Since we’re halfway through the fantasy regular season, we’ll kick off this week’s edition of Getting Defensive with a “State of the Defenses” look at the best (and worst) of the season’s first half.
The No. 1 defense in fantasy football continues to be the Minnesota Vikings, who failed to hit double-digit fantasy points for the first time in last week’s loss to the Detroit Lions. But even in that loss, the Vikings scored another defensive touchdown on an Ivan Pace fumble return. That has been the key with Minnesota – they give up yardage galore, but the team sits toward the top of the NFL in sacks and takeaways and inside the top-10 in points allowed.
In terms of total points, the Denver Broncos are now hot on Minnesota’s heels after blasting an injury-ravaged Saints team in a game that included six sacks and a defensive score. The Chicago Bears have been consistently solid and rank second in fantasy points per game. The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers round out the top-five, with the latter being the only defense of the lot that drew significant interest in draft season.
The defenses that did draw that interest over the summer? Per ADP data at Fantasy Pros, the 49ers are the only defense drafted in the top-five that is currently ranked inside the top-15 in fantasy points. Two rank outside the top-20.
It’s almost as if waiting to draft a defense and then streaming based on matchups (or sticking with the late gem you stumbled into) is the smart play in fantasy.
Go figure.
THE NO-DOUBTERS
Baltimore Ravens (at Cleveland Browns)
Of course, this could be the week that some of those highly-drafted defenses start making a charge up the board. The Ravens have been Jekyll-and-Hyde defensively this season. One of the league’s best run defenses, while simultaneously one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses – as evidenced by the 370 passing yards piled up by Tampa’s Baker Mayfield last week. It’s possible if Jameis Winston starts that the Clowns will rediscover the forward pass, but if his finger is good to go Dorian Thompson-Robinson could start for Cleveland. If you have seen DTR play, then you know why the Ravens are listed here. Well, that and the whole 35 sacks allowed thing.
New York Jets (at New England Patriots)
This no-doubter may actually come with a little doubt – the Jets have more than a few injuries in the secondary, and Drake Maye has given the Patriots’ passing game a jolt these past few weeks. But we’re still talking about a rookie quarterback making his third start with maybe the most talent-deficient passing-game weapons in the NFL and a New England team that has surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points per game to defenses this season. The Jets’ season is circling the drain (again), so you can expect a desperate effort from New York on the road in Week 8.
Minnesota Vikings (at Los Angeles Rams)
The Vikings are living proof of the disconnect between good NFL defenses and good fantasy ones, although the team’s ability to give up yards without allowing points has played a part in their 5-1 start. The Rams will ostensibly have wide receiver Cooper Kupp back for this game, but he could be on a snap count and Los Angeles still has substantial issues along the offensive line. The good times may not last forever with the new Purple People Eaters, but they’ll crack double-digits again in a favorable matchup with the Rams.
Denver Broncos (vs. Carolina Panthers)
As has already been mentioned, the Broncos are playing rock-solid defense this season – Denver is third in the league in total defense, fifth against the pass, third in scoring defense and paces the AFC with 28 sacks. Meanwhile last week’s starting Carolina Panthers quarterback threw a touchdown pass on his first drive of the game – to Washington Commanders edge-rusher Dante Fowler. The Panthers may well be the worst team in the NFL (again), and Carolina has surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points per game to defenses this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. New York Giants)
The Steelers are rolling at 5-2 after steamrolling the New York Jets, and while quarterback Russell Wilson looked good in his Pittsburgh debut, it has been edge-rusher T.J. Watt and the defense that have been the foundation for the team’s success. Only the Los Angeles Chargers have allowed fewer points per game this year than the Steelers, and the return of edge-rusher Alex Highsmith just makes the team that much better at getting after the quarterback. The Giants have struggled protecting the quarterback this year, and New York has given up the sixth-most fantasy points per game to defenses in 2024.
San Francisco 49ers (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
At first glance, this might appear a tricky matchup for the Niners defensively – after all, just last season the Cowboys were the highest-scoring team in the NFL. But what a difference a year can make – when last we saw Dallas, they were getting their doors blown off at home 47-9 by the Lions – the second time this season that a team has come into AT&T stadium and scored 40 points. The Cowboys have given up the 10th-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses this season – in part because they can’t run the ball even a little.
Don’t miss episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and Rotoworld Football Show all season long for the latest player news, waiver wire help, start/sit advice, and much more.
STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Detroit Lions (vs. Tennessee Titans)
The Lions aren’t exactly known as a defensive powerhouse, although the team ranks fifth in the league against the run. It also didn’t help matters that Detroit lost its best pass-rusher in Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg. But this isn’t about the Lions – it’s about the train wreck that is the Tennessee offense. Only Cleveland is averaging fewer yards per game than the Titans. The Titans are 27th in points scored. And no team in the NFL has surrendered more fantasy points to defenses. Other than that, they aren’t that bad.
Kansas City Chiefs (at Las Vegas Raiders)
There are quite a few matchups in Week 8 featuring solid defenses taking on tomato cans, and make no mistake – the Chiefs are a good defense. It hasn’t translated to a ton of fantasy points this year, but the Chiefs are quietly fifth in the league in scoring defense and fourth against the run. Meanwhile, the Raiders have no one but tight end Brock Bowers to throw the ball to, the team has given up the third-most fantasy points per game to defenses and Vegas has had to turn back to Gardner “Nice Mustache, Bad Quarterback” Minshew at quarterback after Aidan O’ Connell got hurt last week.
Green Bay Packers (at Jacksonville Jaguars)
The Packers have been a bit too up-and-down this season to earn “No-Doubter” status – there has been one huge game, two solid outings and three “meh” efforts – including last week against the Houston Texans. But the Packers held Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud to a career-low 86 passing yards a week ago, and Green Bay has piled up more takeaways than any other team in the NFL. The Jaguars showed some signs of life last week in London, but Jacksonville has spent most of the 2024 campaign failing to get out of their own way offensively.
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. New Orleans Saints)
The Chargers are the Rodney Dangerfield of fantasy defenses in 2024 – the team ranks fifth in fantasy points per game among defenses and is the only team in the league allowing less than 14 points per game, but the Bolts are on waiver wires in far more leagues than they should be. The Saints are falling apart – it’s possible they will be starting their third quarterback of the season Sunday at SoFi stadium down their top two wide receivers. In a similar situation a week ago, they propelled Denver to the most fantasy points among defenses.
Houston Texans (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
The Texans have been somewhat inconsistent defensively this season, especially from a fantasy perspective. But over the past two weeks, Houston is a top-five fantasy defense heading into a matchup with a Colts team that likely won’t have running back Jonathan Taylor again. Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson may one day be a star. But right now, he’s completing less than half his passes and the Colts are struggling to score points. At home after a close Week 7 loss to the Packers, the Texans will come out fired up, and they have the edge-rushers in Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter to contain Richardson’s rushing ability.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS
Chicago Bears (at Washington Commanders)
This caveat emptor comes with, well, a caveat – if Jayden Daniels’ injured ribs sideline the rookie phenom, then this matchup becomes substantially more attractive. But with Marcus Mariota under center for much of last week’s demolition of the Panthers the Commanders still dropped a forty-burger, and seven weeks into the season there isn’t a team in the league surrendering fewer fantasy points per game to defenses than the Commanders. Don’t be surprised if Chicago’s fantasy production comes in well below average – Daniels or no.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on X at @IDPSharks.
