At this stage of the season, for the most part, fantasy managers have a good handle on which teams boast strong defensive units. But this is also the time of year where playing the matchups is one of the most effective strategies for the fantasy playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a great defense, but are you going to trust them against the Ravens? The Eagles have turned into one of the top defensive teams in the league, but they’ll face off against the electric Jayden Daniels in Week 16.
Meanwhile, we also saw in Week 15 how a poor defensive unit can have a stellar day if it’s going up against a woeful offense. That was exactly what we saw in the Bengals’ victory over the Titans. While Joe Burrow has been playing at an MVP-level this year, the defense has held them back. But against a turnover-prone Will Levis, the Bengals were one of the top defenses in Week 15 and even scored a touchdown.
Which matchups can be mined for fantasy goodness for Week 16? The Sporting News’ fantasy rankings will tell the story.
WEEK 16 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers
Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 16: Who to start, sit at D/ST
These rankings were updated on Dec. 19 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.
| RANK | TEAM | OPPONENT | CHANGE |
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings | at SEA | |
| 2 | Green Bay Packers | vs. NO | |
| 3 | Denver Broncos | at LAC | |
| 4 | Houston Texans | at KC | |
| 5 | Atlanta Falcons | vs. NYG | |
| 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | at WAS | |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills | vs. NE | |
| 8 | Los Angeles Chargers | vs. DEN | |
| 9 | Arizona Cardinals | at CAR | |
| 10 | Kansas City Chiefs | vs. HOU | |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | at BAL | |
| 12 | Washington Commanders | vs. PHI | |
| 13 | Baltimore Ravens | vs. PIT | |
| 14 | San Francisco 49ers | at MIA | |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | vs. TEN | |
| 16 | Miami Dolphins | vs. SF | |
| 17 | Tennessee Titans | at IND | |
| 18 | Detroit Lions | at CHI | |
| 19 | New York Jets | vs. LAR | |
| 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | at DAL | |
| 21 | Cleveland Browns | at CIN | |
| 22 | Seattle Seahawks | vs. MIN | |
| 23 | Los Angeles Rams | at NYJ | |
| 24 | Cincinnati Bengals | vs. CLE | |
| 25 | Dallas Cowboys | vs. TB | |
| 26 | Las Vegas Raiders | vs. JAC | |
| 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | at LV | |
| 28 | Carolina Panthers | vs. ARI | |
| 29 | Chicago Bears | vs. DET | |
| 30 | New England Patriots | at BUF | |
| 31 | New Orleans Saints | at GB | |
| 32 | New York Giants | at ATL |
Who are the best fantasy defenses in Week 16?
The Minnesota Vikings have been about as dominant as they come this year. They’re the D/ST2 across the full season, and they hold the No. 1 slot this week. Geno Smith suffered a knee injury in Week 15, meaning the Vikings could be in line to face Sam Howell this week. Brian Flores would have a field day with Howell under center.
The Denver Broncos are another defensive unit that has regularly wreaked havoc on their opponents. The Broncos’ defense has scored 40 fantasy points in their last two games, and they have been legitimately influencing fantasy matchups. With a struggling Chargers offense on deck this week, Denver should be in for a big day.
After 14 games, the Green Bay defense has generated 26 turnovers, 4th-most in the NFL. They’ll look to add to that total when Spencer Rattler and the Saints come to town on Monday Night Football. With a suspect quarterback and a lacking arsenal of offensive weapons for the Saints, the Green Bay defense is a no-brainer this week.
MORE: Complete Week 16 Waiver Wire and FAAB recommendations
Who are the best fantasy defense sleepers in Week 16?
Bryce Young and the Panthers’ offense came back down to Earth last week against the Cowboys. After a couple of promising games, Carolina put up just 14 points and 235 yards of offense in Week 15. This game also included two picks from Young. Carolina remains an offense to target with defensive streamers, making Arizona a quality defense in fantasy this week.
It should only take two words to understand why the Falcons belong on rosters this week: Tim Boyle. With Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito banged up, we could see Boyle running the show for the Giants. The Falcons have struggled on defense throughout the year, but any competent defensive unit should be able to keep Boyle in check.
