RADIO
Week 18 is a weird one, as several teams will be resting starters ahead of the playoffs. If you're having a difficult time finding the top defense this week, our NFL team's Week 18 fantasy football defense (D/ST) rankings are here to guide you in setting the best lineup.
Ahead of the final regular-season slate, let's dig into the rankings to see where key team defenses such as the Buccaneers, Broncos, Packers, Bills, Falcons, and more stand.
Our Week 18 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 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
Week 18 Defense (D/ST) Fantasy Football News
- Josh Hines-Allen Downgraded To Out For Week 18
- Jaycee Horn Out For Panthers Defense
- Christian Gonzalez, Jabrill Peppers Ruled Out
- Zack Baun, Darius Slay Doubtful To Play On Sunday
- Sauce Garnder Ruled Out For Week 18
- Antonine Winfield Jr. To Miss Another Game Against The Saints
- Terrel Bernard Will Not Play On Sunday
- Jaylen Watson Designated To Return From IR, Will Practice On Friday
- Harrison Smith Upgraded To Full Practice
Week 18 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 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 4 | 11 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 4 | 15 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 5 | 18 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 5 | 19 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 5 | 21 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 6 | 22 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 6 | 23 | New York Jets | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 6 | 25 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 6 | 26 | New York Giants | DST |
| 6 | 27 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 6 | 28 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 6 | 29 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 6 | 30 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 6 | 31 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 6 | 32 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
Week 18 Defense Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Denver Broncos DST - Fantasy Football Outlook
The Denver Broncos defense/special teams is the No. 1 unit in fantasy through 17 weeks of the season and should be viewed as a top-five play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday as they host a Chiefs team that will be resting most of their notable offensive players for the playoffs, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, and tight end Travis Kelce.
While the Broncos' defense has been a little more vulnerable lately -- they've allowed 30-plus points in three of their last four games -- they lead the NFL in sacks (58) and are still allowing under 20 points per game on the year. In a must-win game to get into the playoffs themselves, Denver's D will come to play against backups and will have a high ceiling for fantasy managers still playing for a championship. They also rank sixth in takeaways on the year with 25.
- Keith Hernandez, RotoBaller
Green Bay Packers DST - Fantasy Football Outlook
The Green Bay Packers defense and special teams unit should be one of the best plays in Week 18 as the Packers host the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Bears have been losers of 10 straight games and head into Lambeau Field to face a defense that has been playing extremely well of late.
Prior to last week against the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers had been a top-five fantasy defense against the Seahawks and Saints with a combined 10 sacks, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery in those two weeks.
Facing a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams at home should be a nice tune-up for the Packers, as Williams was sacked three times in the Packers' 20-19 win earlier in the season. Fire up the Packers D/ST as a starting fantasy unit in Week 18.
- Kevin Tompkins, RotoBaller
Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST - Fantasy Football Outlook
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense has struggled at times, but they've been playing better lately. Last week, the Bucs defense recorded five sacks and allowed only 14 points in the win over the Carolina Panthers. This team will get another favorable matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18.
The Saints are banged up and will start backup quarterback Spencer Rattler once again. Rattler has been unable to find much success, with only three touchdowns and five interceptions this season. The 24-year-old doesn't appear to be the long-term solution in New Orleans, but he'll get one more start in the regular season finale.
Fantasy managers searching for a defense in the championship game or DFS contest should look at the Bucs for Week 18.
- Andy Webb, RotoBaller
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