Fantasy Football Week 16 best defenses: Packers, Bills & Eagles must-starts as Cowboys face Dolphins

While the Seattle Seahawks are still to clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, some fantasy football managers can look ahead to Week 16. With every fantasy league set to enter the postseason and most will be in their second rounds, getting the right defense can't get much more important.

Looking at the schedule, some defenses stand out as having favorable matchups. While anything can and regularly does happen in fantasy football, there are a handful of teams that look like safe starts.

One such is the Green Bay Packers. While this injury-hit unit came unstuck against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they face a friendlier prospect in Week 16.

While the Carolina Panthers just won their second game of the season in challenging conditions, a score of 9-7 doesn't strike fear into anyone's hearts. The Packers will be looking to bounce back in a big way after back-to-back defeats to the New York Giants and the Bucs, so Bryce Young could find himself swarmed.

The Buffalo Bills were something of a surprise package to many around the league this week, for their game against the Dallas Cowboys was hard to call. The Bills' defense stifled the Cowboys and came away with 9 points from the resounding 31-10 win. They face the LA Chargers in Week 16, which could be a tough watch for Chargers fans.

After a harrowing 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, which looked even worse than the scoreline (49-0 at one stage), LA looks vulnerable. With no Justin Herbert, the Chargers will again turn to Easton Stick (most likely) at QB.

The Raiders' defense came away with 25.00 points from three sacks, five turnovers and two TDs against LA, so the Bills' defense could be in for a colossal performance in fantasy football. While it is unlikely the Chargers will be that bad again, you certainly can't bench the Bills defense here.

The Eagles are set for a big game tonight against the Seahawks, and their secondary looks set to be tested/exposed once again. However, they will be looking forward to greener pastures in Week 16, as after a rough run of games (Dolphins, Commanders, Cowboys, Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, Cowboys again) they have the New York Giants.

While the Giants have been improving on offense and recently went on a three-game winning streak (ended by the NO Saints on Sunday), they are not a high-scoring offense and this could be a blowout. As such, the Eagles are the top-projected defense in Week 16 of fantasy football and are a must-start.

One of the biggest matchups forthcoming sees the Dallas Cowboys face the Miami Dolphins. While this is hard to call given both teams are capable of just about anything, it does look like a high-scoring game. Expect both QBs to be getting the ball out of their hands fast and some big yards after the catch.

This looks like a day to at least consider benching these defenses, which is a huge call given their point-scoring in fantasy football this season. The Cowboys are the No. 1-ranked defense having recorded 151.00 points, but they have struggled against the premier offenses.

As for the Dolphins D, they are No. 7 with 137.00 points and just came away with 24.00 points from shutting out the New York Jets. Miami's defense has recorded 12, 21, 12, 12 and 24 points in their last five games, so benching either defense is a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't decision and one you will have to make for yourself.

Below are the rankings for each defense in Week 16 of fantasy football, sorted by their projections:

Fantasy Football Week 16 best defenses

1. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Giants) - 8.63
2. Green Bay Packers (@ Panthers) - 7.98
3. Cleveland Browns (@Texans) - 7.09
4. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Raiders) - 7.08
5. Chicago Bears (vs. Cardinals) - 7.02
6. San Francisco 49ers (vs. Ravens) - 6.93
7. Buffalo Bills (@ Chargers) - 6.88
8. Houston Texans (vs. Browns) - 6.87
9. Arizona Cardinals (@ Bears) - 6.86
10. Washington Commanders (@ Jets) - 6.82
11. New York Jets (vs. Commanders) - 6.72
12. Indianapolis Colts (@ Falcons) - 6.69
13. Seattle Seahawks (@ Titans) - 6.57
14. Atlanta Falcons (vs. Colts) - 6.54
15. Detroit Lions (@ Vikings) - 6.53
16. Tennessee Titans (vs. Seahawks) - 6.48
17. New England Patriots (@ Broncos) - 6.42
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Buccaneers) - 6.38
19. Baltimore Ravens (@ 49ers) - 6.37
20. Cincinnati Bengals (@ Steelers) - 6.31
21. Los Angeles Rams (vs. Saints) - 6.29
22. New York Giants (@ Eagles) - 6.27
23. Denver Broncos (vs. Patriots) - 6.18
24. Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Bengals) - 6.18
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Jaguars) - 6.16
26. Dallas Cowboys (@ Dolphins) - 6.15
27. Minnesota Vikings (vs. Lions) - 6.10
28. Carolina Panthers (vs. Packers) - 6.08
29. Miami Dolphins (vs. Cowboys) - 6.06
30. New Orleans Saints (@ Rams) - 5.96
31. Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Bills) - 5.60
32. Las Vegas Raiders (@ Chiefs) - 5.46

If you have a kicking conundrum in fantasy football, these rankings might help you.