Fantasy Defense rankings Week 16 Who to

As the Jackson 5 once sang, "Can you feel it?" It's Christmas week, the fantasy football semifinals are upon us, and we have Najee Harris Jersey 11 games on Saturday for a Christmas Eve bonanza of fantasy action. For the fantasy squads still alive, there is no longer any room for error. Every opponent is formidable, and every start 'em, sit 'em decision -- even D/ST -- can make or break your postseason run. So, be sure to check into our Week 16 fantasy defense rankings early and often leading up to your must-win matchup.Owners with the Bills (@ Bears in Week 16), 49ers (vs. Commanders), Buccaneers (@ Cardinals), Broncos (@ Rams), and Ravens (vs. Falcons) can move on and look ahead to next week by checking our waiver-wire watchlist next Thursday. Proactive owners who checked last week's watchlist already scooped up the Browns (vs. Saints), Titans (vs. Texans), Commanders (@ 49ers), and Chargers (@ Colts) -- all of whom have favorable matchups in a pivotal week. Check your waiver wire to see which ones are still available.As for the fringe plays, we snuck both sides of the Raiders at Steelers matchup into the back end of our top 10. Vegas has actually scored seven standard Chris Wormley Jersey D/ST points per week since Week 13, while Kenny Pickett (concu sion) has taken 2.6 sacks while throwing one interception per game in his rookie campaign. If he remains out, then Vegas will get a shot at Mitchell Trubisky, who has his own ball-security i sues. The Steelers, meanwhile, have not allowed more than 17 offensive points in over a month while ama sing seven sacks and three takeaways in that span.WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS: | | | | If all the squads we just mentioned aren't available, look out for the Lions (@ Panthers). With Jared Goff and an emerging Detroit offense playing lights out, the Lions D has also started to rise to the occasion. In Detroit's 6-1 second-half stretch, Dan Campbell's squad has racked up four double-digit fantasy performances and a per-week average of nine points. They'll face an underwhelming Carolina squad led by Sam Darnold, who took four sacks while leading the Panthers to just 16 offensive points last week.WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS: | | | | Another D/ST that surprisingly lands among the sleeper options for Week 16 is the Jaguars (@ Jets), who get an extra-special boost if Zach Wilson starts for the injured Mike White (ribs) again. Wilson got sacked four times and to sed an interception against the Lions in Week 15, and New York finished with just 50 total rushing yards. A short week doesn't figure to help him prepare. The Rams (vs. Broncos) also re-enter the D/ST conversation thanks to a home tilt against Brett Rypien or Ru sell Wilson (concu sion) playing behind Denver's shoddy offensive line.WEEK 16 DFS LINEUPS: | It may seem strange to put your fantasy semifinals fate in the hands of a defense that barely cracked the top 20 of our rankings for much of the 2022 campaign, but you're better off playing a squad with a high ceiling in a plus-matchup than riding a good D in a terrible spot. The Bengals (@ Patriots) and Saints (@ Browns) have enough talent and decent enough matchups to merit starts, but you should probably tread lightly with the Cowboys (vs. Eagles), Patriots (vs. Bengals), and Eagles (@ Cowboys).WEEK 16 DFS: | We know Bill Belichick has the Patriots playing strong defense Anthony Miller Jersey once again this season, but Cincinnati has too many weapons. D/STs have averaged around five fantasy points per game against the Bengals this season (fifth fewest) and a measly 2.25 over the past four weeks (sixth fewest). We also have our reservations about starting the Cowboys, who have surrendered 57 combined points to the Texans and Jaguars over the past two weeks. Heading into Week 15, just two teams were allowing fewer fantasy points to D/STs than the Eagles -- and one of them was Dallas. That's why we don't like either D/ST in that matchup, though both have enough talent to produce big plays and pay off if you're dead set on sticking with them. (Update:With Gardner Minshew expected to start for Terry Bradshaw Jersey Jalen Hurts, we've moved the Cowboys up into the top 12 and feel better about starting them.)WEEK 16 FANTASY PICKS: | | If you like the feeling of being in the playoffs, avoid the remaining squads in the rankings. The Vikings (@ Giants) might seem like they have a good matchup, but the Giants are fairly efficient and will be able to move the ball against Minnesota.You shouldn't need to dig that deep anyway. There are plenty of high-floor and high-ceiling streaming options, so find the squad that makes the most sense for your team and hope for some big plays.We'll be updating our fantasy defense rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest analysis and player movement. Rank Team1 Denver Broncos @ Rams2 Baltimore Ravens vs. Falcons3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cardinals4 Buffalo Bills @ Bears5 San Francisco 49ers vs. Commanders6 Cleveland Browns vs. Saints7 Los Angeles Chargers @ Colts8 Tenne see Titans vs. Texans9 Washington Commanders @ 49ers10 Las Vegas Raiders @ Steelers11 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Raiders12 Dallas Cowboys vs. Eagles13 Detroit Chase Claypool Jersey Lions @ Panthers14 Jacksonville Jaguars @ Jets15 Los Angeles Rams vs. Broncos16 Cincinnati Bengals @ Patriots17 New Orleans Saints @ Browns18 New York Giants @ Vikings19 New York Jets vs. Jaguars20 New England Patriots vs. Bengals21 Philadelphia Eagles @ Cowboys22 Minnesota Vikings vs. Giants23 Houston Texans @ Titans24 Arizona Cardinals vs. Buccaneers25 Green Bay Packers @ Dolphins26 Carolina Panthers vs. Lions27 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seahawks28 Miami Dolphins vs. Packers29 Indianapolis Colts vs. Chargers30 Seattle Seahawks @ Chiefs31 Atlanta Falcons @ Ravens32 Chicago Bears vs. Bills We're proud to offer SN Fantasy readers an exclusive look at Draft Sharks award-winning projections and rankings every week. To see Draft Sharks' Week 16 3D floor-to-ceiling projections for D/STs -- plus get acce s to all of Draft Sharks' industry-leading tools -- become a Draft Sharks' member today at the link below!TRY DRAFT SHARKS FREE: