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As the fantasy season quickly approaches and we are all working on our draft strategies, an often overlooked position is the Defense/Special Teams (DST). DST’s are often one of the final few picks for each fantasy player as skill position players and fantasy benches are certainly more important. In general, there really is no secret strategy when it comes to picking a DST, but over the next couple of paragraphs I will give you an idea of the top defenses to target and what is important to look for when deciding which defense to draft.
The Elite
Historically speaking teams like the Seahawks and Cardinals have been among the top defenses to come off the board in recent seasons due to their ability to create turnovers and get to the quarterback which are two of the main scoring components of a fantasy defense. The ability to create these turnovers also create opportunities for defensive touchdowns which can turn a solid fantasy day into a great fantasy day.
The Seahawks and Cardinals also benefit from playing in a relatively weak offensive division with teams like the Rams and 49ers failing to impress on the offensive side of the football. The Rams are going with rookie QB Jared Goff while the 49ers will be choosing between embattled QB Colin Kaepernick and former first round bust Blaine Gabbert who do not figure to challenge either defense in a significant way.
These two teams also benefit from having a relatively favorable out of conference schedule this season as they get the AFC East and NFC South. The Cardinals will open the season against a Patriots team without Tom Brady and will really have a stacked first few weeks of the season where they face the Buccaneers, Bills, Rams, 49ers and Jets. The Seahawks will open the year with a home game against the Dolphins and will face the Rams, 49ers, Jets for the first four weeks before coming out of a Week 5 bye with a home game against the Falcons in Week 6. Ideally these matchups should rank among the top two or three each week and give their owners an advantage over the field.
Some of the other top defenses that could easily find their way into the elite fantasy category this upcoming season could be last year’s No.1 and No.2 ranked teams in the Broncos and Chiefs, who saw some key departures to their core units but also offer the upside to put up some fantasy points.
The Field
The majority of the fantasy world will wait until their final few picks to draft a defense with the idea that ultimately they will go with the plug-and-play strategy which sees fantasy owners scouring the waiver wire each week for the best possible matchup. With this method the research is fairly simple: Draft the team with the easiest schedule. The majority of these defenses will typically rank in the middle of team defense but a favorable schedule can elevate their fantasy production and vault them towards the top 10 in points scored.
A defense that fits this mold would be the Houston Texans who have home games in four of the first six weeks and include matchups against the Bears, Chiefs and a Patriots team without Tom Brady over the first three weeks. The Texans defense is led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt along with Brian Cushing, Vince Wilfork and Jadeveon Clowney in the front seven. Another team worth taking a look at is the New England Patriots who open the season with four of their first six games at home and are coming off a season where they finished second in the league with 49 sacks and tied for the league lead with 22 forced fumbles. This defense boasts plenty of name players and is anchored by Malcolm Butler at corner and a combo of Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins at linebacker.
The Strategy
So at this point you might be wondering what exactly the strategy is when it comes to picking a defense, and the reality of the situation is that it’s all about personal preference. For me personally, I like to go with a set it and forget it approach with my defense and therefore I will usually be the one grabbing a defense a round or two before everybody else just so when it comes to in-season management I do not have to waste time trying to figure out what waiver wire defense is less likely to cost me the week. If you find that there happens to be a defense with a strong first half of the schedule and another with a solid second half of the schedule you can go ahead and draft two defenses and just mix and match.
My final words of advice would be to just pay attention to your draft. If you see a run of defenses going then don’t be afraid to grab one yourself as in fantasy every point counts and the difference between rostering a good defense or just a mediocre one can be the difference between winning and losing a week.
Player News
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports TE Dallas Goedert will remain with the Eagles in 2025.
Goedert agreed to a $4 million salary cut for the upcoming season, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. He will make $10 million in 2025 and be a free agent next offseason. It’s quite the turnabout after Eagles coaches and front office officials strongly implied for months that Goedert had played his last snap with the team. Goedert, 30, who has missed 15 games over the past three seasons, was widely expected to be dealt during the NFL Draft. Goedert will be a solid top-12 fantasy option, well behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith in the team’s target pecking order. He averaged 4.2 catches and 49.6 receiving yards per game in 2024, and had the ninth highest EPA per target among tight ends.
Titans re-signed DT James Lynch.
Lynch, 26, a former fourth round selection by the Vikings, will return for a second season with the Titans after starting all 17 games in 2024. He had 20 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack for the Titans last season. Pro Football Focus graded the Titans as last year’s fourth worst pass rush and ninth best run-defending unit.
Jaguars released WR Gabe Davis.
Davis, who secured $24 million in guarantees when he signed with Jacksonville last year, managed 20 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns over ten games in his only year with the Jags. The Davis signing is yet another in a string of disastrous decisions by the former Jacksonville front office. With Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter in the fold, the Jaguars ended their experiment with Davis, 26. He should see interest from wideout-needy teams in the coming weeks, including perhaps the Lions. Davis will be locked into a strictly downfield role wherever he lands this spring or summer.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports WR Allen Lazard is “in play” to sign with the Steelers.
Lazard has followed Aaron Rodgers from the Packers to the Jets, and now possibly to Pittsburgh if Rodgers decides to sign there and play again in 2025. Lazard had 29 catches over seven games with Rodgers under center for the Jets in 2024. He had been a healthy scratch for much of the 2023 season, which Rodgers missed with an Achilles injury. “The possibility hinges largely if not entirely on Rodgers signing with the Steelers,” Florio said. “While nothing with Rodgers is ever done until it’s done, the persistent thinking continues to be that it will happen.” Lazard would likely operate as the No. 2 wideout in Pittsburgh behind DK Metcalf. The team’s run heaviness and resulting dearth of targets would make it difficult for Lazard to be fantasy relevant in 2025.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Cowboys are finalizing a trade for Steelers WR George Pickens.
The move, which includes a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick sent to the Steelers, comes after another ESPN report saying Pickens, 24, wanted to remain in Pittsburgh. Acquiring Pickens — who has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons — addresses an area of acute need for the Cowboys, who have one of the league’s weakest wideout room behind CeeDee Lamb. Pickens and Lamb will make for one of the NFL’s best receiver duos, with Pickens functioning as a viable downfield threat for Dak Prescott, who last season ranked 15th out of 40 qualifying quarterbacks in deep ball accuracy. Pickens in 2024 was third in deep targets and second only to Alec Pierce in receiving yards on downfield receptions. Pickens will have far more upside in the Dallas offense than he did in Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf, meanwhile, will enter the 2025 season as the unquestioned No. 1 wideout for the run-heavy Steelers. His fantasy prospects look much brighter with Pickens in Dallas.
NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports Saints QB Derek Carr wants to “see if he can play through with this shoulder injury.”
Slater reports that Carr believes he injured his throwing shoulder in the same Week 14 game against the Giants that he injured his left wrist last season. The shoulder issue was apparently discovered as he ramped up throwing in the spring, not as the season wound down in 2024. Carr has already had surgery on that arm and wants to see if he can play through the injury. Slater adds that Carr made two trips to New Orleans to meet with the team doctor and a decision will be made “sooner rather than later” as the 34-year-old tries to make the best decision for his shoulder and the Saints aim to make the best decision for their franchise. It would be a surprise to see Carr return to start for the Saints, especially without having surgery. New Orleans has signaled an attempt to move on by selecting Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Carr has two seasons left on his four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints and a decision on his future is looming.