Fantasy football 2019 tier defense rankings
By Bill Pivetz
While I don’t advocate drafting a fantasy football defense before Round 12, taking one of these three defenses a round or two earlier could be justified.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams had one of the best offenses in the league but had a pretty good defense to boot. They finished 15th in sacks, third in interceptions, 14th in yards per game and 20th in points per game. What helped them in fantasy scoring were their five touchdowns.
The NFC West is on a rebound. The Seahawks have changed on both sides of the ball and the 49ers and Cardinals are both getting younger on offense. With these changes come growing pains and the Rams defense could take advantage of the changes.
While you can’t count on the repeat touchdowns, they will be reliable all season.
Jacksonville
Playing in the AFC South may have caught up to the Jaguars. The Texans and Colts finished in the top-11 of scoring offenses. Yet, the Jags defense finished fourth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed.
Despite the low scoring, the defense was unable to create pressure. They finished 23rd in interceptions and 22nd in sacks.
Those numbers may not be reassuring for fantasy owners but that is the low point for this defense. They will bounce back and be a top-five defense this season.
Chicago
The Bears front office did a great job improving the defense over the last couple of seasons. Not including the addition of Mack, the team has Danny Trevathan, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Prince Amukamara, Akiem Nicks as well as their drafted talents.
While the NFC North is going to be one of the toughest divisions, the defense held Rodgers, Matt Stafford and Kirk Cousins to a combined 1,284 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions, 11 sacks and 109 points in six games. That’s less than 220 yards and 20 points per game. Those are solid numbers against three great quarterbacks.
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Defenses are not going to win you a championship but they can lose you a game. No one likes seeing the negative 3 as their score. Pick a top defense but don’t buy in too early in the draft.