RADIO
Still doing things a little differently this week--for those of you who are still alive. I want to take a look at the playoffs as a whole (and in this case we are considering Weeks 14-16) and determine which DSTs you can ride all the way through and which ones you should stream this week. Those streamers will be likely options in multiple weeks of the playoffs.
Below are RotoBaller's Week 15-16 playoff defense tiers and rankings, or which defenses to stream, start and target off the waiver wire for Week 15 of the NFL and fantasy football season. In case you missed it, this is our seventh year now writing this weekly column.
Our weekly tiered defense rankings are a guide to making waiver wire pickups to improve your lineups, and to decide which defenses to start, sit, target, avoid or stream for Week 15 and beyond. Starting the right defense every week can be a difference-maker. Below we have broken out our defense rankings into tiers with analysis on each matchup. Some of these Week 15 defenses have good matchups and are not widely-owned, representing fantasy scoring opportunities if they are available on your league's waiver wire for a Week 15 pickup or add. Good luck in Week 15 RotoBallers!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
- 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
- Best ball fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
Playoff Defenses To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings
Breakdowns don't make a ton of sense here since my analysis will be different for each team each week, so I've gone with pure rankings in order of confidence in that team over the remaining two weeks of the playoffs.
Tier 1 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 1 | 1 | Baltimore Ravens Defense | vs. NYJ | @ CLE |
| 2 | 1 | New England Patriots Defense | @ CIN | vs. BUF |
| 3 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers Defense | vs. BUF | @ NYJ |
Tier 2 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 4 | 2 | Buffalo Bills Defense | @ PIT | @ NE |
| 5 | 2 | Seattle Seahawks Defense | @ CAR | vs. ARI |
| 6 | 2 | San Francisco 49ers Defense | vs. ATL | vs. LAR |
| 7 | 2 | Kansas City Chiefs Defense | vs. DEN | @ CHI |
| 8 | 2 | Houston Texans Defense | @ TEN | @ TB |
| 9 | 2 | Los Angeles Rams Defense | @ DAL | @ SF |
Middle and Lower Tier Defenses
Tier 3 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 10 | 3 | Philadelphia Eagles Defense | @ WAS | vs. DAL |
| 11 | 3 | Dallas Cowboys Defense | vs. LAR | @ PHI |
| 12 | 3 | Washington Redskins Defense | vs. PHI | vs. NYG |
| 13 | 3 | Cleveland Browns Defense | @ ARI | vs. BAL |
| 14 | 3 | New Orleans Saints Defense | vs. IND | @ TEN |
| 15 | 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars Defense | @ OAK | @ ATL |
| 16 | 3 | Green Bay Packers Defense | vs. CHI | @ MIN |
Tier 4 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 17 | 4 | Atlanta Falcons Defense | @ SF | vs. JAC |
| 18 | 4 | Los Angeles Chargers Defense | vs. MIN | @ OAK |
| 19 | 4 | Minnesota Vikings Defense | @ LAC | vs. GB |
| 20 | 4 | Tennessee Titans Defense | vs. HOU | vs. NO |
| 21 | 4 | Detroit Lions Defense | vs. TB | @ DEN |
Tier 5 Defenses
| Rank | Tier | DST | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 22 | 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense | @ DET | vs. HOU |
| 23 | 5 | New York Jets Defense | @ BAL | vs. PIT |
| 24 | 5 | Indianapolis Colts Defense | @ NO | vs. CAR |
| 25 | 5 | Miami Dolphins Defense | @ NYG | vs. CIN |
| 26 | 5 | Carolina Panthers Defense | vs. SEA | @ IND |
| 27 | 5 | Denver Broncos Defense | @ KC | vs. DET |
| 28 | 5 | New York Giants Defense | vs. MIA | @ WAS |
Week 15 Streaming Defenses: Rankings
These are all DSTs who are owned in 50% or fewer of ESPN leagues (the ownership percentages are typically pretty similar regardless of platform).
| Rank | DST | Week 15 Opponent | Week 16 Opponent |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks Defense | @ CAR | vs. ARI |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs Defense | vs. DEN | @ CHI |
| 3 | Houston Texans Defense | @ TEN | @ TB |
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys Defense | vs. LAR | @ PHI |
| 5 | Washington Redskins Defense | vs. PHI | vs. NYG |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons Defense | @ SF | vs. JAC |
| 7 | Los Angeles Chargers Defense | vs. MIN | @ OAK |
| 8 | Tennessee Titans Defense | vs. HOU | vs. NO |
| 9 | Detroit Lions Defense | vs. TB | @ DEN |
| 10 | New York Jets Defense | @ BAL | vs. PIT |
| 11 | Indianapolis Colts Defense | @ NO | vs. CAR |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins Defense | @ NYG | vs. CIN |
| 13 | Denver Broncos Defense | @ KC | vs. DET |
| 14 | New York Giants Defense | vs. MIA | @ WAS |
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
