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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.
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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 |
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