Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 14: Who to start, best sleepers, streamers, waiver wire picks at D/ST | Sporting News

Last week, the Cincinnati Bengals showed just how quickly the script can flip for a defense if they aren’t playing at 100 percent for all four quarters. The Bengals started off the day by forcing a pick-6 on the Steelers’ first drive. Pittsburgh then proceeded to hang 44 points on Cincinnati, the most points of the Sunday slate.

The Chargers, on the other hand, displayed defensive dominance for 60 minutes. They held the Falcons to 13 points and forced four turnovers in the process. They even found the endzone on a pick-6 that sealed the game late in the fourth quarter.

Most fantasy managers would prefer to have a defense like the Chargers on their roster. Unfortunately, there are only so many defenses that are comfortable weekly starters. If you’re a manager who’s evaluating their D/ST slot each week, be sure to use the Sporting News’ rankings to set yourself up for success in Week 14.

WEEK 14 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers

Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 14: Who to start, sit at D/ST

These rankings will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.

Who are the best fantasy defenses in Week 14?

The emergence of young pieces in the secondary like Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean has turned the Eagles into one of the most formidable units in the NFL. Just last week they held the Ravens to 19 points, Baltimore’s 2nd-lowest total of the season. Bryce Young may be on a hot streak, but he’s about to run into a brick wall this week.

The Steelers’ defense has been one of the league’s most consistent groups this season. Their lone blemish came last week when they allowed 38 points to the Bengals. Look for them to get things back on track against the Browns this week. This should be a gritty, low-scoring AFC North battle.

The Chargers’ offense didn’t look particularly sharp last week, scoring just 17 points against a struggling Atlanta defense. They’re in a spot where they could be in for another week of tough sledding. The Chargers will head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs in what should be another contested divisional matchup. The Chiefs can be started with confidence this week.

MORE WEEK 14 WAIVER WIRE & FAAB RECOMMENDATIONS

Who are the D/STs on byes in Week 14? 

When it comes to these defenses, we don’t recommend holding anyone. If you’re rostering one of these defenses and have enjoyed its services, cut bait, pick up another option, and hope you can get them back the following week. Given that guidance, we’ll just list the units on bye from each team.

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts 

New England Patriots 

Washington Commanders

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Who are the best fantasy defense sleepers in Week 14?

The Titans will face the Jaguars this week, a matchup that makes them an incredibly appealing streaming option. Mac Jones will be back under center for Jacksonville and he’s shown that his floor is leading the Jaguars to fewer than 200 yards of offense. The Titans have been one of the league’s better defenses in terms of limiting yardage; they should have no issue padding their stats against Mac Jones and company.

The New Orleans Saints defense had a rather pedestrian outing in Week 13, but this week is a strong bounce-back opportunity. The Saints will head to New York to face one of Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito or Drew Lock. Either way, this is an offense with limited talent and an offensive line that allowed Lock to be pressured on 44 percent of dropbacks last week. As long as they keep Malik Nabers in check, the Saints should be a strong fantasy option this week.