Fantasy Football: 3 Defensive Streamer Options for Week 14

Every point matters when it comes to winning in season-long fantasy football, meaning you can't afford to leave points on the table. We don't spend top-notch draft capital on D/STs in our fantasy football drafts, but ignoring them during the season can cost you dearly.

Streaming defenses throughout the year is a great way to ensure you get the most out of your D/ST slot. Even the best defenses draw tough weekly matchups, and even the worst defenses are capable of strong fantasy outings in the right situations.

This article is here to help you parse through all of those situations and to present you with three streamers available in most leagues.

Fantasy Football Defenses to Stream for Week 14

All projections via numberFire.

Green Bay Packers

Matchup: at New York Giants

numberFire Projection: 11.33 (D/ST1)

Not only are the Green Bay Packers available in most leagues heading into Week 14, but they're also numberFire's top projected fantasy D/ST. They'll get to take on the New York Giants, who have been in a giving mood all year when it comes to donating fantasy points to their opponents' defenses.

Only the New England Patriots (148) have scored fewer points than the Giants (159) this year, making the Giants one of the safest teams to stream defenses against. The Arizona Cardinals' terrible defense has been the only team to have finished their matchup against the Giants with fewer than seven fantasy points (they finished with four). Even during the Giants' recent two-game winning streak, they have still surrendered 9 and 12 fantasy points to the Washington Commanders' and Patriots' defenses.

The Packers' defense hasn't been a game-breaker this year, but they should be more than capable of posting a strong fantasy finish against the Giants. Worse defenses than theirs have leveraged this solid matchup into top weekly finishes. Between Tommy DeVito's astronomical 21.1% sack rate and his team's inability to put points on the board, you can't go wrong streaming defenses against the Giants.

Houston Texans

Matchup: at New York Jets

numberFire Projection: 9.82 (D/ST3)

The Houston Texans have far exceeded any expectations NFL fans had set out for them entering the year. The general consensus had them finishing as a bottom-two team in the league, but in Week 14, they're competing for the top spot in the AFC South with their impressive 7-5 record. Their offense -- led by Offensive Rookie of the Year award favorite C.J. Stroud -- has been the focal point for their franchise turnaround, but their defense has quietly been much better than expected, as well.

When streaming defenses in fantasy football, we love seeing teams generate pressure and create turnovers. The Texans are doing both at a slightly better-than-average clip. Their 22.3% pressure rate ranks 13th-best (just behind the Dallas Cowboys) and they've forced at least one turnover in all but two games so far this year. They've even created eight turnovers in their last four games, a trend we could see continue with Stroud and the offense pressuring their opponents on the scoreboard.

This week, the Texans get kind of a dream matchup. They'll take on the New York Jets, whose possible starting quarterback hasn't decided whether or not he even wants to play this week yet. The Jets' offense has completely cratered in on itself down the stretch. They have totaled just 27 combined points over their last three games while giving up an average of 19.7 fantasy points to opposing D/STs.

Houston is projected to finish as the D/ST3 overall in Week 14, but they have a strong chance to finish as the top defense in fantasy against the Jets.

Minnesota Vikings

Matchup: at Las Vegas Raiders

numberFire Projection: 7.6 (D/ST12)

The Minnesota Vikings might not have the ideal Week 14 setup that the Packers and Texans have, but they're still looking pretty good for the upcoming weekend. Their defense -- which boasts Danielle Hunter and his 13.5 sacks -- still gets to take on the Aidan O'Connell-led Las Vegas Raiders after a week of rest.

O'Connell has been better than expected since taking over the starting job from Jimmy Garoppolo, but he hasn't exactly been great, either. The rookie has thrown four touchdowns to six interceptions and has already committed four fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, the former Boilermakers quarterback has a 4.0% turnover-worthy play rate, the third-highest mark among quarterbacks with starting jobs right now. Opposing fantasy defenses haven't yet fully taken advantage -- they're averaging a fine 7.3 fantasy points per game against the Raiders over the last three weeks -- but he's playing with fire.

The Vikings' defense blitzes at by far the highest rate in the league, sending numbers at the quarterback a whopping 47.6% of the time. O'Connell's 54.0 PFF offensive grade against the blitz ranks 50th in the NFL, which only has 32 starting quarterbacks at a time. There's a chance the Vikings' blitz-heavy approach will be too much for the rookie, which means their fantasy D/ST is in a sneakily good spot to generate sacks and create turnovers.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.