Week 13 D/ST Rankings

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. I am thankful for many things, but one thing I am not thankful for is this week's defensive streaming options. There really just aren't a lot of good plays, and you're likely going to have to do a bit of assuming the game script. I am really only comfortable with my top nine options this week, and then there is a big pool of questionable plays.

Three Matchups to Play

Cincinnati Bengals against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bengals do not have the same defense as they have had the past few years under Mike Zimmer, but they should be able to put up decent fantasy numbers against a Tampa Bay offense that has allowed the third-most points to fantasy defenses in 2014. In their past two games, the Bengals shut down the New Orleans and Houston offenses on the road, suggesting there may be some midseason improvement on the defensive side.

St. Louis Rams against the Oakland Raiders

The Raiders have allowed six or more points to fantasy defenses in all but two cases, against the Chargers in Week 6 and Chiefs in Week 12. The Rams aren't from the AFC West, and have scored well in fantasy in three of the past four weeks. Darren McFadden and Latavius Murray are unlikely to find any running room against the stout Rams' rush defense, and Derek Carr will likely face pressure on every dropback.

Indianapolis Colts against the Washington Redskins

The Colts would have placed even higher in the rankings if not for Colt McCoy's starting over Robert Griffin III at quarterback. McCoy has played well when given the chance, but I think the Colts jump out to an early lead and force McCoy to play from behind without the benefit of a run game.

Three Matchups to Avoid

Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos
Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys
San Francisco 49ers against the Seattle Seahawks