Team Defense Rankings
Updated as of 8/26/2013
When it comes right down to it, I see many people drafting a Team defense way to early on in a lot of fantasy football drafts. Any time you see the top Team Defense go off the board before the 10th round, what you should be saying is "Hurray! More decent WR and RB picks for me!"
The truth of the matter is, I've found that any time that I pick a defense in the middle rounds thinking that I got one of the best, it almost always backfires on me.
You go into the season only thinking about how good the defense is. Unfortunately, the defense can fall apart with injuries or your opponent beats you heads up with a defense he just picked up that has a good matchup.
If you ride one defense for the entire year during your fantasy season, the best that you will do is on average about 2 to 3 points per week better than the 10th - 12th best defense. This means that you are not gaining a lot of advantage, except maybe the one or two games that you can steal against your opponent with a huge game from the defense.
Case in point - in two of my three drafts I picked a defense at the end of the draft. I then found out that Chicago's Defense is playing at home against the Detroit Lions. Chicago has done well at home against the Lions and usually gets up by a couple of TDs early. This leads to more chances at sacks, fumbles and interceptions. Also, Chicago is a threat to score on the special teams as well. I then dropped my drafted defense and picked up the Bears. This may not be a realistic expectation this year, but the theory still works.
Everybody that I have seen has ranked the Seattle Seahawks as the #1 defense this season. However, you have to realize that they always seem to dominate at home and always seem to do pretty average on the road. I'm also looking towards the end of the season and I see that Seattle has a bye week in Week 12, followed by a home matchup against New Orleans (top offense) and road games against San Francisco and the New York Giants. If you get to the championship game in Week 16, you will be rewarded with a home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
You are going to need your defense the most in the last 4 or 5 weeks of the Fantasy Football Season. Check the Schedule to see if you like the matchups during that stretch of time.
Here are the overall rankings for Team Defense
It is based off of the overall fantasy points projected
2013 NFL Fantasy Football Team Defense Rankings
|
DST Rank |
Team | Bye Week |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks | 12 |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 9 |
| 3 | Denver Broncos | 9 |
| 4 | Chicago Bears | 8 |
| 5 | Houston Texans | 8 |
| 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | 12 |
| 7 | New England Patriots | 10 |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | 8 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 |
| 10 | St. Louis Rams | 11 |
| 11 | Green Bay Packers | 4 |
| 12 | Arizona Cardinals | 9 |
| 13 | New York Giants | 9 |
| 14 | San Diego Chargers | 8 |
Defense Advice for Bye Weeks
I would keep any of the elite defenses on my roster through a bye week. If you notice anyone dropping one of the following defenses, you may want to pick them up for later use: Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos.
2012 Team Defense and Special Team Stats
If you know anything about the NFL, you should know that last year's stats are just about meaningless as far as it regards how the defense will perform this season. However, a lot of teams have consistently good defense and a lot of the best defensive players don't change teams. With that said, here are the DST stats for the 2012 season.
| Team | Bye Week |
Sack | Int | Fum Rec |
TD | Safety | Block Kick |
Kick/Punt Ret TD |
| Seattle | 12 | 36 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| San Francisco | 9 | 38 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Denver | 9 | 52 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Chicago | 8 | 41 | 24 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Houston | 8 | 44 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| New England | 10 | 37 | 20 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Cincinnati | 12 | 51 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 11 | 52 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Baltimore | 8 | 37 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Green Bay | 4 | 47 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 5 | 37 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Arizona | 9 | 38 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 9 | 33 | 21 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| San Diego | 8 | 38 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Atlanta | 6 | 29 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 10 | 30 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Minnesota | 5 | 44 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Cleveland | 10 | 38 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tampa Bay | 5 | 27 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Dallas | 11 | 34 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Miami | 6 | 42 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Washington | 5 | 32 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carolina | 4 | 39 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 39 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Buffalo | 12 | 36 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Kansas City | 10 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| New Orleans | 7 | 30 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Philadelphia | 12 | 30 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Detroit | 9 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Indianapolis | 8 | 32 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jacksonville | 9 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Oakland | 7 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Points Allowed by Defense in 2012
Equally as important with team defense is the number of points that they give up per game. Here are the stats for each team in the 2012 season.
| Team | Bye Week |
Pts 0 | Pts 1-6 | Pts 7-13 | Pts 14-20 | Pts 21-27 | Pts 28-34 | Pts 35+ |
| Seattle | 12 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| San Francisco | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Denver | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Chicago | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Houston | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| New England | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 12 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 11 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Baltimore | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Green Bay | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Arizona | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| New York Giants | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| San Diego | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Atlanta | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Cleveland | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Tampa Bay | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Dallas | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Miami | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Washington | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| Carolina | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Buffalo | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Kansas City | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| New Orleans | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Philadelphia | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| Detroit | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Indianapolis | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Jacksonville | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| Oakland | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Projected Fantasy Value: 1st 4 Weeks and Playoffs
As you can see from the projections, there is not going to be a gigantic difference between the top 10 defenses in total fantasy points projected. There are a few teams every year that are better than expected at creating turnovers or scoring special team touchdowns.
Projected 1st 4 Weeks
|
Projected 1st 4 Weeks |
Team | Pts Allow | Sack | Safety | Int | Fum Rec |
Def TD |
Block Kick |
Ret TD |
| 1 | Chicago | 70.2 | 10.4 | 0 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0 |
| 2 | New England | 81.5 | 9 | 0.2 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0 | 0.5 |
| 3 | Denver | 69.4 | 10.8 | 0 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0 | 0.5 |
| 4 | San Diego | 84.3 | 10.6 | 0.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 5 | Seattle | 59.8 | 10.3 | 0 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 79.5 | 13.7 | 0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 0 | 0.3 |
| 7 | New York NYG | 84.2 | 9.1 | 0 | 4.8 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 8 | Washington | 91.4 | 8.6 | 0 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 9 | Arizona | 93.1 | 8.2 | 0 | 6.2 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 10 | Houston | 84.8 | 11.8 | 0.2 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 82.9 | 9.7 | 0 | 3 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| 12 | Dallas | 82.2 | 9.1 | 0 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| 13 | San Francisco | 70.6 | 11.3 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0 |
| 14 | St. Louis | 86.3 | 12.5 | 0.1 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 112 | 11 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 16 | Baltimore | 91.2 | 7.9 | 0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.8 |
Week 15 Projections
|
Projected Week 15 |
Team | Pts Allow | Sack | Safety | Int | Fum Rec |
Def TD |
Block Kick |
Ret TD |
| 1 | Denver | 17.4 | 4 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 2 | Chicago | 14.4 | 2.6 | 0 | 1.7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | New England | 16.4 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 4 | Minnesota | 16.8 | 3.2 | 0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 5 | Arizona | 20.2 | 2.7 | 0 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 6 | Carolina | 17.6 | 3.4 | 0.1 | 1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Cincinnati | 18.5 | 3 | 0 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 8 | Houston | 20.3 | 3 | 0 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 20.2 | 2.9 | 0 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 19 | 3.3 | 0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 11 | Baltimore | 21.9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 12 | Green Bay | 21.7 | 2.9 | 0 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 13 | Cleveland | 23.7 | 3.1 | 0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 14 | San Diego | 29 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 15 | Seattle | 18 | 1.3 | 0 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
Week 16 Projections
|
Projected Week 16 |
Team | Pts Allow | Sack | Safety | Int | Fum Rec |
Def TD |
Block Kick |
Ret TD |
| 1 | Chicago | 13.3 | 3.5 | 0 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Seattle | 10.5 | 2.8 | 0 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 3 | Cleveland | 17.8 | 3.3 | 0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 4 | San Diego | 17.4 | 1.9 | 0 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 5 | New England | 22.7 | 2.6 | 0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 6 | New York NYG | 21.9 | 2 | 0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 7 | Indianapolis | 14 | 2.4 | 0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 8 | Green Bay | 19.4 | 3 | 0 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 9 | Washington | 25 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 20.5 | 3.4 | 0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 11 | Denver | 20.7 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 12 | Houston | 27.4 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 23.4 | 3.1 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 14 | Miami | 18.7 | 2.3 | 0 | 1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 15 | New York NYJ | 19.4 | 2.1 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 |