Story byGriffin MissantSun, December 7, 2025 at 11:45 PM UTC·2 min readEarly Week 15 Defense Fantasy Rankings: D/ST lineup tips on who to start, best sleepers, streamers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The D/ST position in fantasy football can be overlooked, but choosing the proper defense can be the difference between victory and defeat in your playoffs. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAvoid deploying an elite NFL defense in tough matchups, as it might not score points for the D/ST position. The best approach is to focus entirely on matchups. Bye weeks are over, so managers will have the full selection of defensive units at their disposal. Here are our Week 15 D/ST fantasy rankings, best starts, sleepers, and some matchups to avoid.➕ UPGRADE YOUR TOOLS: Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy PlusWeek 15 Fantasy D/ST Rankings: Start-sit team defense lineup tipsRkTeam DefenseOPP1Houston TexansARI2Philadelphia EaglesLV3Tampa Bay BuccaneersATL4San Francisco 49ersTEN5Denver BroncosGB6Cleveland Browns@CHI7Los Angeles Chargers@KC8Green Bay Packers@DEN9Chicago BearsCLE10Seattle SeahawksIND11Los Angeles RamsDET12Indianapolis Colts@SEA13Jacksonville JaguarsNYJ14Pittsburgh SteelersMIA15Kansas City ChiefsLAC16Arizona Cardinals@HOU17New Orleans SaintsCAR18Baltimore Ravens@CIN19Carolina Panthers@NO20New York Jets@JAX21Minnesota Vikings@DAL22Buffalo Bills@NE23New England PatriotsBUF24Dallas CowboysMIN25Detroit Lions@LAR26Atlanta Falcons@TB27Tennessee Titans@SF28Washington Commanders@NYG29Miami Dolphins@PIT30Las Vegas Raiders@PHI31New York GiantsWAS32Cincinnati BengalsBALWho are the best fantasy defenses in Week 15?No manager should need any advice on whether or not starting the Houston Texans' defense is a brilliant idea.