Fantasy NFL Defense Rankings

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. The Cowboys won me multiple weeks last season. There is value in drafting a defense, but whether that’s just from streaming or hyper-targeting certain weeks or simply valuing the fantasy playoffs. There is too much turnover year-on-year to truly trust a defense based on what happened last season, but some defenses can survive the test of time. Here is the list for the top-32 defenses for fantasy this season, but which will be fluid as the season progresses.

Rank	Team	Bye	Info
1	New York Jets	12	Adding Hasson Reddick is a coup and the secondary is the driving force of this defense. Elite of the elite. Tough Week 1 matchup though.
2	Dallas Cowboys	7	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	Baltimore Ravens	14	Losing Patrick Queen hurts, but getting Marlon Humphrey healthy helps. Kyle Hamilton is the best player no one talks about and this defense can be very predatory. It’s a little top-heavy, but can swing a matchup in a half.
4	San Francisco 49ers	9	The fear factor has gone down as teams can throw on them. Pass-rush is still elite, but rush d showed major weaknesses in the playoffs. They need Dre Greenlaw back ASAP.
5	Cleveland Browns	10	The Jared Goff of fantasy defenses. They are a powerhouse at home and mortal on the road. Perfect in deep leagues where you can roster two defenses. Will swing multiple fantasy weeks by dominating at home.
6	Pittsburgh Steelers	9	Adding Patrick Queen will be a huge boost as T.J. Watt is a pass-rush unit unto himself. This d is aggressive and balanced.
7	Houston Texans	14	Demeco Ryans fixed the rush defense overnight. Will Anderson is the real deal and this defense finally has balance and another pass rusher in Danielle Hunter. The Texans are to be feared.
8	Philadelphia Eagles	5	The leaky secondary was the worst kept secret last season. Bringing back Avonte Maddox and drafting Quinyon Mitchell will help and if Cooper DeJean is good, this defense could make noise.
9	Kansas City Chiefs	6	Losing L’Jarius Sneed is going to hurt as the pass defense was truly elite. Chris Jones is no spring chicken and if he slips or gets hurt, this defense will slide. This defense was great last season, but it might hard to repeat.
10	New England Patriots	14	This team appears to be punting on the season as they traded Matthew Judon, but Christian Gonzales is legit and this defense should still be elite vs. the rush.
11	Las Vegas Raiders	10	Sneaky, sneaky defense. Adding Christian Wilkins to go alongside Max Crosby is terrifying. The secondary can hold the line while the pass-rush creates pressure. Fun defense to surprise people.
12	Seattle Seahawks	10	Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen and Byron Murphy could be the new LOB. They brought in Mike Macdonald who will have this defense foaming at the mouth. Look for massive turnaround this season.
13	Detroit Lions	5	Similar to Eagles, totally rebuilt secondary with Terrion Arnold, Carlton Davis and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Rush D is going to be elite again and if secondary can hold the fort, this will be the best team in football.
14	Chicago Bears	7	Very young secondary that matured in a hurry over back half of last season. As long as the Weeks 10-18 numbers aren’t a mirage, the Bears will be a threat.
15	Buffalo Bills	12	Losing Matt Milano is a blow and the secondary is full of holes. Sean McDermott is usually a magician, but this could be the year everything falls apart on defense.
16	Green Bay Packers	10	Letting Joe Barry go was a decision made way too late. Lots of talent on defense and they could finally make good on all the draft capital.
17	Tennessee Titans	5	Stealing L’Jarius Sneed from the Chiefs is the move of the summer. Secondary should finally catch up to pass-rush. This defense needs balance to hold down the fort.
18	Jacksonville Jaguars	12	Arik Armstead is a great add, but the secondary is problematic. This defense was much better than the sum of its parts.
19	Miami Dolphins	6	Not a believer in talent or health. Could get exposed down the stretch. Dolphins might lead the league in shootouts.
20	New Orleans Saints	12	Old defense that is better on paper than in reality. Will probably be much better first half of the season. Solid team to stream early.
21	Cincinnati Bengals	12	Lou Anarumo deserves better and if it wasn’t for him, this defense would be bottom-five.
22	Minnesota Vikings	6	Brian Flores is a magician and turned around a terrible defense overnight. Losing Danielle Hunter hurts, but Flores has proven he can do more with less.
23	Indianapolis Colts	14	Colts have invested heavily in offense and left D to suffer. They could get exposed if secondary doesn’t develop.
24	Atlanta Falcons	12	Adding Matthew Judon is nice and this secondary proved they can hang even in a weak QB division.
25	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11	Losing Carlton Davis hurts and this secondary needs a boost after being a bottom-five unit last season in terms of pass yards allowed.
26	Denver Broncos	14	Patrick Surtain can do a lot, but not enough to keep this defense from sinking.
27	Los Angeles Rams	6	Finally, we will see how great Aaron Donald truly was. Expect plenty of fireworks in LA.
28	Los Angeles Chargers	5	Name recognition only buys so much. This team underwhelms with superior talent every season. Maybe Harbaugh can actually reset the culture. Prove-it first.
29	Carolina Panthers	11	The secondary was elite, but that could just be the division. Losing Brian Burns is going to hurt as this defense doesn’t inspire confidence. If the secondary can’t repeat, it will get ugly.
31	New York Giants	11	Adding Brian Burns is nice and the pass-rush will be bankable, but they will struggle against the elite QBs in NFC East.
31	Washington Commanders	14	Good luck.
32	Arizona Cardinals	11	They can’t rush the passer, protect the end zone or stop the run. This will be the most fun team to watch this season.

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September 1, 2024, 3:08 pm