RADIO
Drafting and starting the right fantasy football team defense every week can be a difference maker. Each year NFL defenses change a lot, and as the season progresses we see which units are more fantasy viable that others. With that comes a lot of defense streaming off the waiver wire, which can be both beneficial and fun.
But we also have a pretty good idea about which fantasy football defenses are going to start the year on a strong note. Based on last year's performances, off-season moves, personnel changes, injuries and changes in coaching schemes, we can assess which D/ST units to target in fantasy football drafts.
Below are the updated fantasy football defense rankings from RotoBaller's consensus staff rankings. Use these rankings during your drafts to get a better sense for which D/ST units to target, and which ones to potentially avoid. Drafting the right defense can help get your team off to a fast start, and having a top D/ST unit can save you a few bucks on the waiver wire streaming bids as well.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for the 2025 playoffs:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Fantasy Football Defense (D/ST) Rankings
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Pos |
| 1 | 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense | DST |
| 2 | 2 | Buffalo Bills Defense | DST |
| 2 | 3 | Baltimore Ravens Defense | DST |
| 3 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers Defense | DST |
| 3 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers Defense | DST |
| 3 | 6 | Washington Football Team Defense | DST |
| 4 | 7 | Indianapolis Colts Defense | DST |
| 4 | 8 | Kansas City Chiefs Defense | DST |
| 4 | 9 | Los Angeles Rams Defense | DST |
| 4 | 10 | New Orleans Saints Defense | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Miami Dolphins Defense | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Cleveland Browns Defense | DST |
| 4 | 13 | New England Patriots Defense | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Denver Broncos Defense | DST |
| 4 | 15 | Los Angeles Chargers Defense | DST |
| 4 | 16 | Seattle Seahawks Defense | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Green Bay Packers Defense | DST |
| 5 | 18 | Arizona Cardinals Defense | DST |
| 5 | 19 | New York Giants Defense | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Philadelphia Eagles Defense | DST |
| 5 | 21 | Tennessee Titans Defense | DST |
| 5 | 22 | Chicago Bears Defense | DST |
| 5 | 23 | Minnesota Vikings Defense | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Dallas Cowboys Defense | DST |
| 6 | 25 | New York Jets Defense | DST |
| 6 | 26 | Carolina Panthers Defense | DST |
| 6 | 27 | Detroit Lions Defense | DST |
| 6 | 28 | Atlanta Falcons Defense | DST |
| 6 | 29 | Cincinnati Bengals Defense | DST |
| 6 | 30 | Las Vegas Raiders Defense | DST |
| 6 | 31 | Jacksonville Jaguars Defense | DST |
| 6 | 32 | Houston Texans Defense | DST |
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 all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
