Your fantasy football defense has to be able to sack quarterbacks and create turnovers. It must also limit its points and yardage allowed, score a few defensive touchdowns and throw in a special teams score here and there, too. Different fantasy leagues have different rules, so you must take that into consideration as well when drafting your defenses. Some leagues do not count kick return touchdowns as defensive TDs, while other leagues might award more points for a turnover than for a sack.
Here are the top 15 defenses in fantasy football entering the 2008 season, beginning with the favorite team of the Pacific Northwest’s Starbucks crowd:
1. Seattle Seahwaks: This defense should finish in the Top 5 in sacks, turnovers and scoring defense as all of their key players are returning and because Seattle still plays in the lowly NFC West.
2. Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota has never had trouble stopping the run with the Williams boys (Pat and Kevin) manning the middle of the line, and now the Vikes should be among the league leaders in sacks with Jared Allen pushing the pass rush. It also helps that Minnesota faces Kyle Orton, Aaron Rodgers and Jon Kitna twice apiece.
3. San Diego Chargers: The bolted-ones were tops in the NFL in interceptions in 2007 thanks to supercorner Antonio Cromartie and a front seven that harassed quarterbacks into making bad throws. But if Shawne Merriman does not last the whole year, this defense takes a hit.
4. Dallas Cowboys: Terence Newman is at one corner, Adam "Don’t Call Me Pacman" Jones is at the other, and Pro Bowler Ken Hamlin is at a safety spot. That means Roy Williams might actually be the worst player in Dallas’ secondary.
5. Chicago Bears: This defense has lost a lot of tread on its tires in the past couple years because of injuries and having to be on the field so much because of an inept offense, although the stars are still there and Devin Hester will surely return a half-dozen kicks for touchdowns.
6. Green Bay Packers: Last time I looked, Brett Favre did not play defense. The Pack’s defensive unit is young and should be even better than last year, led by linebackers A.J. Hawk and psycho safety Atari Bigby.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers: First in total defense in 2007 and great to use during those winter months when snow, wind and cold cause sacks, fumbles and interceptions.
8. New England Patriots: The kings of garbage turnovers and touchdowns late in games because of all of the blowouts they play in. Put this defense with a mediocre offense and their fantasy value wouldn’t be that great.
9. Indianapolis Colts: Having a healthy Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders means everything to this unit. If those two stay on the field for most of the 16 games, this defense could be one of the top 3 in fantasy.
10. Tennessee Titans: Albert Haynesworth and his smashmouth gang is usually above-average in all of the major defensive fantasy categories.
11. New York Jets: Adding run stopper Kris Jenkins, first-round pick Vernon Gholston and all-around problem causer Calvin Pace to an up-and-coming group led by second-year stars David Harris and Darrelle Revis makes this the sleeper defense to watch.
12. Oakland Raiders: The linemen and linebackers are a little spotty, but the secondary should be awesome with DeAngelo Hall and Gibril Wilson joining incumbent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to be part of the pickoff patrol.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: You would think opposing offenses would have figured out Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks and Tampa’s cover-2 defense by now, yet the Bucs continue to get the job done.
14. Washington Redskins: This blitzing crew should put even put more pressure on quarterbacks with "Mr. Dancing With the Stars" Jason Taylor in the fold.
15. New York Giants: Losing pass-rushing ends Michael Strahan (retirement) and Osi Umenyiora (injury) ends any hopes the Giants had of leading the league in sacks.
