Defenses matter a lot in fantasy football. If you can draft and matchup the right players against sub-par defenses, you have a recipe for success. It’s not as easy as just looking at the best and worst defenses from 2014 though, and that’s why we’re here to help.

In this eight article series, we’re going to take a look at all the defenses in the NFL. We’ll look at whether or not teams have improved for 2015, and dive into the passing and rushing defensive potential of every NFL team, one division at a time.

Today we are taking a look at the NFC East passing and rushing defenses, and their outlook for the 2015 fantasy football season. When this series is over, you will have a great grasp of which defenses to target for plus matchups.

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In this eight article series, we're going to take a look at the passing and rushing defenses of every NFL team, one division at a time.

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NFC East Pass Defense Rankings

2014 Pass Defense Ranking per DVOA and Fantasy Points against Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers, per ESPN

Philadelphia Eagles

2014 Rankings: 18, 30, 32

Despite finishing as fantasy’s second highest scoring defense, the Eagles were among the worst teams in the league last season when it came to defending against the pass. No team was hit more by the WR position and only a couple posted worse numbers against opposing QBs.

2015 Projected Pass Defense Ranking: Middle of the Pack

Off-season additions Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso are likely to improve the Eagles passing defense, but even a solid improvement on last season’s performance would put them in the middle third of teams. They do have a strong defensive line and a propensity for causing turnovers, but were far from a defense to be afraid of in 2014 and will remain so this season.

New York Giants

2014 Rankings: 21, 26, 13

The Giants were slightly better against the pass than Philadelphia in 2014, but still finished in the bottom third of the league against the QB position. They had a respectable pass rush, however, posting the fourth most sacks (47) in the league.

2015 Projected Pass Defense Ranking: Bottom 10

With no significant additions and the loss of Jason Pierre-Paul to provide pass rush, it’s hard to believe the Giants will be much improved in 2015. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara aren’t a bad combination in the secondary, though, and could lead a relatively weak Giants defense to a respectable season. Like the Eagles, though, they won’t be a defense to be afraid of in 2015.

Dallas Cowboys

2014 Rankings: 22, 18, 7

Despite a rough season from a fantasy standpoint, Dallas was a much improved defensive team in 2014. The Cowboys still finished in the bottom third of the league when it came to DVOA against the pass, though, and were below average against the QB position.

2015 Projected Pass Defense Ranking: Middle of the Pack

The addition of Byron Jones through the draft could be hugely beneficial for the Cowboys. Jones is an athletic freak and will slide into the slot quickly, but he remains raw and could take a while to get acclimated to the NFL. Until that happens, the Dallas secondary won’t be a terribly imposing threat, but remains somewhere around the back portion of the top half of NFL defenses.

Washington Redskins

2014 Rankings: 32, 32, 31

The single worst passing defense in the league, the Redskins came in last place in both defensive DVOA against the pass and against the QB position. They were only second worst ranked defense against WRs, though, so there’s that.

2015 Projected Pass Defense Ranking: Bottom Five

It would take a lot to turn around the train-wreck that was the Redskins secondary in 2014, and that didn’t happen this off-season. Ryan Kerrigan remains one of the better pass rushers in the league, but can only do so much. Washington will remain a defense to target for the QB and WR positions in 2015.

NFC East Run Defense Rankings

2014 Rush Defense Ranking, per DVOA and Fantasy Points Against Running Backs, per ESPN:

Philadelphia Eagles

2014 Rankings: 7, 22

The Eagles were a top-10 team in terms of DVOA against the run in 2015, yet came in the bottom third of teams against the RB position. The reason for that discrepancy likely lies in the fact that Philadelphia gave up seven TD to RBs via the air—tied for most in the league—and bodes more toward troubling coverage than their defensive line.

2015 Projected Run Defense Ranking: Top Half

This is a talented front seven for the Eagles, and the addition of Kiko Alonso in the off-season will only help. Youth is also a factor as well, with many of the Eagles defensive lineman still coming into their own. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect a repeat of last season’s performance against the run, possibly an improvement. Either way, the Eagles will be a team on the better side against the RB position in 2015.

New York Giants

2014 Rankings: 27, 26

The Giants were bad against the run in 2015, there’s no other way to say it. The team gave up more than 1700 yards to RBs last season, and surrendered nearly 750 yards to RBs through the air.

2015 Projected Run Defense Ranking: Bottom Half

Just like their secondary, the Giants are likely to remain right where they were in 2014 this coming season. They’ll still face Demarco Murray twice, Alfred Morris twice, and a great Cowboys offensive line twice as well, match-ups that become even worse when considering that some could happen without premier defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul. If Jon Beason can remain healthy and bring a vintage season, they could take a step forward, but the Giants aren’t a team to fear in 2015.

Dallas Cowboys

2014 Rankings: 22, 19

Dallas was respectable against the run in 2014, but still fell to the bottom third of teams in the league. They weren’t torched nearly as bad by RB through the air than some of their divisional rivals, however, but surrendered 13 TD via the ground.

2015 Projected Run Defense Ranking: Middle of the Pack

The Cowboys are likely to have a solid defense in 2015, similar to what they had in 2014. Some improvement could come once Greg Hardy returns and Randy Gregory gets acclimated to the NFL, but in the meantime Dallas looks to be a middle ground run-stopper this season. They won’t be a team to fear, but won’t necessarily be a team to target either.

Washington Redskins

2014 Rankings: 9, 8

Washington was almost as good last year against the run as they were awful against the pass—almost. The Redskins were actually the best run defense in the division in 2014, and holding the RB position to less than 1800 all-purpose yards.

2015 Projected Run Defense Ranking: Top 10

If Washington has one thing going for itself on the defensive side of the ball, it’s stopping the run. Last season’s successes are likely to melt into this year and then some with additions of Stephen Paea and Terrance Knighton, too, which could make this team a top-5 run stopper if everything works out. If there is an NFC East team to fear in 2015 for the RB position, its Washington.

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