After a long, grueling season, we’ve officially made it to week 17. If you’re reading this, I just want to say congratulations on making it to the fantasy football championship. Getting to the championship isn’t’ good enough, though, as you play to win the whole thing.

One of the best ways to get a leg up on your opponent is with your defense. I already touched on this prior to week 16, but if any of the defenses from this article are available, I would highly recommend adding them. In order to qualify for this list, each defense must be less than 50% rostered on ESPN. With that being said, we’re going to look at the top three defenses to add in week 17 of the fantasy football season.

1. Los Angeles Chargers Vs. New England Patriots

(49.8% Rostered)

The Los Angeles Chargers are one of the strongest defenses you can roster, and they’re absolutely my main priority this week. Through week 16, the Chargers are the 7th best defense on the year, averaging 7.7 PPG. They’ve been good against every single team they’ve played and should dominate a weak offense.

In week 17, the Chargers take on the New England Patriots, who have allowed the 5th most points to opposing defenses with 9.1 PPG. Even though Drake Maye has shown some impressive flashes, he’s thrown 10 interceptions in 10 games. While not all of these are from Maye, the Patriots are also 7th in sacks taken, which helps out the opposing defense a ton.

2. Chicago Bears Vs. Seattle Seahawks

(21.2% Rostered)

Despite having a rough 4-11 season, the Chicago Bears defense hasn’t been too bad in fantasy. They’ve scored the 14th most PPG this season with 6.4. Going up against the Seattle Seahawks is a great matchup, as they’ve allowed 9.1 PPG to opposing defenses due to a rough season from Geno Smith.

Smith has taken way too many sacks this year with 49 (4th in the NFL), helping out opposing defenses a ton. The negative plays for Smith don’t stop there, as he’s thrown the 2nd most interceptions in the NFL with 15. Going up against a quarterback that consistently allows negative plays is the dream for a sound defense like the Bears.

3. Miami Dolphins Vs. Cleveland Browns

(45.1% Rostered)

The Miami Dolphins have been one of the worst defenses to own this season, ranking 27th in the NFL. Compared to the other defenses mentioned, they’ve scored a meager 4.5 PPG. The reason they’re mentioned, however, is due to their fantastic matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

During the 2024 season, the Browns have allowed the most points to opposing defenses by a large margin with 12 PPG. If you’re scared that Jameis Winston not playing will hurt the Dolphins, that’s not the case. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is arguably just as bad, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns last week. The Dolphins have been a poor play for most of the year, but the Browns should force them into a solid week 17 performance.