Fantasy rankings look different for everyone. There are so many moving pieces to consider on the player evaluation side of things, not to mention your specific league setup (scoring format, roster construction, team count, etc.).
That said, I am here to help you as best I can. I’d encourage you to use the below list as a guide – move your favorite options around and create tiers. By stepping back and evaluating the position as a whole, you allow yourself to be flexible when the bullets start flying for real and you’re on the clock in fantasy football.
Ranking the Top Fantasy D/ST
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | SF
1) Baltimore Ravens | Baltimore Ravens
2) San Francisco 49ers | San Francisco 49ers
3) Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Browns
4) Miami Dolphins | Miami Dolphins
5) New York Jets | New York Jets
6) Buffalo Bills | Buffalo Bills
7) Dallas Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys
8) Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs
9) New Orleans Saints | New Orleans Saints
10) Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota Vikings
11) Philadelphia Eagles | Philadelphia Eagles
12) Pittsburgh Steelers | Pittsburgh Steelers
13) Houston Texans | Houston Texans
14) Chicago Bears | Chicago Bears
15) Cincinnati Bengals | Cincinnati Bengals
16) New England Patriots | New England Patriots
17) Indianapolis Colts | Indianapolis Colts
18) Denver Broncos | Denver Broncos
19) Jacksonville Jaguars | Jacksonville Jaguars
20) Green Bay Packers | Green Bay Packers
21) Detroit Lions | Detroit Lions
22) Las Vegas Raiders | Las Vegas Raiders
23) Los Angeles Rams | Los Angeles Rams
24) Seattle Seahawks | Seattle Seahawks
25) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
26) Carolina Panthers | Carolina Panthers
27) Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta Falcons
28) New York Giants | New York Giants
29) Arizona Cardinals | Arizona Cardinals
30) Los Angeles Chargers | Los Angeles Chargers
31) Tennessee Titans | Tennessee Titans
32) Washington Commanders | Washington Commanders
Who Are the Best Defenses To Draft in Fantasy?
Buffalo Bills
The schedule as a whole is tough and not short on 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 Buffalo Bills ranked sixth in pressure rate a season ago, which is a statistic that I think will result in more fantasy points than you’d assume through the first month of the season.
- Week 1 vs. Arizona Cardinals
- Week 2 at Miami Dolphins
- Week 3 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Week 4 at Baltimore Ravens
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.
MORE: Ranking the 5 Best Fantasy Football Apps
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 of this unit is no secret. A season ago, the New York 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/ST No. 5 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.
The #Jets top 10 defensive plays of the season so far
Our defense has been lights out❗Lot of INTs, winning us games
Our defense can keep us in games against anybody 🔥✈ pic.twitter.com/BzUZNC3PDa
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) October 20, 2023
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 necessary number of snaps to produce at an elite level consistently.
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 and how that impacts our strategy.