Defenses to Target and Fade in Drafts in Fantasy Football 2024

One of the biggest mistakes you can make on fantasy football draft day is blindly drafting a team defense based on whatever rankings or draft board you’re using. Sure, that defense may be the top-ranked when you’re up, but you’re overlooking a massive factor that will impact their fantasy football production: their Week 1 opponent. Even a great defense can struggle to put up fantasy points against a strong offense.

Before you head into your fantasy football draft, it’s a good idea to do some schedule reconnaissance and scout the Week 1 matchups for the top units on the board. When you do so, you’re invariably going to see that a good chunk of the top options have bad or middling matchups to start the season.

We’ll want to fade these defenses and instead opt for units with favorable Week 1 matchups. How do we identify good and bad matchups? It’s simple. Team defense scoring is heavily slanted toward touchdowns, and these come from takeaways on the defensive side of the ball. While defense can certainly score on fumble recoveries, these are a tough stat to predict. Interceptions are much more predictable, so we want to target turnover-prone quarterbacks.

Have a list of defenses who face the worst quarterbacks in Week 1 and target these defenses. From there, we’ll either continue with the team we draft or begin to stream defenses based on matchups. To help you out, I did the leg work for this year’s options. Let’s start with the top units to fade in your fantasy football drafts. I’ll then give you the top defenses to target, and, in case you miss out on them, the best of the rest.

Top Defenses to Fade

There are several of the top units in the league who get rough matchups in Week 1. Given the nature of the position, it’s wise to fade these defenses in your drafts and opt for squads with better matchups.

Baltimore Ravens

They’re the No. 1 defense in rankings, but they have to face the defending Super Bowl champs in Week 1. Hard pass.

San Francisco 49ers

Aaron Rodgers back under center for the Jets makes them a potentially formidable offense. This isn’t an optimal start for the highly ranked 49ers defense.

New York Jets

It’s even worse on the other side of the Week 1 Monday Night Football matchup. The Jets are a fantastic defense, but I want no part of them against the 49ers.

Dallas Cowboys

No, the Browns aren’t necessarily the league’s most explosive offense, but this isn’t a good spot for the Cowboys. They’re on the road in Cleveland and currently sit as two-point underdogs.

Cleveland Browns

Likewise, we don’t want to mess with the other side of this matchup between the Browns and Cowboys. Dallas can put points on the board in a hurry.

Pittsburgh Steelers

If they were playing last year’s version of the Falcons, the Steelers would very much be in play for Week 1. But this Atlanta team should be significantly improved with Kirk Cousins under center and Zac Robinson calling the plays.

Houston Texans

While the Colts aren’t the most intimidating matchup on the board for Week 1, we can almost certainly do better than the Texans with one of our streamer options.

Miami Dolphins

The Jags aren’t an elite offense on paper, but you can likely find a lot better matchups for Week 1 with our streamers below.

Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid’s squad has to face reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 1. No thanks.

Philadelphia Eagles

On paper, Philly looks much better than they did last season thanks to a secondary they bolstered in the draft and the addition of Vic Fangio at defensive coordinator. However, it’s tough to like the Eagles against a potent Packers offense.

Top Defenses to Target

Buffalo Bills

The Cardinals figure to be improved this season, but it’s a tough task for them to play in Buffalo in Week 1. The Bills offer fantasy upside in Week 1 but will get Miami in Week 2.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints also get to face one of the worst teams in the league in Week 1 with divisional rival Carolina on the schedule. The Panthers should improve under new head coach Dave Canales, but that could take time. But like many of the defense to target, the Saints get a rough Week 2 matchup against Dallas.

Chicago Bears

Matt Eberflus’ defense was cooking down the stretch last season and sits just outside my top-12 at No. 13. They’re in a good spot to produce in Week 1 against Will Levis and the Titans. Levis pushed the ball vertically last season, which will open him up to interceptions. Unfortunately, the Bears get Houston in Week 2.

Starting the Stream

Cincinnati Bengals

Here’s a prime streaming opportunity. The Bengals aren’t even a top-20 option in my team defense rankings, but they get to face one of the worst offenses in Week 1. New England is in full blown rebuild mode, so we can take advantage. You likely will be able to get the Bengals for free in the last round of your draft. Of course, they’re only a one-week streamer, as Kansas City is on the docket for Week 2.

Seattle Seahawks

With a defensive-minded head coach in place, the Seahawks could get out of the get hot against Denver in Week 1. At this point, the Broncos haven’t named their starter, but it really doesn’t matter for matchup purposes. Either the Seahawks will face a rookie in Bo Nix or a lackluster backup type in Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson. Seattle also gets New England in Week 2, making them a rare multi-week streamer. Of course, we’ll be tossing them back in Week 3 with Miami on the schedule.

Minnesota Vikings

How much do you think the Giants will have improved over last year? Adding Malik Nabers helps, but Daniel Jones is still, well, Daniel Jones. Of course, this is only a one-week options, as the Vikings will host San Francisco in Week 2.

Los Angeles Chargers

Even bad defenses can be good fantasy options in the right matchup. The Chargers come in a lowly 27th in my team defense rankings, but they’re very much in play in Week 1 against a Raiders team that will be starting either Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew. The Chargers also get the Panthers in Week 2.

New York Giants

Wanna get crazy? The Giants are the fourth lowest in my team defense rankings, but they’re legitimately in play for Week 1. The Vikings just lost J.J. McCarthy for the season, and Sam Darnold is now cemented as the starter. On his career, Darnold has nearly a 1:1 touchdown:interception ratio (63 TDs, 56 INTs).

Hard Pass

Indianapolis Colts

A solid defense, for sure, but they get a rough matchup against C.J. Stroud and the Texans in Week 1.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags are one of many mid-range defenses with a tough start to the season. They just aren’t in play against the Dolphins.

Detroit Lions

Dan Campbell’s squad gets a playoff rematch against the Rams in Week 1. There’s no reason to mess with this matchup.

Denver Broncos

A middling unit who gets to face the Seahawks in Week 1. There’s potential the Seahawks don’t immediately gel under new OC Ryan Grubb, but there are better places to roll the dice in your drafts.

Green Bay Packers

It should be a fun game in Brazil, but I want no piece of the Packers against the explosive Eagles offense.

Las Vegas Raiders

Expect the Chargers to run the you-know-what out of the football. Taking the air out of the ball will mean fewer opportunities for interceptions for the Raiders. This just isn’t an appealing matchup.

New England Patriots

A healthy Joe Burrow in Week 1? Yeah, I’ll pass.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Yes, they’re facing a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels, but the Bucs are too much of a “meh” defense to be considered as a streamer option.

Los Angeles Rams

Definitely not an option against the Lions.

Carolina Panthers

The team should improve under Dave Canales, but I’m not rolling that dice in Week 1. Are you?

Atlanta Falcons

There’s a chance I could change them to a deep streamer if Justin Fields is named the starter, but even then, you can do better elsewhere.

Washington Commanders

One of the league’s worst units on paper gets a middling matchup against the Buccaneers. That isn’t the recipe for fantasy success.

Arizona Cardinals

Jonathan Gannon’s squad showed signs of life down the stretch, but I want nothing to with having to face Josh Allen in Buffalo.

Tennessee Titans

They’re my No. 32 fantasy defense, so it would take a lot more than a matchup against the Bears for me to consider the Titans as a streamer in Week 1.