Getting Defensive: Week 13 plays led by Seahawks, Broncos; top streaming defenses for fantasy football

There's still just over a month left in the 2025 fantasy campaign, but just a couple of weeks left in the regular season. We have seen more than enough games to be able to offer some assessments about the defenses across the NFL.

Take this bit of breaking news and hard-hitting analysis-the Houston Texans are really good defensively.

Last Thursday night against reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, the Texans racked up eight sacks and three takeaways on the way to their best fantasy outing of the year-a stat line that moved them ahead of the Seattle Seahawks and into the No. 1 spot among all fantasy defenses. It was impressive performance, especially when you consider that over the first 11 weeks of the season, the Bills allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to team defenses.

The Texans are allowing just 264.3 yards per game-best in the NFL. Houston is third in the league against the pass. Fifth in the NFL against the run. No team in the AFC is giving up fewer points per game. The Texans are third in the league with 20 takeaways and sixth with 33 sacks.

This week's trip to Indianapolis to face a Colts team surrendering the fewest fantasy points to defenses is another tough matchup for Will Anderson Jr. and Company.

But given how well the Texans are playing defensively right now, they are almost impossible to sit.

Fantasy Football Week 13 Defense (DST) Rankings and Streamers Eric Samulski breaks down his fantasy football defense rankings for Week 13 of the NFL season

• Eric Samulski,

THE NO-DOUBTERS

Seattle Seahawks (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

The Seahawks are fantasy's No. 2 defense-a team that sits seventh in both total defense and scoring defense and fourth in the league with 36 sacks. What the Seahawks lack in star power they make up for in scheme, chemistry and effort. Meanwhile, the Vikings are a complete disaster on offense-last week against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota had 145 yards of offense, scored six points and turned it over three times. Oh, and the Vikings might be starting an undrafted rookie at quarterback this week.

Denver Broncos (at Washington Commanders)

The Broncos were the first fantasy defense drafted in most leagues, and for the most part they have been as advertised-Denver is third in the NFL in total defense, sixth against the pass, third against the run, third in points allowed, first in the league with 49 sacks and sixth at the position in fantasy points. Now that pass rush will be released on a bad Commanders team led likely led by a backup quarterback that has surrendered 27 sacks and the 12th-most fantasy points per game to defenses.

Los Angeles Rams (at Carolina Panthers)

The Rams look like the best team in the NFL after dismantling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night-and an excellent young defense is a big reason why. The Rams are a top-10 team in total defense, now lead the league in scoring defense at just 16.3 points per game, have 31 sacks and the second-most takeaways in the NFL and rank inside the top-five in fantasy points. If the Rams we saw in Week 12 meet the Panthers we saw in Week 12, the game is going to be a bloodbath.

New England Patriots (vs. New York Giants)

It's a good week to be a high-end fantasy defense-and the Patriots qualify as one, sitting third among defenses in points after 12 weeks. The Giants played one of their better games of the season offensively last week in Detroit even without their top quarterback, running back and wide receiver. New York could even get Jaxson Dart back for this one, although the wisdom of playing him at the back end of a lost season is debatable. But the Patriots have been solid defensively most of the season-roll them out.

Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

Like every team not named the Raiders in the AFC West, the Chargers are playing well defensively-the Bolts are fifth in the league in total defense and fourth against the pass. However, a dearth of big plays has wrecked the Chargers' fantasy value-until this week. The Raiders are a full-blown disaster with an offensive line that allowed three Sacks while you were reading this. After last week's home debacle against the Browns, only the Titans have been more generous to opposing defenses in 2025.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 13: Devin Neal and Taysom Hill replace Alvin KamaraAlvin Kamara went down with a knee injury in Week 12. Rookie running back Devin Neal and Swiss Army Knife Taysom Hill are now the next men up to replace his production in the Saints' offense.

• Kyle Dvorchak,

STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)

Jacksonville may have offered a preview of what we can expect this week-on the road in a great fantasy matchup for the position with the Arizona Cardinals, the Jaguars got home half a dozen times on Jacoby Brissett and posted double-digit fantasy points. Now, the Jaguars get an even better fantasy matchup against the woeful Titans. No team has given up more fantasy points per game to defenses, and rookie quarterback Cam Ward has been dropped a league-high 45 times.

San Francisco 49ers (at Cleveland Browns)

The 49ers are two defensive injuries away from holding open tryouts in the Levi's Stadium parking lot, but somehow San Francisco keeps playing at least decent defense. But this is more about the 49ers opponent than the Niners themselves. Yes, Cleveland looked better offensively last week against the Raiders. But everyone looks better offensively against the Raiders, and the Browns have been a goldmine for opposing defenses this season-only four teams have given up more fantasy points per game to the position this year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Arizona Cardinals)

We won't talk about what happened the last time we saw the Buccaneers play, because that would just be mean. And if injured Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield can't play, it changes the dynamic here. But after losing three straight and four of five, the Buccaneers are clinging to first place in the NFC South by a thread. Meanwhile, the floundering Cardinals have lost eight of nine, have allowed an NFC-high 40 sacks and have surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points per game to defenses this season.

Cleveland Browns (vs. San Francisco 49ers)

If the Browns had something resembling an NFL offense, Cleveland would be a No-Doubter"-the team is second in total defense, pass defense and sacks and sits seventh at the position in fantasy points. Cleveland edge-rusher Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in the league, and while the 49ers took care of the Carolina Panthers at home last week, they did do in a game where the offense didn't play especially well and Niners quarterback Brock Purdy threw three first-half interceptions.

Atlanta Falcons (at New York Jets)

After fielding one of the league's most anemic pass rushes over the past few seasons, the Falcons spent a pair of first-round picks on edge-rushers in the 2025 draft in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.-and it has showed. Atlanta sits just outside the top-12 defenses in fantasy points, the team's 36 sacks are the most in the NFC and in Week 13 the team takes on the Tyrod Taylor-led New York Jets, who have given up the eighth-most fantasy points per game to defenses.

Miami Dolphins (vs. New Orleans Saints)

The Dolphins aren't going anywhere in 2025, but given how terrible they looked say a month ago, their back-to-back wins are a step in the right direction-especially with one being an emphatic victory over the Buffalo Bills. Still, this dart-throw play is all about the New Orleans Saints. Any momentum rookie quarterback Tyler Shough had built seemingly evaporated last week against the Atlanta Falcons, and with running back Alvin Kamara unlikely to play with a knee injury the Saints ground game is essentially Taysom Hill Wildcat snaps.

CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS

Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Buffalo Bills)

On some level, this matchup appears quietly solid-the Steelers rank fifth in fantasy points among defenses and are a top-five team in terms of sacks, which could matter against a Bills team that struggled mightily protecting Josh Allen last week. But the Bills have lost two of three and are in danger of losing sight of the soaring Patriots in the AFC East. The Bills are a better team than the Steelers. Period. And this analyst expects Buffalo to show it this week on the road.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at@IDPGodfather.