It’s a new year. Relying on 2023 alone when creating your fantasy football rankings for 2024 is dangerous, as much has changed across the landscape. Here is my early look at the top defenses and how I see them stacking up for the upcoming season.
Ranking the Top Fantasy D/ST
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | K
1) Dallas Cowboys
2) Baltimore Ravens
3) San Francisco 49ers
4) Buffalo Bills
5) New York Jets
6) Philadelphia Eagles
7) Pittsburgh Steelers
8) Denver Broncos
9) Kansas City Chiefs
10) New England Patriots
11) Cleveland Browns
12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13) Jacksonville Jaguars
14) Green Bay Packers
15) Miami Dolphins
16) Cincinnati Bengals
17) New Orleans Saints
18) Los Angeles Chargers
19) Washington Commanders
20) Indianapolis Colts
21) Minnesota Vikings
22) Los Angeles Rams
23) Carolina Panthers
24) Seattle Seahawks
25) Detroit Lions
26) New York Giants
27) Tennessee Titans
28) Houston Texans
29) Arizona Cardinals
30) Atlanta Falcons
31) Chicago Bears
32) Las Vegas Raiders
Who Are the Best Defenses To Draft in Fantasy?
Buffalo Bills
The schedule as a whole is tough and not short of elite quarterbacks, but it’s important to remember that “points allowed” is not the driver of fantasy production among defenses/special teams.
Yes, it’s part of the equation, but it often gets overvalued. The Bills ranked sixth in pressure rate a season ago, which is a statistic that I like to result in more fantasy points than you’d assume through the first month of the season.
- Week 1 vs. Arizona
- Week 2 at Miami
- Week 3 vs. Jacksonville
- Week 4 at Baltimore
Buffalo’s high-pressure style puts them in a position to rack up sacks against mobile quarterbacks like Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson. The Bills face two more traditional pocket passers over that first month, and it just so happens that both Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence were bottom-10 signal-callers in passer rating when feeling the heat in 2023.
Let your league-mates downgrade this D/ST in their ranks because of a seemingly tough schedule — you’re better than that.
New York Jets
The talent on this unit is no secret. A season ago, the Jets ranked second in defensive success rate, a result buoyed by the third-lowest opponent passer rating.
The impact of Aaron Rodgers’ return could be twofold, which is why I have New York ranked as D/ST5 instead of higher. It’s possible that the future Hall of Famer puts up points in bunches and thus forces the opposition to be overly aggressive.
If that occurs, the Jets are as good a bet as any D/ST to pace the position in scoring. There is, however, a second side to that coin.
Rodgers traditionally plays at a very slow pace, and if his offense is on the field for extended stretches, New York’s defense will lack the needed number of snaps to produce at an elite level on a consistent basis.
This defense is as talented as it gets, and you should feel good about investing. However, you need to be aware of the volume downside that comes with an improved offense.