2025 Fantasy NFL Defense Rankings

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  • Last Updated on August 1, 2025 3:46 pm by Jon Mosales | Published: August 1, 2025

    Every fantasy expert will tell you that drafting a defense early is a waste of draft capital.  Check out Jacob Dunne’s article on it this summer, but still the allure of getting 20 points from your defense can sometimes be too good to turn down.  You never want to take a defense early in your draft and defenses flip year-to-year more than most positions, but a great matchup late in the season can swing leagues and give you a leg up on the competition.  You either want to be one of the first to take a defense or you may as well be the last and just stream them week-to-week.  Either way, lets take a look at the top-32 defenses for the upcoming fantasy season.

    Rank Team Bye Info
    1 Baltimore Ravens 7 Denver was the DST1 in fantasy points per game last year, and will again be a powerhouse that might lead the league in sacks.
    2 Denver Broncos 12 Getting Travon Diggs back will help immensely and it’s Micah Parsons DPOY season.  This is a defense that preys on weak teams and can get exposed at a higher level
    3 Philadelphia Eagles 9 The defense took a hit losing some key parts on the secondary, but the pass-rush remains elite with young players still developing.
    4 Pittsburgh Steelers 5 Adding Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey should help the secondary and PIT should be elite forcing TOs once again.
    5 Houston Texans 6 Houston was the DST5 in fantasy points per game last year and should be better with C.J Gardiner Johnson.  They are the best best to make a leap into the best defense in the league.
    6 Kansas City Chiefs 10 Spags seems incapable of direction a bad defense, so the only way they slip is if Chris Jones gets old overnight.
    7 Los Angeles Chargers 12 A top-10 DST in 2024 will remain solid in a tough division.  The first three games aren’t ideal and the playoff matchup is a nightmare.
    8 Buffalo Bills 7 BUF was a top-10 defense last season and has an elite secondary that was third in TOs.  They have a great schedule for fantasy playoffs and you just have to survive Week 1 vs. BAL.
    9 Detroit Lions 8 Aidan Hutchinson is a one-man sack machine and the injuries that crushed the defense last season shouldn’t repeat.   High-scoring games should continue, but there will still be plenty of points up for grabs.
    10 Minnesota Vikings 6 The Vikings were the DST2 in fantasy points per game last year and I love Brian Flores, but I can’t back the talent on the defensive end.  The endless blitzing is great for sacks, but also gives up explosive plays by the barrel.
    11 Green Bay Packers 5 They lost Jaire Alexander and will struggle to defend the pass, but the Packers were the No. 3 scoring DST under new DC Jeff Hafley.  They had the 3rd most INTs last season.
    12 Seattle Seahawks 8 This defense is ripe for a comeback and has talent all over the field.  The playoff schedule could be nice and all they have to do is stay healthy.
    13 Los Angeles Rams 8 They survive without elite talent, but Jared Verse is about to make the leap.  They are probably best suited as a stream.
    14 New York Jets 9 Huge fall from grace from last season as Sauce Gardener didn’t live up to the rookie hype.  They have a defensive minded coach and a great playoff schedule.
    15  San Francisco 49ers 14 The Niners have the easiest schedule in the NFL in 2025.  The playoff schedule is great and the defense should be playing with a lead all season.
    16  Chicago Bears 5 The offense will rule the day as they team invested at nearly every position.  The defense is still a work in progress, but should be solid with a Week 15 date vs. CLE.
    17 Dallas Cowboys 10 The defense regressed last season, but finished top-10 in five of the last seven games.  Getting Diggs back is nice and this should be a bounce-back season all around.
    18 New England Patriots 14 NE ranked 30th in takeaways in 2024, but added defensive guru at defense.  They should be solid in the secondary and have a very friendly schedule.
    19  Atlanta Falcons 5 The Falcons don’t really invest on defense, but manage to patch together a decent unit.  They were great against the run last season.
    20 Cleveland Browns 9 CLE needs to get back to basics on defense after the mess that was last season.  The schedule means they aren’t playable at any point.
    21  Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 TB loves giving up big plays and is always in high-scoring games.  They didn’t much in the offseason, but the playoff schedule could be very friendly late in the season.
    22  New York Giants 14 The pass-rush might be top-five and adding Abdul Carter will certainly help.  They could be a top-10 unit if a couple things break right.  The schedule isn’t great to open the season.
     Arizona Cardinals 8 The only reason to draft them is to start them early.  You will drop them soon after, but you have to think short-term when you draft a defense.
    24 New Orleans Saints 11 This should be the worst team in the league and a terrible offense will give the defense bad field position all season.
    25 Indianapolis Colts 11 The Colts started the season terribly, but managed to turn it around.  I don’t truth them.
    26 Miami Dolphins 12 They made a decent trade adding Minkah Fitzpatrick and the schedule is ideal to start the season, but that’s it.
    27 Las Vegas Raiders 8 They seem to always find a way to be sneaky, but are a week-to-week stream at best.
    28 Carolina Panthers 14 They had one of the worst defenses in NFL history and didn’t get much better.
    29 Cincinnati Bengals 10 They need to sign Trey Hendrickson and that will help, but they are going to be terrible once again.
    30 Tennessee Titans 10 I like the secondary, but they gave up points by the bucketload last season.  They invest on offense and will struggle on the defensive end once again.
    31 Washington Commanders 12 Good luck, part deux.
    32 Jacksonville Jaguars 8 It’s possible that they Week 15 game vs. the Jets is a nice spot, but I doubt it.

     

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    August 1, 2025, 3:45 pm