The Desai Guys continue their Fantasy Football Rankings series by ranking the best NFL defenses to draft.
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Fantasy Football Defense Rankings: Who’s Ranked #1?
Tad: San Francisco 49ers
- Coming in with one of the best defensive lines in the league. And even more of a threat, especially with the addition of Javon Hargraves
- The combo of Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner can be especially dangerous, especially against offenses with big slot receivers.
- Their secondary is a little weak but that wasn’t an issue last year
- 3rd ranked defense last year – not to mention they are in a division with some of the weakest or most questionable offenses in the league
Amar: Dallas Cowboys
- There may have been changes on offense, but the defense has stayed the same
- Dan Quinn has really made this unit one of the best in the NFL. They will likely keep Micah Parsons as an edge rusher all year, which will only boost their ranking
- In back-to-back seasons they finished in the top-3
- This is a defense that if you took earlier than your last two picks, people wouldn’t question it
Defense Fantasy Football Sleepers
Philadelphia Eagles
- They got Jalen Carter and Kelee Ringo in the 2023 NFL Draft
- Finished 5th last season and are in a division that could be very turnover prone
- Plus Nakobe Dean could be a sleeper candidate for the biggest surprise player
- The offense will rarely put them in a bad position so the opportunities for turnovers are a plenty
Carolina Panthers
- Ejiro Evero is coaching a young and talented unit that could be a sleeper this season
- Burgeoning talent in the front seven including Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos, Shaq Thompson, and of course Brian Burns
- Signed Vonn Bell in the offseason to make one of the more underrated secondaries in the league
- Bell, Jaycee Horn, Jeremy Chinn, Donte Jackson, and Xavier Woods
- Last season in Denver, the defense allowed the 8th fewest total yards in the league and tied for the 14th fewest total points
- Allowed the 10th fewest rushing yards per game as well
Miami Dolphins
- Vic Fangio is going to do wonders for this defense
- The addition of Jalen Ramsey just made this secondary that much better
- He is getting knee surgery, but he will only miss the first game or two of the regular season
- 9th in the NFL in points scored by the defense and they were great at getting after the quarterback
- Tied for 9th most pressure in the NFL
Defense Fantasy Football Busts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- This offense worries me and how well they’ll do
- While the defense should be fine if they have to see the field a ton that could be a problem
Green Bay Packers
- Similar to Tampa Bay in that if Jordan Love is not the answer, this offense will have problems
- The Packers forced a lot of turnovers last season and if they get fatigued, they won’t be able to do that this coming season
Los Angeles Rams
- Outside of Aaron Donald, these guys don’t have a single name that screams out at you, and a bunch you’ve never even heard of.
- I don’t think they’ll generate a lot of sacks or turnovers. They currently have a rookie as their starting edge rusher.
- I think this is a team some will draft on Donald’s name and it won’t pay off