This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.
Week 13 ended a mini-slump for this space, though you might not have noticed the solid showing if my No. 2 streaming recommendation (Green Bay) was part of your lineup in a close loss. My top pick of the week (Seattle) blew up for 16 fantasy points, leading the way for a 9.4 scoring average among the five D/ST units discussed.
Week 14 provides some excellent streaming options, thanks in large part to a pair of intra-division battles with over/unders below 40 points, including a Thursday matchup between Tennessee and Jacksonville. With two more contests falling in the 40-41 O/U range, we have an unusual numbers of matchups that could get ugly on both sides.
Note: These recommendations are limited to D/ST units with under 60 percent ownership on Yahoo as of Tuesday morning. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring.
Top Streaming Options for Week 14
1. Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
47% Yahoo ownership
The Tennessee defense disappointed with just five fantasy points in Sunday's 26-22 win over the Jets, largely suffering from an ugly start by the offense with an early pick-six allowing Gang Green to lean on its running game. Now favored at home for a second straight week after a long run of tricky matchups, the Titans should be quickly scooped up in any league where they aren't already owned. Jacksonville has surrendered the fifth most fantasy points to team defenses, including 12 on Sunday in 6-0 home win over the Colts (hardly a defensive juggernaut). Cody Kessler might be the worst starting quarterback in the NFL at the moment — and that's really saying something in a league where Mark Sanchez, Nick Mullens and Jeff Driskel are all projected to start this week. Kessler has completed 72.2 percent of his passes while throwing just one interception on 52 attempts, but he's yet to account for a gain of more than 23 yards and has already taken seven sacks. The dink-and-dunk wheels will fall right off Thursday night if the Jaguars are forced to play from behind as 4.5-point underdogs with the lowest implied total (16.5) of Week 14.
2. Buffalo Bills (vs. New York Jets)
30% Yahoo ownership
Buffalo has been surprisingly competitive in recent weeks, led by Josh Allen's running ability and a defense ranked second in yards allowed per pass attempt (6.4). The recent success includes a 41-10 road win over the Jets in Week 10 — part of an ongoing six-game losing streak in which Gang Green has allowed every opposing D/ST unit to score at least five fantasy points (11.0 average). The potential return of Sam Darnold (foot) does offer some cause for optimism from an organizational perspective, but the Jets have actually allowed more fantasy points to team defenses in Darnold's nine starts (9.7 average) than they did the past three weeks (8.0 average) with Josh McCown under center. The mistaken-prone rookie will have his hands full in a cold-weather road matchup with a Buffalo defense that would be garnering best-in-the-league discussion if it weren't dragged down by a miserable offense. The Jets are three-point underdogs with an implied total of 17.75.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
58% Yahoo ownership
The other half of this game is just as promising from a D/ST standpoint, with the Jaguars looking rejuvenated (at least on defense) after coming up with three sacks and two takeaways during Sunday's shocking 6-0 win over an Indianapolis team that allowed just two sacks in its previous seven games. While it's too soon to proclaim the true return of Sacksonville, there's plenty of reason for Week 14 optimism in a matchup with Marcus Mariota, who is ranked dead last among 34 qualified players with a 12.2 percent sack rate. Only the Cowboys have allowed more sacks than the Titans (42), while only the Seahawks have attempted fewer passes (338) — that's a pretty remarkable statistic if you pause to think about it. Sure, the Titans theoretically can mitigate the mismatch by leaning on their running game, but there isn't much reason to have confidence in either Derrick Henry (3.7 YPC) or Dion Lewis (3.4 YPC), especially against a defense ranked 10th in YPC allowed (4.1). The Jags may be 4.5-point underdogs, but the Titans still have a measly implied total of 21 in a game with the lowest over/under (37.5) of the week.
4. New York Giants (at Washington Redskins)
10% Yahoo ownership
If you had asked me about the streaming potential for this matchup a few weeks ago, I would've instantly dismissed it as a non-consideration. Two quarterbacks and two broken legs later, the Redskins have lost their grip on the NFC East and are somehow in danger of eventually falling to last place behind a Giants team with three wins the past four weeks. Big Blue is still giving up points and yards in bunches, but we've at least seen some resistance in the form of sacks (nine) and interceptions (eight) during the impressive four-game stretch since a Week 9 bye. After putting up a season-high 17 fantasy points against Chase Daniel and the Bears on Sunday, the Giants defense will take aim at the 32-year-old Sanchez, who last started a game in 2015. Making matters even worse, the Redskins have suffered a ton of injuries along the offensive line and are working on a short week after Monday's 28-13 loss in Philadelphia. They have an implied total of just 18.5 as four-point underdogs at home against a team with a 4-8 record — it's insulting, but also realistic.
5. New York Jets (at Buffalo Bills)
10% Yahoo ownership
This is admittedly a distant fifth behind four superior choices, but it's still worth mentioning for deeper leagues, or perhaps even as a high-variance option for anyone in need of some serious luck to pull off a Week 14 victory. The Bills have allowed an opposing defense to reach 20 fantasy points on four occasions, including twice in Allen's seven starts. The rookie admittedly has been decent the past two weeks, but he's still a remarkably sloppy passer, recording just one game all season with a completion rate above 58.8 percent. Bold as it may seem to rely on this woeful Jets team, there's an intriguing ceiling to be had in a game with a 38.5 over/under, especially if the Sunday forecast in Buffalo takes a turn for the worse.
Week 14 D/ST Rankings
1. Los Angeles Chargers (vs. CIN)
2. Denver Broncos (at SF)
3. Tennessee Titans (vs. JAC)
4. New England Patriots (at MIA)
5. Buffalo Bills (vs. NYJ)
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (at TEN)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (at OAK)
8. Los Angeles Rams (at CHI)
9. New York Giants (at WAS)
10. Seattle Seahawks (vs. MIN)
11. New York Jets (at BUF)
12. New Orleans Saints (at TB)
13. Houston Texans (vs. IND)
14. Detroit Lions (at ARI)
15. Cleveland Browns (vs. CAR)
16. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. BAL)
17. Chicago Bears (vs. LAR)
18. Arizona Cardinals (vs. DET)
19. Indianapolis Colts (at HOU)
20. Washington Redskins (vs. NYG)
Looking Ahead to Week 15
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. WAS)
2. Houston Texans (at NYJ)
3. Baltimore Ravens (vs. TB)
4. Seattle Seahawks (at SF)
5. Minnesota Vikings (vs. MIA)
6. Buffalo Bills (vs. DET)
7. Denver Broncos (vs. CLE)
8. Chicago Bears (vs. GB)
9. Los Angeles Rams (vs. PHI)
10. Tennessee Titans (at NYG)
11. Cleveland Browns (at DEN)
12. New York Giants (vs. TEN)
13. New Orleans Saints (at CAR)
14. Detroit Lions (at BUF)
15. Atlanta Falcons (vs. ARI)
16. Washington Redskins (at JAC)
17. Cincinnati Bengals (vs OAK)
18. Oakland Raiders (at CIN)
19. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. LAC)
20. Indianapolis Colts (vs. DAL)
Rest-of-Season Rankings
1. Tennessee Titans
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Denver Broncos
4. New England Patriots
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Seattle Seahawks
7. Los Angeles Rams
8. Chicago Bears
9. Minnesota Vikings
10. Houston Texans
11. Cleveland Browns
12. New York Giants
13. Dallas Cowboys
14. Baltimore Ravens
15. Washington Redskins
16. Green Bay Packers
17. New Orleans Saints
18. Los Angeles Chargers
19. Detroit Lions
20. Indianapolis Colts
