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

NFL teams are beginning summer practices. It’s not long before preseason action begins. 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	1
4	2	Baltimore Ravens	BAL	7	3 out of 5 stars	-1
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	1
9	3	Detroit Lions	DET	8	1 out of 5 stars	1
10	3	Seattle Seahawks	SEA	8	3 out of 5 stars	3
11	3	Los Angeles Chargers	LAC	12	5 out of 5 stars	7
12	3	San Francisco 49ers	SF	14	5 out of 5 stars	-4
13	3	Los Angeles Rams	LAR	8	3 out of 5 stars	11
14	3	Green Bay Packers	GB	5	2 out of 5 stars	1
15	4	New York Jets	NYJ	9	5 out of 5 stars	2
16	4	Dallas Cowboys	DAL	10	0 out of 5 stars	-2
17	4	New England Patriots	NE	14	4 out of 5 stars	5
18	4	Cleveland Browns	CLE	9	3 out of 5 stars	5
19	4	Chicago Bears	CHI	5	2 out of 5 stars	-3
20	4	Arizona Cardinals	ARI	8	4 out of 5 stars	0

Fantasy Football Player Notes: Defense (DST)

Vikings

The Vikings were the DST2 in fantasy points per game last year, and they could be even better in 2025. Last year, they ranked fourth in sacks and sixth in pressure rate. Their secondary is a tad shakey on paper, but their pass rush should help cover some of those worries as quarterbacks run for their lives weekly.

Lions

Despite losing Aaron Glenn in the offseason, the Lions should repeat as a top-12 DST in 2025. Last year, they were decimated by injuries, but they still finished as the DST10 and tenth in turnovers. If Aidan Hutchinson comes back fully healthy, the pass rush should be fine, and the addition of D.J. Reed will make a sizable impact in the secondary.

Rams

The Rams open the season against the Texans at home, followed by the Tennessee Titans. I like these opening matchups for the Rams D/ST and their fierce defensive line. They also play the Colts in Week 4.