Getting Defensive: Week 16 plays led by Texans, Bills; top streaming options for fantasy football playoffs

With just two weeks left in the fantasy football season in most leagues, it appears to be a two-team race to be fantasy’s top defense in 2025—one from each conference.

The current leader in the clubhouse is the Seattle Seahawks. It might not be “The Legion of Boom,” but after 14 games, the 11-3 Seahawks are fourth in the NFL in total defense, seventh against the pass, third against the run and lead the NFC in points allowed per game at 17.3. Seattle’s 42 sacks ranks fourth in the league, and their 22 takeaways are fifth.

It’s a true team defense that has consistently performed well across the board.

However, there’s a chance that the surging Houston Texans could catch Seattle. With strong fantasy outings in three of their last four contests, the red-hot Texans have closed the gap. Houston is the only defense allowing less than 270 yards per game. The only team in the league allowing less than 17 points per game. The Texans are seventh in the league with 38 sacks and third in takeaways.

It’s a race that should come down to the wire—and will likely be decided by matchups and which team makes a huge play at the right time—a touchdown would cut the gap between them in half.

Adonai Mitchell and Troy Franklin both reemerged as strong WR2 options in Week 15. Playing expanded roles, both wideouts are strong adds off the waiver wire heading into Week 16.

THE NO-BRAINERS

Houston Texans (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

This is the, “well this don’t hardly seem fair” fantasy play of the week. The prowess of the Houston defense has already been explained in detail. In Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, the Texans have arguably the best pass-rusher duo in the NFL. No team in the NFL has allowed more sacks than the 54 the Raiders have surrendered in 2025, and the Raiders have also allowed the most fantasy points to team defenses. There’s no such thing as a “can’t miss” defense in fantasy. But this is about as close as it gets.

Buffalo Bills (at Cleveland Browns)

The Bills haven’t been a great fantasy defense—the team ranks outside the top-20 in fantasy points for the season, in part because Buffalo has struggled much of the season to stop the run. But this week brings the matchup that fixes all that ails a fantasy defense—the cacophony of crap that is the Cleveland Browns. Last week the Browns managed to run for all of 50 yards. Shedeur Sanders threw three interceptions. And the Browns had less than 200 yards of offense and scored three points.

Philadelphia Eagles (at Washington Commanders)

This isn’t about reading too much into Philly’s shutout win over the Raiders, who are probably the worst team in the league (which is saying something in 2025). The Commanders are coming off a win over the Giants. And the Eagles are still struggling to generate a consistent pass rush. But if Philadelphia wins this game, they all but sew up another NFC East title. And while the Commanders aren’t terrible, they are gong to struggle to move the ball against the Eagles defense—just as they have so often this season.

Los Angeles Rams (at Seattle Seahawks)

The exploits of MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense has garnered most of the attention this season, but the Rams defense is no joke—Los Angeles is fourth in the NFL in scoring defense and sixth in fantasy points at the position. Seattle is admittedly not a good matchup—no quarterback in the NFC has been dropped fewer times than Sam Darnold this season. But when last these teams met, Darnold was also picked off four times—and the Rams were a top-five fantasy defense.

Minnesota Vikings (at New York Giants)

After a 14-win 2024 campaign in 2024, the results for the Vikings have been disappointing in 2025. But Brian Flores’ defense has actually been better in many respects—especially against the pass. One of the league’s worst pass defenses a season ago is fifth in that regard this year. Minnesota did about as well against a potent Dallas offense last week as any defense has, and this week the Vikings face a two-win Giants team that has been friendly to opposing defenses this season.

Denver Broncos (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

This play is perilously close to “Caveat Emptor” territory, especially after Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence made NFL history last week with his six-touchdown explosion against the New York Jets. But that game was at EverBank Stadium. This game is at Mile High. And even in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers, Denver’s pass rush keyed a top-12 fantasy finish for the team. If you have ridden the Broncos this long, no reason to hop off the train now.

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STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

Kansas City Chiefs (at Tennessee Titans)

These are dark days in Kansas City—the Chiefs have been eliminated from postseason consideration, and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs are still a proud franchise though, and while the Titans have played better football of late they are still a two-win team that has allowed 49 sacks and the fifth-most fantasy points to defenses. The Chiefs get it done here, because the defense will be charged with carrying the team from here out.

Atlanta Falcons (at Arizona Cardinals)

For years, the Falcons have struggled to generate a pass rush. But while it has been another disappointing season in Atlanta, the team appears to have at least figured that out—rookie edge-rusher James Pearce Jr. is quietly building a case for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, and a team that was last in the NFC in sacks last year leads the conference in 2025. That’s going to matter Sunday against a Cardinals team that has given up 47 sacks—tied for the most in the NFC.

New Orleans Saints (vs. New York Jets)

It has been another long season in New Orleans, but the team has shown some fight of late—first-year head coach Kellen Moore’s squad has peeled off back-to-back wins against the teams tied for “first” place in the NFC South. Now the Saints host a Jets team that ranks first in fan percentage seeing a therapist for clinical depression. New York has churned their carousel of bad quarterbacks all the way down to undrafted rookie Brady Cook, who has thrown an interception every 24 snaps.

New York Giants (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

This analyst cannot lie (or at least won’t here)—high stakes or no, this ain’t a great week for defensive matchups, especially if you’re streaming your way (hopefully) to fantasy glory. But with Abdul Carter heating up opposite Brian Burns, the Giants should be able to get after J.J. McCarthy. And while the Vikings have played better of late, they are still fifth in the NFL in sacks allowed with 47 and have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to defenses this season.

CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS

Seattle Seahawks (vs. Los Angeles Rams)

Given everything that was written about the Seattle defense, they aren’t an easy unit to sit in a must-win game. But as great as Seattle has been defensively this year, their huge Thursday night matchup with the Rams is just—bad. Only two teams in the NFL have surrendered fewer fantasy points per game to defenses than the Rams. The first time this year that these teams met, Seattle had no sacks, one takeaway and posted their second-worst fantasy outing of the season.