In seemingly every fantasy football draft or auction, at least one owner reaches or overpays for a D/ST. Even in 2022, some will overvalue defense, some will undervalue it, which is why having realistic defense dollar value projections in your cheat sheet is important. In auctions, you want to value D/ST but also value the big picture.
For auctions, the big picture is your budget. Like always, you want to get the most bang for your buck. You don’t want to spend more than $2 on a D/ST. The third dollar in a $3 D/ST bid could be the difference between Mike Evans and Davante Adams or David Montgomery and D’Andre Swift. That’s to say, an extra dollar matters more in positional bidding than it ever will on defensive bids.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet
Elite fantasy defenses rarely ever cross over from one season to the next. Too many variables inevitably exist each year, including injuries, scheduling, coaching, and personnel changes. We’ll never be able to predict multiple squads that will finish top five in D/ST scoring, never mind No. 1 overall. Since FantasyPros started keeping track of fantasy stats, no squad has ever been the top-scoring D/ST two seasons in a row.
2022 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
Another reason to avoid overspending on a defense: There’s no real positional scarcity to speak of with D/ST. It’s not as if owners clamor to build depth at D/ST — most just grab one late for a buck and utilize the rest of their roster spots for offensive depth.
2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | One from each team
Dallas surprised almost everyone by leading all fantasy defenses with 180 points last season. The Cowboys had 23 points more than New England, or 1.35 more points per game. The Patriots scored 1.29 more points per game than the Saints and Dolphins, who tied for No. 5. The Dolphins and Saints averaged less than a point more than the No. 10 Packers. Obviously, No. 1 is better than No. 10, but not by a lot.
2022 AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR):
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers | Overall
Quite often, the earliest-drafted and heaviest-bid defenses at the start of the year look vastly different than the final D/ST leaderboard after Week 17. The top six projected defenses last season — the earliest in snake drafts and most expensive in auctions — all failed to finish in the top six in D/ST scoring.
2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
Regardless of your season-long D/ST game plan, it should all start with not overpaying in your auction. It's always easier (and cheaper) to replace a defense than it is to find or replace a stud RB or WR.
We'll update these D/ST auction values until Week 1, so check back for updates.
2022 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
To get customized dollar values tailored to your league settings, check out FantasyPros' premium Auction Calculator. For customized mock auctions that you can do in minutes, check out FantasyPros' premium Salary Cap Simulator.
Fantasy Defense Auction Values 2022: D/ST dollar projections
Dollar values courtesy of FantasyPros and based on 12-team leagues with $200 budgets.
All D/STs not listed valued at $0
| Rank | Player | Dollar Value |
| 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $2 |
| 2 | Buffalo Bills | $2 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | $1 |
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys | $1 |
| 5 | Green Bay Packers | $1 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams | $1 |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | $1 |
| 8 | Miami Dolphins | $1 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Chargers | $1 |
| 10 | San Francisco 49ers | $1 |
| 11 | Indianapolis Colts | $1 |
| 12 | New England Patriots | $1 |
For full D/ST rankings and individual analysis, click here.
