Of course, you won’t need to do a thing if you already have a top defense in a favorable matchup. The Eagles (@ Bears in Week 15) have been dominant all season, and now draw a banged-up Bears offense that takes the third-most sacks and has thrown the third-most interceptions over its past three games. The Chiefs (@ Texans) have become elite — at least in plus matchups — and Houston is about as plus a matchup as it gets. And the Patriots (@ Raiders), which pits Bill Belichick’s mastery against long-time student Josh McDaniels, makes New England a must-start. The same goes for the 49ers (@ Seahawks) against a suddenly sloppy and banged-up Seahawks’ squad.

As for streamer options who are among the cream of the crop this week, talk about a lesson in the importance of planning. Hopefully, you regularly follow our waiver wire watchlist, which looks ahead to upcoming weeks and pinpoints potential breakouts and emerging streamer candidates. Our Week 15 watchlist included the Packers (vs. Rams), Broncos (vs. Cardinals), Steelers (@ Panthers), and Cardinals (@ Broncos), all of whom were under 50 percent rostered going into this weekend and all of whom made our top-10 list for Week 15 thanks to highly favorable matchups. All of their opponents entered Week 14 in the top 12 in fantasy points per game (FPPG) allowed to D/STs.

WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers

We have all of these squads ahead of the Cowboys (@ Jaguars), but you’re still most likely starting Dallas if you own one of fantasy’s top D/STs. We can’t blame you for that, as the Cowboys should be just fine against an inconsistent Jaguars’ offense. 

WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers

If you don’t have the luxury of owning any of these top-10 options, plenty of available D/STs still sit on the start ’em, sit ’em bubble. The Commanders (vs. Giants) come off a bye week having played strong defense over the past two months. With Saquon Barkley dinged up, New York took seven Philly sacks in Week 14 and could be in for a handful more courtesy of Washington’s front-seven, which has logged the eighth-most sacks over its past three games. Oh, and Chase Young (knee) is finally set to return. 

WEEK 15 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

Other defensive streams worth considering include the Panthers (vs. Steelers) at home against either a post-concussion Kenny Pickett or a turnover-prone Mitchell Trubisky. The Browns (vs. Ravens) could draw a banged-up Lamar Jackson (knee) or Tyler Huntley (concussion) or rookie Anthony Brown. Either way, Cleveland is in play. The Vikings (vs. Colts) have been brutal against the pass, but their pass-rush will look quicker against Matt Ryan and his abysmal pass-protection. Only the Rams allow more FPPG to D/STs than the Colts. Even the Falcons (@ Saints) deserve a look — they haven’t been terrible, and the Saints allow the fifth-most FPPG to D/STs. We also have our eye on the surging Lions if Mike White (ribs) is unable to go.

WEEK 15 DFS: Best values | Best stacks

You start entering murky territory beyond that region of the rankings. Even in a home game, it’s tough to trust the Raiders (vs. Patriots), but at least they get after the QB and have a favorable matchup. And even though the Giants (@ Commanders) have been decent this year, we don’t love them against a Commanders’ offense that has been rolling and just enjoyed a much-needed bye week.

WEEK 15 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

Stuck with a defense ranked between 18 and 32? I’ll light a candle for you. You may still see some upside out of the Jets (vs. Lions), but Detroit has looked like a playoff offense over the past few weeks. The Bengals (@ Buccaneers) have looked great defensively, but the Bucs entered Week 14 allowing the fourth-fewest FPPG to D/STs, so this is still a low-ceiling game. Even the Bills (vs. Dolphins), Buccaneers (vs. Bengals), and Colts (@ Vikings) — usually strong plays — are best left on benches this weekend. There are no mulligans from here on out — it’s win or go home, or should we say, “win or go play DFS.”

We’ll be updating our fantasy defense rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest analysis and player movement.

Week 15 fantasy defense rankings

Rank    Team 1    Philadelphia Eagles @ Bears 2    Kansas City Chiefs @ Texans 3    Green Bay Packers vs. Rams 4    Denver Broncos vs. Cardinals 5    Baltimore Ravens @ Browns 6    Pittsburgh Steelers @ Panthers 7    Seattle Seahawks vs. 49ers 8    Arizona Cardinals @ Broncos 9    New England Patriots @ Raiders 10    San Francisco 49ers @ Seahawks 11    Dallas Cowboys @ Jaguars 12    Washington Commanders vs. Giants 13    Carolina Panthers vs. Steelers 14    Cleveland Browns vs. Ravens 15    Minnesota Vikings vs. Colts 16    Atlanta Falcons @ Saints 17    Las Vegas Raiders vs. Patriots 18    New York Giants @ Commanders 19    New York Jets vs. Lions 20    Detroit Lions @ Jets 21    Cincinnati Bengals @ Buccaneers 22    Buffalo Bills vs. Dolphins 23    New Orleans Saints vs. Falcons 24    Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Bengals 25    Indianapolis Colts @ Vikings 26    Miami Dolphins @ Bills 27    Tennessee Titans @ Chargers 28    Los Angeles Chargers vs. Titans 29    Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cowboys 30    Los Angeles Rams @ Packers 31    Chicago Bears vs. Eagles 32    Houston Texans @ Chiefs

Week 15 defense fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

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