In today’s offensively-geared NFL, defense is often a forgotten aspect of the game we love. That includes fantasy football, where the defense is often addressed towards the end of drafts with little-to-no value placed upon.
Fantasy football rankings 2017: Defense/special teams
With the preseason past the midway point, we update the 2017 rankings for the top fantasy defenses/special teams.
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Even so, this part of your roster can be as important as any single position, depending on how much your league gives points for defensive stats. Most leagues use settings that have defenses scoring like a good RB2 or WR2. Finding a defense that consistently produces like one is a tall task, which is why many experts stream defenses throughout the season.
That can be very favorable if you play the waiver wire right. Problem is, if someone else claims a defense you were targeting, you could get stuck playing the New York Jets vs. the New England Patriots or Atlanta Falcons.
Let us help you solve your defensive questions with a fresh set of fantasy rankings for defenses and special teams.
Defense/special teams rankings, preseason Week 3
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; AW: Alex Welch; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
Preseason D/ST rankings
Rk | Consensus | SK | JG | DG | AW | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Broncos | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Houston Texans | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 4 | Seattle Seahawks | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| 6 | New England Patriots | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | New York Giants | 9 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 5 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 13 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 9 |
| 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 8 |
| 11 | Baltimore Ravens | 14 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Rams | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 11 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Eagles | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 15 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
| 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 16 | Oakland Raiders | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 19 |
| 17 | Los Angeles Chargers | 15 | 17 | 12 | 21 | -- | 12 |
| 18 | Miami Dolphins | 21 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | Tennessee Titans | 23 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 17 |
| 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 19 | 25 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
| 21 | Dallas Cowboys | 25 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 10 | 23 |
| 22 | Green Bay Packers | 18 | 20 | -- | 15 | 25 | -- |
| 23 | Atlanta Falcons | 20 | 24 | -- | 20 | 22 | 20 |
| 24 | Buffalo Bills | 22 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 22 |
| 25 | Washington | 24 | -- | 24 | -- | 18 | 24 |
| Detroit Lions | -- | 22 | 23 | -- | 23 | 25 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | -- | -- | 21 | -- | -- | -- | |
| New York Jets | -- | -- | -- | 25 | -- | -- |
