After a long, grueling season, we’ve officially made it to Week 17. If you’re reading this, I just want to congratulate you on making it to the Fantasy Football Championship. However, reaching the championship isn’t good enough because you’re gambling on winning everything.

One of the best ways to give your opponent an edge is through defense. I touched on this before Week 16, but if there are any defenses The If there are any items available, I would highly recommend adding them. To qualify for this list, each defense must have less than 50% coverage on ESPN. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top three defenses we’ll be adding in Week 17 of the fantasy football season.

1. Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots

(49.8% in the squad)

The Los Angeles Chargers are one of the toughest defenses you can field and they are absolutely my main priority this week. Through Week 16, the Chargers are the seventh-best defense of the year, averaging 7.7 PPG. They were good against every single team they played and should dominate a weak offense.

In Week 17, the Chargers face the New England Patriots, who allowed the fifth-most points to opposing defenses with 9.1 PPG. Even though Drake Maye has had some impressive performances, he has thrown 10 interceptions in 10 games. While not all of them come from Maye, the Patriots also rank 7th in sacks, which helps opposing defenses tremendously.

2. Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks

(21.2% in the squad)

Despite a difficult 4-11 season, the Chicago Bears defense hasn’t been too bad in fantasy. They have scored the 14th most PPG this season with 6.4. Taking on the Seattle Seahawks is a great game as they have allowed 9.1 PPG to opposing defenses due to a difficult season from Geno Smith.

Smith has had far too many sacks this year with 49 (4th in the NFL), helping the opposing defense tremendously. The negative plays for Smith don’t stop there, as he has thrown the second-most interceptions in the NFL with 15. Going up against a quarterback who constantly allows negative plays is the dream for a solid defense like the Bears.

3. Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns

(45.1% in the squad)

The Miami Dolphins were one of the worst defenses this season, ranking 27th in the NFL. Compared to the other defenses mentioned, they scored a measly 4.5 PPG. However, the reason they are mentioned is because of their fantastic game against the Cleveland Browns.

In the 2024 season, the Browns have allowed the most points to opposing defenses by a wide margin with 12 PPG. If you’re worried that Jameis Winston not playing could 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 weak team for most of the year, but the Browns should force them into a solid performance in Week 17.