X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Defense (DST) Draft Sleepers for Fantasy Football

MIles Garrett - Fantasy Football Defense Rankings, D/ST Streamers, Waiver Wire, IDP Pickups

I think we often get the term "sleeper" confused. A lot of the rhetoric around "sleepers" seems to center on the long-shots who might hit big and bring you massive value something close to a late-round dart throw. However, I think "sleepers" are simply just players being "slept on" or not getting enough respect.

Obviously, that only partially applies when talking about defenses because there are no early or mid-round defenses. For the most part, all defenses are drafted within the last four rounds, and I would highly encourage limiting that to the last two rounds. So when we talk about sleepers for defense, as we are today, I will just be looking at DST units that aren't getting the respect they deserve. Some of these will be just outside the top-10 and others will be a bit lower, but they are all units that I think have a good chance of finishing the season inside the top-10 overall.

As you'll see more regularly from me during my weekly DST streamer column, I've created a DST Rankings metric that weighs together all of the stats I've come to believe are most important for determining if a defense will be a strong fantasy unit: pressure rate, sacks, quarterback hurries, drives ending in a turnover, drives ending in an offensive score, and yards allowed per play. You can see the whole leaderboard based on last year's numbers hereOne final reminder that these are season-long picks, not necessarily for Week 1. If you want draft targets, you can find mine here.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for the 2025 playoffs:

 

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are one of my favorite defenses coming into this season. They finished 16th in my defensive rankings from last year, but a lot of that had to do with injuries making it hard for them to get after the passer. They finished 16th in sacks and 24th in pressure rate, which capped their overall upside. They were a top-10 unit in terms of creating turnovers, which led to some strong weeks, but my optimism comes from the moves they made in the offseason. Since the end of last season, Cleveland has signed Jadeveon Clowney, Malik Jackson, John Johnson, Anthony Walker, Ronnie Harrison Jr., and Troy Hill to add to a defense that already features some elite talent in Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward.

I expect the Browns, who are a well-coached team, to easily push into the top-10 with the new talent in the fold. I also think they'll benefit from their offense hitting its stride towards the end of the season. With the Browns' offense looking more explosive, teams will be forced to pass often to keep up, which will create more opportunities for sacks and turnovers from this defense. They have a tough first game against the Chiefs, but then follow it up with games against Houston, Chicago, and Minnesota, which I'm absolutely here for.

 

Denver Broncos

I covered them in my DST Draft Targets article

The Broncos have always been a formidable unit, but they struggled a little bit towards the end of last year, which is understandable when you get zero games from Von Miller, seven games from A.J. Bouye, six games from Mike Purcell, and three games from Jurrell Casey. Obviously, the biggest difference-maker there is Miller, who is one of the premier defenders in the NFL and should be fully healthy entering the 2021 season. That alone is a massive upgrade for a defense that still finished ninth in sacks with 42 on the season.

The Broncos will no longer have Bouye, but they brought in Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby to a secondary that includes Kareem Jackson and ball-hawk Justin Simmons. That should make the secondary slightly above average at worst, which is more than enough when you are pairing Von Miller with Bradley Chubb and Dre'Mont Jones and also blocking up the interior with Mike Purcell. If the Broncos can finish just outside the top-10 last year while missing the level of talent that they were, I fully expect them to return to being an impact defense week in and week out if they remain fully healthy in 2021. Plus, look at those first three weeks. Woo boy.

 

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins finished as the fourth-ranked defense last year by FantasyPros rankings and eighth-ranked by my formula, but I don't see them in the top-10 anywhere. I know that some people view their performance as flukey because they were so turnover-dependent, but I don't think that's fair to Brian Flores and company. Flores was a great defensive coordinator who has clearly brought a turnover-happy scheme to Miami. Considering the talent he still has on that side of the ball, why should we assume they won't be similarly effective in inducing turnovers? They might not finish first overall in drives ending in a turnover as they did in 2020, but they don't need to in order to be an impactful defense.

I am expecting bigger jumps from young, talented players like Christian Watkins and Raekwon Davis, which will help a talented secondary led by Xavien Howard, Eric Rowe, and Byron Jones. The Dolphins also signed Jason McCourty to start and guide first-round draft pick Jevon Holland, which should round out a ball-hawking group that can earn you fantasy points in a hurry. The true test for the Dolphins will be a weak linebacking corps, but I trust this coaching staff and think they have this team moving clearly in the right direction, which is scary to me as a Bills fan.

 

Los Angeles Chargers

I covered them in my DST Draft Targets article

My interest in the Chargers stems primarily from them being overlooked pretty much everywhere, thanks to their poor season last year. However, there are a few major differences to the 2020 team that has me back in on the Chargers. For one, they hired Brandon Staley as their head coach right after Staley coordinated the Rams' dominant defense. He will surely have a hand in shaping the Chargers' defensive vision and scheme, so I'm confident he can take a defense anchored by Joey Bosa, Linval Joseph, Derwin James, and Chris Harris Jr. and make it a talented unit.

Another reason I'm in on the Chargers is because of one of the names I mentioned above: Derwin James. The talented 24-year-old missed all of 2020 with a torn meniscus and having him back drastically re-shapes the Chargers' defense. Add to that the fact that Joey Bosa was only able to make 10 starts last year and Chris Harris Jr. was only able to make nine and you realize that the Chargers were without all three of their best defenders for over a third of the season last year. With those three back, plus the emergence of Kenneth Murray and the arrival of second-round pick Asante Samuel Jr., I'm buying a return to form for the formerly feisty Chargers defense.

 

Arizona Cardinals

When you add J.J. Watt, you become a better defense. OK, I know it's not that simple, but it's also kind of that simple. Yes, the Cardinals lost Patrick Peterson, but bringing in Malcolm Butler to take his place is not exactly much of a drop-off at this stage in their careers. Consider also that the Cardinals finished 10th in FantasyPros rankings last season and seventh based on my formula, and I think you're getting a relatively strong unit for almost no draft capital.

The Cardinals' scheme is conducive to sacks, as they finished fifth in the NFL with 48 last year, again, BEFORE adding Watt to pair with Chandler Jones, who only was able to play five games for the Cardinals in 2020. That's a pretty ferocious set of defensive ends; yet, the Cardinals have talent in the middle of the field too with their last two first-round picks - Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons. Plus, Budda Baker roams in the secondary, which gives the Cardinals talent at all levels.

Much like the Browns, this offense will likely force teams to pass a lot to keep up and while the Cardinals may give up a fair number of points during the season, I expect them to rack up sacks and provide enough consistent production to push to be a top-1o defensive unit by the end of the season.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jalen Hurts16 hours ago

Practices In Full, On Pace To Play On Sunday
John Metchie III18 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Wild-Card Weekend
Cade Otton18 hours ago

Upgrades To Full Participation On Thursday
Quentin Johnston18 hours ago

Questionable For Wild-Card Weekend
J.K. Dobbins18 hours ago

Questionable For Wild-Card Weekend
Joshua Palmer18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wild-Card Weekend
A.J. Brown20 hours ago

Being Rested On Thursday
Tyreek Hill20 hours ago

"Committed" To Dolphins
Las Vegas Raiders20 hours ago

Raiders Fire General Manager Tom Telesco After One Season
Zay Flowers21 hours ago

Officially Out For Wild-Card Game
Zay Flowers22 hours ago

Not Practicing Friday, Highly Unlikely To Play Saturday
NFL2 days ago

Bill Belichick Has No Plans To Return To The NFL
Deebo Samuel Sr.2 days ago

49ers Plan To Bring Deebo Samuel Sr. Back Next Year
Zay Flowers2 days ago

Absent From Wednesday's Practice
Jalen Hurts2 days ago

Expected To Practice On Wednesday
Zay Flowers2 days ago

A Long Shot To Play On Wild-Card Weekend
NFL3 days ago

Ashton Jeanty Declares For 2025 NFL Draft
Tua Tagovailoa3 days ago

Dolphins Have "No Concern At All" About Tua Tagovailoa's Long-Term Health
Las Vegas Raiders3 days ago

Raiders Fire Head Coach Antonio Pierce
David Montgomery3 days ago

Expected To Return For Divisional Round
Tyreek Hill3 days ago

Dolphins Say Tyreek Hill Did Not Request A Trade

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP
10
11
11
12
12
18
13
27
14
31
15
32
16
35
17
40
18
45
19
46

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Ravens vs Steelers Showdown (Wild Card Round)

Welcome to the NFL Playoffs RotoBallers! Saturday night's Wild Card matchup pits the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North showdown. With an over/under of 45.5 and the Ravens as -9.5 favorites, we’re looking at a potential blowout scenario where the game script could heavily favor Baltimore’s rushing attack and clock control. […]


Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Very Early 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings with Rookies and Tiers - Top 230 for Redraft Leagues

The 2024 NFL regular season just ended, but that doesn’t mean fantasy football has to. At least not totally. If you play in a dynasty or keeper league, or maybe you’re just consumed by fantasy football and cannot get enough, these 2025 fantasy football rankings should get you thinking about next season. Anytime you’re doing […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Playoffs Rankings: Fantasy Football Draft Rankings and FFPC Playoff Challenge (2025)

Welcome, RotoBallers, to the 2025 NFL Playoffs and our continuing coverage of fantasy football playoff leagues. Fantasy football is still going strong during the NFL playoffs – including new drafts and contests forming before the Wild Card Weekend games. The NFL postseason starts with one of the most challenging and unique fantasy football playoff leagues […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Chargers vs. Texans Showdown Wild Card Weekend

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have the first week of the playoffs and are here to cover you for every playoff game this season! First up, we have the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) traveling to Houston to take on the Texans (10-7), where the Chargers are three-point favorites in this one. I do not see anyone […]


Brock Bowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, TE, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Re-Drafting The 2024 NFL Draft: Entire First Round Do-Over

Is Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels the better prospect? What about Drake Maye? The answer seemed obvious last April. It's not so clear now. With a year of NFL tape, franchises alter how they view rookies. Would management make the same selections or jump at the chance to snag a different prospect? Below, I redraft […]


Jalen McMillan - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Wide Receiver Matchups to Target on Wild Card Weekend - Courtland Sutton, Jalen McMillan, Rashod Bateman

Welcome to WR Matchups to Target: Wild Card Weekend edition. We finished the regular season with two more “in the money” picks (3x multiplier on DraftKings salary), including the WR1 on the week in Drake London, putting our final tally at 30 such picks for the regular season (34% rate). Six games are on deck […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Wild Card Weekend Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Brian Robinson Jr., Najee Harris, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Jordan Love

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Wild Card Weekend fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint. The regular fantasy football season is over but the games don't stop now. Whether you play in a playoff fantasy league or set DFS lineups, you'll want to avoid potential landmines. Below are my five fantasy football busts, or […]


Puka Nacua - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Free Wild Card Weekend NFL Betting Picks and Expert Predictions

Well, we only went 1-1 to close out the regular season last week. The Lions took care of business against the Minnesota Vikings and easily covered the 2.5-point spread. The Commanders, however, let us down after head coach Dan Quinn decided to pull Jayden Daniels from the game due to an injury scare. Washington would […]


Justin Tucker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Kicker Streamers

NFL Wild Card Weekend Fantasy Football Weather Report

Welcome to the NFL playoffs! Sure, your traditional fantasy football league has come to an end, but there's still so much left to play for. There is the FFPC Playoff Challenge, Daily Fantasy Contests, and so much more. As always, the purpose of this article is to help you make informed lineup decisions based on […]


A.J. Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS and Betting Picks

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Wild Card Weekend: Justin Herbert, James Cook, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, T.J. Hockenson

Wild Card Weekend is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Justin Herbert, James Cook, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, and T.J. Hockenson. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Wild Card Weekend DraftKings NFL DFS Lineup Picks - Main Slate: Jayden Daniels, Bucky Irving, Puka Nacua, and more

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We shift gears a bit this week, as we enter the NFL playoffs. Wild Card Weekend consists of six games spread across three days, and while the info found in this article is applicable across all the different slates that DraftKings is offering, this was written with the Sat-Mon "Main Slate" in […]


Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - January 2025 Market Report

It's time to turn the page once more. The calendar has officially flipped from 2024 to 2025, and with that, we officially turn our attention toward our Dynasty leagues. Sure, there are still some post-season tournaments and a Super Bowl Champion still to be crowned, but putting in the work now can get fantasy managers […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Commanders vs. Buccaneers SNF Showdown (Wild Card Weekend)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! The playoffs are finally here. In this piece, we will take a look at the Sunday Night Football showdown between the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the wild-card Washington Commanders led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. In this piece, I will break down my top choices for Captain/MVP, flex options, […]