Fantasy Football Week 18 Defense Rankings and Streamers feat. Patriots, Jaguars & Buccaneers

It's Week 18 and the boldest fantasy football managers are entering their championship or final consolation matchups. With the playoff-lock teams set to rest or limit the reps of their top players, fantasy football becomes more chaotic and even less predictable.

One area where you may be able to find great value on waivers is defense. With the best teams potentially resting their stars, the lower-scoring defenses have an opportunity to feast. Teams in desperate need of wins playing playoff-locked teams have an advantage, and teams looking to the draft might be easier to play on the last day of the regular season.

One such defense could belong to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. The Ravens have locked the top seed in the AFC and could rest or limit their starters' reps. With the Steelers having it all on the line, this could be a big day for their defense and they are worth picking up and monitoring what the Ravens decide to do with Lamar Jackson in Week 18.

Knowing which defenses to target is very important, as the huge points we see from the position every week could be the difference between winning or losing. Let's take a quick look at the lay of the land entering Week 18:

Fantasy Football Week 18 Best Defenses

Here are the best defenses in fantasy football entering Week 18, ranked by points scored this season:

1. Baltimore Ravens - 166.00 (vs. Steelers)
2. Dallas Cowboys - 158.00 (@ Commanders)
3. Cleveland Browns - 147.00 (@ Bengals)
4. Buffalo Bills - 145.00 (@ Dolphins)
5. Miami Dolphins - 143.00 (vs. Bills)
6. San Francisco 49ers - 137.00 (vs. Rams)
7. New York Jets - 137.00 (@ Patriots)
8. Las Vegas Raiders - 136.00 (vs. Broncos)
9. New Orleans Saints - 135.00 (vs. Falcons)
10. Indianapolis Colts - 134.00 (vs. Texans)
11. Pittsburgh Steelers - 125.00 (@ Ravens)
12. Houston Texans - 125.00 (@ Colts)
13. Minnesota Vikings - 123.00 (@ Lions)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 118.00 (@ Panthers)
15. Kansas City Chiefs - 117.00 (@ Chargers)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars - 117.00 (@ Titans)
17. Denver Broncos - 113.00 (@ Raiders)
18. Chicago Bears - 112.00 (@ Packers)
19. New York Giants - 112.00 (vs. Eagles)
20. Cincinnati Bengals - 110.00 (vs. Browns)
21. Los Angeles Chargers - 105.00 (vs. Chiefs)
22. Seattle Seahawks - 105.00 (@ Cardinals)
23. New England Patriots - 104.00 (vs. Jets)
24. Green Bay Packers 102.00 (vs. Bears)
25. Atlanta Falcons - 100.00 (@ Saints)
26. Detroit Lions - 98.00 (vs. Vikings)
27. Philadelphia Eagles - 97.00 (@ Giants)
28. Tennessee Titans - 93.00 (vs. Jaguars)
29. Los Angeles Rams - 75.00 (@ 49ers)
30. Arizona Cardinals - 65.00 (vs. Seahawks)
31. Carolina Panthers - 64.00 (vs. Buccaneers)
32. Washington Commanders - 58.00 (vs. Cowboys)

In a week of uncertainty, defenses and kickers could make the difference, so here are three defenses to target on waivers as streamers:

Fantasy Football Week 18 Streamer Defenses

#1, Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Tennessee Titans) - 7.3 points projected

Fantasy Football Week 18 Streamer Defenses - Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars' defense put up 18 points in their Week 17 shutout versus Carolina. While this could be hard to replicate, this underrated defense has another decent matchup in Week 18.

On the season, the Jaguars D has recorded 38 sacks, 15 INTs, 11 fumble recovers and 2 TDs, good for 117 points and the No. 16 rank in fantasy football.

They face the Tennessee Titans, who were limited to 3 points versus the Houston Texans on Sunday. With the Jaguars in desperate need of a win to clinch the AFC South and the Titans being done for the season, this could be a big game for their defense.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects the Jaguars D to record 7.3 points and this is the top defense to target on waivers.

#2, New England Patriots (vs. New York Jets) - 7.2 points projected

Fantasy Football Week 18 Streamer Defenses - New England Patriots

While the New England Patriots have had a season to forget, their defense has been doing its best to keep games close. Yes, there have been some huge blowouts, but that doesn't look to be forthcoming in Week 18.

After recording a decent 9 points in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots have a kinder game next. They face a New York Jets team that boasts a similarly poor offense to New England's. On the season, the Patriots have scored 233 points, while the Jets have recorded 251.

If you have the Jets defense you should start them, but they are unlikely to be available on waivers in any league.

On the season, the Patriots have recorded 35 sacks, 10 INTs, 7 fumble recoveries, 1 safety, 1 TD and 1 return TD. This totals 104 points and the No. 23 rank in the league, but Week 18 looks like a good day to start them.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects the Patriots D to record 7.2 points, so make this your second waiver in case you can't get the Jags.

#3, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ Carolina Panthers) - 6.3 points projected

Fantasy Football Week 18 Streamer Defenses - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense is another decent target on waivers. While they only put up 1 point against New Orleans on Sunday, they recorded 16 points versus the Jaguars the week before.

In the season the Buccaneers have recorded 45 sacks, 13 INTs, 11 fumble recoveries, 1 safety and 1 TD for 118 points in fantasy football and the No. 14 rank.

They play a Carolina Panthers team that just got shut out by the Jaguars and could be hit similarly in Week 18. Tampa Bay needs a victory to win the division, so they will be playing hard against their NFC South rivals here.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects the Buccaneers' D to record 6.3 points, which feels like a conservative estimate but it is still a good outing for a waiver defense. There are simply few better options available on waivers and if you think the Panthers are in for a bad day, the Buccaneers D is an obvious beneficiary and could massively outscore their projections.