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There are precious few constants in fantasy on defense, but for many years the Pittsburgh Steelers were. Even if the team gave up yards or even points, fantasy managers could count on Pittsburgh to produce big plays—especially sacks. Pittsburgh was perennially among the league leaders in that category—long before that Watt fellow got to town.
Don’t look now, but the Steelers defense is making its way up fantasy leaderboards again. The team’s 33 sacks rank third in the league behind the Atlanta Falcons (wait, what?) and the Denver Broncos. But this season’s Steelers defense is—different.

For much of the season, the Steelers have been, um, bad. Pittsburgh sports the worst pass defense in the NFL, allowing 261.7 yards per game. Pittsburgh sports a bottom-five defense overall, and entering Week 9 they were 23rd in fantasy points at the position.

Now? The team is inside the top-10, thanks to a pair of 20-plus point efforts over the last three weeks, including a pair of touchdowns in last week’s blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Does that mean fantasy managers can trust the Steelers on a weekly basis, or even in Week 12 against the 7-3 Chicago Bears? Not necessarily.

But it’s another example of how quickly things can change defensively in fantasy.

Gotta keep that head on a swivel.

THE NO-DOUBTERS

Seattle Seahawks (at Tennessee Titans)

Seattle may have lost a close game last week to the Los Angeles Rams last week, but the Seahawks are still a 7-3 team—in large part because of a defense that ranks inside the top-10 in total defense, scoring defense, run defense and leads the NFL in fantasy points among defenses. Now that defense get the weekly fantasy bonanza that is the Tennessee Titans—no team has allowed more fantasy points to defenses this season.

Detroit Lions (vs. New York Giants)

This matchup is just mean. The Lions are going to be seething after last week’s frustrating loss in Philadelphia. The Giants might get their promising rookie quarterback back, but that doesn’t change the fact that New York’s offensive line is bad. Or that the G-Men are short their best running back and No. 1 wide receiver. Or the fact that Jaxson Dart and New York have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to defenses since Week 6. Lay the points with the Lions. And pray for Dart.

Baltimore Ravens (vs. New York Jets)

That smell is the rest of the AFC starting to sweat a little—because the 1-5 Ravens have peeled off four wins in a row and are back in the postseason race. In what probably isn’t a coincidence, over that same four-week span, the only fantasy defense that has scored more points than the Ravens is the aforementioned Steelers. The Jets have won two of three, but New York is 29th in total defense, 25th in scoring defense and ninth in fantasy points per game given up to defenses.

New England Patriots (at Cincinnati Bengals)

The good news for fantasy managers is that the New England Patriots defense is third in fantasy points for the season, and Sunday those Pats travel to take on a reeling Cincinnati Bengals team that has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points per game to defenses this season. The bad news is that the Patriots have cooled considerably fantasy-wise over the past three games, and there’s always a chance Joe Flacco throws for 400 yards. But with Ja’Marr Chase suspended, this is a no-doubter.

Cleveland Browns (at Las Vegas Raiders)

The Browns are legitimately terrible, which is that much more gross when you consider how good the defense is. Cleveland is second in total defense, and no team in the NFL has allowed fewer passing yards per game. Browns edge-rusher and maybe Godzilla has 10 sacks—over his last three games. The Browns are a top-10 fantasy defense for the season despite getting zero help whatsoever from the offense. And the Las Vegas Raiders have surrendered the third-most fantasy points per game to defenses in 2025.

Los Angeles Rams (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

This matchup looked markedly more exciting a couple of weeks ago. But while the Rams have continued rolling, the Buccaneers have faltered the past two weeks—especially on defense. After picking off Sam Darnold four times last week, the Rams are fifth among defenses in fantasy points. The Rams are just playing—professionally. Efficiently. On both sides of the ball. And a young and talented L.A. front four led by Byron Young and Jared Verse is going to be a problem for Tampa.

Fantasy Football Defense (DST) Week 12 Rankings and Streamers

Eric Samulski breaks down his fantasy football defense rankings for Week 12 of the NFL season

• Eric Samulski,

STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

Green Bay Packers (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

Green Bay’s win over the New York Giants was emblematic of the Packers as a whole this year—the team won and their record’s good, but it’s fair to be unconvinced if the Pack really is. What this writer is convinced of is that Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is not good at being, um, a quarterback. The Vikings have surrendered 34 sacks—tied for the NFC lead. Minnesota has 18 giveaways—second most in the NFL. And the Vikes have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to defenses in the NFC.

Atlanta Falcons (at New Orleans Saints)

In many respects, the Falcons deserve “no-doubter” status this week—the team leads the NFC in sacks (after finishing dead last in the NFL in that regard a year ago), had the best pass defense in the NFL entering Week 11 and face a New Orleans Saints team Sunday that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to defenses this year, But that pass defense was just roasted for almost 450 yards by Bryce Young. Yes, that Bryce Young. No, I don’t understand it, either.

Jacksonville Jaguars (at Arizona Cardinals)

That Jacoby Brissett now holds the NFL record for the most completions ever in a game will be a Jeopardy! question at some point. The Cardinals are terrible, but they have moved the ball with the journeyman under center (pour one out for Kyler Murray). But Brissett also gets sacked a lot and is prone to turning the ball over, and the last we saw the Jaguars they were stomping a mudhole in a 7-3 Los Angeles Chargers team. Jacksonville hasn’t been the same team on the road, but these dice are still worth rolling.

Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Cleveland Browns)

This admittedly isn’t an easy play to get behind—especially if you saw the Raiders get humiliated Monday night in a game where the Dallas Cowboys were taking a knee before the two-minute warning. But the Raiders won’t be hosting Dallas in Week 12. They will be facing a Cleveland Browns team that will probably be rolling out Shedeur Sanders for his first NFL start. The Browns were already giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to defenses. That number isn’t getting better with Sanders running backward every play.

CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS

Houston Texans (vs. Buffalo Bills)

The Texans have been excellent on defense in just about every way a team can be this season—the team ranks first in scoring defense and total defense, third in the league against both the run and the pass and leads all AFC defenses in fantasy points. But fantasy managers who have to get a win in Week 12 have a legitimate reason to be nervous about Thursday night’s home date with the Bills. That reason in Josh Allen, who a week ago became the only player to run for three scores and throw for three scores—twice.