Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 13: Who to start, sit at D/ST in fantasy football

Week 13 marks the point in the season where injuries can really wreak havoc on our fantasy defense rankings. Sleepers can rapidly emerge based on key offensive injuries, while normally solid D/STs can plummet based on who they’re missing. We’ve seen that happen with the Steelers this year, and we know it will happen more often down the stretch. 

We’re losing several solid D/STs because of byes this week, as all of the Packers, Panthers, Titans, and Browns have been in fantasy lineups on a fairly regular basis, at least lately. However, removing most of these offenses helps more than it hurts, as only the Panthers were an “exploitable” D/ST matchup. 

WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker

We mentioned the Steelers earlier, and they continue tumbling down the rankings with a matchup against the Ravens. Pittsburgh still has enough talent to come up with a big play or two, but it’s tough to roster it, never mind start it this week. The Patriots (@ Bills), Broncos (@ Chiefs), Saints (vs. Cowboys), and Bengals (vs. Chargers) are the other notable D/STs with particularly tough matchups this week. We’d stick with the Patriots because their high floor and ceiling, but the rest should be on benches. A few weeks ago, we would’ve said stick with the Broncos, too, but Kansas City seems to have ironed out some of its offensive woes, and we know Andy Reid is lethal coming off a bye, especially at home. 

WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker

If you need a streamer to sub into your lineup, the Dolphins (vs. Giants), Vikings (@ Lions), Chiefs (vs. Broncos), Giants (@ Dolphins), and Raiders (vs. Washington) are all in play. The Giants and Raiders are your high-risk, “boom-or-bust” options if you think you’ll need big points, but the other three should have fairly solid floors. We wouldn’t have said that about the Chiefs even a few weeks ago, but with just 47 total offensive points allowed the past four games — plus 11 sacks and seven takeaways in that span — Kansas City is back on the map in favorable matchups like this. 

Overall, there are plenty of decent D/STs this week. Not all will pan out, of course, but you should at least feel good about your defense heading into Sunday. Playing the matchups — and watching the injury report — is especially important at this point in the season, and picking the right defense can make the difference between contending for a title or being relegated to DFS contests over the final few weeks of the season.

Note: We’ll be updating these D/ST rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest analysis and player movement.

Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 13: Who to start, sit at D/ST in fantasy football