Defense Rankings

Defense rankings vary greatly from year to year, especially in the era of free agency when players frequently switch teams and entire defensive squads are overhauled. The dynamic nature of this fantasy 'position' makes it one of the more difficult player rankings to gauge. Luckily, this uncertainty means the chance of picking a bust is almost as likely as picking a stud unit; so, if you screw up big at the draft chances are you'll be able to find a serviceable unit on the waiver wire.

As with kicker rankings we suggest that you wait until right before the season begins to pick up a defense and skip drafting a defense altogether (if your league allows this). The logic behind this strategy is that defensive production is so unpredictable that you're just as likely to pick up a solid defense on the waiver wire as you are if you select a defense at your fantasy draft. Once you accept this premise, you'll see that the pick you would use on defense is better used to select one of the skill positions (QB, RB, or WR). Once the regular season arrives, you can simply drop your lowest-ranked player and pick up your top-rated defense from the waiver-wire. Putting off the defensive selection means you'll have more skill players to choose from when making your final roster cut.