San Francisco 49ers (D/ST, SF) - 2021 Fantasy Football Draft Targets

BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~155 Overall

CURRENT ADP: ~167

Even though getting 10+ points per game from your defense is beneficial, we still don't want to reach and draft a D/ST early in our fantasy drafts. While some defenses like the Ravens, Steelers, and Bears have proven to be season-long holds in years past, you're far more likely to stream defenses each week. With that in mind, I'm going to focus on my D/ST's on teams with strong defensive talent as well as their early-season schedules.

I've created a D/ST 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.

ANALYSIS: 

Last season, the 49ers had Nick Bosa for all of two games and Dee Ford for only one. The loss of those two dynamic pass-rushers drastically re-shapes the ability of a defense considering Bosa had nine sacks in a Pro Bowl rookie season in 2019 while Ford had 13 sacks in his last full season, back in 2018 with the Chiefs. Having these two guys consistently pressuring the quarterback will drastically improve a pass rush that finished 22nd with only 30 sacks last year.

The increased pressure will also be a boon for a secondary that didn't create a lot of turnovers last year but has clear talent. The 49ers were able to bring back Jason Verrett and Jaquiski Tartt to a defense that includes stud linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, which means this team has skilled defenders at every level. That's good news for most defenses but especially a team that uses the defensive line to attack and set a tone as much as the 49ers have in the past. New defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who was the linebackers coach, has said he intends to keep that philosophy and that the scheme won't be drastically different, which means we shouldn't have to endure that much of a learning curve in the early season with two-plus matchups.

EARLY SCHEDULE: @Lions, @Eagles, vs Packers, vs Seahawks (first two weeks could be top-five finishes)

More Fantasy Football Values and Sleepers

Pat Freiermuth (TE, PIT) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 66% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is the TE10 for the year, averaging 7.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. While the Steelers' passing attack has been inconsistent this season, the veteran tight end has played well lately. He has five receiving […]

Mike Fanelli 2 weeks ago

Jalen McMillan (WR, TB) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 54% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan has been one of the top pass catchers in fantasy football lately. The rookie wide receiver is the WR10 over the past four weeks, averaging 4.8 receptions on 6.3 targets for 60.5 receiving yards and […]

Mike Fanelli 2 weeks ago

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB, NO) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: New Orleans Saints Clyde Edwards-Helaire recently joined the team after spending his entire career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Furthermore, he made his team and season debut in the week 17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran running back had […]

Mike Fanelli 2 weeks ago

Julius Chestnut (RB, TEN) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut has had little fantasy football impact this season. The veteran running back is the RB101 for the year, averaging 0.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, he got some work on offense last week in […]

Mike Fanelli 2 weeks ago

Trey Benson (RB, ARI) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 19% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson has missed the past two games because of an ankle injury. Hopefully, the rookie running back can play in Sunday’s season finale against the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals could be without James Conner in Week […]

Mike Fanelli 2 weeks ago

Download Our Free Draft App

Like what you see? Be sure to also download our free fantasy football mobile app for iPhone and Android which includes more draft sleepers at very position, 24x7 player news, push notifications, injury alerts and daily articles.