If you’ve had the pleasure of owning the Eagles (vs. Saints in Week 17), Cowboys (@ Titans), Buccaneers (vs. Panthers), 49ers (@ Raiders), or Ravens (vs. Steelers), good on ya. The first four have been elite all season, while Baltimore became dominant after acquiring Roquan Smith at the trade deadline. All five squads have plus-matchups this week against heavily sacked, injured, and/or mistake-prone offenses. 

Welcome to fantasy championship relevance, Chargers (vs. Rams) and Giants (vs. Colts)! Both squads have home games against teams ranking among the three most-heavily sacked and most-heavily intercepted offenses in the NFL. Los Angeles and Indy also sit among the four lowest-scoring teams in the league. The best part is both the Chargers and Giants are available in well over 50 percent of leagues, so stream them if you can.

WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers

The Browns (@ Commanders) are also available in almost half of Yahoo leagues, and they’ve been awesome during the home stretch of the season. Over the past four weeks, Cleveland has five interceptions, five sacks, three fumble recoveries, two defensive TDs, and a partridge in a pear tree. Heinicke Fever has quelled a bit in D.C. — reality check! — the Commanders have failed to eclipse 20 points in any game over the past month.

WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers

Other unlikely D/STs we rank among the 10 include the Jaguars (@ Texans) and Cardinals (@ Falcons). Houston just flat-out stinks regardless of QB, averaging the third-fewest points and the most interceptions throughout the season. Atlanta has been pretty brutal, too, and rookie Desmond Ridder has only made things worse. These defenses both have enough playmakers to warrant starts with such juicy matchups, so consider them both prime streaming options.

WEEK 17 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

Speaking of juicy matchups, a couple of widely available AFC East squads could yield strong D/ST performances in title week, as both the Dolphins (@ Patriots) and Seahawks (vs. Jets) should benefit from the respective dysfunctions of their opponents’ offenses. Let’s face it: Mac Jones is being held hostage by Matt Patricia (blink twice if you’re not OK, Mac!) and Zach Wilson is just a prisoner of his own suck. Even if Mike White (ribs) returns for the Jets, the sacks will be plentiful for both Miami and Seattle, just as they will be for the Commanders (vs. Browns) at home against Deshaun Watson. 

Week 17 DFS: Best values

Now for the remainder of the fringe plays. The Chiefs (vs. Broncos) have looked solid over the past few weeks, so a date with Russell Wilson at Arrowhead sounds as appetizing as honey ham with a golden glaze. The Lions (vs. Bears) will be busting to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they will look to rebound against a Bears’ team that allows the fourth-most fantasy points to D/STs. Hell, even the Falcons (vs. Cardinals) and Raiders (vs. 49ers) seem like better upside plays than some of the usually elite D/STs with awful matchups.

WEEK 17 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

We wouldn’t want any part of the Bills (@ Bengals), Steelers (@ Ravens), Jets (@ Seahawks), or Saints (@ Eagles) this week. The Colts (@ Giants) are a fringe play if you must, but don’t expect a high ceiling with Daniel Jones taking care of the ball better this year under Brian Daboll. Anything beyond this level of the rankings, and you’re as cooked at D/ST as the zucchini I left in the air fryer last weekend. 

Good luck, and Happy New Year! We’ll be updating our fantasy defense rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest analysis and player movement.

Week 17 fantasy defense rankings

Rank    Team 1    Philadelphia Eagles vs. Saints 2    Dallas Cowboys @ Titans 3    San Francisco 49ers @ Raiders 4    Baltimore Ravens vs. Steelers 5    Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Panthers 6    Los Angeles Chargers vs. Rams 7    New York Giants vs. Colts 8    Cleveland Browns @ Commanders 9    Jacksonville Jaguars @ Texans 10    Arizona Cardinals @ Falcons 11    Miami Dolphins @ Patriots 12    Seattle Seahawks vs. Jets 13    Washington Commanders vs. Browns 14    Kansas City Chiefs vs. Broncos 15    New England Patriots vs. Dolphins 16    Detroit Lions vs. Bears 17    Atlanta Falcons vs. Cardinals 18    Las Vegas Raiders vs. 49ers 19    Chicago Bears @ Lions 20    Buffalo Bills @ Bengals 21    Pittsburgh Steelers @ Ravens 22    New York Jets @ Seahawks 23    Indianapolis Colts @ Giants 24    New Orleans Saints @ Eagles 25    Denver Broncos @ Chiefs 26    Minnesota Vikings @ Packers 27    Green Bay Packers vs. Vikings 28    Carolina Panthers @ Buccaneers 29    Los Angeles Rams @ Chargers 30    Cincinnati Bengals vs. Bills 31    Houston Texans vs. Jaguars 32    Tennessee Titans vs. Cowboys

Week 17 defense fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

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