NFL Fantasy 2021 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 14: Defenses

I know, the Titans lost to the Texans recently, but let’s not act like they didn’t have an impressive streak against some of the best teams in the AFC and all of football. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt, especially against one of the most generous teams in football when it comes to opportunity for opposing DSTs. 

I liked the Panthers back in Week 12 against the Dolphins, and they ended up surrendering 33 points. They also had just a pair of sacks and made a pick. Sorry, it was a fumble recovery, I’m glad I checked. But the Falcons have been one of those offenses you need to stream against. I’m counting on two teams coming off a bye (meaning the Titans above). The Falcons have allowed the most points to opposing DSTs this year. 

I don’t have a huge expectation for the Texans offense. I mean, I want to start Brandin Cooks, and I had to stream Rex Burkhead in a bunch of places last week. But what they did against the Colts was awful. The Seahawks haven’t been great defensively this year, however, I do appreciate this matchup. I’m going to dive in. The Seahawks did well against the 49ers on Sunday with a sack, a pair of picks and a fumble recovery. They even got that safety. So, it’s a bit of a point-chasing situation, but I’m here for it. 

I think it was Tony Dungy who said the Ravens are starting to look a lot like the Steelers at the end of last year. They were good enough to win games but were not a great contender. It’s obvious the offense has struggled. I mean, they looked great on that final drive, but it took some time for them to get there. The Ravens haven’t been great in recent weeks. In fact, they have allowed the third-most points to offenses over the last month. The Ravens haven’t scored 20-plus points in their last four games; only the Jaguars (6) have a longer streak. 

The Buccaneers offense has been way too good to stream anybody against them, or even to play one of your most reliable teams against them. No team has scored more points this season than the Bucs. If you’re looking for a bit of hope, Tom Brady has had an interception in five consecutive games, that’s his longest streak since 2017. Still won’t make me start the Bills, however. 

Let’s be honest here, we aren’t starting either defense in this one. The Patriots might have put together a perfect blueprint. The Bucs did have five sacks against the Falcons last week. And wait, what was I saying again? I might have the Bucs as a sneaky play this week, however, they currently are out of my top 12 now. I could have hedged and not said anything, but you deserve an answer. 

The Rams had that choice matchup against the Jaguars last week and were good. I mean, they were all right. Just two sacks. Two recovered fumbles. You kind of wanted a little bit more from them. Maybe they were still in auto-drive waiting for this game. The Cardinals, however, have been one of the league’s best. They are fully operational now with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins back. What’s funny is being the home team could be a detriment to the Cardinals. They have won all seven road games by at least 10 points this year (including the Rams). They have also scored 30-plus points in six road games this year (including the Rams). 

The Cowboys have allowed the fewest points to opposing DSTs this year. The offense didn’t look great on Thursday night. I mean, it wasn’t awful. But it was the first game back with CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper. I expect them to trend back in the right direction. Or continue to head back in the right direction.