There's always that one fantasy owner that jumps the gun and takes the first defense. If that's your strategy, more power to you. But without any truly no brainer dominant D's this season, it might be best to hang back and take one last, or stream one based on matchups.
Here's our best effort at ranking the top 15 defenses and special teams units:
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2 | New York Jets |
| 3 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 5 | Buffalo Bills |
| 6 | New England Patriots |
| 7 | Denver Broncos |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins |
| 13 | New Orleans Saints |
| 14 | Carolina Panthers |
| 15 | Tennessee Titans |