Ndamukong Suh of the Dolphins gets to Falcons QB Matt Ryan in the preseason. (Getty)
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Choosing a defense in a fantasy draft these days is not easy.
Yes, the Seattle Seahawks are good, the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills project to be good, but who really knows?
What I do know is how bad some offenses are. It’s not difficult to spot one really. Never heard of the journeyman starting quarterback? Probably a bad offense. Half the skill position players are on the PUP list? Probably a bad offense. You’re the Cleveland Browns? Probably a bad offense. No offense, Browns fans. You know, not like “no offense” but rather “it was just a joke.” Everybody cool now? OK, great. Let’s move along.
So if there is a bad offense coming up on the schedule (this will become more evident as the season progresses a bit), go take a look at your league’s free agent pool and see if that opposing defense is wading there. I love streaming defenses if the one I drafted isn’t so good. Can be very effective.
And now most or nearly all fantasy leagues include the special teams with your defensive squad. It’s just a way to get more points from kick returns and such. So if you’re starting defense has a stud return man, that could be the difference in a win or loss.
Now that the season is here, each week I’ll be doing fantasy football rankings for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and defenses/special teams. Bookmark our fantasy football rankings 2015 page to keep up-to-date on the latest projections and rankings so you know you who to start and who to sit in your league. You can find Week 1’s rankings at the above link.
Keep reading to see our Week 1 defense/special teams rankings:
1. Miami Dolpins, at Redskins
2. Seattle Seahawks, at Rams
3. N.Y. Jets, vs. Browns
4. Carolina Panthers, at Jaguars
5. Green Bay Packers, at Bears
6. Kansas City Chiefs, at Texans
7. Denver Broncos, vs. Ravens
8. Houston Texans, vs. Chiefs
9. St. Louis Rams, vs. Seahawks
10. Buffalo Bills, vs. Colts
11. Cincinnati Bengals, at Raiders
12. Detroit Lions, at Chargers
13. Indianapolis Colts, at Bills
14. Arizona Cardinals, vs. Saints
15. Minnesota Vikings, at 49ers
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