Fantasy Football Defense/Special Teams Rankings
The 2022 NFL Draft is in the books and all of the fun free agency signings are just about done. There are a few lingering veterans and players who could still end up retiring or signing somewhere, but for the most part, rosters are set. If your fantasy football leagues still have defense/special teams in them, here are the top defenses you should be targeting this year.
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1. Buffalo Bills
2021 Rank – 4th
For three straight seasons, the Buffalo Bills have finished as a Top-10 fantasy football defense/special teams (DST). They were in the top five last year in both points allowed and interceptions. They gave up the fewest points in the league and the fewest yards in the league last season. They added key players to the defense such as Vonn Miller and Daquan Jones in free agency and added Kaiir Elam through the NFL Draft. Tre’Davious White who tore his ACL last year in Week 12 will also be returning. With the offense the Bills have, they will be up in a lot of the games and Leslie Frazier will be able to take chances on blitzes and create turnovers.
2. Indianapolis Colts
2021 Rank – 3rd
Indianapolis has a strong defense and they’ve added Stephon Gilmore to replace Xavier Rhodes, which is an upgrade at cornerback. They brought in two safeties, Rodney McLeod in free agency and Nick Cross in the NFL Draft. For the pass rush, they’ve added Yannick Ngakoue as well. The Colts did lose their defensive coordinator to the Bears and are replacing him with Gus Bradley. They were tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the best turnover differential last season. They were also fourth in the league in interceptions last season and have finished in the Top-8 the past two seasons for fantasy football.
On the offensive side of things, the offense should be better with bringing in Matt Ryan and new rookie weapons Alec Pierce and Jelani Woods through the NFL Draft. Indianapolis is also getting back Parris Campbell from his broken foot. I see this offense taking a step forward and controlling the clock more.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2021 Rank – 7th
The Buccaneers have most of their players on defense returning. They still have eight starters from their Super Bowl-winning team including all three of their starting linebackers. The Bucs had a lot of injuries last year and they hope to stay healthier and take the step as a Top-5 fantasy defense.
Tampa Bay is losing both Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh more than likely. They did bring in Logan Ryan via free agency to help with the secondary. Tom Brady is still there and this will be up in most games. Tampa Bay will be able to run the ball as well and control the clock. They were Top-10 in the league in sacks, interceptions, and forced fumbles last season. The addition of former Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks will definitely help and this rushing defense should be elite once again.
4. Los Angeles Rams
2021 Rank – 5th
Aaron Donald just announced he is coming back and I believe they will dominate again pretty easily. Donald makes everyone else’s job easier on the defense. He is the best defensive tackle in the game and possibly the best defensive player. It does not hurt when you have Jalen Ramsey in the back half of the defense though. Their weakness last year was at linebacker and they brought in Bobby Wagner through free agency.
The Rams will also score a lot of points on offense and be playing with the lead which makes the job of the defense that much easier. They were Top-5 in the league last season in both sacks and interceptions. In the past five seasons, the Rams have finished in the Top-12 for fantasy football DST and should again this year.
5. Dallas Cowboys
2021 Rank – 1st
After finishing 1st last year for DSTs, the Cowboys lost Randy Gregory in free agency. They have nine of their starters on defense returning. They tried to replace Gregory with Dante Fowler Jr who was acquired in free agency and Sam Williams in the NFL Draft. We will see how that turns out. The biggest keep of the offseason was keeping coach Dan Quinn as the defensive coordinator. If Micah Parsons takes another leap forward and plays more consistently and Demarcus Lawrence stays healthy the Cowboys should have a solid year again on defense.
I see the turnovers and touchdowns declining a little from last year which is why they slid to number five for me. I’m also expecting Trevon Diggs to take a step back as Ido not see him getting half as many interceptions as he did last year. The Cowboys led the league in interceptions last year with 26 and also led the league in special teams and defensive touchdowns last season.
6. New England Patriots
2021 Rank – 2nd
New England’s defense just always seems to finish in the top 10. They will run the ball and not turn the ball over on offense which always helps out a defense. They did not add anything really but did lose J.C. Jackson in free agency and it’s hard not to trust Bill Belichick. They gave up the second-fewest points per game and the fourth-fewest yards per game last season. The Patriots also had the second-most interceptions in the league last season with 23 and had the fifth-most defensive touchdowns in the league last season. For the past four seasons, the Patriots have finished in the Top-12 for fantasy football DST and should once again.
7. San Francisco 49ers
2021 Rank – 15th
With Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Fred Warner it is hard to see this team not in the top 10 this season. Bosa could be the best pass rusher in the league. Cornerbacks have been a weakness so they brought in Charvarius Ward which is a huge upgrade. They did not blitz much last year but still had a ton of sacks and Ward should be able to take advantage of that. They also added drafted pass rusher, Drake Jackson, from USC in the NFL Draft.
I believe they will run the ball and control the clock with their stable of running backs. With the defensive line that they have, they will easily get the sacks again and hopefully create more interceptions. The 49ers gave up the third-fewest yards in the league last season, were sixth in the league in sacks, and were first in force fumbles.
8. Denver Broncos
2021 Rank – 12th
The Broncos brought in Russell Wilson who will help the offense run the ball and control the clock better while putting up more points which is always good for the defense. They had a ton of injuries last year and did not have a good quarterback to help the defense at all. Denver brought in Randy Gregory to help with the pass rush on the other side of Bradley Chubb. If they both stay healthy it should be one of the better duos in the league. They also gave up the third-fewest points in the league last season. I am not sure how with Drew Lock as their quarterback but they relied heavily on Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon.
9. New Orleans Saints
2021 Rank – 4th
The Saints quarterback situation was ugly last season after Jameis Winston tore his ACL. If Winston stays healthy, the defense should not be put in as many bad situations as they were last year.
They did lose Marcus Williams in free agency which hurts a bit, but they added Tyrann Mathieu and hope to have Marcus Maye healthy this season. New Orleans gave up the fourth-fewest points in the league last season. They were Top-10 in the league in sacks and interceptions last season. For the past three seasons, the Saints have finished in the Top-10 fantasy football DST and should once again this year.
10. Los Angeles Chargers
2021 Rank – 26th
The Chargers are going all-in with trying to improve their defense. Their offense is great and will be able to win shootouts if need be while being led by Justin Herbert. They have a ton of offensive weapons but were awful on defense stopping the run last year. The Chargers brought in Khalil Mack to be on the opposite side of Joey Bosa. He is also a great run stopper which they did need help with. They also added one of the best corners this year in free agency in J.C. Jackson. Los Angeles was fourth in the league last season in forced fumbles and should finish inside the Top-10 this year.
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