Three fantasy football streamers to play at DST in NFL Week 13, including the Miami Dolphins’ defense.
Thanksgiving Week is here and the Fantasy Football Playoffs are just around the corner! We have reached the point in the season where bench stashes begin to mean less and optimizing weekly starting lineups mean more. After all, in win-or-go-home scenarios, all that matters is what your starters score. As we have discussed all season long, targeting the best defense fantasy football streamers is a great way to provide a little extra boost to your team’s weekly scoring output. By pinpointing the best matchups and offenses to fade, streaming the DST position can often prove to be a better strategy than riding the same defense week after week.
Now is certainly not the time to get complacent, and “settling” at the defense position is a sure sign of complacency. Below, we discuss some of the top defense fantasy football streamers available to help you gain every edge possible in this week’s crucial fantasy matchup Also, be sure to check out our Week 13 fantasy football rankings for further assistance with lineup decisions this week!
Note: Players must be owned in less than 60% of ESPN leagues to be included in the best defense fantasy football streamers column.
Week 13 Defense Fantasy Football Streamers
Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy DST (54.9%)
The Jaguars have been a regular player amongst our top defense fantasy football streamers throughout the year. Entering Week 13, they continue to fly under the radar despite ranking 12th in points scored at the position. The last two weeks have been particularly encouraging as Jacksonville has only given up ten and 18 points on defense, respectively. The Jags also piled up nine sacks as a team spanning those two games, with six of those coming last week at Arizona alone! This unit quietly ranks eighth in EPA/play defensively on the season overall.
Jacksonville’s ownership has been on the rise in advance of Week 13 and for good reason. This will be the first opportunity for coordinator Anthony Campanile’s group against the division rival Tennessee Titans. From a matchup standpoint, it doesn’t get much better than this. The Titans are a disaster offensively and there is no simple fix that will change this. Cam Ward is a rookie quarterback playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. On top of that, his top two weapons in the passing game are rookie wide receivers with Calvin Ridley done for the year.
Statistically, opposing defenses have averaged over 10.5 fantasy points scored against the Titans, by far the most in the league. Tennessee comes in averaging just 15.2 points per game, setting up a solid floor for fantasy defenses facing them. In addition, they have given up 45 sacks, the most of any team. That attribute specifically figures to play right into the hands of the Jaguars’ talented defensive front. With the Titans ranking 30th in EPA/play overall, this is clearly an offense worth fading with fantasy football streamers whenever ownership percentages afford us the opportunity.
More Fantasy Football Streamers Week 13
Atlanta Falcons Fantasy DST (38.9%)
The Jekyll and Hyde saga that is the Atlanta Falcons continued last week. At this point, do we expect anything less from this team? One week after giving up 30 points at home to Bryce Young and a bad Carolina team, the Falcons hit the road and allowed just four points defensively in a resounding win over New Orleans. Throw in five sacks and a pair of takeaways and managers who stuck with Atlanta in lineups were rewarded for their faith with a crisp 15 fantasy points. As bad as they’ve looked at times this year, the Falcons enter Week 13 ranked tenth in season-long points scored at the DST position.
Youth and speed have been two hallmarks of Atlanta’s front seven this season and has helped them be a regular presence in opposing backfields. Last week marked the fourth consecutive game in which the Falcons sacked the opposing quarterback at least five times with 23 total over that span. Linebacker Divine Deablo returned from injury last week and immediately made his presence felt with eight tackles. He joins Kaden Elliss in headlining a defense that may lack much in terms of household names but has a solid collection of playmakers.
Week 13 affords yet another opportunity for managers to consider the Falcons among defense fantasy football streamers as they hit the road to face the New York Jets. The switch to Tyrod Taylor at QB is clearly a positive for the team’s passing attack and overall offensive upside. However, this is still a middling offensive line and a passing game that lacks proven playmakers. In other words, the Jets aren’t exactly frightening to go against. A ranking of 27th in overall EPA/play offensively only solidifies that sentiment.
Miami Dolphins Fantasy DST (6.7%)
On the surface, you may be wondering why anyone would want to consider the Dolphins among DST fantasy football streamers when they rank 25th in scoring at the position on the season. However, recency matters here, as Miami scored at least seven fantasy points on defense in three of four games prior to last week’s bye. In Weeks 10 and 11, this unit totaled 18 fantasy points. One of those games came against a highly thought of Buffalo Bills offense as well.
Despite a lack of game-changing talent and significant depth issues on the back end, the Dolphins have displayed marked improvement defensively over the last month. Personally, I am a big fan of coordinator Anthony Weaver and the job he has done with this group over the course of the season given the personnel limitations he has been working with. The Dolphins have quietly allowed 13 points or less in three of their last four games. Over that same stretch, their fantasy-relevant counting stats include seven sacks and six forced turnovers.
In Week 13, the Dolphins will be hosting a New Orleans Saints outfit that has ceded the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. After a promising showing against Carolina two weeks ago, the Saints fell on their faces at home against Atlanta last week. Tyler Shough has showed some positive signs since taking over the starting QB job. However, this is still a beatable offensive line and a unit that lacks much in terms of game-changing talent at the skill positions. Thus, the Saints remain a favorable team to play against as far as fantasy defenses are concerned.
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