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If you are yet to experience the joy that is IDP (Individual Defensive Player) fantasy football, then drafting a defense is still be a big deal for you. The trouble is, recency bias dictates that the top defenses from the previous season will be the ones that get drafted highly, and sometime regardless of whether they were actually great in fantasy or not. Even the ones that were top fantasy performers last year, they rarely hit the heights again with only one number 1 ranked fantasy defense, finishing in the top 10 the following season (2015 Broncos were 3rd in 2016) in the last five years.
With that in mind, I’ve pulled together my top 20 fantasy defenses for 2019 as let’s face it, if you have to play in a league that has defenses in the roster makeup, you should only be drafting a maximum of one because you’re smart and you stream defenses week to week right?
UPDATE - In light of the news of Derwin James’ foot injury, the defense rankings have been updated to reflect the impact this will have on the Chargers’ defense in 2019.
Top 20 Fantasy Defenses 2019
| Team | Last Year | 2019 Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Last Year | 2019 Rank | Notes |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 1 | Elite talent at all 3 levels, the Vikings' will surge to the top in 2019 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 14 | 2 | 2017's top defense will rebound in 2019, even without the services of Telvin Smith |
| Chicago Bears | 1 | 3 | 2018's heights wont be repeated but the Bears will remain a defensive force this season |
| Houston Texans | 3 | 4 | Texans remain an elite fantasy defense. Jadeveon Clowney's holdout is one to watch however. |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5 | 5 | Changing of personnel up front but still one of the top secondaries in the NFL |
| New England Patriots | 4 | 6 | Personnel doesn't matter with the Genius in charge |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 15 | 7 | The Derwin James injury hurts the Chargers' flexibility but still a talented defense |
| Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 8 | Some drop off but Wade Phillips is one of the best to ever coach defense. Oh and Aaron Donald. |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 9 | Vic Fangio taking over means the Broncos remain a legit fantasy defense option |
| New Orleans Saints | 17 | 10 | One of the NFL's top defenses becomes a top fantasy option in 2019 |
| Miami Dolphins | 12 | 11 | Brian Flores comes fresh from a Super Bowl win to give the Dolphins a slight bump |
| Tennessee Titans | 11 | 12 | An underrated but consistent fantasy defense |
| Dallas Cowboys | 22 | 13 | One of the most talented defenses in the NFL starts to be a fantasy target |
| Detroit Lions | 21 | 14 | An upward trending defense that will continue to produce in deep leagues |
| Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 15 | 2019 will see a regression from a Colts defense that overachieved last season |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6 | 16 | A talent exodus sees the Chifes become little more than a streaming option in 2019 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 29 | 17 | Key players returning from injury brings the Falcons back to league average |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 24 | 18 | Talent up front but still a questionable secondary holds back the Eagles as a fantasy must own |
| San Francisco 49ers | 31 | 19 | The 49ers continue to upgrade but are still a long way from being draftable |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 20 | They may have found their Ryan Shazier replacement, but you always worry about the Steelers secondary |
As an afterword, I thought I would just share my Bottom 5 defenses as well, as this may also be helpful when setting your line ups.
Bottom 5 Fantasy Football Defenses 2019
| Team | Last Year | 2019 Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Last Year | 2019 Rank |
| Carolina Panthers | 26 | 28 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 27 | 29 |
| New York Giants | 27 | 30 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 30 | 31 |
| Oakland Raiders | 32 | 32 |