Getting Defensive: Week 11 fantasy plays led by Texans, Patriots; top streaming defenses

The New York Jets in Week 10 are the perfect metaphor for team defenses in fantasy football.

Were there fantasy managers who trotted out Gang Green a week ago? Yep. The Jets may have even been mentioned in this very column last week. That said mention came before the team traded cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is one of those minor details that really don’t matter.

Technicalities and whatnot.

Still, hopes were not especially high for a team that was dead last in fantasy points among defenses over the first nine weeks of the season, even against the vortex of suck that is the Cleveland Browns. So what did those beleaguered and undermanned Jets do? They sacked Clowns quarterback Dillon Gabriel six times, returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown and finished tied for the most fantasy points among defenses for the week.

The team they tied (the Seattle Seahawks) had much higher expectations entering the week—Demarcus Lawrence’s pair of touchdowns vaulted the Seahawks into the No. 1 spot at the position for the season. But it’s not like there was a stampede to draft Seattle over the summer either. They were a waiver wire find same as the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!

Every-week starters for pennies on the dollar. One-week fill-ins who blow up. Sure, the big names are fun. But the big value in fantasy defensively lies in getting dirty. Sorting through the trash.

It’s the way defense should be played.

THE NO-DOUBTERS

Houston Texans (at Tennessee Titans)

The Texans may be 4-5, but it’s hard to lay much of the blame for that record on the defense—Houston leads the league in total defense and scoring defense and ranks inside the top-five against the run and the pass. And after scoring a defensive touchdown to close out last week’s wild win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, no defense in the AFC has more fantasy points. If that’s not enough, the Texans also face the steaming pile of un-good that is the Titans offense in Week 11. Giddy up.

New England Patriots (vs. New York Jets)

The Patriots dropped from the top spot in fantasy points after a second straight pedestrian effort in last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but this is what people in the industry who like catchphrases would call a smash spot. The Jets beat Cleveland last week in a game where they threw for 42 yards as a team and attempted 11 passes. In an NFL game. In 2025. The Jets have also allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to defenses this year—if you’re into stuff like that.

Baltimore Ravens (at Cleveland Browns)

This game kicks off at 4:25 just so Browns fans can feel a little better about hitting the sauce an hour before kickoff—and that comes from a Browns (sigh) fan. The Ravens and Clowns (double-sigh) are barreling in opposite directions at Warp 6. Baltimore is getting healthy. Cleveland insists on starting a quarterback who can’t stretch the field. The Ravens are going to stack the box. Stop the run. Get a lead. And then tee off on the team giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to defenses.

Los Angeles Chargers (at Jacksonville Jaguars)

The Chargers may only have 11 fans, but that hasn’t stopped them from quietly assembling one of the better teams no one talks about as a real contender in the AFC. After dominating the first-place Steelers last week, the Chargers are fourth in total defense, seventh in points per game allowed and eighth in fantasy points. Now said Chargers face a Jaguars team that is all kinds of beat up at wide receiver and likely to have flashbacks to their postseason collapse back in the days when the Jaguars had a real shot at the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

After last week’s West Coast debacle (and the fact Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t been especially good this season), fantasy managers may not be feeling it with the Aluminum Curtain (please recycle). But while the Joe Flacco-led Bengals (No other Joe yet) have racked up points and been fun to watch, they also turn the ball over and allow sacks. Last this writer looked, those were good things—the Bengals remain a top-10 matchup for opposing defenses this season. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers play like they did against Indy—and roll.

STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

San Francisco 49ers (at Arizona Cardinals)

Were the San Francisco 49ers anywhere near 100 percent defensively, this would be an easy “No Doubter” after watching Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett hand Seattle (no, he literally did) two touchdowns a week ago, but the 49ers lead the NFL (in my head) with 127 players on injured reserve. Those banged-up 49ers have somehow managed to stay in the race in the NFC West, and after getting Stafforded (it’s a word now) San Fran will take out some frustrations on a bad Redbirds team.

Green Bay Packers (at New York Giants)

Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles can’t be put on Green Bay’s defense—the Cincinnati Bengals have given up more points in one defeat than the Pack has allowed in all three losses combined. That hasn’t really translated to fantasy production though—at least until this week. Green Bay has lost two straight. The Giants will more likely than not be without quarterback Jaxson Dart. And their top wide receiver. And their best running back. And their head coach. At least the last one was on purpose.

Atlanta Falcons (vs. Carolina Panthers)

Full disclosure—this game is gross. Like could be ruled Constitutionally prohibited cruel and unusual punishment gross. The Falcons are the Falcons, and how the Panthers have five wins is harder to explain than Stonehenge. But Atlanta has quietly logged a dozen sacks and posted top-10 fantasy numbers over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the Panthers won those five games in spite of their offense, not because of it—Carolina is surrendering more fantasy points per game to defenses than the Jets. The Jets.

Miami Dolphins (vs. Washington Commanders)

This is the Week 11 iteration of the Jets. The Dolphins are 25th in fantasy points among defenses this year. Could rattle off quite a few more depressing stats. And the game is being played in Madrid, because why not play a game in Madrid? But the Dolphins just (and this is not made up) tub-thumped Buffalo, while the Commanders are becoming the team we thought Miami was three weeks ago. Over the past month, no team has surrendered more fantasy points per game to defenses.

Dallas Cowboys (at Las Vegas Raiders)

There’s no polite way to say this. The Dallas defense is terrible—only the Cincinnati Bengals have given up more yards or points per game than the Cowboys. But coming out of the bye week, the Cowboys are also a team that added some stability at linebacker in Logan Wilson and a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in Quinnen Williams. The Raiders, on the other hand, traded away their best wide receiver in Jakobi Meyers and are closely scrutinizing the receipt on the Geno Smith deal. No refund, Vegas. Just the latest bad decision under center.

CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS

Seattle Seahawks (at Los Angeles Rams)

The Seahawks have reached a point defensively where you either just roll them out or (shudder) consider adding a second defense—which you should never do. But if say a fantasy manager is in a position where the next loss could kill the season, it’s never say never time. The Rams have been absolutely savage offensively of late, and over his last six games Matthew Stafford has thrown 20 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. There’s just no fantasy ceiling with the Seahawks in Week 11.

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