September 6, 2025
The Jacksonville Jaguars face
Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. The Jaguars defense was one of the worst in football last year so it is hard to trust them in fantasy football this year, but a Week 1 matchup with the Panthers means they could perform solidly. Young played better last year down the stretch after being benched, but their offense still should be viewed as one of the best matchups for defenses this season. The Jaguars have some solid defensive players and athletes, especially if Travis Hunter can apply his receiver ball skills to the defense, but from a season-long standpoint, it is difficult to have faith in them. However, in Week 1, they are worth consideration at the very least.
--Seth Quinn - RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
The Chicago Bears defense enters the 2025 season with a new identity after a major offseason shakeup. Following the midseason firing of head coach and defensive play-caller Matt Eberflus, Chicago brought in former Saints head coach Dennis Allen to take over defensive duties. Last year, the Bears were a rollercoaster on defense, finishing 13th in points allowed and 11th in turnovers forced, but just 27th in yards surrendered. Their Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings isn't ideal, as Minnesota scored 30 points in both meetings last season, averaging 391 yards per game. The Vikings are handing the keys to the offense to rookie quarterback
J.J. McCarthy, who makes his first career start under the bright lights of Monday Night Football. While the spotlight could lead to mistakes, McCarthy inherits a strong supporting cast and a favorable system, making it tough to count on Chicago's defense as a fantasy option. The Bears open the week ranked as the D/ST15 in RotoBaller's rankings, outside the typical starting range. Fantasy managers should treat them as a sit in Week 1 until Allen's defense proves it can be more than a matchup-dependent streamer.
--Nathan HarveySource: Courtney Cronin - ESPN
September 6, 2025
The Denver Broncos defense enters 2025 as one of the premier units in football. After an ugly 2023 season that they allowed the sixth-most points in the league (including a 70-point debacle vs. Miami), they bounced back in 2024 in dominant fashion, finishing as the top-scoring fantasy D/ST. This year, they're not just looking to repeat; they've gotten even better. Denver bolstered its defense by signing S Talanoa Hufanga and LB Dre Greenlaw (who's out Week 1 due to a quad injury), while adding first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron to a secondary already led by Patrick Surtain II. Week 1 sets up perfectly for fantasy managers as the Broncos face rookie QB
Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans. With
Will Levis and
Mason Rudolph under center, the Titans led the NFL in turnovers and ranked bottom six in points scored last season. RotoBaller has Denver ranked as the No. 1 projected D/ST for the week, and with a rookie quarterback making his first career start on the road, the Broncos defense is a must-start in all formats.
--Nathan HarveySource: Denver 7
September 6, 2025
The New York Jets defense/special teams boasts a strong matchup in Week 1 when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. 2024 was a peculiar season for the team's defense. Despite yielding the third-fewest passing yards per game to opponents (192.6), they were a bottom-half unit in points allowed per game (23.8). The Jets' defense was notably worse off after the departure of former head coach Robert Saleh last season, but they look to put that behind them with the hiring of first-time head coach Aaron Glenn. Their defensive core from the previous campaign remains intact, supplemented by free agent signings and a slew of promising draft picks as they prepare to square off against their former quarterback,
Aaron Rodgers. This defense likely knows Rodgers well - as does Glenn - and is in a smash spot as RotoBaller's DST5 ahead of Week 1.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
September 6, 2025
The Arizona Cardinals defense/special teams was very inconsistent last season, which was a common theme amongst the entire squad. They were smack in the middle of the pack at 15th for points against (22.3 per game), and they ranked 20th in takeaways. This past offseason, however, the team focused on bolstering the defense in a big way. They added Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, and Will Johnson while drafting defensive prospects in each of the first five rounds of the NFL Draft. Their first matchup is against the New Orleans Saints, who are rolling out
Spencer Rattler to start the season. That has huge streaming value written all over it after the Saints' offense looked abysmal last season with Rattler under center.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
The New Orleans Saints defense/special teams will start the season without veteran Chase Young, who was ruled out on Friday's injury report. Team captains Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Justin Reid will lead the unit. The Saints recorded zero defensive touchdowns in 2024, and their only fantasy upside comes from wide receiver
Rashid Shaheed on punt returns. Ranked 26th this week by RotoBaller, the unit should not be rostered in any fantasy format.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
The Miami Dolphins defense will have a new look for the 2025 season going into coordinator Anthony Weaver's second season in South Florida. The Dolphins traded away star cornerback Jalen Ramsey and brought in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to lead an extremely young secondary that includes second-year cornerback Storm Duck, rookie Jason Marshall Jr., and free-agent addition Ifeatu Melifonwu. The pass rush should also be strong with Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Chop Robinson bringing heat off the edge. They'll have a good matchup to start the year against
Daniel Jones and the Colts, which is why the defense is the No. 12 D/ST in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings. The unit is still a work in progress, but we'll get a good idea of what to expect from the new group of playmakers in Miami this year as they get the season started in Indianapolis.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
September 6, 2025
The New England Patriots defense/special teams opens the 2025 season this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, who made a concerted effort to improve their offense this offseason. In addition to upgrading at head coach with Pete Carroll, the Raiders made a couple of splashes by drafting running back
Ashton Jeanty and acquiring quarterback
Geno Smith. They also added rookie receiver
Jack Bech. All of these moves supplement an existing solid offensive core headlined by wide receiver
Jakobi Meyers and last year's rookie sensation, tight end
Brock Bowers. Between Las Vegas having plenty of firepower on offense and the Patriots' defense being average on paper, this is a matchup fantasy managers should look to avoid in Week 1. You can leave the Patriots D/ST on waivers this Sunday.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
The Indianapolis Colts defense will open the season with a home matchup against the Miami Dolphins. The Colts will look to start fast against a Dolphins offense that is a bit of an unknown in a game with a 46.5-point over/under. The offensive line is a concern for the Dolphins, which could lead to a lot of pressure on
Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday. That being said, Miami still has plenty of dangerous skill players on its roster and the Indy defense isn't talented enough to lock in as a top option. Treat them as a mid-range fantasy defense heading into Week 1.
--Matt TerelleSource: NFL.com
September 6, 2025
The Tennessee Titans defense should be avoided ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Tennessee didn't make many additions on the defensive side of the ball over the offseason, and they're relatively ill-prepared to face off against a Broncos offense that exceeded expectations last year. Denver has a young star at its quarterback position in
Bo Nix, expects big things from wide receiver
Courtland Sutton this year, welcomed a huge tight end upgrade in
Evan Engram, and added youth and proven track record at running back with
R.J. Harvey and
J.K. Dobbins, respectively. The Broncos' offense can attack teams with a variety of its skill position players, and Tennessee might not have an answer for it. They rank outside the top 20 fantasy D/ST units this week.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
After a down year in 2024, San Francisco's D/ST is in good shape for a rebound when they face the Seahawks in Week 1. For starters, former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is returning to his former role to lead the 49ers' defensive unit. The addition of Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins via the NFL Draft should improve things up front, too. Last year, the Niners were tied with the 12th-fewest sacks and fourth-fewest tackles for losses. San Francisco should be productive on Sunday, as Seattle has one of the lowest-ranked offensive lines in the league and last year allowed the third-most sacks in the NFL. Fantasy managers who didn't reach for an elite D/ST squad in their drafts could do well to start their season with San Francisco in Week 1.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
September 6, 2025
New York Giants defense may be a sneaky good fantasy play for Week 1 despite the team's struggles last season. While the Giants' overall defense ranked 24th in 2024, they were tied for ninth in the league with 45 sacks and added rookie Abdul Carter, the third overall pick, to their formidable pass rush. The Commanders offense was a fantasy gold mine for opposing defenses last season, allowing 50 sacks in 2024. This presents a prime opportunity for the Giants' defensive line to wreak havoc on quarterback
Jayden Daniels. The combination of a strong pass rush, a new veteran cornerback in Paulson Adebo, and a favorable matchup make the Giants defense a solid streaming option for Week 1.
--Danny BoilySource: NFL.com
September 5, 2025
The Atlanta Falcons defense/special teams ranked in the bottom third in points allowed per game last season (24.9) and struggled to get after the quarterback, finishing with the second-fewest sacks in the NFL (31). They'll take on the Buccaneers in Week 1, a team that put up 30 points on them in Week 5 last year and 26 points in Week 8. However, on Sunday, the Bucs will be without one of their top pass catchers in
Chris Godwin and, perhaps more importantly, will be without 4x Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, which should make getting pressure on quarterback
Baker Mayfield a bit easier. Even so, with this matchup having one of the higher expected totals on the slate (47.5) and Tampa Bay as the favorites, Atlanta is not expected to shut down this offense. There are likely better options available to fantasy managers in Week 1, and the Falcons should be avoided in both season-long and DFS formats.
--Jarod RuppSource: Rotoballer
September 5, 2025
The Houston Texans defense is a fringe play in Week 1 as they go on the road to visit the Rams.
Matthew Stafford has battled a back issue throughout training camp, so his reps have been limited, and the starters have not logged as much playing time as would be ideal. They also added
Davante Adams to the mix while
Cooper Kupp departed over the past offseason, so it may take time to find a new rhythm. The Texans' defense has playmakers to disrupt the Rams in Week 1, led by edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who combined for 23 sacks last year and should be able to get plenty of pressure on Stafford. Derek Stingley Jr. is a key contributor as an elite lockdown cornerback, and Jalen Pitre has emerged as a star in a hybrid role. The Texans DST is the No. 14 DST in the RotoBaller Week 1 rankings, making them a startable but not must-start play in Week 1 on the road.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
September 5, 2025
The Baltimore Ravens defense/special teams has one of the tougher matchups in Week 1. They take on the reigning MVP,
Josh Allen, and the Buffalo Bills, who put up 27 points on them with no turnovers. The Ravens did add two highly touted rookies to the defense in Mike Green and Malaki Starks, while adding veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander, who was cleared from the injury report. While RotoBaller has the Ravens ranked as the fourth-best defense heading into this season, they're only projected to get 4.0 points. Fantasy managers may just have to take the gamble and look towards better matchups throughout the season.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
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