Breakdowns

11/30/21

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Fantasy Football: Streaming Defenses and Kickers – Week 13

Streaming Defenses and Kickers – Week 13

Week 12 was an interesting one, with 12 defenses scoring double digits, but just eight kickers. While I wouldn’t expect that trend to continue, getting the right defense and kicker will continue to be key towards winning your matchup. And you’re going to want to be absolutely certain that you do win your matchups as we get close to the playoffs with seeding on the line. Below I will break down your best matchups for streaming for Week 13 at both defense and kicker and the reasons why I feel they are great options.

Defense:

Miami Dolphins (vs. NYG)

The Dolphins defense that was promised, has arrived. 64 points over the last four weeks makes them an incredibly hot defense, and they get a matchup against a Giants offense that has been really bad and features a turnover machine in Daniel Jones. The Giants offense has allowed 27 points in the last three weeks to fantasy defenses, which is a solid average, making this a very good matchup for you to exploit for your fantasy gain.

Minnesota Vikings (@ DET)

The Lions’ offense has allowed 40 points over the last four weeks to fantasy defenses, so not much improvement there. The Vikings defense has been really bad recently but gets this very favorable matchup as well as their special teams, which has helped them stay decent with two kick-return TDs in the last four games. This is far from a perfect matchup, but it’s a good one for you to target.

Denver Broncos (@ KC)

Suggesting a defense that is playing against the Chiefs as a streaming option continues to feel wrong, but with the exception of the game against Las Vegas, their offense just hasn’t really been clicking. Denver’s defense just put in a pretty dominant performance against the Chargers, so if you’re willing to roll the dice on them in a pretty tough matchup, they could reward you quite highly.

Kickers:

Joey Slye (@ LV)

Health is a concern with this one, as he pulled up with an apparent injury during MNF, but if he plays, he should be a top target because of the 11 points he’d averaged over his prior four games. In addition, Las Vegas has been one of the best matchups for a kicker, and that has held true in recent weeks even though they’ve had missed field goals against in each of the last two weeks. Joey Slye has been quite efficient with his opportunities this year, so you’d trust him to make good on what should be a solid opportunity.

Jake Elliott (@ NYJ)

Jake Elliott had a really disappointing performance against the Giants after entering the week red hot, with 55 points in his past four games. With a favorable matchup against the Jets, I’m backing him to return to form as long as Jalen Hurts is healthy enough to play. If Hurts doesn’t play, I would highly recommend avoiding this pick, as I simply don’t know what the offense would look like enough to make that suggestion.

Greg Zuerlein (@ NO)

Greg Zuerlein has had three field-goal attempts in his last two games, and five of his last six, but has missed in three of those. His lack of efficiency has been extremely disappointing and a big reason he’s largely been an average kicker this season. Looking at it optimistically, it means that he has so much opportunity for improvement if he can simply start converting at a higher rate, and his track record from past years makes me believe he can. You’ll want to have him rostered if and when he does.

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