2017 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defense

Tony Fortier-Bensen

2017 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defense image

It’s never easy to draft defense/special teams in fantasy football, and this year is no exception. The race to find a top-10 D/ST is as wide open as Antonio Brown against a Saints cornerback. Many of last season’s mid-level defenses stocked up and could be surprise sleepers like the Vikings were in 2016. We’ve gone ahead and tackled defense rankings for the 2017 fantasy season, giving you one more addition to your cheat sheets.

WEEK 1 RANKINGS: Defense/special teams

Your starting defense can be streamed each week based on scheduling or who plays the Browns, but the Broncos and Chiefs, who finished among the top four fantasy D/STs last year, have the first and second easiest schedules based on win-loss records, respectively. With little change on defense for both teams, it’s likely they’ll finish toward the top again. Many of last year’s top defenses (Vikings, Seahawks, Texans) face some of the toughest schedules, but that's no reason to shy away from them. Teams like the Panthers and Ravens have a chance to return to their former glories after subpar performances last season.

Like usual, you don’t want to draft a defense too early -- the middle-to-late rounds is best -- and if someone in your league drafts a defense way too quickly, don’t get suckered into following the leader. There’s gold to be found in the bottom of the pile.

MORE RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Kicker | Top 200

Again, there’s no shame in playing a week-by-week committee, which most likely will happen, but if you want the best defense or the gold at the bottom of the pile, here’s who we like heading into the season.

The rankings below are bound to change throughout the preseason, so check back often for updates and analysis.

DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2017 fantasy football cheat sheet

Fantasy Football 2017: Defense rankings

1. Denver Broncos. The Broncos have finished as a top-two fantasy D/ST back-to-back years now, and they’ll likely do it again. They tied Seattle for the most top-10 fantasy weeks with nine last year, including four games with 15-plus points. They were top five in points allowed (297), fumble recoveries (13), and sacks (42), and they ranked sixth with four touchdowns. They had little turnover and kept their star players Von Miller, Aqib Talib, Brandon Marshall and Chris Harris Jr.
2. Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs excelled in almost every facet of defense and special teams last season. Defensively, they tied for first with 18 interceptions and five defensive touchdowns and finished in first with 15 fumble recoveries. And they still have Tyreek Hill handling the punting and kickoff return duties, who led the league with three touchdowns. Not much has changed with their core group of Marcus Peters, Justin Houston and Eric Berry returning, so the Chiefs could be looking at another top-three finish.
3. Seattle Seahawks. After a Week 1 matchup against the Packers, the rest of the Seahawks schedule lightens up immensely. The Seahawks weren’t the ballhawks we’ve always known, finishing 21st in interceptions and 19th in fumble recoveries, but they did finish with nine top-10 fantasy weeks, tying Denver for the most. With their core group returning, they’ll most likely rebound from a No. 9 finish and get back into the top five.
4. Minnesota Vikings. The dominance the Vikings displayed early last season (17 fantasy PPG in Weeks 1-5) was head and shoulders above the competition at the time, and they rode that to be the highest scoring defense in 2016. The D/ST is essentially the same with the exception of Captain Munnerlyn on defense and Cordarrelle Patterson on special teams, but they should hold their own. Schedule-wise, they have some games to avoid including the Saints, Falcons and Packers twice.
5. Houston Texans. The Texans D/ST struggled to put up fantasy numbers last year, only posting four double-digit weeks, but much of that can be attributed to J.J. Watt playing only three games.They still managed to finish 12th overall, though it's the first time the Texans fell outside the top-seven since 2013. They lost A.J. Bouye and Quintin Demps (seven of team’s 11 interceptions) in the secondary, but their front seven is strong with Watt coming back and Jadeveon Clowney, Brian Cushing and Whitney Mercilus.

WEEK 1 RANKINGS
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

6. New York Giants.  The New York Football Giants played some strong football on defense last year, holding opponents to 17.4 points per game (second best). They jumped from bottom-feeder defense in 2015 to the No. 5 D/ST in '16, and that’s where they’ll be this year. Landon Collins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were ballhawks with 11 interceptions between them (17 in total for fourth most). Upfront, Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison look to improve after being middle of the pack in sacks, and with further development of sophomore Eli Apple, the Giants could be even better in '17.
7. Arizona Cardinals. From the outside, it feels like the Cardinals D/ST had a disappointing year, but they still ended as the No. 3 D/ST. The team loses a nearly a fourth of their NFL-leading 48 sacks with Calais Campbell and cornerback Tony Jefferson gone, but they still have Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, Markus Golden and Chandler Jones. They also have potential for multiple big games, facing the Rams and 49ers twice and the entire AFC South.
8. Baltimore Ravens. Despite scoring four fantasy points in the final four weeks, the Ravens finished as the No. 7 D/ST team in 2016. They posted eight top-10 fantasy weeks (tied for third-most) and compiled 18 interceptions (tied for first). They upgraded their secondary with Tony Jefferson and 16th-overall pick Marlon Humphrey to help Eric Weddle, Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith. They weren't that great in sacks or fumble recoveries, but an uptick in those categories could make them better than last year. For more on the Ravens, read our D/ST sleeper picks
9. New England Patriots. The Patriots have always been steady on defense without making too much noise. They held offenses to NFL-leading 14.7 PPG, but they were middle of the pack in interceptions, fumble recoveries and sacks. They added Stephon Gilmore and Lawrence Guy to help Dont'a Hightower, Malcolm Butler and Devin McCourty, and there's little reason to suspect they will fall out of the top-10 among fantasy D/STs, which they haven't done since 2011.
10. Los Angeles Chargers. Who knew a 5-11 team could have a top-10 fantasy defense, but that's what the Chargers did last year. They scored five touchdowns and recorded 18 interceptions, tied for first in NFL, and they were one of three D/STs to score positive points every week. With Gus Bradley taking over the defense, things should improve even more and could lead to surprise dominance similar to the 2016 Vikings, especially with the third easiest schedule this year. For more on the Chargers, read our D/ST sleeper picks .

DRAFT STRATEGY AND TIERS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST

11. Carolina Panthers. The Panthers' No. 14 fantasy rankings last year had a ton of variables surrounding it. They finished in the top four in interceptions (17) and sacks (47), even with their star Luke Kuechly missing six games. However, most of their overall fantasy points were killed with poor performances against top offenses like the Saints and Falcons twice, Oakland and Seattle.The Panthers are a strong candidate for a rebound season with the addition of Julius Peppers, Captain Munnerlyn and Mike Adams.
12. Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are usually a fantasy D/ST that you can depend on, but that wasn't the case last year. They finished 19th, the second time in the past three years.  Although they tied for fourth with 17 interceptions and gave up 19.1 PPG (eighth fewest), they struggled mightily in sacks (tied for 19th) and fumble recoveries (last). They return their core defensive group and drafted three defensive linemen.They should improve from last year, especially playing the fourth-easiest schedule.
13. Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles' biggest weakness last year was sacks (tied for 15th), so they drafted Derek Barnett in the first round and signed Chris Long. This D/ST ended as the sixth-ranked defense, but that can be attributed to their five touchdowns (third-most).  The unit came out strong in 2016 with six straight top-10 fantasy weeks, but they ended the rest of the season with only two, including a six-week stretch scoring five or fewer points. They should improve on sacks, but the Eagles will most likely regress.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars.  Many analysts were high on the Jaguars heading into last season, but they fell flat to 20th. This year, some have them as high as five or as low as 22. They have a talented bunch with Malik Jackson, Paul Poluszny, Jalen Ramsey and Dante Fowler Jr. and added Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye. It helps they play the second-easiest schedule. They have potential to be a top-10 team, but it wouldn't be shocking for them to disappoint again either.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steel Curtain is still strong for Pittsburgh, but fantasy-wise, they finished the year as the 15th overall D/ST. Over the final seven weeks of the season, they were one of the best D/STs, scoring nine or more points five times. The ageless wonder James Harrison still leads the defense that experienced little turnover with Cameron Hayward, Bud Dupree, Ryan Shazier and William Gay all back.
16. Tennessee Titans. In this decade, the Titans haven't finished better than 16th among fantasy D/ST, but it could change this year. They collected 40 sacks, sixth-most, with Brian Orakpo, Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. They added two Super Bowl winners in lineman Sylvester Williams from Denver and cornerback Logan Ryan from New England. After scoring zero touchdowns in special teams, they have a strong battle between free-agent signee Eric Weems and rookie Adoree Jackson.
17. Los Angeles Rams. The Rams haven't been good offensively for quite some time, but they have been good defensively, ranking in the top 12 for the past four seasons. In 2015, both sides failed, and the team was 23rd overall fantasy D/ST. The Rams forced only 18 turnovers and finished 24th with 31 sacks. Connor Barwin was added to help Aaron Donald, but they still have holes in the defense that need to be filled.
18. Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys had a much improved defense last year, but they only managed to finish 17th in fantasy. They were one of seven teams that failed to score a non-offensive touchdown. They lost pretty much their entire starting secondary with Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr and Barry Church. To make up for the loss, they drafted four secondary players. First-round pick Taco Charlton should help improve a line that finished 13th in sacks last year, but the Cowboys will be very young and inexperienced.
19. Miami Dolphins. The talent is there, but you could make an argument the Dolphins D/ST underperformed last year. Despite having Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake, they only managed 33 sacks (tied for 19th). They picked up William Hayes to improve the line and LB Lawrence Timmons to play alongside Kiki Alonso.  They were tied for ninth in interceptions and led the league in blocked kicks, but they'll have to improve in a lot more categories to be a steady D/ST option.
20. Atlanta Falcons. With Dan Quinn at the helm, Atlanta's D/ST has been revamped in the past couple years. They still haven't finished in the top 15, but they have a solid group of young studs like Vic Beasley, Deion Jones and De'Vontre Campbell. The Falcons signed Dontari Poe to help up front, as well. The defense scored five touchdowns, but still gave up the sixth-most points in the NFL. Still, they are on the rise.

SLEEPERS: 5 QBs | 14 RBs | 8 TEs | 11 WRs | 5 D/STsOne from each team

21. Washington Redskins. The Redskins D/ST finished in the top 10 in forced fumbles and sacks, but it gave up the fifth-most yards at 6,044. They managed to limit the damage to a middle-of-the-pack 22.5 PPG, but it wasn't enough to prevent their 27th overall D/ST ranking in 2016. They added D.J. Swearinger to help Josh Norman and improve interceptions, and first-round pick Jonathan Allen and free agent Zach Brown should help Ryan Kerrigan and Mason Foster on the front seven.
22. Oakland Raiders. Many experts saw the Raiders as a possible sleeper team last year, but they struggled. They finished with a league-low 25 sacks and nearly 23 points a game allowed. They still have Khalil Mack, but he doesn't have that much help around him.The addition of Cordarrelle Patterson should be helpful for a special teams unit that didn't score any touchdowns.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs D/ST started cold and ended hot. Four times, they scored negative points, and six times they scored at least 12 points, including five in the last eight games. Even during that hot streak, though, they scored two and negative-two points, respectively. They have a strong core returning, and they hope Vernon Hargreaves can have a better year in his sophomore campaign. Four touchdowns and 17 interceptions helped the Bucs D/ST earn an 11th D/ST ranking last year, but they are hit or miss and more likely to be a good streaming team.
24. Green Bay Packers.  The Packers D/ST ended the year as the 20th-ranked defense, even with stars like Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix. They had good stats (tied for second with 17 interceptions, top 10 with 40 sacks), but they gave up a ton of points and yards. The Packers lost a good amount of solid starters like Peppers, Micah Hyde and Datone Jones, and it'll be hard for them to improve upon last year.
25. Cleveland Browns
26. Detroit Lions
27. Chicago Bears
28. Buffalo Bills
29. New Orleans Saints
30. Indianapolis Colts
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. New York Jets

Tony Fortier-Bensen