X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Top NFL Team Defense (DST) Targets for Fantasy Football Drafts - 49ers, Eagles, Bills, Saints and more

Ahmad Sauce Gardner - Fantasy Football

Saleh AwwadEric identifies team defenses (DST) in fantasy football to target in drafts as consistent point producers through the entire 2023 NFL campaign.

Defenses are not the main focus for most fantasy football players. However, having an elite defense can change the entire trajectory of your season. For example, the No. 1 defense in 2022 was the New England Patriots. They scored ~11 fantasy points per game, which was equivalent to the consensus 1st overall pick Jonathan Taylor's fantasy PPG in half-PPR leagues.

Instead of having uncertainty with your defense week after week, it's important to develop an actual plan on how to approach team defenses in redraft leagues.

This will be based on the defense's talent, coaching, schedule, offensive situation, and production over the last two seasons or so, assuming they have a similar defensive roster. With that said, let's get into it. 

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Elite Matchup Proof - Fantasy Football Defenses (D/ST)

There are a couple of defenses each year that are dominant to the point where you are never benching them, regardless of who their matchup is. While you will have to take these defenses earlier than you may prefer in drafts, their consistency and upside can be well worth the draft capital. These are defenses that I believe you’ll be able to roster for the entire season and not have to pick up any other option except for a bye week.

San Francisco 49ers

This San Francisco defense is elite season after season, led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, and First Team All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. The Niners' defense dominated once again in 2022, allowing the fewest PPG as well as the fewest amount of total yards per game during the regular season. Despite losing defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to the Houston Texans, Steve Wilks will take on defensive duties and is more than capable.

While they did lose a couple of rotational pieces in free agency such as Samson Ebukam, they did give out the biggest contract to a defensive player in free agency when they acquired Eagles DT Javon Hargrave. This is a huge addition to this already elite defense and will make the defensive line and pass/rush defense even more dominant than it already is.

The 49ers ranked as the third-best fantasy football defense in 2022 according to FantasyPros and are in a great position to take that top spot in 2023.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles' defense dominated on a different level in 2022, racking up 70 sacks, which was 15 more than any other team in the league and the third most all-time in a single season.

The NFC champions did lose some key defensive players during this off-season in defensive Javon Hargrave, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, linebacker T.J. Edwards, safety Marcus Epps, and linebacker Kyzir White. However, the NFL draft helped them retool their losses as they acquired one of the top players in the entire draft in Georgia DT Jalen Carter as well as Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith at pick 30. They also selected safety Sydney Brown and cornerback Kalee Ringo.

The team will have a coaching change as well as defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon took the Cardinals' head coaching gig. However, Sean Desai is a fantastic defensive mind and can keep this unit playing at an elite level for the 2023 season. 

Dallas Cowboys

In the two seasons under Dan Quinn, Dallas has thrived like none other defensively, ranking as the number one fantasy defense in 2021 and the number two defense in 2022.

Despite already being as elite as they were, Dallas added more help to their unit, making them even more dangerous. Trading for the former DPOY Stephan Gilmore could give them an elite cornerback duo alongside Trevon Diggs. The team also added an athletic tackle out of Michigan Mazi Smith with the 26th overall pick.

These additions coupled with the fact that the runner-up DPOY Micah Parsons is moving to the defensive line put Dallas in an exceptional position to be a matchup-proof defense. They easily have the potential to finish in the top three for fantasy for the third season in a row. 

New York Jets

While the Jets were ranked just 10th in fantasy among defenses last season, they did allow the fourth-fewest PPG and were a top-three pass defense in the league.

Something that played a huge factor in the Jets not being ranked as a top-five fantasy defense was their offensive time of possession (TOP). The team had the second-lowest TOP per game in the entire league, which makes the job of the defense much more difficult. With the significant quarterback and offensive upgrades they made, the TOP will undoubtedly increase making it easier on this elite defense.

Along with the offensive jump and the additions of 15th overall pick EDGE Will McDonald IV, safety Adrian Amos, and defensive tackles Al Woods and Quinton Jefferson, this Jets defense will only be better. They have a real chance to be an every-week matchup-proof unit.

 

Fantasy Football Defenses You Can Hold Onto All Season

While I do think the top four above are in their own tier, there are defenses that can be borderline elite for fantasy in 2023 and have the ability to squeeze into that first group. These are the defenses that I would be targeting the most considering you won’t have to spend such high draft capital on them and they still give you every week starting potential.    

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo has been a top-four fantasy defense in each of the past two seasons, including allowing the second-lowest PPG in 2022. The fact that the Bills were still able to finish in the top four with the injuries they suffered is incredible. 

Some of their best players on defense including Von Miller, Tre’Davious White, and Micah Hyde all missed a significant amount of time during the season. With the entire unit expected to be back and healthy, there is no reason why Buffalo can’t finish in the top five once again. They also signed super bowl champion Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal, giving them a great run-stopper/pass rusher and some much-needed depth.

Longtime defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has stepped down but head coach Sean McDermott will take on defensive playcalling duties. McDermott has one of the greatest defensive minds in all of football as he coached Carolina's dominant defense that made it to the Super Bowl back in 2015. Buffalo should be taken as a top-five defense in redraft leagues as they have the ability to be an every-week start and finish in the top three.

New Orleans Saints

This is less of the Saints' defense being dominant and more of their schedule just being very soft. With the second easiest schedule in the entire league based on 2022 win totals, the Saints start their season against TEN, @CAR, @GB, TB, @NE, @HOU, JAX, @IND, and @CHI. Realistically, you can confidently start them in eight out of the first nine weeks. This is a defense that I’ll personally be targeting heavily late in drafts.

Under Dennis Allen’s first season as head coach, New Orleans finished as a top-10 defense in 2022. This is a defense you can draft with one of your last picks and still get weekly production from them.   

New England Patriots

Bill Belichick makes it a priority that New England has an elite defense year after year. They finished as the number two overall fantasy defense in 2021 and the number one in 2022.

Being top three in sacks and second in takeaways, this defense dominated once again in 2022, led by elite pass rusher Matthew Judon. The team did lose their longtime DB Devin McCourty who has been a huge part of this defense, but the additions of cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Georgia Tech EDGE Keion White can help recoup that loss.

Even with a difficult schedule in 2023, this Patriots' defense can still thrive as they’ve done for a very long time. This is another defense that I would feel confident in having for the entirety of the season.

Baltimore Ravens

With the elite linebacker duo of Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, Baltimore allowed the third-fewest PPG only behind the Bills and Niners, along with having the sixth most total sacks in the league.

While the Ravens did lose some starters from last season with Justin Houston, Calais Campbell, and Chuck Clark departing, the additions they made can make up for it. The team drafted Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round, despite him being a clear first or second-round talent. The team also added Rock Ya-Sin to play nickel for them, which was definitely a need. Not to mention their 45th overall pick from 2022, linebacker David Ojabo will be coming back from his torn Achilles. Ojabo was a clear first-round pick but fell due to his injury and not being completely healthy.

Baltimore finished with the 7th-most fantasy points among defenses in 2022 and will look to finish in a similar spot for the 2023 season.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders may have the most underrated defense in all of football. Washington finished as a top-three run defense, and a top-12 pass defense. They were also a top-three defense in total yards while allowing the eighth-fewest PPG. This sounds like a clear elite defense to me.

Despite some losses in free agency, the team added the very athletic and explosive DB Emmanuel Forbes and vertical DB Jartavius Martin to their secondary. However, the most dominant part of this defense is the line. Consisting of Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, and Chase Young, assuming he's available for week one. Their line creates absolute havoc for opposing offenses and is the main reason this defense ranked so highly in 2022. 

They begin the season against Arizona and Denver so this is a defense that you can get late in drafts and start early on. There is a strong possibility that you can keep them rostered all season.

 

Fantasy Football Defenses You Can Start Early On

If you aren’t taking an elite defense that you think you can hold onto all season long, you should take a defense that has a soft schedule early on in the year. This way you can have security for the first couple of weeks and see how the defense performs. 

For example, the Eagles defense was being drafted very late in 2022 but those that took them did so because of the easy schedule they had at the beginning of the season. Not only did they dominate early on, but they ended up being a  must-start every week, regardless of the matchup. 

Denver Broncos

Denver starts the season with matchups against LV, WAS, @MIA, and then @CHI. However, they can be a defense that you hold onto because of their talent. Factoring in that they’re getting their guys back from injury, Denver also picked up Frank Clark and Zach Allen and brought in head coach Sean Payton to shore up their offense. This is a defense and a team that should be much better overall in 2023.

Green Bay Packers

With a very soft schedule, the Packers start the season off @CHI, @ATL, NO, DET, @LV, and @DEN. This is a defense that you can start for the majority of the season based on matchups and may be able to keep all season considering how stacked the unit is.  

Jacksonville Jaguars 

Six out of their first eight weeks include @IND, HOU, ATL, IND, @NO, and @PIT. This unit can put up some huge weeks as they finished with the sixth most fantasy points among defenses in 2022. They were also the top united in fantasy over the last five weeks of the season. Considering that you can essentially get them for free and start them for a large portion of the season, this is one of my favorite defenses to draft in 2023.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have the easiest schedule in the entire league and will be a very popular streaming option if they're not drafted. With a ton of additions including All-Pro safety Jessie Bates, this is a defense that can be very consistent and dominate TOP with their overwhelming run game.

Miami Dolphins

While they have a difficult schedule and are in a tough division, the addition of All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey and the creation of an elite cornerback duo can push this defense over the top. They also brought in an incredible defensive coach in Vic Fangio, who’ll look to turn this unit around.]



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!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59 At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60 At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18 At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18 At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great", Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City