NFL

3 Fantasy Football Defensive Streaming Options for Week 16

Cody Parker  —  @CodyJParker Dec 22nd, 2020
Which widely available defenses could help you to a fantasy championship?

Hey, it's your friendly neighborhood defense streaming specialist -- here again, giving you weekly streaming recommendations. A reminder: lines are courtesy of NFL odds, and roster percentages and scores are according to ESPN's fantasy platform. Assume that the listed order is the preferred order. I'll try for defenses on 40% or fewer of ESPN rosters.

Houston Texans

vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Spread: Texans -8.0
Roster Percentage: 11%

I've been trying to impress for a few weeks that Week 16 would be a week that brought us limited options, and that's fully reflected by the Houston Texans being the top choice. They're favored by more than a touchdown and likely taking on Ryan Finley, who's averaging -0.51 Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back this season, which is one of the league's worst marks.

But the Texans are just such a lackluster unit that it's unsettling to rely on them for championship week. But if they're who you've got, they're who you've got. On to uninspiring option number two.

Arizona Cardinals

vs. San Francisco 49ers
Spread: Cardinals -3.5
Roster Percentage: 40%

The Arizona Cardinals are barely favored by more than a field goal, and while Nick Mullens does throw interceptions at a high (3.7%) rate, he doesn't take very many sacks (5.5% rate.) The San Francisco 49ers will also try to run the ball given the opportunity, limiting the number of interception and sack opportunities further.

Still, there's a pretty good chance Mullens gets picked in this game, so hopefully the Cardinals manage to house it.

Los Angeles Chargers

vs. Denver Broncos
Spread: Chargers -3.0
Roster Percentage: 28%

Drew Lock is similar to Mullens in that he throws a lot of interceptions (also a 3.7% rate) but also doesn't take many sacks (4.1% rate.) Nonetheless, he's a bad quarterback in a road game as a slight underdog, which makes him as good of an option as any this week.

The Los Angeles Chargers have been hit or miss this year, but they've always been a team where the defensive talent never really matched the production. This year they've allowed a middle-of-the-road 0.11 Adjusted Defensive NEP per play -- placing them 16th in our defense rankings -- despite having playmakers at important positions like Casey Hayward, Chris Harris, and Joey Bosa.

If I were an announcer I'd say, "Maybe this will be the week where everything clicks for them," but since I'm not, I'll just say hope for the best.