One of the biggest strategies in fantasy football is streaming defenses. Each week owners will look at matchups and make waiver wire acquisitions to find their starting defense. Here are fantasy football defenses to stream week 18. (Note: All defenses mentioned are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues. Stats from before Monday Night Football)
The Raiders have had a solid defense this season, ranking ninth at 7.8 points per game. They have six double-digit scoring games on the season with three coming in the last for weeks. Las Vegas also has two negative-scoring games, with the most recent being in week 12 against the Chiefs.
In week 18, the Raiders play the Denver Broncos. Denver is in the middle of some turmoil as they benched starting quarterback Russell Wilson last week. They were middle of the pack offensively this season, but manage to score just 16 points against the Chargers last week. The Raiders can take advantage and finish the season on a high note. They are rostered in just 33.2 percent of ESPN leagues.
New England was an average fantasy defense this season, ranking 16th at 6.7 points per game. They have four double-digit scoring outings, with two of them being in their last two games. The Patriots have no negative-scoring games on the season.
The matchup in week 18 is with the New York Jets. They score 15.7 points per game, which is 29th in the league. While the Jets have scored more recently with Trevor Siemian at quarterback, they are still facing an uphill battle against New England. The Patriots are rostered in 28.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
The Broncos are a decent fantasy defense, ranking 19th at 6.0 points per game. They have three games where they scored double-digit games on the year, with their latest being against the Chargers in week 14. Denver has registered two negative scoring games on the season, which were against the Lions and Dolphins.
As mentioned, the Broncos play the Raiders in week 18. The Raiders score 19.1 points per game, ranking them 25th in the league. That average is bolstered by a great performance they had against the Chargers, when they scored 63 points. Denver has the chance to finish the season out strong defensively. They are rostered in just 27.8 percent of ESPN leagues.
The Buccaneers have had a below-average fantasy season defensively, ranking 25th at 5.8 points per game. They have four double-digit scoring games, one coming in the last two weeks against the Jaguars. Tampa Bay has one negative-scoring game, which came against the Texans.
In week 18, the Buccaneers have a must-win game against the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers score just 14.8 points per game, ranking 31st in the league. Tampa Bay will be focused in this one, while the Panthers don’t have much to play for this week. The Buccaneers are rostered in 26.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
Jacksonville has had a solid fantasy defense this season, ranking 17th at 6.4 points per game. They have five double-digit scoring games, with one coming in week 17 against the Panthers. The Jaguars have three negative-scoring games, with their worst being against Houston when they scored -4 points.
This week the Jaguars play the Tennessee Titans. The Titans don’t have much to play for and Ryan Tannehill has been inserted back into the lineup with an injured Will Levis. The Titans score 17.3 points per game, ranking near the bottom of the league and they don’t seem to be a threat to put up too many points in this matchup. The Jaguars are rostered in 39.2 percent of ESPN leagues.
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