Fantasy Football Position Rankings, Version 2.0: Team Defenses

It's been over a month since we last posted positional fantasy football rankings, so it's time to run our second version. Plus, we added some staff. This is now an average ranking from eight Fantasy FanHouse writers. To view the early version of our team defense rankings, click here.

The Steelers are again number one in our rankings, while the Rams sit in the last slot, narrowly losing to the Lions in the competition to be the 31st-ranked defense. I treat defenses like kickers on draft day and wait till the end, as I love having a middle-ranked defense against a bad offense every week -- selecting one by finding a home team playing a low-ranked scoring offense and preferably a QB that turns the ball over a lot. If that's not a strategy for you, here are our thoughts on the best and worst defenses in fantasy football.

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Defensive Unit

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

They were first in points allowed and first in yards allowed, first in pass defense and second in run defense. Lawrence Timmons is becoming just another Steeler stud, of which they seemingly have no end. Will rookie DT Evander Hood be next?

2. New York Giants

Last year, the Giants lost starting pass-rusher Osi Umenyiora and still finished as one of the best defenses in the league. Talented and having great depth, they brought in a couple more linemen (Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard) and two new linebackers (Michael Boley and Clint Sintim).

3. Baltimore Ravens

Don't fret the loss of Bart Scott to the Jets, as Tavares Gooden should be a solid replacement. However, the loss of Rex Ryan could hurt more. Terrell Suggs inked a massive new contract, eliminating one potential distraction.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Jared Allen has made a huge impact on the Vikings' pass rush, which finished in the top ten in sacks again in 2008. The rush defense is the best in the league, and with the Williamses looking like a solid bet to avoid suspension, the Vikings should be among the best defenses again.

5. San Diego Chargers

Throw last year's numbers out the window -- Shawne Merriman is back, Kevin Burnett was added, and Larry English was drafted, making the 2009 Chargers D much more ferocious than last year's version.

6. Tennessee Titans

How will they fare without Albert Haynesworth? Rankers list the Titans as high as second and as low as tenth, so no one can really totally agree on the severity of the loss. It'll be tough to draft the Titans for good value, as many will want to take them early based on 2008.

7. Chicago Bears

Like the Titans, predictions for the Bears range from two to ten. With Rod Marinelli in tow, expect Chicago to gear up the sack totals. They already are one of the top teams in interceptions, so a spike in sacks should move them into top-defense territory.

8. New York Jets

The Eric Mangini Jets were an average defense, but big things are in store for the Rex Ryan Jets. They added Bart Scott, Lito Sheppard and Jim Leonhard, but the big key will be whether Ryan can turn Vernon Gholston into a weapon or not.

9. Philadelphia Eagles

The last of the surefire top-10 defenses, the Eagles lost a few of their long-time starters in the offseason. The defensive line is still stellar and the secondary remains strong. They were top five in each of the major categories last year and have the pieces in place to repeat.

10. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys easily led the league in sacks behind DeMarcus Ware's 20, but the team couldn't get many interceptions, finishing with just eight. Liability Roy Williams is gone from the secondary, which doesn't hurt their potential in 2009.

11. New England Patriots
12. Miami Dolphins
13. Carolina Panthers
14. Seattle Seahawks
15. Washington Redskins
16. Green Bay Packers
17. Houston Texans
18. Indianapolis Colts
19. Arizona Cardinals
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Buffalo Bills
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Atlanta Falcons
24. Oakland Raiders
25. San Francisco 49ers
26. Kansas City Chiefs
27. Cleveland Browns
28. New Orleans Saints
29. Denver Broncos
30. Cincinnati Bengals
31. Detroit Lions
32. St. Louis Rams

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-18-2009 @ 6:38PM

DrThunder said...

Wow the Redskins are horribly underrated you're telling me the 4th ranked D last year adding Hanesworth, Orakpo and now a young DE will be 15th most valuable? With the deep depth of the Redskins secondary? Wow. That's just offensive. Pun intended. Geeshhhh

7-18-2009 @ 7:01PM

Matt Snyder said...

It's fantasy football. The Redskins were 29th in fantasy points last season. They don't take chances for takeaways and/or sacks, which is why they are really good at keeping the yardage and scoring down ... but fantasy points are accrued through takeaways, sacks and defensive touchdowns. We were actually quite generous to rank them that high.

7-18-2009 @ 8:23PM

Adam said...

Everyone knows I'm a total Skins homer, but I do agree with their place on the list as of right now. (And based on last year, 15 is generous.) But I will say that with the additions and improvements we've made, don't be surprised if we quickly move up to be a top fantasy defensive team. All the work done with the defense this off-season have been to improve things which count in fantasy football, so the Skins will be a good sleeper D.