Fantasy Football: Pre-draft defense rankings

Fantasy Football – Pre-Draft Defense Rankings

5. Minnesota Vikings

2018 Stats: 15 Passing TDs Allowed | 13 Rushing TDs Allowed | 21.3 PPG

The Minnesota Vikings went out and got their franchise quarterback last season with Kirk Cousins and they have created a solid core on both sides of the football. The Vikings ranked third in pass defense by allowing just 196.2 passing yards per game.

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They struggle more with stopping the run as you can tell by their 113.4 yards allowed per game. Even though they weren’t able to stop the run that well, they still only allowed 13 rushing touchdowns and kept teams to around 21 points per game. The Vikings also focused heavily on building up their offense through the draft as they only added four defensive players.

4. Baltimore Ravens

2018 Stats: 21 Passing TDs Allowed | 11 Rushing TDs Allowed | 17.9 PPG

The Baltimore Ravens had a pretty good defense last year as they ranked second for points allowed with just 18 points per game. They ranked fifth in passing yards allowed with 210 yards and fourth in rushing yards allowed with 82.9 yards per game.

The Ravens have been trying to rebuild a defense like they once had with Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs by building through the drafts. They added outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson, corner-back Iman Lewis-Marshall, and defensive tackle Daylon Mack to keep the young core going.

If Lamar Jackson can take command of the offense and the defense can keep stopping any style of play, the Baltimore Ravens can become legit contenders in the AFC once again.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

2018 Stats: 17 Passing TDs Allowed | 16 Rushing TDs Allowed | 19.8 PPG

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the joke of the NFL but they have seemed to have found their way somewhat. They ranked 2nd in the NFL in stopping the pass by only allowing 194.6 yards per game!

They do need to improve their run defense as they allowed 116.9 rushing yards per game. They showed some commitment to improving their run defense by taking Josh Allen with their first-round draft pick. They also added linebacker Quincy Williams and defensive lineman Dontavius Russell.

2. Los Angeles Rams

2018 Stats: 31 Passing TDs Allowed | 12 Rushing TDs Allowed | 24 PPG

Now the Rams have a very dangerous defense with their key piece being Aaron Donald and they almost had Khalil Mack on a one year deal last season. Now they do allow a good amount of yards as they give up 358 yards per game.

Through the air, they allow 236 yards and on the ground, they allow 122 yards per game. The Rams front office showed commitment also to improve their defense as they added five new defensive pieces through the draft, hoping to stop the pass better this season.

1. Chicago Bears

2018 Stats: 22 Passing TDs Allowed | 5 Rushing TDs Allowed | 17.7 PPG

The Chicago Bears are the blueprint of what a defense is supposed to look like and do. They’ve been in this position before. They only allowed 18 points per game while allowing just 299.7 yards per game also.

They ranked first in run defense, allowing just 80 yards per game while ranking seventh in pass defense with 219.7 yards per game. A big addition to their defense is Khalil Mack who we thought would never be allowed to leave Oakland but Jon Gruden surprised us.

Now the Bears know what they have on defense so they used the draft to target more weapons for Mitch Trubisky but they did add two more cornerbacks in hopes they can get their pass defense to the level of their run defense and have a complete number one ranked defense overall.