Fantasy Football Defenses can be tricky to time when they should be drafted, but yet the highest performing defenses can yield big dividends for your fantasy team. How big is their value? Let’s take a look!
So we got some interesting numbers here; what are they and where are they from? BNV is our BONAFIDE NUMBER (#BO_NO) metric that is standardized (bell curve math!) while looking at how defenses performed last season and compared them with the ELITE BONAFIDE players that their OPPONENTS have on OFFENSE. So the most optimal teams for you to thrive with are already a great defense and have a favorable schedule that doesn’t have too much fire power firing against them. 6 teams qualify with both conditions: The Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots.
The numbers I ran, don’t involve the change that occurs from improving through the draft, but I did see additions to half of these six teams that gave me more confidence to invest in these 6 defenses!
The value of a defense, to me, is close to the equivalence of a quarterback. If I have an ELITE caliber defense paired with a BONAFIDE quarterback, you’re going to build a solid foundation of points that is hard to beat with a good supporting cast. Actual Defensive Points given up matter to a lot of people, but not necessarily fantasy scoring. Fantasy scoring of defenses looks harder at turnovers, defended plays, sacks, and stuffs!! Let’s look at the players/coaches that makeup this 6-pack of ELITE BONAFIDE D’s!
1) DALLAS COWBOYS: The BIG D!
Dallas clearly has made Micah Parsons the star of the defense and has made people reminisce about the dominance of Lawrence Taylor! His ability to play inside and out + no one truly understands the position he actually plays is incredible! That may be the case, but Dan Quinn truly knows how to build a defense. Coming from the original Legion of Boom, Quinn has assembled a fierce corner tandem with Trevon Diggs + (former Colt/Bill) Stephon Gilmore. Combined, Diggs (NO. 1) and Gilmore (NO. 12) were the best in passer rating coverages! Diggs and Gilmore were also NO. 2 and NO. 7 in pass breakups. This secondary is absolutely top notch. And they drafted Mazi Smith (DT) out of Michigan at NO. 26 in Round 1!
2) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: WE FLY, YOU TRY
Every game the Eagles play, they will have an opportunity to win because of how ELITE their front line is. Courtesy of Ourlads
, the first 8 names on this list are not what you want to see as an offense and certainly not for a run 1st oriented team. Jalen Carter (rookie) already broke a sled in practice a few days ago and is followed by 3 more draft picks in the first 4 rounds that are already listed as NO. 2’s at their position. The Eagles gave up a lot of points at times during the season and lost their DC (Arizona’s new HC) after the season; but makes up for it with big turnovers (2 pick 6’s!!), sacks, stuffs and broken up passes!
3) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: A Brick Wall Defense
The 49ers' defensive prowess stems from their outstanding front seven, headlined by star defensive end Nick Bosa. Bosa's ability to wreak havoc in the backfield, combined with a stout run defense and a ball-hawking secondary, makes San Francisco one of the most feared defensive units in the league. This unit is ALWAYS at the top of the league in defense and continues churning that quality out as DC’s leave to gain new head coaching gigs! Expect them to deliver consistent fantasy points throughout the season.
4) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: The Legion of Boom 2.0
While the original Legion of Boom may be a thing of the past, Seattle's reinvented defense is now a force to be reckoned with! After the amazing 2022 draft led by Pete Caroll and John Schneider, 2023 added to that defense with Cameron Young, Derick Hall and shutdown corner Devin Witherspoon opposite of corner DJ Reed! Pete Carroll dominates time of possession on offense, so this unit won’t get gassed, and with a favorable schedule, will rack up many defensive fantasy stats!
5) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: DUUUUUUUVALLL D!!!
Cornerback Shaquill Griffin and pass-rushing phenom Josh Allen anchor a unit that's poised to take the league by storm. Travon Walker backed up every bit of his play last season as the overall NO. 1 pick in last years NFL draft playing off the edge.
Jacksonville has one of the leagues more favorable schedules against BONAFIDE ELITE caliber offenses next year (w/ 6 games in division vs Tennessee, Houston and Indy)! With how good they were last season and how the offense is built, Doug Pederson wants to fortify an already solid defense.
6) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Knows its Identity
No list of dominant defenses would be complete without mentioning the strategic genius of Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. With the lackluster offense that New England had last season, the Patriots always hung in every game last year because of their defense. Even during the Brady years, the defense cemented itself as the BEST in the league during that time. With a well-rounded roster featuring playmakers like cornerback J.C. Jackson and linebacker Dont'a Hightower, the Patriots will continue to stifle opposing offenses and generate turnovers. Their 2023 schedule poses more resistance than 2022 so I would proceed with some caution here.
So there you have it! A defensive 6-pack that will generate ELITE level points for your fantasy team to thrive this season! To get the high scoring D’s you will have to invest in them when those defenses are trending to get drafted. San Fran and Philly will be the 2 D’s to go first overall, followed by a handful of D’s in the round after that.
Seattle is my NO. 1 pick for my fantasy defense! They play in a division where they have the best quarterback from last year and you know the style of play they bring. Favorable Schedule + offensively weak division + ELITE level D + Time of Possession oriented offense + ADP ranking =’s the TEAM I WANT!! I also love how they also added a shutdown corner in Devin Witherspoon.
Last year I ran through the season with Philly, knowing that they would be great and be undervalued by the public. I wanted them in Round 12 of my draft and I got them in Round 12 of my draft. I’ve also been intrigued by seeing some of the top D’s in recent years have been the D for the best QB’s in the league like with Hurts and Allen. Get the value I got with Philly, this year with Seattle; or go out and get Philly or the other 4 defenses that make up the Fantasy D Six Pack and your team will THRIVE this season. There’s NO DB8! #NODB8SPORTS #BO_NO #FantasyFootball #NFL2023 #DefenseSixPack #DallasCowboys #PhiladelphiaEagles #SanFrancisco49ers #SeattleSeahawks #JacksonvilleJaguars #NewEnglandPatriots #DefensiveDomination #FantasyTestimonial