Jets And Chiefs Among Top 10 Fantasy Football Defenses

Fantasy football season is here and drafting a good defense can sometimes make or break your team.

Most fantasy owners spent plenty of time figuring out what skill players they want, but forget to put the research in for what D/ST may be the icing on the cake to a successful squad.

Let's break down the top 10 fantasy football defenses going into the 2025 season.

1. Denver Broncos

The Broncos have most of their key contributors returning this season with 14 of their top 15 players in defensive snaps. They also add Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and first-round pick Jahdae Barron into the fold. That means the group that led the league in sacks and defensive EPA (expected points added) actually got better.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles may have lost some key contributors, but they're still the champs. Vic Fangio's defense will still rank among the best in the NFL thanks to their depth and strong coaching. They lost Josh Sweat, Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Brandon Graham, but still have loads of talent and a first-round linebacker in Jihaad Campbell.

3. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens always find their way into the mix among the best of the best defensively. An already talented defense added Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie as veteran depth. The Ravens ranked first in scoring defense the second half of last season and should continue in that trajectory.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

T.J. Watt. Need us say more? The Steelers added Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay to help out Joey Porter Jr. in the secondary. They will be a force to be reckoned with.

5. Houston Texans

A pass rush with Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. A secondary with Jalen Pitre and eventually C.J. Gardner-Johnson when he gets back from his knee injury. Demeco Ryans is just too good a coach and defensive mastermind for the Texans defense to not be elite.

6. New England Patriots

The Patriots were incredibly aggressive in the offseason, which gets them into the top 10. They added four new starters in Milton Williams, Harold Landry III, Robert Spillane and Carlton Davis III. We saw a massive jump from the Broncos with a big offseason last year and the Patriots might be that team to take the leap this year.

7. Minnesota Vikings

Quarterbacks feared facing the Vikings defense last year, because of their iconic sacking duo of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, who combined for 23.5 sacks. The Vikings also added Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave into the fold to make their defense even more dynamic. Brian Flores is going to have a field day with his squad.

8. Buffalo Bills

Joey Bosa was a massive addition in the offseason to the Bills defense. They finished No. 4 D/ST in fantasy football last season. A defense that has been among the league's best in takeaways should be right up there again.

9. Kansas City Chiefs

Five Super Bowl appearances and three wins in the past six seasons. Need I say more? The Chiefs dynasty is still alive and well with Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie, Dick Bolton and a few solid draft picks in the fold. Mix their talent and elite coaching together and the Chiefs should always be in the top 10 defense conversation.

10. New York Jets

The Jets might be the somewhat controversial name on this list. The Jets now have competent coaching with Aaron Glenn at the helm and Steve Wilks leading the defense. Jermaine Johnson being back for the Jets defense will be a massive impact. That pass rush with him, Quinnen Williams and Will McDonald will be a force to be reckoned with. Sauce Garnder got paid and he's got Andre Cisco now behind him.