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The fantasy football playoffs' arrival brings extra anxiety for fantasy managers making lineup decisions. Since defenses are largely matchup-dependent, the rankings can change dramatically from week to week. We're here to help with our NFL team's Week 16 fantasy football defense (DST) rankings for 2024.
Ahead of the key Week 16 slate, let's dig into the rankings below to see where key D/STs such as the Falcons, Colts, Packers, Bills, and Bengals stand, among other considerations.
Our Week 16 defense (DST) fantasy football rankings are put together by Nick Mariano, Brandon Murchison, Andersen Pickard, and Scott Engel. In addition to our staff rankings, below you will find a summary of this week's important fantasy football injury news.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Week 16 Defense (D/ST) Fantasy Football News
- Jonathan Allen Ruled Out For Week 16
- Antoine Winfield Jr. Ruled Out Week 16
- T.J. Watt Will Play In Week 16
- Jaire Alexander Practicing In Full This Week
- Micah Parsons Questionable For Sunday Night Game
- Nick Bosa Considered Questionable For Week 16
- Dre Greenlaw Questionable For Week 16
Week 16 Fantasy Football Defense (D/ST) Rankings
Rankings are updated until kick-off. Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, Standard rankings
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 4 | 15 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 5 | 17 | New York Jets | DST |
| 5 | 18 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 5 | 19 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 5 | 21 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 6 | 22 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 6 | 23 | New York Giants | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 6 | 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 6 | 27 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 6 | 28 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 6 | 29 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 6 | 30 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 6 | 31 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 6 | 32 | New England Patriots | DST |
Week 16 Defense Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Minnesota Vikings DST - Fantasy Football Outlook
The Minnesota Vikings defense/special teams is yet again a top option among defensive units in Week 16's road meeting with the Seattle Seahawks. The Vikings' defense has been a lock-down unit all season and gets another vulnerable matchup this Sunday in a Seahawks team letting up the sixth-most points per game to fantasy D/STs (10.9).
Minnesota is allowing the thirteenth-fewest total yards per game this season (334.0) and has been particularly stingy against opposing rushing attacks (89.1 YPG [second-least]). With 28 total turnovers forced on the season, they trail only the Pittsburgh Steelers' 30 as the highest mark in the league. Fantasy managers can continue to rely on the Vikings as a high-end unit, ranking as RotoBaller's D/ST3 in this week's rankings
- Alex Ciulla, RotoBaller
Buffalo Bills DST - Fantasy Football Outlook
The Buffalo Bills defense/special teams has allowed over 80 points in its last two games, but the matchup against New England is more intriguing than recent contests against the Lions and Rams. The Patriots offense averages 17 points per game, second-worst in the NFL.
Their implied point total is at 16.25 points on Sunday. The Drake Maye-led squad also averages 1.3 giveaways per game. Bills head coach Sean McDermott's defense can easily bounce back in this divisional matchup. The Bills are ranked as a top defensive unit in fantasy in Week 16.
- Andrew Ball, RotoBaller
Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST - Fantasy Football Outlook
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has offered fantasy managers fairly decent value over the last month or so. The expectation was that this unit would struggle last week, but they held the Los Angeles Chargers offense to 17 points. They also sacked quarterback Justin Herbert three times while recovering a fumble and snagging an interception in the win.
Fantasy managers should expect this Bucs defense to once again be a viable option in Week 16. They head into a plus-matchup against the Dallas Cowboys offense led by backup quarterback Cooper Rush. The Bucs defense hasn't been an elite option, but they will offer above-average value this weekend.
- Andy Webb, RotoBaller
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More Fantasy Football Analysis
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.
