D/ST rankings (ROS)

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Let the restless nights begin.

I hope you all reached your fantasy playoffs.

This time of year is a blessing and a curse, really. I find myself waking up at 3 a.m. overthinking scenarios, waiver claims and start/sit decisions more than ever.

It’s the price you pay to win a championship, and I’m more than happy to do it.

Here’s how I’m looking in my five leagues this year: 11-3 (1st seed), 11-3 (1st seed), 9-5 (3rd seed), 9-5 (4th seed), 7-7 (6th seed).

Really, the seeding means nothing. So if you’re feeling down about barely scraping your way into the playoffs, don’t. All you need is a ticket to the dance, and anything can happen.

That doesn’t make the regular season any less rewarding. My 7-7 league might be the most rewarding, as it’s in a couple's league where I managed a team that my girlfriend drafted.

I made several trades after a rough start, and we snuck our way into the post-season.

This is the time of year we play for, though, and I want to get you ready by breaking down a few of my favourite defence/special teams for the rest of the season (that are available on the waiver wire) that could prove to be the difference for you.

I. New Orleans Saints

Stay with me now…

This Saints team has been fighting its collective butt off all season, and now it has a quarterback to really rally around in Tyler Shough.

The finish is juicy: vs. Carolina, vs. New York Jets, @ Tennessee. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The Saints haven’t had enough talent to keep up with good offences, but they have played with enough effort to take advantage of the bad ones.

II. Jacksonville Jaguars

You need to get creative in the playoffs. This is the only time of year I recommend rostering two and maybe even three defences that have schedules that match nicely with the others.

The Jags are a perfect example of that, as they go vs. New York Jets, @ Denver and @ Indianapolis in the playoffs.

Now, depending on how you feel about the Jags facing the Broncos’ offence in Mile High, you might want to find a defence that you can play in Week 16 before plugging the Jags back in for the championship week.

This could be where my fifth recommendation comes into play, but I want to remind you first that the Jags are the No. 5 D/ST in fantasy this season. They’ve continued to feast on bad teams by taking the ball away.

III. New York Giants

This Giants’ defence has been the worst in fantasy this season, but there is reason to believe it could turn a bit of a corner in the home stretch.

Coming off the Week 14 bye, they go: vs. Washington, vs. Minnesota, @ Las Vegas.

That’s potentially Marcus Mariota (bad O-line), JJ McCarthy and Geno Smith/Kenny Pickett (bad O-line) as the QB matchups.

IV. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys just went through a gauntlet of tough matchups, and now it eases just a bit.

Their playoff schedule: vs. Minnesota, vs. Los Angeles Chargers, @ Washington.

There is always reason for concern when it comes to the Cowboys’ secondary (especially against the pass-happy Chargers), but a pair of home games for a team that has improved significantly in the trenches and will be fighting for its playoff life is one I don’t mind betting on.

V. San Francisco 49ers

All things considered, Robert Saleh has done a hell of a job with this unit, which has played without its best players all season.

This is the No. 23 unit on the season, but there is an opportunity for the 49ers here.

They go vs. Tennessee, @ Indianapolis and vs. Chicago to end the year.

Would I start them in the championship? Probably not. But this defence could get you through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

As I said before, pair them with another defence so you can gain a small advantage over your opponent.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh