I am not going to do an official fantasy defense ranking. This is how I draft my fantasy defense. I make a list of 4 or 5 teams that I view as elite defenses and then, if when my pick comes up, more than half of those defenses are gone, I take one of the remaining. This way, I guarantee myself an elite defense, without having to draft a defense first and possibly drafting a defense way too early, before anyone else is even considering drafting a defense. Without further adieu, here are my top 4 fantasy defenses (in no particular order).
Green Bay Packers
The Packers had the 2nd ranked fantasy defense in the league last year and the #2 scoring defense, a huge part of the reason why they won the Super Bowl. They lose Cullen Jenkins, but they return Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, and Tramon Williams, three deadly playmakers in the secondary, and if they can get anyone to step up opposite Clay Matthews as a passing rushing linebacker, they could have 50+ sacks (47 in 2010).
Philadelphia Eagles
Normally an elite fantasy defense, the Eagles ranked a mere 11th in fantasy points last year. The additions of Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers Cromartie, however, should remedy that. They allowed 31 passing touchdowns last year, 3rd most in the league. Now they add Nnamdi Asomugha opposite Asante Samuel.
Asomugha is so good that quarterbacks are afraid to throw on him and Asante Samuel allowed the lowest quarterback rating against in the league last year so basically they combined a guy who everyone is afraid to throw on with a guy against whom quarterbacks post terrible stats when they throw against him creating a proverbial “pick your poison.” DRC is a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback when motivated and is well qualified to play the nickelback position, even if he’s not motivated. He should be, however, back on a winning team with the Eagles after enduring a 5-11 season in Arizona after back-to-back playoff appearances.
Their improved secondary will reduce the amount of points they allow (22nd in the league with the majority of those coming through the air), increase the already high amount of interceptions they put up (23, 3rd in the league), and lead to more coverage sacks which should bring their sack total up from a 12th ranked 39 in 2010 into the mid-high 40s. Also helping their pass rush are the additions of Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins who combined for 19.5 sacks last year.
New York Jets
They didn’t get Nnamdi Asomugha, but the Jets 3rd ranked fantasy defense (tied with New England) in 2010 returns 10 starters, excluding Shaun Ellis, now of the Patriots. They used their first round pick on Muhammad Wilkerson, who they hope can replace Ellis’ production. They also added Kendrick Ellis in the 3rd round who gives them the run stuffing nose tackle Kris Jenkins was supposed to be in 2009 and 2010, before going down with ACL tears in both seasons. Darrelle Revis is also healthier and more prepared for this season.
They could see their sack total of 40 from 2010 fall, with the losses of Shaun Ellis and Jason Taylor and they don’t intercept a ton of passes, but we could see this team once again become the league #1 scoring defense if Revis returns to form. Also, if Revis returns to form, we could see their interception total be closer to the 17 it was in 2009 (middle of the pack) than the 12 it was in 2010.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were the #1 fantasy defense last as was the case in 2008, which means that over the past 3 years if Troy Polamalu is healthy for a full season, this defense is the best in the league. I know key guys are getting older, James Harrison, James Farrior, Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, and teams like the Patriots, Saints, and Packers were able to write the book on how to beat this defense. However, I still trust Dick LeBeau and this talented veteran core to be at least one of the top 4 defenses in fantasy next season.
However, I’m adding a new wrinkle to this article this year. Last year in my fantasy league, I missed out on all of the elite defenses because I was so busy drafting high upside backups. Instead, I just decided to wait until round 15 (right before I draft my kicker) and take San Diego. San Diego was not an elite defense. In fact, I was the last team in my 12 team league to take a defense. However, they had an easy matchup week 1 in Kansas City. After that, I dropped them for another team with an easy matchup. I did this all year and I was fairly satisfied with my results (I lost in the championship when Andre Johnson decided to get hurt). Hell, if you just picked up every team that played the Panthers last year, you would have gotten 201 points from your fantasy defense (13 more than Pittsburgh, the #1 fantasy defense).
Let’s look at which defenses have easy week 1 matchups. I’m throwing out terrible defenses (for obvious reasons) and defenses that get drafted before the 14th round on average. I’m ranking these in the order I would draft them.
New York Giants vs. Washington
Arizona vs. Carolina
San Francisco vs. Seattle
So there you have it. Aim for Green Bay, Philadelphia, the Jets, and Pittsburgh, but don’t reach for either because you can take the Giants’ defense in round 15 and just play the matchups every week.
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