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Drafting or starting the right defense for your fantasy football teams can be a key component to success, and in this column you will find some sleeper defenses that you should consider drafting.

Editor's Note: Be sure to also read about more fantasy football defense rankings & analysis, all in one easy place. You can also click here and find more defense sleepers and undervalued defenses that can return big time draft value based on their current ADPs.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Kansas City Chiefs

First Four Matchups: @HOU, DEN, @GB, @CIN

The Chiefs get a very tough start to the season, but this could help owners get this unit at a discounted price. The matchup with Green Bay in particular could be a nightmare for this defensive unit. There's also a visit from Peyton Manning and the Broncos too. After those first four weeks though, things get a lot better for this team. They still have Justin Houston who racked up 22 sacks in 2014, and they get Eric Berry back in the secondary. So if you can stomach the potential early season struggles, this unit could be very fun to own in fantasy.

The Chiefs were the epitome of "bend don't break" last season as they finished 28th in the league in rushing yards allowed, but yet they only allowed four rushing touchdowns. This is good in the sense that it minimizes damage to fantasy rosters, and also forces a team to pass the ball in the redzone. The bad news is that they could still be vulnerable to the running game this year.

Aside from Justin Houstin, they still have LB Tamba Hali who can still be very useful in the pass rush, but he's no longer the pass rushing terror he was in his previous seasons. However, Hali was also not a particularly effective run stopper. LB Derrick Johnson missed most of 2014 with torn Achilles, but should be ready to start the season. The 2005 first rounder is in the twilight of his career though, so it remains to be seen how much of a factor he can be. Even so, his best asset was always pass coverage. The fourth linebacker slot is undetermined as of now with James-Michael Johnson, Dee Ford, and Josh Mauga all being options. Johnson and Mauga did not play well in 2014, and Ford played off the bench. Ford was another first rounder, but he's also better at chasing QB's than stopping the run.

On the defensive line, there's more of the same story. NT Dontari Poe, reached a career high in sacks in 2014, but he disappointed badly in the run game after showing potential in that aspect the year before. DE Jaye Howard was unimpressive in his first season as a starter, and DE Mike Devito, whose main claim to fame is stopping the run, had his season end early due to an Achilles injury.

The secondary could be pretty strong for the Chiefs this year as Sean Smith was one of the top cover cornerbacks in the league last year. Rookie Marcus Peters is the favorite to win the other starting corner job Peters has cover skills, but he will have some growing pains so expect the occasional long TD at his expense. Once he settles  in though, and if the pass rush helps him a bit, don't be surprised if he racks up some INTs as QB's avoid Smith.

The talent is there, particularly when it comes to rushing the quarterback. If the run defense can improve in 2015 and they can continue to exhibit scoring ability on defense, this unit can have a lot of upside based on their ability to be a good scoring defense. The sacks, forced fumbles, and other takeaways should help mitigate any porousness in the running game.

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Indianapolis Colts

First Four Matchups: @BUF, NYJ, @TEN, JAC

If you're looking for an underrated D/ST unit, look no further than the Colts. They have four games with weak rushing offenses in the Falcons, Bucs, and the Titans twice. The toughest running games they will see are the Jets, Panthers, and Texans twice, but the Texans recently lost Arian Foster to a groin injury. Their competition in the passing game isn't particularly intimidating either, although they will face four top passing games in the Saints, Steelers, Falcons, and Broncos.

Indianapolis was right around the league average in rushing yards allowed with 1,814 yards, and opposing offenses were able to gain 4.3 yards per rush while scoring 14 rushing TD in 2014. Similar to the Chiefs, the Colts lack an impact run stopper. Their D-line will be made up of DE Kendall Langford, NT Josh Chapman, and DE Arthur Jones this season. Langford has never been much of a run stopper and is more of a guy used as a sub off the bench; just as the Rams utilized him in 2014. Chapman is serviceable against the run, but was also ONLY on the field on first down and running situations. Lastly, Jones really isn't much of an asset against the pass rush and he's also slipping in terms of stopping the run.

The Colts were ninth in the league in sacks with 41 in 2014, and limited teams through the air by allowing the 12th lowest amount of passing yards. They only had 12 INT despite this, but look for that to improve this season. Vontae Davis has developed into one of the league's best cornerbacks, not allowing a single TD catch against him in the 2014 season. The rest of the secondary isn't quite as strong. CB Greg Toler had teams score nine TDs on his watch last season, and receivers reeled in 70 passes for 903 yards on 125 targets against him. Safety Dwight Lowery is also a bit of a liability in coverage. Mike Adams is coming off his best season in terms of defending the pass, but at age 34 it'll be interesting to see if he can duplicate last year's success.

As for the linebackers, the Colts' best pass rusher in Robert Mathis returns after an Achilles injury ended his season early. The only caveat is he won't be back until around midseason. He's 34, but I still think he has something left in the tank. Bjoern Werner was not able to fill Mathis' shoes very well last year as he only amassed five sacks and was average at best in the run game. However, he can still improve as this is only his third year in the NFL. D'Qwell Jackson started slow last season, but he was very effective in run protection during the second half. Jerrell Freeman is a subpar run defender, but makes up for it by being fairly adept at pass coverage. Last, but certainly not least, is Trent Cole as he will look to boost the LB core with his above average pass rushing ability and solid run stopping.

They have their flaws, but they should be able to get after the QB and force some mistakes. It helps that their offense can contribute to their defense as well if they can force the opposing teams to abandon the run. They're not a shutdown defense, but they can rack up the points on any given week. Even if the game isn't a blowout, they're strong enough that they won't hurt your fantasy team.

Cleveland Browns

First Four Matchups: @NYJ, TEN, OAK, @SD,

The Cleveland Browns make for an interesting D/ST unit because while they have the second-hardest schedule of any run defense (eight matchups against above-average ground games), they also have the fourth-easiest schedule in terms of passing. They have a whopping 10 games against the more underwhelming aerial assaults in the league.

The Browns were absolutely gashed on the ground last year as they gave up the most rushing yards in the league with 2,265. Their best run defender, DE Jabaal Sheard, is a member of the Pats now, but Cleveland addressed this by selecting three defensive linemen in the first three rounds of the draft. NT Danny Shelton shifts into the starting lineup as a run stopper with some pass rushing capability. Phil Taylor is back this season and the team added Randy Starks via free agency, but look for the rookies to try and bolster that line in 2015.

The linebackers are a different story for the Browns as there is some talent here. Karlos Dansby is still great in pass coverage despite being 33 now, and Barkevious Mingo improved in his sophomore season,  particularly against the run.

Despite a low sack total, the Browns were still very good at defending the pass. In large part this is thanks to Joe Haden being an elite cornerback. Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson were no slouches either as Gibson was excellent in coverage while Whitner was great in run support (hence the short-lived nickname "Hitner"). Buster Skrine departed in the offseason so last year's first-rounder, Justin Gilbert, is going to have to settle into the #2 corner role quickly. Having Tramon Williams though will add some veteran leadership at corner.

The Browns have the tools, but will it translate? I know their performance against the run last year may scare some away, but the fact that they will get their share of takeaways is worth taking a gamble on. They've made some improvements and Duke Johnson will also boost them with his skills as a returner as he could take a few kicks to the house.

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