Ladd Biro’s Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses
Tips, advice and insight from our fantasy football expert.
• Team Previews | NFL Weekly Roundup
• Transactions | Injuries
• Preseason Schedule | Regular Season
• Times' NFL Coverage
A ranking of NFL defenses heading into the regular season. Rankings will be updated throughout the preseason.
Special to Latimes.com
| RNK | NAME | Def/ST TDs | Yds All. | Pts All. | INT | Fum Rec | Sack | COMMENT |
| 1 | Baltimore | 6/2 | 4803 | 238 | 21 | 13 | 39 | Move to the 4-3 will require some adjustments, and Hartwell's loss hurts, but they're still the most reliable fantasy defense in the league. |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 5/0 | 4125 | 223 | 19 | 13 | 42 | Improved production from their offense should make this elite unit even more dangerous. |
| 3 | Buffalo | 4/5 | 4219 | 263 | 24 | 15 | 46 | Last year's top fantasy defense lost just one key player (Pat Williams). McGee and Clements are dangerous K/P returners, respectively. Offensive struggles could tax them though. |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 2/0 | 5115 | 253 | 17 | 11 | 47 | Special teams are shaky, but the defense should improve with maturity of young players. |
| 5 | New England | 4/1 | 4972 | 233 | 20 | 16 | 46 | Losses of Bruschi and Crennel, and Seymour's hold-out, will hurt. Belichick magical powers will be tested. |
| 6 | Atlanta | 5/1 | 5207 | 321 | 19 | 13 | 48 | Hartwell will solidify LB corps, but secondary remains a concern. KR Rossum is one of the league's best. |
| 7 | Washington | 1/0 | 4282 | 221 | 18 | 8 | 39 | Surprisingly effective in '04, will be even better if LB Arrington can return strong and S Taylor can stay out of trouble. Offense's ineptitude may keep them on the field too much. |
| 8 | Carolina | 3/0 | 5384 | 318 | 26 | 12 | 34 | Addition of CB Lucas upgrades their secondary. DL and LBs are first-rate. If they can stay healthy, they'll be a reliable fantasy unit. |
| 9 | Tampa Bay | 3/1 | 4552 | 262 | 16 | 11 | 45 | The best pass defense of '04 is getting older, but still has several big-time playmakers. |
| 10 | Minnesota | 2/1 | 5894 | 386 | 11 | 11 | 39 | No team did more to improve their defensive fortunes in the off-season. It will take some time for them to become a unit, but look for a rapid increase in INTs in particular. |
| 11 | San Diego | 1/1 | 5382 | 298 | 23 | 10 | 29 | If first-round picks can bolster pass rush, this will be a formidable unit. Could move up rankings quickly with good preseason showing. |
| 12 | Cincinnati | 5/0 | 5365 | 321 | 20 | 16 | 37 | Awful against the run, but the secondary is strong. HC Lewis is defensive-minded, so look for continued improvement. |
| 13 | Kansas City | 2/2 | 6047 | 413 | 13 | 8 | 41 | Surtain and Knight upgrade a pathetic secondary. Bell and Johnson (R) offer hope for the LBs. KR Hall raises the overall grade. |
| 14 | Chicago | 6/1 | 5390 | 301 | 17 | 12 | 33 | Led league in scoring last season. If Urlacher and Ogunleye can return to form after an injury-riddled '04, the Bears could be fantasy sleepers. |
| 15 | Dallas | 0/0 | 5285 | 377 | 13 | 9 | 33 | Dramatically improved on paper, it will take some time for promising rookies and free agent additions to gel and to adjust to the 3-4. |
| RNK | NAME | Def/ST TDs | Yds All. | Pts All. | INT | Fum Rec | Sack | COMMENT |
| 16 | Arizona | 2/0 | 5139 | 321 | 15 | 15 | 38 | Held some mighty offenses in check last season, but imploded against others. Keep an eye on the Cards as a potential free agent/bye week pick-up. |
| 17 | Jacksonville | 0/0 | 5134 | 238 | 16 | 12 | 37 | Talented DL should increase sack production. Secondary is a big concern. |
| 18 | Miami | 1/1 | 4894 | 284 | 15 | 10 | 36 | Most pressing need is for their offense to give them time to breathe. Secondary was depleted in free agency, but DL is solid. |
| 19 | Indianapolis | 3/1 | 5929 | 343 | 19 | 17 | 45 | S Sanders, if healthy, will give secondary a spark. Offensive firepower forces opponents into playing catch-up, which leads to INTs. |
| 20 | Denver | 2/0 | 4459 | 290 | 12 | 8 | 38 | You know you've had a bad off-season when you add four underachieving Browns to your DL while losing your '04 sack leader (T. Pryce). But LBs could be the league's best. |
| 21 | Seattle | 3/0 | 5620 | 364 | 23 | 12 | 36 | J. Sharper is a superb LB addition, but loss of K. Lucas hurts an already-shaky secondary. Nothing special about their special teams. |
| 22 | NY Jets | 3/1 | 4878 | 252 | 19 | 14 | 36 | CB Abraham's retirement and DE Abraham's hold-out hurt, but addition of Ty Law helps considerably. Still not a viable fantasy unit. |
| 23 | Detroit | 1/4 | 5401 | 321 | 14 | 10 | 38 | Eddie Drummond's return skills make their special teams lethal, but the defense is below-average. Draft only for S/T value. |
| 24 | Oakland | 1/0 | 5936 | 407 | 9 | 9 | 26 | With a vastly-improved offense, this unit has the chance to force opponents into costly mistakes. Return to 4-3 should help Sapp. |
| 25 | NY Giants | 2/2 | 5187 | 347 | 14 | 14 | 41 | Strahan must return to elite status for this unit to gain respectability. Special teams aren't too shabby. |
| 26 | Green Bay | 5/0 | 5541 | 366 | 8 | 7 | 40 | Did little to improve in the off-season, and lost their biggest playmaker in D. Sharper to divisional foes. |
| 27 | Houston | 5/0 | 5456 | 316 | 22 | 8 | 24 | Loss of LB Sharper will hurt an already-weak defense. Corners are talented playmakers. |
| 28 | Tennessee | 2/0 | 5724 | 398 | 18 | 12 | 32 | LB Bullock could use a lot more help. First-round pick Jones may not be around to help, given his legal issues. |
| 29 | St. Louis | 3/0 | 5353 | 351 | 6 | 9 | 36 | Their 15 turnovers were the NFL's worst. Nothing suggests this will improve enough to warrant fantasy consideration. |
| 30 | Cleveland | 1/1 | 5215 | 346 | 15 | 13 | 32 | New HC Crennel will earn his paycheck trying to overhaul this group. He'll need time. Lots of it. |
| 31 | New Orleans | 1/2 | 6141 | 375 | 13 | 19 | 37 | Doormats in '04, their off-season moves give little hope of major improvement in '05. |
| 32 | San Francisco | 2/1 | 5481 | 417 | 9 | 12 | 29 | This will be the most valuable defense in the NFL in '05 for the offenses playing against it. Stay away. Far, far away. |
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
