Getting Defensive: Texans, Seahawks lead the way in Week 15; defenses to stream in fantasy football playoffs
In most fantasy leagues, the second season has arrived.
If you’re reading this, then odds are your fantasy team is playing on in Week 15, whether it’s in the final week of the regular season in four-team playoffs or in Round 1 of the postseason in six-team tournaments. While making the playoffs is cause for an attaboy or two, it’s just one more step toward the ultimate goal—winning a championship.
It also signals a shift in strategy where fantasy defenses are concerned.
There is no long game anymore. Every week now is a season in itself. Win, and it’s on to the next round. Lose, and the season’s over. No more fantasy football until 2026. Sadness. Despair. Anguish. Disappointment.
Unpleasantness.
During the regular season, you can afford a down week from a big-name defense in a bad matchup. It’s not the end of the world. But from here out, there are no cupcake opponents. Every week has the potential to be a dogfight. Every point matters. One dud—at any position—can be the one that ends the season.
As you know if you’ve read my work, like, ever, you know that this analyst is a fervent proponent of streaming defenses and playing matchups. The latter is exponentially more important this time of year—especially with 14 weeks of data in our pockets.
Of course, there’s always the chance the Titans will remember how to run the ball and score 31 points. No, really—that happened last week.
But hey—no plan is perfect.
Neither are this week’s matchups. Lotta “meh”—and the uncertainty that goes with it.
THE NO-DOUBTERS
Houston Texans (vs. Arizona Cardinals)
The Texans are playing defense as well as any team in the NFL—Houston sits atop the league in total defense, scoring defense and among AFC defenses in fantasy points. This is a team that just forced Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to have arguably the worst game of his career at home and held the reigning AFC champions to 10 points and 274 yards of offense. Now they host an Arizona Cardinals team that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to defenses in 2025.
Seattle Seahawks (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
As recently as a week ago, this looked like a dangerous matchup for fantasy managers who have been riding the highest-scoring fantasy defense—the Colts have spent most of the season at the bottom of the league in fantasy points allowed to defenses. But now, it’s a potential bonanza for the NFC’s best scoring defense. Not only is Colts quarterback Daniel Jones out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, but the status of rookie backup Riley Leonard is in question as well.
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)
For much of the 2025 season, the Eagles have struggled rushing the passer—their 24 sacks entering Week 14 were a far cry from their usually stout pass-rush. However, facing a Los Angeles Chargers team down both starting tackles the Eagles were all up in Justin Herbert’s business, and that should have fantasy managers licking their chops at the thought of the Eagles hosting the hapless Raiders. No team has allowed more sacks or fantasy points to defenses among AFC clubs.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. New York Jets)
The Jaguars have taken over first place in the AFC South, in no small part because of a defense much better than it gets credit for—the Jaguars are 10th in scoring defense, lead the league against the run and are a top-five fantasy unit with four straight double-digit outings thanks to a solid pass rush and a penchant for takeaways. The Jets have (stunner) been a solid fantasy matchup for defenses this season, and it’s only going to get better if Brady “Max Brosmer in Disguise” Cook draws the start for Gang Green.
San Francisco 49ers (vs. Tennessee Titans)
Listen, the only rational explanation for what happened in Cleveland last week was, well, Cleveland—the Browns are Zen masters at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. But the Titans are still surrendering the third-most fantasy points to defenses, and Cam Ward is still the second-most sacked quarterback in the NFL. Tony Pollard isn’t going to gash San Francisco’s patchwork defense for 160 yards against this week, and then the Niners will be able to tee off on the rookie signal-caller. Niners roll, because the Titans are, well, terrible.
Eric Samulski breaks down his fantasy football defense rankings for Week 15 of the NFL season
STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Chicago Bears (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Last week’s clunker against the rival Packers bounced the surprisingly productive Bears from the top-10 scoring fantasy defenses for the season, but a rebound should be coming in short order. The Bears are playing at home coming off a gut-wrenching loss. No team in the league has more takeaways than Chicago’s 27, the Browns have had their share of issues hanging on to the football and Cleveland has given up the fifth-most fantasy points to defenses this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Miami Dolphins)
The Steelers presently sit seventh for the season in fantasy points among defenses, thanks largely to the sixth-most sacks (36) in the league and the most takeaways (23) in the AFC. Make no mistake, this is a team that lives off those big plays—the Steelers are 28th in the league in total defense. But while the Dolphins have played much better of late, they have given up 28 sacks and turned the ball over 18 times. At home in primetime, the Steelers get it done.
Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
The stories surrounding these two teams are far different—the Chiefs’ run as champions of the AFC West is over after last week’s dispiriting loss to Houston, while Chargers are rolling toward the playoffs after beating the Eagles in overtime Monday night. But Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was dropped seven times in that game, the Bolts turned it over three times and the Chargers have quietly given up the ninth-most fantasy points to defenses in 2025. The Chiefs are going to get after Herbert in this game. They have to.
Carolina Panthers (at New Orleans Saints)
In one of the stranger developments of the 2025 season, the Carolina Panthers come out of their bye week tied for first place in the NFC South. Despite a defense with all the name value of a bad UFL team, the Panthers sit just outside the top-12 in terms of fantasy points among defenses. Carolina put together a pair of double-digit fantasy efforts pre-bye against the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. And this week they face a Saints team giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to defenses this year.
Dallas Cowboys (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
After watching a bad Dallas defense get roasted for 44 points last week by the Detroit Lions, it’s fair to question the wisdom of starting Dallas in a must-win fantasy contest. This is a boom-bust play for folks who aren’t averse to risk. Is Dallas good defensively? No. Did the Vikings just shut out the Commanders? Yes. But no team has allowed more fantasy points to defenses. No team in the NFC has given up more sacks. And no team in the NFL has turned the ball over more.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS
New England Patriots (vs. Buffalo Bills)
The Patriots are the NFL’s biggest success story in 2025—a four-win team just last season, the Pats are tied for the NFL’s best record and can clinch the AFC East with a second win over the Bills Sunday in Gillette Stadium. The Patriots are seventh in total defense, fifth in scoring defense and rank third in fantasy points among defenses after 14 weeks. But this is Josh Allen and the five-time defending division champions—and a team allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to defenses in 2025.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.
