Fantasy Football Draft Rankings & Tiers: Defenses (D/ST)

Now is the time to prepare for your fantasy football drafts. We’ll have you covered with our Defense (DST) fantasy football draft rankings and Fantasy Football Draft Kit to help you dominate your leagues. And be sure to sync your league to practice with fast and free fantasy football mock drafts. Below we dive into 2024 Defense (DST) fantasy football draft rankings from some of our fantasy football expert community.

Fantasy Football Draft Rankings: Defenses (DST)

Defense wins championships — and in fantasy football, the right D/ST can rack up serious points with sacks, turnovers, and special teams scores. In 2025, savvy fantasy managers know not to overlook this position (or overvalue the position), especially when elite defensive performances are almost solely tied to favorable matchups.

Simply put….who is playing the New Orleans Saints / New York Giants this week?

We are looking for defenses that can put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, such as the Dallas Cowboys, to create consistent pressure and turnover opportunities. Add in dynamic returner KaVontae Turpin, who remains one of the most explosive special-teams weapons in the NFL, and you have a unit that can score in all phases. Especially with the newer kickoff rules, further incentivizing more returns.

In this article, we break down the top fantasy football D/STs for 2025, including favorable early-season schedules, streaming defenses by matchup, and late-round sleepers that you can draft confidently with your last pick.

Whether you want a set-it-and-forget-it defense or a rotation of matchup-based plays, these rankings will give you the edge.

But keep in mind. If your league doesn’t require you to draft one…don’t! Take another RB/WR instead before Week 1 starts. I guarantee that you will still be able to find a useable DST off waivers even after the draft concludes.

Fantasy Football Draft Rankings: Defenses

Here are our latest Defense (DST) Fantasy Football Draft Rankings from our consensus of fantasy football experts. You can find the latest Defense (DST) rankings here and sync your league for specific advice.

RK	TIERS	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	BYE WEEK	SOS SEASON	ECR VS. ADP
1	1	Denver Broncos	DEN	12	4 out of 5 stars	0
2	1	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI	9	2 out of 5 stars	0
3	1	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT	5	3 out of 5 stars	0
4	2	Baltimore Ravens	BAL	7	3 out of 5 stars	0
5	2	Minnesota Vikings	MIN	6	2 out of 5 stars	0
6	2	Houston Texans	HOU	6	2 out of 5 stars	0
7	2	Buffalo Bills	BUF	7	5 out of 5 stars	0
8	3	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	10	1 out of 5 stars	2
9	3	Detroit Lions	DET	8	1 out of 5 stars	0
10	3	Seattle Seahawks	SEA	8	3 out of 5 stars	3
11	3	Los Angeles Rams	LAR	8	3 out of 5 stars	12
12	3	Los Angeles Chargers	LAC	12	5 out of 5 stars	6
13	3	Green Bay Packers	GB	5	2 out of 5 stars	-1
14	3	San Francisco 49ers	SF	14	5 out of 5 stars	-6
15	4	New York Jets	NYJ	9	5 out of 5 stars	7
16	4	Dallas Cowboys	DAL	10	0 out of 5 stars	-2
17	4	New England Patriots	NE	14	4 out of 5 stars	0
18	4	Arizona Cardinals	ARI	8	4 out of 5 stars	1
19	4	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB	9	3 out of 5 stars	-8
20	4	Chicago Bears	CHI	5	2 out of 5 stars	-4

Fantasy Football Player Notes: Defense (DST)

The Steelers were the DST4 in fantasy points per game last year. All they did in the offseason was upgrade their secondary significantly with the additions of Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey to rock alongside Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh tied for the league lead in turnovers last season.

The Texans were the DST5 in fantasy points per game last year, and they should be in the running for a top-five finish again in 2025. Last year, they ranked 13th in pressure rate and fourth in sacks (tied). The addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson could help force a few more turnovers weekly, which wouldn’t hurt (fifth-most turnovers forced last year).

The Packers were No. 3 scoring DST and finished 7th in DVOA in 2024. But they have serious issues on the personnel side heading into 2025 at both the CB/EDGE positions. They also open the year against the Lions/Commanders, which aren’t exactly great defensive spots. I’d be wary of chasing last year’s team that ranked middle of the pack in pressure rate. They benefited greatly from the third-most INTs despite finishing 31st in passes defended.