Fantasy Defense Week 17 Rankings: Who To Start With Sit D / ST In Fantasy Football | Breaking News Updates

We said it last week, and we’ll say it again – if there’s one thing even slightly positive that this reserve / COVID carousel is doing, it’s creating more D / ST sleepers. Our Week 17 Fantasy Defense rankings reflect that – or at least, will be reflect that – but the stats throughout the season, both in terms of defenses themselves and game counts, shouldn’t be completely dismissed.

As we saw last week, backup players can sometimes play reasonably well. Yet when a second or third string QB is under the center, we want to tackle those infractions. It’s no shock to see these players perform well for a streak or two when everything is scripted, but they often wear out as the game progresses. All we need our D / STs to pay for is a big game, so we’ll take our chances.

STANDARD RANKING FOR WEEK 17:
quarterback | Back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker

As Week 17 approaches, some of the more traditional favorable matches go to some of the better-written D / STs. New England (against the Jaguars), Tampa Bay (@ Jets) and Buffalo (against the Falcons) all look great. The Rams (@ Ravens) are expected to call again this week as well, and even the Steelers (vs. Browns) have an advantage against Baker Mayfield.

WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
quarterback | Back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker

The Saints (vs. Panthers), 49ers (vs. Texans) and Eagles (@ Washington) have seen their ownership increase dramatically thanks to a series of favorable showdowns in recent times, and they are expected to recur this week. To take it a step further, the Bears (vs Giants), Chargers (vs Broncos), Seahawks (vs Lions) and maybe even Giants (@ Bears) are your best sleepers this week, at least as of Monday. More numbers to emerge throughout the week.

On the other side of the coin, the Colts (vs. Raiders), Chiefs (@ Bengals), Packers (vs. Vikings), and Cowboys (vs. Cardinals) all have neutral to bad clashes, but given how bad all of those D / STs have been playing lately, we’re not too worried about any, especially as three of the four are at home. Plus, most of these defenses thrive on take-out and big plays, and they all could definitely get one or two and still pay off even if they allow for yards and points.

The D / STs we don’t hit this week are Arizona (vs. Cowboys), Cincinnati (vs. Chiefs), Denver (@ Chargers) and Baltimore (vs. Rams). Arizona are similar to some of the D / STs we’ve listed above, but they’ve struggled lately and don’t look like the same unit that scored all of those points earlier in the season. You can always take a chance on them to make a big play at home, but against the Cowboys we’re not that keen on taking the risk.

As we said, more D / STs will emerge throughout the week depending on who ends up on the reserve / COVID list. However, be aware that defenses that lose key players (like the Chargers who lost Joey Bosa last week) can dip in the standings. It’s fantastic championship week so you better believe you’ll have to be extra vigilant.

To note: We’ll be updating these D / ST rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest analysis and player moves.

Fantasy Defense Week 17 Rankings: Who To Start With Sit D / ST In Fantasy Football