Fantasy Football Defensive Rankings 2024

Whether you prioritize a roster spot for a specific defense week in and week out or stream the position through the waiver wire, the D/ST spot in fantasy football is always given careful consideration.

If you do decide to draft, will you go with the suffocating stopper unit like the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets? Or will you go with the big-play defense like the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys?

You can’t really go wrong with any of those options, though the 49ers could have the broadest range of outcomes of the group. They finished as the DEF10 last season, with a new defensive coordinator on board and some roster turnover; in short, it could be a mixed bag, though there’s undoubtedly a lot of potential with this Nick Bosa-led crew.

(2024 Fantasy Draft Rankings: QB’s | RB’s | WR’s | TE’s | D/ST | Shovels)

Even if you don’t pay too much for a top D/ST option, there are several units available that have potential.

Take the Chicago Bears, for example, who are ranked from a top-eight D/ST by Andy Behrens to 14th by Matt Harmon. It’s an interesting sleeper option considering the Bears are ranked with the third-easiest schedule in 2024 based on projected win totals and were the DEF5 from Weeks 11-18 last year.

Or consider the Raiders D/ST, who quietly finished last year as a DEF7 and showed vast improvements in the second half of the season under then-interim-now-HC Antonio Pierce. Our team has this unit ranked from DEF14 to DEF21, but there’s undoubtedly still some potential there as long as Maxx Crosby continues to terrorize opponents.

No matter where you are in the draft order, there is an option for you. The question is, which one do you choose?

<

Which defense do you think will perform best in the 2024 fantasy football season?