It's time to get defensive! No, not like that … I'm talking about fantasy defenses. Much like the kickers, most defenses don't see much love in fantasy drafts until the late rounds, but a good one can still be quite valuable. The Ravens and Cowboys both scored over 170 fantasy points in 2023!
Here are my initial fantasy football rankings for every position, and now it's time to dig a little bit deeper into each fantasy lineup position.
Defensive values can change at a moment's notice, and some finishes might surprise you. Just look at the Raiders, who weren't highly touted but finished seventh among defenses last season. So let's look at the defensive rankings, as well as who some of the top values and busts are for 2024.
Rank
Team
Bye Week
1
Baltimore Ravens
14
2
Dallas Cowboys
7
3
Cleveland Browns
10
4
San Francisco 49ers
9
5
New York Jets
12
6
Miami Dolphins
6
7
Kansas City Chiefs
6
8
Pittsburgh Steelers
9
9
Buffalo Bills
12
10
New Orleans Saints
12
11
Houston Texans
14
12
Indianapolis Colts
14
13
Jacksonville Jaguars
12
14
Chicago Bears
7
15
Philadelphia Eagles
5
16
Denver Broncos
14
17
Cincinnati Bengals
12
18
Detroit Lions
5
19
Minnesota Vikings
6
20
Las Vegas Raiders
10
21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11
22
Green Bay Packers
10
23
Seattle Seahawks
10
24
New York Giants
11
25
Atlanta Falcons
12
26
Los Angeles Rams
6
27
New England Patriots
14
28
Los Angeles Chargers
5
29
Tennessee Titans
5
30
Carolina Panthers
11
31
Arizona Cardinals
11
32
Washington Commanders
14
The Saints ranked eighth among fantasy defenses last season, and the additions of DE Chase Young and rookie CB Kool-Aid McKinstry should keep this an attractive fantasy option in 2024.
Jacksonville's defense wasn't great last season, finishing 17th in points. But adding DT Arik Armstead to improve the interior of the line, and the team added five defenders in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Packers defense (Ranked DEF22, ADP DEF16)
The Packers defense was a disappointing 21st in fantasy points last season, and it's playing in a division that is loaded with potential offensive firepower. This unit won't be picked in most drafts.
Patriots defense (Ranked DEF27, ADP DEF21)
The Patriots defense struggled last season, finishing 25th in fantasy points. And that was with Bill Belichick calling the shots. With no huge additions in the offseason, I don't expect improvement.
MICHAEL FABIANO
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Formerly of CBS Sports, NFL Network and SirusXM, Michael was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks. His work can now be found on SI, Westwood One Radio and the Bleav Podcast Network.
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