There are two schools of thought when it comes to fantasy defences: Pick a top unit and stick with it or use the streaming approach and target different teams weekly based on matchups. Either way has it’s ups and downs so it comes to personal preference.
1. San Francisco 49ers
273 points allowed, 44 sacks, 20 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 175 points.
Led by reigning defensive player of the year Nick Bosa, the Niners should once again dominate.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
324 points allowed, 70 sacks, 17 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 164 points.
Fell just two sacks short of the NFL record, but lost some personnel and their defensive coordinator.
3. Dallas Cowboys
324 points allowed, 54 sacks, 16 INTs, 17 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 180 points.
Dan Quinn’s unit created a league-high 33 turnovers and features game-wrecker Micah Parsons.
4. Buffalo Bills
278 points allowed, 40 sacks, 17 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 150 points.
The Bills have been a top-five fantasy defence the past two years but have a worryingly tough schedule.
5. New York Jets
314 points allowed, 45 sacks, 12 INTs, 4 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 133 points.
Sauce Gardiner was a shutdown corner right out of the gate for this rising unit.
6. New England Patriots
335 points allowed, 54 sacks, 19 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 7 TDs, 197 points.
Head coach Bill Belichick certainly knows his defence and his unit scored seven TDs on 30 turnovers.
7. Baltimore Ravens
309 points allowed, 48 sacks, 14 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 137 points.
The mid-season addition of linebacker Roquan Smith boosted a pedestrian unit into a top-10 outfit.
8. Denver Broncos
341 points allowed, 36 sacks, 15 INTs, 8 fumbles recovered, 107 points.
A solid unit that kept the team in games last season when the offence faltered.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers
340 points allowed, 40 sacks, 20 INTs, 3 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 115 points.
Have some real star power with 2021 DPOY T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick leading the way.
10. Miami Dolphins
383 points allowed, 40 sacks, 8 INTs, 6 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 117 points.
The injury of new addition Jalen Ramsey hurts, but the Dolphins have solid group led by DC Vic Fangio.
11. New Orleans Saints
321 points allowed, 48 sacks, 7 INTs, 7 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 123 points.
Had the second-most dropped INTs last year and one of the easiest schedules this year.
12. Kansas City Chiefs
369 points allowed, 55 sacks, 11 INTs, 9 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 136 points.
Until star lineman Chris Jones ends his holdout, it’s hard to recommend the Chiefs D.
13. Cincinnati Bengals
310 points allowed, 30 sacks, 13 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 119 points.
The Bengals were a better real-life defence than fantasy pick last year and lost both starting safeties.
14. Washington Commanders
329 points allowed, 43 sacks, 9 INTs, 9 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 133 points.
A star-studded defensive line should create pressure, but the secondary needs to hold up its end.
15. Green Bay Packers
365 points allowed, 34 sacks, 17 INTs, 7 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 119 points.
Green Bay has invested a lot of draft capital into defence, but has only been middle of the pack.
THE NEXT FIVE
Los Angeles Chargers
378 points allowed, 40 sacks, 14 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 112 points.
Cleveland Browns
379 points allowed, 34 sacks, 11 INTs, 9 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 114 points.
Seattle Seahawks
387 points allowed, 45 sacks, 14 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 134 points.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
358 points allowed, 44 sacks, 10 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 113 points.
Carolina Panthers
362 points allowed, 35 sacks, 10 INTs, 7 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 122 points.