RADIO
Updated 2025 fantasy football team defense draft rankings for August. Use these defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings and rankings tiers to find DST sleepers.
Fantasy football team defenses don't get a ton of shine, but they are often the difference between winning and losing matchups. This year will be no different -- and with fantasy football drafts really heating up now, we're back with our updated 2025 fantasy football team defense (D/ST) draft rankings to assist your draft-day picks. Whether you're looking to grab a top-flight overall defense or are planning to stream defenses every week, you can find out where key units like the Ravens, Broncos, Lions, Vikings, Steelers, Bills, Packers, Jets, Seahawks, Chiefs, and more stand below.
Speaking of streaming defenses -- be sure to also check out our top 2025 fantasy football DST streamers and starts for Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4. That article helps plan out the first few weeks of the 2025 season, including which team defenses have the best DST matchups for the first few weeks.
RotoBaller's lead fantasy football rankings analyst Nick Mariano has put together these updated 2025 DST fantasy football draft rankings, which will be updated constantly until Week 1 kicks off, and will look to answer these questions. Be sure to follow all of the fantasy football injury news and bookmark our main fantasy football rankings portal with 14 different types of rankings for various league types and scoring settings. Win more in 2025!
Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!
D/ST Fantasy Football Rankings News
- Micah Parsons Expected to Play in Week 1
- Cameron Heyward Returns to Practice
- Terrell Smith Carted Off With Non-Contact Knee Injury
- Saints Trade Khalen Saunders to Jaguars for Luke Fortner
- Dolphins, Matthew Judon Agree to One-Year Deal
- Falcons Add C.J. Henderson
- Nick Bosa Returns to Practice in Limited Capacity
- Travis Hunter Considered Day-to-Day
- Myles Garrett Cited for Driving 100 Miles Per Hour
D/ST Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 2 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 4 | 13 | New York Giants | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 4 | 15 | New York Jets | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 5 | 18 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 5 | 19 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 5 | 21 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 5 | 22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 6 | 23 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 6 | 26 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 6 | 27 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 7 | 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 7 | 29 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 7 | 30 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 7 | 31 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 7 | 32 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
D/ST Fantasy Football Rankings Outlooks
Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson told ESPN that he and the team have agreed on the years and total dollar amount on a potential long-term contract extension, but not on guaranteed money. Additionally, there has been no progress on a trade after reports over the weekend that the Bengals were actively discussing trades involving Hendrickson with other teams. The 30-year-old has been asking for a new deal for more than a year now and really would prefer to return to Cincinnati as their best pass-rusher.
As long as his contract holdout doesn't leak into the 2025 regular season, the former third-rounder (103rd overall) in 2017 out of Florida Atlantic will be a must-start defensive end in IDP fantasy leagues. Hendrickson has 17.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons and 70.5 sacks since the start of 2020.
Matthew Judon, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins and free-agent outside linebacker Matthew Judon agreed to a one-year deal worth a maximum value of $6 million on Monday, a source told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Judon visited with the club earlier in the day and will now join pass-rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Chop Robinson in Miami in what could be a much-improved Dolphins defense in 2025. Judon is a four-time Pro Bowler and will bring 72 career sacks to the table in South Beach in his nine NFL seasons.
The 33-year-old veteran spent the 2024 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons and recorded 41 tackles (25 solo), 5.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, nine QB hits, his first career interception, and five pass breakups in 17 games (15 starts). Both of Judon's double-digit sack seasons came with the New England Patriots in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022.
Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars rookie two-way player Travis Hunter (upper body) is being listed as day-to-day, according to Mia O'Brien. Head coach Liam Coen said the goal is to have Hunter available to play receiver and defensive back for a joint practice on Thursday against the Miami Dolphins, so the team will make a "smart decision" with regard to his practice availability on Wednesday. Don't be surprised if the Jags keep the 22-year-old Heisman Trophy winner out until later this week.
Hunter did not play in the second preseason game on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints after he saw work with the first-team offense and second-team defense in the preseason opener. His injury isn't considered serious, so he should be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener. Hunter playing both sides of the ball makes him a boom/bust WR3/flex target in upcoming fantasy drafts.
Kyle Dugger, New England Patriots
According to NFL.com and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, veteran safety Kyle Dugger has been demoted to the second-team defense. Dugger signed a four-year, $58 million contract last offseason, but Vrabel is not tied to decisions from previous coaching staffs. When asked how Dugger can win his starting job back, Vrabel said, "Just making sure that he's where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do.
A lot of this is that guys have earned the right to take a look with that first unit and, again, there will be different lineups and different things. Just focus on the reps that you get right now." It sounds like the 29-year-old has been outplayed by other safeties this offseason, and Vrabel is attempting to motivate him to work his way back. In 74 career games since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Dugger has tallied 424 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, nine interceptions, and 24 pass deflections.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Houston Texans
Houston Texans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (knee) had to be carted off the field at last Thursday's training camp practice, but his ACL is intact and he thankfully avoided a season-ending knee injury, a league source told The Athletic's Dianna Russini. The Texans acquired Gardner-Johnson from the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason in the deal that sent guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Philly. The 27-year-old defensive back is expected to be a major contributor for Houston's secondary this year after he helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs back in February.
If healthy, Gardner-Johnson will join forces with top cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre, and Calen Bullock in what could be a vastly improved secondary for the Texans. It's unclear when Gardner-Johnson might be able to get back on the field again.
Justin Walley, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts rookie cornerback Justin Walley (knee) will miss the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL. Walley had been competing for a starting role and was expected to bolster a secondary that tied for fifth in interceptions last year. With Walley out, the Colts are expected to lean on Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents alongside Charvarius Ward in their defensive backfield. The injury is a blow to a defense that had high expectations entering the year. Still, in a division full of young quarterbacks, the Colts remain a viable late-round fantasy defense to monitor ahead of drafts.
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
