Fantasy Football Defense (DST) Draft Rankings - Jets DST, Packers DST, Cowboys DST, Chargers DST, Lions DST, Rams DST, 49ers DST, Chiefs DST, Patriots DST

Updated fantasy football DST draft rankings for NFL team defenses as of August 31, 2025. Pick the right fantasy defenses with our DST rankings for all teams.

Fantasy football draft season is in the home stretch, with only a few more days to draft before Thursday's kickoff. We have updated all of our rankings almost daily, and below you'll see our team's updated fantasy football defense (DST) draft rankings to help you crush your drafts. Some fantasy managers wait until the last few rounds before selecting their starting defense and play the streaming game -- so if that's your strategy, be sure to also check our Week 1 defense streamers article as well.

Earlier this week, the Cowboys stunningly traded star defensive lineman Micah Parsons to the Packers. What sort of implications will that have for fantasy managers? Find out where the Packers ranks (post Parsons trade), and other key defenses such as the 49ers, Lions, Chargers, Seahawks, and Jets.

These updated DST fantasy football rankings are from Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead NFL analyst, and will help guide you through 2025 drafts when it's time to grab your team defense. You'll also see relevant DEF fantasy football news and DEF outlooks for certain key defenses below. Good luck with your drafts RotoBallers, and let's get to it!

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DST Rankings for Fantasy Football Drafts

Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings 

Fantasy Football DST Rankings News

• Jared Verse a Defensive Player of the Year Candidate
• Saints Excited About Kool-Aid McKinistry
• Derrick Brown Should Continue to be a Force for The Panthers' Defense
• Micah Parsons' Status for Week 1 Unclear
• Patriots Release Jabril Peppers
• Bills Not Ruling Out Tre'Davious White for Week 1
• Jaguars Not Tipping Hand on Travis Hunter's Usage
• Christian Gonzalez Still Not Practicing
• Kenny Clark Heading to Dallas

Fantasy Football DST Rankings Outlooks

Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams

Per The Athletic's Jeff Howe, one rival NFL executive predicts that Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse will be the league's best defensive player in 2025. Verse already won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 by totaling 66 tackles (36 solo), 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 18 QB hits, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 17 regular-season games (16 starts) last year, and he was more disruptive than his 4.5 sacks suggest.

The 24-year-old former 19th overall pick out of Florida State appears to be the real deal for a young and emerging Rams defense that was awfully close to knocking out the eventual Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs last year. If Verse stays healthy, he should easily be able to top the 4.5 sacks he accrued in a very successful rookie campaign.

Kool-Aid McKinstry, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are excited about second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. McKinstry showed up to training camp in terrific shape and has "shown strong ball skills, instincts, and toughness." The former second-rounder out of Alabama could become the team's next stud cornerback after both Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo have left town.

In his first taste of the NFL last year, the 27-year-old defensive back had 42 tackles (32 solo) and six pass breakups in 15 games (nine starts) in the Big Easy as a starter. It wasn't a bad showing for a rookie cornerback that was forced into a starting role, and it sounds as though McKinstry is ready to take the next step in Year 2 for a Saints team that isn't expected to do much under first-year head coach Kellen Moore. Takeways have never been a part of McKinstry's game, though, making him avoidable in IDP formats.

Derrick Brown, Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown continued to impress during training camp this summer and "should be a force" again in 2025, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Brown has been a high-impact player for years now, and there doesn't appear to be a drop-off in sight for the former seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Auburn.

The 27-year-old was a first-time Pro Bowler and one of the top D-linemen in the league in 2023, when he had a career-high 103 tackles (57 solo), two sacks, seven tackles for loss, 15 QB hits, an interception, and six pass breakups in 17 starts. However, he tore his MCL in Week 1 of last year, leading many to wonder if he can regain his form for Carolina in 2025. By all accounts, Brown is fully healthy, and the Panthers' defense is going to need him if they are going to make any noise in the NFC South.

Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers

Per Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, he and the team are hopeful that edge rusher Micah Parsons can play "at least a little" in their Week 1 matchup with the visiting Detroit Lions. Gutekunst also noted that it's on the Packers to "be smart" with the 26-year-old. The Penn State product underwent his physical on Friday.

Whether Gutekunst's comments are regarding Parsons' unfamiliarity with the team or the minor back issue he's been dealing with this offseason is uncertain. The latter hasn't been deemed serious, but with their home opener just over a week away, there isn't much time for any lingering issues to heal. Fantasy managers can likely expect him to be a full go by Week 2 at the latest. In the meantime, his status is worth monitoring.

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter will play both ways in 2025, but the team is unwilling to tip its hand on how often he'll line up on either side of the ball. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, first-year general manager James Gladstone said, "There's a competitive advantage to not knowing what side of the ball he's going to be deployed on fully. If that's half, if that's a mixture ... all those sorts of things can vary from one week to the next."

That could be a bit frustrating for fantasy managers, who are holding out hope that Hunter will play a significant role on offense and produce big numbers as the team's WR2 opposite Brian Thomas Jr. Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick, dealt with an upper-body injury earlier this month and only played in one preseason game. He returned to practice on Wednesday and is "rolling full speed" heading into the Jags' regular-season opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 7, according to Gladstone.

Kenny Clark, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys acquired defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks on Thursday from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It's unclear yet if the Cowboys acquired any other players in this blockbuster deal. Clark is no Parsons, but he was a former first-rounder himself (27th overall) in 2016 out of UCLA and has made three Pro Bowls in his first nine NFL seasons.

In 140 games (126 starts) for the Packers, Clark has recorded 35 sacks, 417 tackles (236 solo), 51 tackles for loss, 76 QB hits, 12 pass breakups, seven forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries. He had just one sack in 17 regular-season starts in 2024, but Clark will certainly be a boost to Dallas' interior defensive line going forward. Clark had a career-high 7.5 sacks in 17 starts in 2023.

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