3 FanDuel Defenses to Target in Week 14
Selecting a defense is never the most glamorous part of fantasy football. It often goes overlooked for the more fun positions that people want to watch and root for during the game. The good news is that if our opponents aren’t putting too much thought into their defense, we can gain an advantage with some research. So let’s dig in and try to identify some defenses that could be in a good position to score fantasy points this week.
There are some games with low totals on the main slate, meaning we shouldn't have trouble finding some defenses we'll want to roster.
Dallas Cowboys
FanDuel Salary: $5,000
It can be tough to play a defense that's at a $5,000 salary, but in certain cases. it's definitely worth it. This is likely one of those cases, as the Dallas D/ST is the best defense in fantasy football with strong playmakers on that side of the ball. They also get a great matchup this week.
The Dallas Cowboys are second in the NFL in takeaways with 22. They also have three return touchdowns on the season. These numbers could be considered fluky, but when you have players like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs -- who tend to sell out to make these big plays -- it makes sense that they will happen for Dallas more so than other teams. The Cowboys also lead the league in both sacks and adjusted sack rate.
Dallas will face their in-state rivals in the Houston Texans this week. Things are going from bad to worse for Houston. They experimented with Kyle Allen at quarterback and are now going back to Davis Mills. Mills has thrown 11 interceptions in 11 games this season, and he's taken sacks at a 7.9% clip. They also will be without their top two wide receivers and will really struggle to move the ball.
Dallas' defense has the potential to break the slate and is definitely a tournament play with clear upside.
Tennessee Titans
FanDuel Salary: $4,200
The Tennessee Titans are in a position to win the AFC South again. They have limitations on offense, especially in the passing game, and have to rely on their defense being good to keep them in games. They've done that so far and could have a great matchup this week.
The Tennessee D/ST is the 11th-best scoring defense in the league, and they improve to fifth-best when they are at home. They sell out to stop the run, ranking ninth against the ground game, according to numberFire's metrics. All of their pass rush metrics are in the middle of the pack, but that might not matter on Sunday.
Tennessee is at home and facing the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars had one of the best matchups an offense can get last week and could only score 14 points. Their offense is 28th overall in the league, and their pass offense ranks 29th.
The real troubling news for Jacksonville is that Trevor Lawrence is not practicing due to a foot injury. If he can't go, C.J. Beathard would be in line to start. Beathard is a career backup who has made 12 starts in the NFL, throwing 13 interceptions with a high sack rate of 8.4%.
If Beathard is forced to start, the Titans' defense becomes one of the better plays on the slate.
Pittsburgh Steelers
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
This Pittsburgh D/ST won't exactly be confused for the Steel Curtain anytime soon. They are 14th in overall defensive efficiency by our numbers. But they do have a good matchup this week and have been improving of late.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing better as they have faced an easier schedule in three of their last four games. They have two games with double-digit fantasy points out of the four games and hadn't had double-digit points in a game since Week 1. They have eight sacks and seven takeaways in those four games, and that should continue with their matchup this week.
The Steelers will face their division rival this week, the Baltimore Ravens. With Lamar Jackson looking unlikely to play, Baltimore will have to turn to Tyler Huntley. Huntley wasn't a total disaster when playing last season, but he does have only three career touchdown passes to five interceptions. He also got sacked at an 8.7% rate last season.
Only the Texans have a lower implied team total on the slate. This makes the Steelers' defense look like one of the best value options on the slate.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
