You need to enter your fantasy football drafts with a good set of rankings. There’s more to successful drafting than just rankings, of course, but they provide a helpful baseline to guide you throughout your fantasy draft.
Here are our dynasty defense rankings, including a couple of highlighted players worth further discussion.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Defenses
MORE DYNASTY POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | SF
1) Dallas Cowboys
2) New York Jets
3) Buffalo Bills
4) San Francisco 49ers
5) Philadelphia Eagles
6) New England Patriots
7) Baltimore Ravens
8) Denver Broncos
9) Kansas City Chiefs
10) Pittsburgh Steelers
11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12) Jacksonville Jaguars
13) Cincinnati Bengals
14) Miami Dolphins
15) Washington Commanders
16) Cleveland Browns
17) Green Bay Packers
18) Indianapolis Colts
19) New Orleans Saints
20) Los Angeles Chargers
21) Seattle Seahawks
22) Carolina Panthers
23) New York Giants
24) Detroit Lions
25) Los Angeles Rams
26) Tennessee Titans
27) Minnesota Vikings
28) Houston Texans
29) Arizona Cardinals
30) Atlanta Falcons
31) Las Vegas Raiders
32) Chicago Bears
Who Are the Best Defenses To Draft in Dynasty?
San Francisco 49ers
It’s difficult to consider a defense’s long-term viability. They vary so much from year to year. One team that does project to be consistently good, though, is the 49ers.
Defenses generate points through sacks and turnovers. With the 49ers possessing one of the best offenses in the NFL, they often force their opponents into bad game scripts, which leads to more opportunities for sacks and turnovers.
In 2023, San Francisco allowed the third-fewest points, was third in QB hits, and led the league in interceptions. You can’t go wrong with the 49ers as your fantasy defense.
New York Jets
The Jets have a very good defense that has been held back by their inept offense. We don’t know how much longer Aaron Rodgers will play (likely only a year or two), but his healthy return should certainly help the defense in the short term.
The 2023 Jets allowed the 12th-fewest points, which, again, would’ve been even better had they had a more competent offense. They were third in tackles for loss, tied for 11th in QB hits, tied for seventh in sacks, and tied for eighth in interceptions.
If New York gets two more years from Rodgers and then figures out its quarterback of the future, it will have the personnel to be a dominant defense for years to come. The Jets would experience fewer negative game scripts and have more sustained drives, allowing the defense time to breathe, leading to even better play.
It’s not ideal the Jets have to play two games against the Bills and Dolphins, but they also get two games against the Patriots. With a favorable early-season schedule, the Jets are a great option in dynasty leagues.