Week 12 sees the Denver Broncos host the Cleveland Browns as the New England Patriots travel to face the New York Giants. With this stage of the season being crunch time in fantasy football, every aspect of your lineup warrants consideration. One area that is often overlooked and can make a huge difference is your defense.

The Patriots and Broncos' defenses both have favorable matchups in Week 12 and the decision on which to start could win you your matchup. Which is a better pick? Let's take a look.

Broncos defense fantasy outlook for Week 12

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Broncos' Justin Simmons (31) reacts after intercepting a pass thrown by Bills quarterback Josh Allen
Broncos' Justin Simmons (31) reacts after intercepting a pass thrown by Bills quarterback Josh Allen

The Denver Broncos have seen an uptick in form recently and have changed the narrative surrounding the franchise. With successive wins over the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, Denver's defense has kept teams to 22 or fewer points since Week 5.

What makes the difference in a fantasy defense are turnovers and sacks and the Broncos defense has recorded 21 sacks, 10 INTs, recovered 9 fumbles and scored 1 TD. This ranks them as the 19th defense in fantasy football overall and they face a less-than-prolific offense in the Cleveland Browns this week.

The Browns are coming off a low-scoring 13-10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and without Deshaun Watson under center, they look like a team who will struggle to score points.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects the Broncos D to record 6.6 points this week, but a defensive TD would push that number up significantly.

Patriots defense fantasy outlook for Week 12

Patriots cornerback Myles Bryant (27) celebrates an interception against the Indianapolis Colts
Patriots cornerback Myles Bryant (27) celebrates an interception against the Indianapolis Colts

The New England Patriots have had a tough 2023 season that hasn't gone to plan. This, however, has mostly been due to their struggling offense and their defensive performances have gone under the radar.

They have suffered in a few blowouts this season (Dallas Cowboys, 38-3 & New Orleans Saints, 34-0) and had to play some scary AFC East offenses. That said, the Patriots' defense is not performing in fantasy football as it has in previous years.

They are the 29th-ranked defense in fantasy football due to the volume of points the team has conceded and a lack of sacks and turnovers. New England has recorded 18 sacks, 6 INTs, 4 fumble recoveries and 1 safety this season, a far cry from their glory days.

The good news is that New England faces the New York Giants in Week 12, which presents an opportunity to make a statement. The Giants have been very disappointing this season offensively and will be led by Tommy DeVito in Dan Jones' absence.

While the Giants have started to show a bit more promise in recent weeks, this projects to be a low-scoring game with multiple sacks and turnovers.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects the Patriots' defense to record 6.9 points in New York this week, but are they the right pick?

Broncos or Patriots defense, which one's the right call in Week 12?

The Patriots' defense is the right choice in Week 12, mostly because of the strength of their opposition.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool
Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool

While both these games project to be low-scoring affairs, the opposition is the defining factor in this decision. The Browns' defense is far superior to the Giants' and Cleveland has a proclivity for sacks, turnovers and TDs. This could be on display in Week 12, as they will doubtless cause Denver problems on offense.

The Giants' offense has not turned the ball over as much as the Browns' (NY 13 total, Cleveland 20), but 9 Cleveland TOs are on Deshaun Watson, who will not play in this game. As such, don't expect a lot of turnovers from Denver's defense in that game.

Looking at sacks and turnovers, expect New England to record more than Denver in Week 12, but it should be close.

Treating last week as an anomaly, the Giants don't generally score a lot of points and New England should be set for a good defensive performance. In reality, you're choosing between these defenses based on their opposition and the Browns are a better team than the Giants.

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