It’s getting down to the nitty gritty as the fantasy football playoff chase hits high gear. Don’t make a mistake at the quarterback position. Look here first. And do the same for running back. But if you need help on the other side of the ball, here are the fantasy football defense rankings for Week 11.
At the top of the list is a team with one of the best defenses all season. The Minnesota Vikings have been a good pick any week, and this time they get the struggling offense of the Tennessee Titans. With 15 interceptions on the season, the Vikings are licking their chops to add to that total against turnover prone quarterback Will Levis.
Buckle up for a fantasy football ride into the top 12 defenses for Week 11 of the NFL season.
Top Fantasy Football Picks
The Vikings lead the NFL with 20 takeaways and 15 interceptions. They've also given up the fewest rushing yards and produced the most quarterback pressures. It’s a strong unit.
Overall, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said his team is in for a challenge, according to vikings.com.
“The challenge this week is against Tennessee,” O’Connell said. “I've always thought [they're] a very physical team, built on their physicality and running the football well and doing some really good things on defense. So it's going to be a real challenge for us.”
Playing on the road will make it even more of a challenge, O’Connell said.
“Winning on the road is always hard, no matter what,” he said. “Even when you play a lot better than we did (against the Jaguars), especially offensively. I thought our defense outside of really one drive was phenomenal all day long. And the specialists, new guys – welcome to the party. (They had) a huge impact on the game.”
Cashman coming back for Vikings
One big plus for the Vikings this week is the return of linebacker Blake Cashman. After three weeks of non-action because of a turf-toe injury, Cashman looked fantasy football solid against the Jaguars with five tackles and a sack. O’Connell said the defense has more leeway with Cashman cleaning up tackles.
“I think having those guys back in there was just a charge of life,” O'Connell said. “You put all those puzzle pieces together, the original plan. (And) you see it coming to fruition where maybe guys aren't being stretched or stressed outside of their real roles, which are really versatile. But when you can get kind of that sweet spot of guys doing the things within the defense, and pairing it all together with the disguise as a group of 11.
“It was great having him back, green dot, communicator. I.P. (Pace) flying around doing his thing, and then those edge players. When they get an opp' like they do in situations like that, feel really good about that coverage and rush getting married together and working well together.”
For the season, the Vikings’ defense has finished in the top seven a total of seven times. It had one bad week, a No. 29 ending against the Rams in Week 8.
Don't forget the Detroit Lions this week
Another good grab is the Detroit Lions. This unit has been a fringe fantasy football starter in 2024. But they get to follow-up the Vikings by taking on the Jaguars. And the Lions are at home.
One good thing about the Lions is they have an interception in every game this season, and have totaled 14 on the season. Of course, their fantasy football sack totals haven’t been as great after the tough loss of superstar pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson. However, the Lions are excited about the addition of Za’Darius Smith, who could push the team back into terrorizing-offenses status. Smith felt like he could fit in Detroit after seeing Hutchinson’s injury, according to the Chronicle-Telegram via nytimes.com.
“Hate that injury happened to him, a guy that was on his way to get Defensive Player of the Year possibly,” Smith said. “That’s a big loss for them. But if I was to go to Detroit, I would like it because I get to play Green Bay twice a year and the Vikings twice a year. So, yeah, that’ll be big.”
It looks like Smith will make his debut this week, according to comments by head coach Dan Campbell to freep.com.
“There was a thought about playing him (last week), but we just felt like the right thing to do was just sit him,” Campbell said “We’ll let him get his bearing and, there again, that’s a game off his body and now we can go.”
Other Standouts
Dont hesitate to fire up the Green Bay Packers. They have a nice matchup against a Bears offense in disarray. Also, the Bears have a ultra-struggling offensive line. The Bears managed only 142 total against the Patriots in Week 10.
Green Bay has forced 19 turnovers and totaled 22 sacks in nine games. The sack total could jump this week, depending how often the Bears allowed quarterback Caleb Williams to drop back.
Another team that could have a big fantasy football week is Houston. The Texans visit Big D with no Dak Prescott waiting, and a struggling offense at hand. And the Cowboys play into the Texans’ hands by starting Cooper Rush over Trey Lance. Rush turned in an awful performance in the loss to the Eagles.
Fantasy Football Sleepers
The Miami Dolphins could produce a good fantasy football game against the Raiders.
Also, the Los Angeles Rams should be in good shape against the Patriots.
NFL Fantasy Football Week 11 Defense Rankings
1. Minnesota Vikings, MIN @ TEN
2. Detroit Lions, DET vs. JAC
3. Green Bay Packers, GB @ CHI
4. Houston Texans, HOU @ DAL
5. Miami Dolphins, MIA vs. LV
6. San Francisco 49ers, SF vs. SEA
7. New York Jets, NYJ vs. IND
8. Los Angeles Rams, LAR @ NE
9. New Orleans Saints, NO vs. CLE
10. Denver Broncos, DEN vs. ATL
11. Cleveland Browns, CLE @NO
12. Los Angeles Chargers, LAC vs. CIN
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