.) They also rank top-10 in scoring drive percentage allowed (33.7%), which puts them in a particularly intriguing spot ahead of Week 11, when they’ll face the Bears in a tough divisional matchup.
It’s been no secret that the Bears are in a challenging spot, having just fired OC Shane Waldron on the back of a three-game skid coming out of the bye where rookie QB Caleb Williams has struggled significantly. In the last three weeks, Williams has taken a mind-blowing 18 sacks, completing just 50.53% of passes (0 TD, 0 INT) for 156 passing yards per game and a lost fumble to boot. There’s no doubt that Waldron was problematic, but it’s unrealistic to expect that their problems will all be solved just days after his departure. The offensive line has played poorly, no doubt contributing to some (not all) of Williams’ struggles, and there’s a tremendous sense of frustration on that side of the ball right now. Don’t be surprised if the Packers can take advantage of that and force some mistakes from this mistake-prone offense that has regressed in a big way coming out of their bye.
Houston Texans D/ST vs. DAL
Dallas Cowboys fans, if any of you are still out there, please avert your eyes from this fantasy defense recommendation. There’s not much to be excited about when it comes to this offense rest-of-season. QB Dak Prescott is set to undergo a season-ending surgery to repair the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 8. Unfortunately, that leaves QBs Cooper Rush and Trey Lance to pick up the pieces, and neither was able to accomplish much of anything in their first week, combining for just 66 passing yards on 29 attempts (0 combined TDs, 1 INT). It’s going to be tough sledding for this unit, especially up against a defense with plenty of momentum right now, coming off a five-INT outing against the red-hot Jared Goff.
Miami Dolphins D/ST vs. LV
The Miami Dolphins haven’t consistently looked like a top-10 defense all season, but boy, will it be challenging to forget their stunning defensive performance against Matthew Stafford & Co. on Monday Night Football in Week 10. The crew combined for four sacks in their last outing (one a piece for Calais Campbell, Chop Robinson, Jevon Holland and Quinton Bell), while LB Anthony Walker mixed in with an interception and Kendall Fuller recovered a fumble to help carry the Dolphins to a win. This week, the Dolphins will face the Las Vegas Raiders, giving up a league-high 11.22 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. Vegas has no answer at quarterback and middling answers everywhere else on the offense outside of star rookie TE Brock Bowers and WR Jakobi Meyers.
Fantasy football: Week 11 defense rankings
| # | Player (team) | Matchup | ECR | vs. ECR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Texans (HOU) | at DAL | 4 | +3 |
| 2 | Minnesota Vikings (MIN) | at TEN | 1 | -1 |
| 3 | Detroit Lions (DET) | vs. JAC | 2 | -1 |
| 4 | Green Bay Packers (GB) | at CHI | 3 | -1 |
| 5 | San Francisco 49ers (SF) | vs. SEA | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | New York Jets (NYJ) | vs. IND | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Chargers (LAC) | vs. CIN | 10 | +3 |
| 8 | Denver Broncos (DEN) | vs. ATL | 9 | +1 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Rams (LAR) | at NE | 8 | -1 |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins (MIA) | vs. LV | 7 | -3 |
| 11 | Buffalo Bills (BUF) | vs. KC | 13 | +2 |
| 12 | Philadelphia Eagles (PHI) | vs. WAS | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT) | vs. BAL | 20 | +7 |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints (NO) | vs. CLE | 11 | -3 |
| 15 | Kansas City Chiefs (KC) | at BUF | 17 | +2 |
| 16 | Chicago Bears (CHI) | vs. GB | 15 | -1 |
| 17 | Baltimore Ravens (BAL) | at PIT | 21 | +4 |
| 18 | Atlanta Falcons (ATL) | at DEN | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | Cleveland Browns (CLE) | at NO | 14 | -5 |
| 20 | Tennessee Titans (TEN) | vs. MIN | 16 | -4 |
| 21 | Indianapolis Colts (IND) | at NYJ | 19 | -2 |
| 22 | Washington Commanders (WAS) | at PHI | 24 | +2 |
| 23 | Dallas Cowboys (DAL) | vs. HOU | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | New England Patriots (NE) | vs. LAR | 22 | -2 |
| 25 | Cincinnati Bengals (CIN) | at LAC | 26 | +1 |
| 26 | Seattle Seahawks (SEA) | at SF | 25 | -1 |
| 27 | Las Vegas Raiders (LV) | at MIA | 27 | 0 |
Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.
