You’ve persisted all season long, and the playoffs are almost here. It doesn’t matter who tore up their knee, who had that incredible two-touchdown performance on Monday night, and who came out of nowhere to make it happen. It doesn’t matter if you lost three in a row in October, either. All that matters is that you make the tournament, putting yourself in the position of being a few good weeks away from fantasy glory!
Once you’ve punched your postseason ticket, it’s time to turn your attention to an element of your team we don’t spend much time discussing — team defense. Once the playoffs begin, you won’t need that fifth running back for depth (outside of handcuffing your studs — I see you, Kenneth Gainwell), and that last wideout on your roster is taking up a spot that could be used for a defense in a survive-and-advance playoff matchup.
Knowing the opponent is one of the most important elements of picking the right defense. The opponent (New York Giants) is what allowed even Rico Dowdle to run for over 100 yards on Thanksgiving! If you are ticketed for the playoffs, trim the fat and roster additional defenses to maximize matchups for the playoff weeks. You can also target one defense to start in Weeks 15 and 16 and another in what could be your championship in Week 17.
Here are some widely available defenses with great matchups for the fantasy playoffs and others with tough schedules when you need them most …
Matchups to Consider
The Indianapolis Colts are only rostered in 11 percent of Yahoo leagues and are 18th in fantasy points, but they have great matchups to close the fantasy playoffs in Weeks 16 and 17 against the Tennessee Titans and Giants. Tennessee scores less than 19 points per game (fifth-lowest in the league), allows almost four sacks per game and has one of the three worst turnover margins. The Giants may be an even better matchup, scoring a league-worst 14.8 points per game and currently without an answer at quarterback after moving on from Daniel Jones.
The Arizona Cardinals are only 16 percent rostered and have a matchup in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams you may want to avoid, but they could be a good defense to pair with the Colts for the start of the playoffs because they see the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers in Weeks 15 and 16. New England scores less than 17 points per game, gains a league-worst 280 yards per game and has the fifth-worst turnover margin in the league. Meanwhile, despite Bryce Young’s improvement after his midseason benching, Carolina is still in the bottom five in both points per game and yards gained.
The Jacksonville Jaguars may be headed for a top-three draft pick and have one of the lowest-scoring fantasy defenses in the league. But if you believe in matchups, there may not be a defense with friendlier opponents for the entire three-week playoff stretch. The Jags face the New York Jets in Week 15. They are sixth worst in both points per game (18.5) and yards per game (294), and rumors are circulating that the Jets may force a breakup with Aaron Rodgers by benching him before the end of the season. Then Jacksonville draws the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16. Injuries at running back have decimated the Raiders, and Las Vegas has given up the fourth-most sacks and has the NFL’s worst turnover margin — no wonder they’ve mustered less than 19 points per game. Finally, Jacksonville faces Tennessee in championship week (Week 17). The Titans are in the bottom five in many offensive categories, including points per game, sacks allowed and turnover margin.
Another defense to consider is the Cincinnati Bengals, who are third from the bottom in fantasy points this season. But they see the Titans in Week 15, followed by the Cleveland Browns in Week 16. Cleveland is in the bottom four in points and yards per game and allows the most sacks in the league. Reports also indicate Cleveland may take a look at Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the final weeks of the season, further downgrading weapons like Cedric Tillman, Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku.
Matchups to Avoid
The Pittsburgh Steelers have the second-highest scoring defense and playmakers at every level, led by T.J. Watt. However, their playoff schedule is among the toughest in the league. In the three playoff weeks, they’ll face the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs — all of whom are in the top 10 in scoring with offensive MVP candidates and fighting for division titles and NFL playoff byes. These teams will not take their feet off the proverbial gas pedal.
The San Francisco 49ers defense has a solid reputation and is rostered in 75 percent of leagues. However, the 49ers D has underperformed, allowing over 24 points per game and faces the Detroit Lions — the highest-scoring offense in the NFL — with a fantasy championship on the line in Week 17. Matchups in Weeks 15 and 16 against the Rams and Miami Dolphins aren’t great either — Tua Tagovailoa has the best-adjusted completion percentage in the league (81.5 percent), and Matthew Stafford is top five in yards per game. I think you can grasp the dangers of facing the wide receivers on those teams, including Puka Nacua, Tyreek Hill and Cooper Kupp, with your fantasy season on the line.
The Chicago Bears have forced 19 turnovers (tied for sixth-best in the NFL) and scored double-digit fantasy points in four of the season’s first six weeks. You may battle nostalgia if the Bears were on your roster in September and October, but the time has come to move on. Their playoff matchups are against the Minnesota Vikings, Lions and Seattle Seahawks, all likely playoff teams. Detroit is the No. 1 scoring offense in the league. Nobody has thrown for more yards per game or completed more passes than Seattle. And Minnesota is the only team in the league to complete over half of its deep throws. The Vikings have completed 24 passes of 20-plus air yards (best in the NFL) and thrown for two touchdowns per game, which is in the top five in the NFL. I’d get ahead of the curve and pick up the aforementioned defenses — all with much better matchups than Chicago — now while you still can.
(Top photo of Zaire Franklin, Colts defense: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
