Analysis
12/21/22
7 min read
Fantasy Football Defenses and Kickers to Stream for Week 16
Week 16 is a weird week to stream a kicker or a defense. Based on rostership data from FantasyPros, most of the top options are already rostered in more than half of all leagues.
That’s especially true for kickers, so I spent more time focusing on D/STs… and there are some juicy ones to stream. Using TruMedia (as always), I dove deep into the best D/STs for you to stream in Week 16. There were too many intriguing options to just choose three, so I chose five. Consider it a holiday present from me to you!
As for kickers, I saved them for last as I don’t love many of the options this week. If you need to stream a kicker in Week 16, you’re mostly just shooting for upside.
Remember, most of the games are on Saturday, with the Jaguars-Jets game on Thursday night. So don’t forget to set your lineups before then, as most of the teams mentioned play on one of those days.
Top Streaming D/STs for Week 16
Broncos D/ST is my top defense to stream, if available.
- They travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams and are rostered in 39.3% of leagues
- Denver D/ST has the eighth-most fantasy points this season.
- They’ve scored 12+ fantasy points in two of their last three games.
- That includes holding Baltimore and Arizona to 10 and 15 points scored, respectively.
- Only one D/ST has failed to score 8+ fantasy points against the Rams since Week 9.
- Los Angeles just lost their starting center, Brian Allen, and their starting wide receiver, Ben Skowronek, to season-ending injuries.
- The Rams are tied for the third-most giveaways this season.
The Lions D/ST is a sneaky defense to stream.
- They play at the Panthers and are rostered in just 3% of leagues.
- Detroit D/ST has scored 7+ fantasy points in five of their last seven matchups.
- They just scored 13 fantasy points against the Jets.
- Carolina’s offense has been spotty since Steve Wilks took over.
- Opposing D/STs have scored as low as one fantasy point to as high as 16 fantasy points.
- In their last six games, the Panthers have rushed for over 180 yards in each win, and have rushed for fewer than 65 yards in each loss.
- The Lions have held offenses to the fourth-fewest rushing yards since Week 11.
- That includes 22 yards rushing for Saquon Barkley and 23 yards rushing for Dalvin Cook.
The Jaguars D/ST will rely on Zach Wilson turnovers.
Update: Jaguars D/ST played on Thursday Night Football… and scored 13 points.
- They play at the Jets on Thursday Night Football and are rostered in 3.8% of leagues.
- Jacksonville D/ST has scored 11 fantasy points in each of their last two games.
- That includes a pick-six against Dallas in Week 15, so that stat line is a bit inflated.
- They also have three picks and seven sacks across the two games.
- However, Jacksonville has still allowed the second-most yards per game since Week 8.
- Luckily, New York has scored the third-fewest points in that span and the eleventh-fewest points since Week 13.
- From Weeks 4-11, the Jets had 12 turnovers with Zach Wilson as their starting quarterback.
- That’s tied for the third-most in that span.
- There's a 100% chance of rain with high winds expected, which only aids the potential of the Jaguars D/ST.
Rams D/ST has high upside with a moderate floor.
- They host the Broncos and are rostered in 34.8% of leagues
- Rams D/ST has scored just 5, 5 and 7 fantasy points in the last three games, respectively.
- Los Angeles does have at least one interception in each of their last four games.
- They’ve forced the third-most turnovers in that span.
- If Aaron Donald plays, hey, that’s a bonus, right?
- The Broncos have allowed 6+ fantasy points in each of their last six games.
- Denver has allowed 11+ fantasy points in four of those games.
The Titans D/ST is also pretty turnover-reliant.
- They host the Texans and are rostered in 27.8% of leagues.
- The Titans D/ST isn’t great, though they did just score seven fantasy points at the Chargers.
- That includes holding Justin Herbert and Co. to 17 points.
- From Weeks 4-12, Tennessee held teams to the second-fewest points scored.
- In Weeks 13-14, they allowed the most points to Philadelphia and Jacksonville, respectively].
- Only the Rams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing D/STs than the Texans.
- Yet, the Cowboys and Chiefs D/ST scored four and five fantasy points against them in the last two weeks, respectively.
- Houston has at least two turnovers in five of their last six games, the most in that span.
Top Streaming Kickers for Week 16
Jake Elliott has a surprisingly great matchup.
- Jake Elliott plays at Dallas and is rostered in 27.9% of leagues
- Elliott has only scored 10+ fantasy points three times this season, though he’s done it twice in the last four games.
- Whether Jalen Hurts plays at less than 100% or Gardner Minshew gets the start, it’s likely the Philadelphia offense takes a slight step back.
- Still, the Eagles are an offensive juggernaut and could score a ton of points; they’ve scored the second-most points all season.
- Despite a top-three defense in points allowed, the Cowboys have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to kickers this season.
- That includes four straight games of 9+ fantasy points.
- They’ve also allowed three games of 11+ fantasy points to the position in their last four games.
- This game is indoors.
Brandon McManus is a risky kicker with a great matchup.
- Brandon McManus faces the Rams in Los Angeles and is rostered in 35.9% of leagues
- McManus has scored 13 fantasy points in two of his last five games.
- Obviously, banking on Denver to score points isn’t the safest bet.
- And McManus has missed a field goal in all of his last four games where he’s attempted a field goal.
- Fortunately, a fantastic matchup could offset his woes.
- Week 15 was the first week since Week 8 where Los Angeles did not allow 10+ fantasy points to a kicker.
- It was also the first game in that span where a kicker did not make two field goals against the Rams.
- This game is indoors.
The Jaguars could rely on Riley Patterson heavily.
Update: Patterson played on Thursday Night Football… and scored 14 points.
- Riley Patterson faces the Jets on Thursday Night Football and is rostered in 2.7% of leagues.
- Patterson has 7+ fantasy points in each of the last four games, which includes two straight games of 11+ fantasy points.
- He has the third-most fantasy points among kickers in that span.
- The Jaguars just scored 40 points against the Cowboys, the most points Dallas has allowed all season.
- Jacksonville averages the third-most red zone scoring attempts per game.
- The Jets have mostly been a stingy defense against fantasy kickers all year, but they’ve allowed 12, 9 and 7 fantasy points to the position over the last three weeks, respectively.
- New York allows an average of 2.2 field goals per game, tied for the sixth-highest rate in the league.
WATCH: Waiver Wire Week 16 with Josh Larky and Ryan Reynolds
