Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: D/ST

For the lucky few still in contention, this week serves up some nice defensive starts for your fantasy playoff run. You'll notice that all three of our top picks play at home this week, as I like to weight home-field advantage a bit more heavily in considering matchups as the NFL playoff hunt tightens up.

The top choice for a defensive start this week goes to the hot hand, the New England Patriots, who face a tough Packers team. However, things are not looking good for Aaron Rodgers, which knocks the explosiveness of the offense way down. Frankly, after seeing New England trounce the division-leading Bears last weekend, the Pats would probably hold the top spot regardless of who they face.

The second choice goes to the Steelers. On paper, a late-season game against the Jets seems like a tough test for Pittsburgh, but anyone who watched Mark Sanchez play in either of his past two outings knows that he is struggling with a capital "S." It got so bad that Rex Ryan allegedly considered benching his star quarterback last week. In his past three games, Sanchez has one touchdown to five interceptions, and he's been sacked nine times. Facing the most aggressive defense in the NFL presents a tough matchup to break the slump, so don't bet on it happening this week.

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Third, I love the Bears against the Vikings. The Vikings' nothing-can-go-right season reached its pinnacle last week when Brett Favre's legendary streak came to an end and their roof collapsed. Now, with Favre looking iffy and Tarvaris Jackson out, the Vikings signed sucky journeyman QB Patrick Ramsey, who hasn't touched the field since 2008 -- and he may actually get the start. At this point, the Vikings have to be counting down the minutes until the season ends, but the Bears defense will get one more good fantasy day before that occurs.

1. Patriots, NE vs. GB
2. Steelers, PIT vs. NYJ
3. Chargers, SD vs. SF
4. Bears, CHI at MIN
5. Jets, NYJ at PIT
6. Cardinals, ARI at CAR
7. Eagles, PHI at NYG
8. Raiders, OAK vs. DEN
9. Giants, NYG vs. PHI
10. Ravens, BAL vs. NO
11. Packers, GB at NE
12. Falcons, ATL at SEA
13. Buccaneers, TB vs. DET
14. Lions, DET at TB
15. Dolphins, MIA vs. BUF
16. Cowboys, DAL vs. WAS
17. Vikings, MIN vs. CHI
18. 49ers, SF at SD
19. Colts, IND vs. JAC
20. Saints, NO at BAL
21. Titans, TEN vs. HOU
22. Panthers, CAR vs. ARI
23. Redskins, WAS at DAL
24. Broncos, DEN at OAK
25. Texans, HOU at TEN
26. Bengals, CIN vs. CLE
27. Chiefs, KC at STL
28. Browns, CLE at CIN
29. Rams, STL vs. KC
30. Seahawks, SEA vs. ATL
31. Bills, BUF at MIA
32. Jaguars, JAC at IND

• For this week's spot start, we're sticking with the formula that works: choose whoever plays Carolina. This week is a little sketchy in that it's the Cardinals, but oddly enough, at 4-9 the Cardinals are just two games away from the division-leading Rams. So, not only are they still playing for something, but the defense comes off a huge game against the Broncos last week during in which they forced six turnovers. The Cardinals have 15 interceptions and 10 forced fumbles in total, and facing the league's worst offense looks like an opportunity to keep the momentum going.

• The other spot start that looks appealing is the Falcons on the road against the Seahawks. The Falcons' defense is probably not a waiver wire option at this point, as they are in the conversation of the best teams in football, but if you can get them, this should be another good week. The Seahawks are as streaky as anyone, but the way Atlanta seems to control games with its running game and clock control, I think this one caters right to its style of play. I doubt if Seattle does much of anything.

• Finally, two picks that probably looks a little out of place in the rankings are the Chiefs and the Rams, who face off against one another. I'd stay away from this one altogether, even though it may seem tempting. The Chiefs are terrible on the road and the Rams have given up over 30 points in three of their last four games. This one just strikes me as a toss-up, and without that gut feeling, it's best to look elsewhere.