This is my first NFL article of the season! It’s been fun covering NBA and MLB for FantasyPros over the last few months, but it’s time to dip our toes back into the NFL waters. Fantasy football is king for a reason, and we’ll be providing numerous off-season articles to get you guys ready for drafts. My first task is to talk about D/STs, which is something I thrive in. I stand by one primary strategy every season when it comes to D/STs, and we’ll dive into that later on.
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Guide to Drafting a Defense (D/ST)
Let’s look at strategy and advice for how to draft a defense in fantasy football.
D/ST Draft Placement Strategy
This portion of the article is fairly simple. The first thing we need to say is DO NOT REACH FOR A D/ST! It feels like a few fantasy managers in every draft reach way too early for their D/ST, and that’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Most amateur fantasy managers make that blunder because they want to fill out their starting lineup. They have their quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, and a tight end, and they want to fill that next slot. That’s the silliest thing you could do because depth matters more than anything else. Most of you will play in leagues with at least one flex, and my key rule would be to have at least three running backs and three wide receivers before drafting a D/ST. That might sound like a simple task to many of you, but please don’t make this critical error! You can stumble into some gems with third wide receiver and running back picks, and that strategy makes more sense when examining the next section!
My D/ST Strategy
I have been streaming D/STs in almost every league since I started playing fantasy football nearly 20 years ago. I’ve done the research on keeping track of my streams, and my streaming almost always finishes as a top-5 D/ST. The reason it’s so effective is that you can always find a D/ST in a favorable matchup. Every league should have about half of the D/STs on the waiver wire, and many of those teams will face some of the worst offenses in football. Streaming every week takes time and effort, but it’s worth the risk because your D/ST can carry you on any given week. It also helps to avoid some dreaded matchups. If you draft a D/ST and plug them in every week, they will inevitably have numerous challenging matchups and poor fantasy outcomes. There are teams like the Bills, Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys, and 49ers who never surrender big totals to opposing D/STs, and riding the D/ST you drafted against them is simply a bad strategy.
Teams Worth Targeting for Streaming
Now that we discussed the strategy we want to ride for next season, let’s dive into some of the favorable matchups. These five teams surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing D/STs last season.
- Indianapolis Colts
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Rams
- Denver Broncos
- Chicago Bears
It’s funny that the Rams are in here because we expect them to bounce back this season. We also anticipate seeing the Broncos and Bears improve, making this an interesting list to dissect. Some of the teams we anticipate streaming against this season include the Panthers, Titans, Patriots, Falcons, Cardinals, Commanders, Saints, Packers, Buccaneers, Steelers, and Lions. Those teams, along with the Colts, Texans, and Rams, should be targets all season, and that means you can find a new D/ST every week!
D/STs We Want to Target in Drafts
Some privy fantasy managers will go without drafting a D/ST, but I’m not quite that absorbed in the strategy. I actually like to take my D/ST in the final three rounds of my draft. That means the 49ers, Bills, Eagles, and Cowboys are off-limits because they’re all likely to be gone at that point. All of those teams will be drafted out of my range, but the other 26 D/STs should be in play. The highest-ranked teams after that include the Broncos, Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs, Saints, Steelers, Dolphins, and Buccaneers.
What’s funny is that we had almost every team in the AFC South and NFC South in the streaming target section. That means we will target teams from those divisions because they should have some favorable matchups to start the year. We still want to stream for the majority of the season, but having a D/ST locked in for the first few weeks is a wise strategy because you can adapt from there.
D/STs to Ride Early
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons made some improvements with their defense in the offseason, and they should be a much-improved unit. What we really like is this schedule, facing a weak offense nearly every week. Playing in the NFC South is nice, but it looks even better since they also match up with the AFC South.
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore was third in points allowed, ninth in yardage surrendered, fifth in sacks, and eighth in takeaways last season. They’re easily the best defense of all these teams mentioned, and they’re my favorite D/ST to target in drafts. They kick off the season with a home matchup against Houston and then get another home meeting with Indy in Week 3.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina was actually a solid defense last season. They finished ninth in fantasy points and should be a defensive-focused team this season. That makes them an intriguing streamer to start the year, facing the Falcons and Saints in the first two weeks.
Chicago Bears
Chicago was tied for ninth with 24 takeaways last season, and they’re a sneaky D/ST with this favorable schedule. They face the Packers and Bucs in the first two games, and neither of those teams has a legitimate quarterback.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers were one of the best D/STs over the final two months of the season, and they have one of the most talented defensive rosters in the NFL. They should get off to an incredible start, facing the Bears, Falcons, Saints, and Lions through the first four weeks. This is my second favorite pick behind Baltimore.
Indianapolis Colts
Indy got off to a slow start last season, but they were sixth in total fantasy points after the closing five weeks of the year. There are plenty of talented players on this unit, and they should get off to an excellent start, facing the Jaguars, Texans, Rams, and Titans in the opening five weeks.
New Orleans Saints
If you’re looking for a team you can ride for the long term, the Saints might be the best pick. New Orleans was ninth in points allowed, fifth in yardage surrendered, and sixth in sacks last season. They also play in this enticing division, facing some of the worst offenses week after week. Amazingly, only three of their games feature teams not mentioned in the streaming section: the Jaguars, Giants, and Vikings. Yeah, their schedule is cake!
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