Top 9 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Defenses (Week 13)

We will have you covered throughout the fantasy football season with our bevy of tools, including our Waiver Wire Assistant. Find the top available players and get detailed analysis on how potential fantasy football waiver wire adds will impact your team. Of course, our team of analysts will also have written advice each week. Check out some of our top Defense fantasy football waiver wire targets for the week below. And also be sure to check out all of our fantasy football waiver wire advice.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Defense

DEFENSES

Written by Pat Fitzmaurice

Los Angeles Rams: 23% rostered

• Next Opponents: @NO, BUF, @SF
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Let’s start with the disclaimer that this is a bad week to stream a defense. There are no highly appealing options among the defenses currently rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues. One of the appealing things about the Rams is that this has been a red-hot fantasy D. Going into their Sunday-night game against the Eagles, the Rams’ D had averaged 11.8 fantasy points over its last six games. The Rams have forced multiple turnovers in four of their last six games. They have a decent Week 13 matchup against the Saints, who are undermanned at the WR position without injured WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. One word of caution: If the Saints take a run-heavy approach with RB Alvin Kamara and TE/RB/QB hybrid Taysom Hill, it will be hard for the Rams to score fantasy points because sack and interception opportunities will be reduced.

Dallas Cowboys: 28% rostered

• Next Opponents: NYG, CIN, @CAR
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: We won’t try to sell you on the quality of the Dallas defense. The appeal here is a Thanksgiving Day matchup against a turkey of an offense. The Cowboys host the Giants, whose offense sputtered Sunday against the Buccaneers in QB Tommy DeVito‘s first start of the season. The Giants produced only seven points and 245 yards, with DeVito taking four sacks.

Los Angeles Chargers: 40% rostered

• Next Opponents: @ATL, @KC, TB
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-minded: $1

Analysis: Entering Week 13, the Chargers’ defense ranked ninth in DVOA and fifth in fantasy points per game with 8.9. The Chargers face a slumping Atlanta offense that has scored 23 points over its last two games, with Falcons QB Kirk Cousins throwing two interceptions and taking six sacks over that stretch.

New York Giants: 5% rostered

• Next Opponents: @DAL, NO, BAL
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Giants-Cowboys probably won’t be one of the more memorable Thanksgiving Day games we’ve ever seen. The ineptitude of these two offenses might make for some unsightly football, but it’s a good game in which to stream a defense. Going into Week 13, the Cowboys had allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses.

New York Jets: 45% rostered

• Next Opponents: SEA, @MIA, @JAX
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: This defense has really underachieved this season, but the Jets have a lot of defensive talent, and they have a favorable Week 13 matchup against the Seahawks, who had allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses going into Week 13.

Green Bay Packers: 47% rostered

• Next Opponents: MIA, @DET, @SEA
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: The Green Bay defense had 17 takeaways in its first six games, then went into a short turnover slump before forcing the 49ers into three turnovers on Sunday. The Packers host the Dolphins on Thanksgiving night. Miami isn’t really an offense you’d normally look to stream a defense against as long as QB Tua Tagovailoa is healthy. But Miami is obviously a warm-weather team, so the Dolphins will be out of their element when they play outdoors in frigid Green Bay on a late-November night. The gametime temperature is expected to be around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s possible the Dolphins’ offense won’t operating at peak efficiency in the chilly weather.

DEF Stash Candidates:

• Atlanta Falcons
• Arizona Cardinals
• Indianapolis Colts

A lot of fantasy managers are looking to get a head start on playoff preparations by stashing a defense with a favorable schedule in Weeks 15-17. There are no widely available fantasy defenses that have excellent matchups in all three of those weeks, but as Meatloaf once sang, two outta three ain’t bad. The Atlanta Falcons get a favorable matchup against the Raiders in Week 15 and another against the Giants in Week 16 before running into the Commanders in Week 17. The Atlanta defense hasn’t scored more than 6 points in a game since Week 4, but the Falcons’ D should be able to put up points against the feeble offenses of the Raiders and Giants.

Like the Falcons, the Arizona Cardinals have attractive matchups in Weeks 15 and Week 16, going up against the Patriots and Panthers. Unlike the Falcons, the Cardinals have actually been a pretty good fantasy defense this season, averaging 7.7 fantasy points a game and hitting double digits in each of their last three games.

The Indianapolis Colts don’t have an especially good matchup in Week 15, when they face the Broncos, but they have desirable matchups in Weeks 16-17 against the Titans and Giants. The Indianapolis defense is middle of the pack in fantasy scoring, but the Colts turned in a respectable performance in Week 12, holding a powerful Detroit offense to 253 yards of offense and 24 points.