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Video: Week 1 Defense (D/ST) Must Starts for Fantasy Football

Matt's top team defense (D/ST) fantasy football starts for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Follow these fantasy football D/ST starts when setting lineups and win more.

Kickoff of the 2025 NFL season is just days away, which means it's time to put the finishing touches on your fantasy football rosters!

RotoBaller analyst Matt Donnelly drops his MUST START D/ST units for Week 1 of the season. Get these dynamic defenses in your lineups now! Win MORE in 2025 with RotoBaller!

Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning at 6:00 AM ET. You can also find new weekly shows on YouTubeSpreaker, SpotifyiTunes and on the site under RotoBaller Radio podcasts.

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

 

Week 1 D/ST Fantasy Football Must Starts

Matt Donnelly drops his top Defenses for Week 1 of the 2025 fantasy football season:

Thanks for listening to today's episode! Be sure to tune in throughout the week, and to also follow RotoBaller on Twitter, YouTube, Spotify and iTunes for the latest fantasy news and analysis.

 

Defense (D/ST) Fantasy Football Rankings

You can also check out our team's full fantasy football D/ST rankings below:

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

 

Who Should I Draft Tool

Use this free tool to compare team defenses against each other, or other players drafted in similar places. You can also see the Who Should I Draft tool here.

2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus in on specific team defenses like Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football drafts.

Who Should I Draft?

Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...

Who To Draft?
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Choose From The Top Ranked Players
Overall
QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DST
Rookies

 

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections and more.

Recent Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2025 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

 

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our for team defenses:

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More Fantasy Football Analysis



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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jauan Jennings

Good to Go in Week 7
George Kittle

Cleared to Return Against the Falcons
Brendan Donovan

Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery
George Springer

Exits Game 5 Early After HBP on his Knee
Jackson Chourio

Back in Game 4 Lineup Against Dodgers
Deebo Samuel Sr.

Questionable for Week 7
Kyler Murray

Officially Questionable for Week 7
George Kittle

Likely Playing in Week 7
Alexander Romanov

to Be a Game-Time Call Saturday
Nils Lundkvist

Nursing Lower-Body Injury
Justin Danforth

Expected to Miss More Than One Month
Brock Bowers

Considered Doubtful for Week 7
Jonathan Huberdeau

Set for Season Debut Saturday
Brock Purdy

Ruled Out Again in Week 7
Liam O'Brien

Makes Season Debut Friday
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Clears Concussion Protocol, Will be Active on Sunday
Pierre-Luc Dubois

Out Against Wild
Lucas Raymond

to Remain Out Friday
CeeDee Lamb

Off the Injury Report, Will Return in Week 7
Anze Kopitar

Out Week-to-Week
Josh Jacobs

Listed as Questionable For Week 7
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Has Bone Spurs Removed From his Elbow
Carson Wentz

Named Vikings' Starting Quarterback in Week 7
Brendan Allen

Set For UFC Vancouver Main Event
Reinier de Ridder

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Mike Malott

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
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Rams "Very Optimistic" Puka Nacua Will Return After Week 8 Bye
Kevin Holland

Set For UFC Vancouver Co-Main Event
Aiemann Zahabi

Looks For His Seventh Consecutive Win
D'Andre Swift

Bears "Hopeful" That D'Andre Swift Will Play in Week 7
Bradley Beal

Set to Make Clippers Debut in Preseason Finale
Marlon Vera

Returns At UFC Vancouver
VJ Edgecombe

Set to Return for Preseason Finale
Calvin Ridley

Ruled Out for Sunday
Jeremy Sochan

Won't Play in Season Opener
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
AJ Green

Bucks Agree to Contract Extension
Manon Fiorot

Looks To Bounce Back
Stefon Diggs

Questionable for Sunday
Aoriqileng

Aori Aoriqileng Looks To Rebound
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Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
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Considered Day-to-Day with Hamstring Tightness
Kyle Nelson

Set For Lightweight Bout
Matt Frevola

Set To Open Up UFC Vancouver Main Card
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Will Miss Four Weeks After Knee Surgery
Paul George

Expected to Miss Season Opener
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Will Return in Week 7
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Set to Make Preseason Debut on Friday
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Ruled Out for Week 7
Puka Nacua

Inactive for Week 7
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Will Not Play in Week 7, Could Return in Week 8?
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Goes for Over 100 Rushing Yards in Win Over Steelers
Mark Stone

Stays Hot With Hat Trick of Assists
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Continues Prolific Start
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Pots Sixth Goal of the Campaign
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Pushes Canadiens Past Predators
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Makes History With Another Assist
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Nets Second Career Hat Trick
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Sustains Undisclosed Injury Thursday
Jaylen Warren

Highly Efficient on the Ground Thursday, Adds Value as Receiver
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Anthony Santander

Removed From ALCS Roster With Back Injury
Jackson Chourio

Aggravates Hamstring, Pulled Early in Game 3 of NLCS
Brady Tkachuk

to Miss 6-8 Weeks After Having Thumb Surgery
Noah Hanifin

Remains Sidelined Thursday
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Starts Against Panthers
Troy Terry

Expected to Play Thursday
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Will Not Need Elbow Surgery
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Won't be Ready for Start of Next Season
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Won't be Ready for Opening Day Next Year
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Chris Livingston Waived by the Bucks
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Nique Clifford Shines in Keegan Murray's Absence
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Continues to Start at Point Guard
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Earns a Two-Way Deal with the Celtics
Charlotte Hornets

Spencer Dinwiddie Waived by the Hornets
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Sterling Shepard's Stock Rising for Buccaneers
CFB

Jermod McCoy Officially Out for Alabama Matchup
CFB

Jam Miller Questionable to Face Tennessee
Jaden Ivey

Considered Day-to-Day
Josh Hart

Making Progress
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Busy in Preseason Debut
Keegan Murray

Lands Five-Year, $140 Million Extension
Domantas Sabonis

Sustains Hamstring Injury Wednesday
Jaylen Brown

"Fine" Following Wednesday's Early Exit
CFB

Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt Probable For Saturday
Kevon Looney

Slated to be Sidelined With Knee Injury
Anthony Volpe

Undergoes Left-Shoulder Surgery
CFB

Jayden Gibson No Longer with Oklahoma Program
Emmanuel Clase

to be Banished for Life After Gambling Allegations?
Alex Bregman

Plans to Opt Out of Contract With Red Sox
Christopher Bell

Sits Third in Points After Quiet Third-Place Finish
Chase Briscoe

Passes Denny Hamlin at the Start, but Hamlin Gets Him in the End
Joey Logano

Falling Out of Playoff Picture Despite Other Contenders' Crashes
Ryan Blaney

Stage 1 Crash Puts Ryan Blaney in Severe Playoff Trouble
Denny Hamlin

Wins at Las Vegas and Will Compete for the 2025 Cup Series Title
Kyle Larson

Dominates at Las Vegas but Ends Up Second
Chase Elliott

Struggles to Gain A Solid Finish at Las Vegas After Pit-Road Penalty
William Byron

Strong Run Ends In A Wreck at Las Vegas
CFB

Sam Leavitt Viewed as Day-to-Day with Undisclosed Injury
Anthony Santander

Scratched From Game 2 of ALCS With Back Tightness
San Diego Padres

Mike Shildt Retires as a Manager
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Suffers Second-Round Submission Loss
Charles Oliveira

Gets Back In The Win Column
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Gets Split-Decision Victory
Vicente Luque

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Vicente Luque

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Jhonata Diniz

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
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Remains Undefeated
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Matt Rhule Denying Interest in Penn State Head Coaching Job
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Le'Veon Moss Not Believed to Have Suffered Season-Ending Injury
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Bill Belichick Says he's Committed to North Carolina
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UAB Fires Head Coach Trent Dilfer After 2.5 Seasons In Birmingham
CFB

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CFB

Penn State QB Drew Allar Will Miss The Rest Of 2025 Season With Ankle Injury
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Added to ALCS Roster
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Bo Bichette

Won't Make ALCS Roster
Christopher Bell

the Favorite to Win at Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin

on the Pole at Las Vegas
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William Byron

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NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Should Contend at Las Vegas
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After Josh Berry's Las Vegas Win, Ryan Blaney Should be a Top Contender
Chase Briscoe

has Definitely Improved on Intermediate Tracks

RANKINGS

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RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP