It’s that time of year again.
The dark days of terrible preseason games and bizarre personnel moves (Seriously. Jerry. What. The. What?) are over. So (sadly) is the excitement and enthusiasm of fantasy draft season. It’s go-time now—in just a couple of days, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys will square off in the 2025 season opener. Another season of fantasy football will begin with it.
And that means it’s time for my 37th year of Getting Defensive here at Rotoworld—approximately.
Time flies when you’re having fun.
Same as every year, the early editions of Getting Defensive come with a caveat. There’s a ton that changes on NFL defenses every year. There are personnel moves. Coaching hires. Things that we thought we knew that turn out to be vastly different.
No, that doesn’t make me wrong. Don’t be silly.
We can say with a fairly high level of confidence that defenses like the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles are going to be excellent in 2025. But there will be September surprises—it happens each and every year. It can make streaming difficult the first few weeks of the season—and that comes from a guy who always streams defenses.
But we will weather that early storm together. Get past whatever we have to get past. Now, we begin a journey together. A journey that will end in Week 17. A journey that will end in fantasy glory.
Guaranteed.
Unless it doesn’t.
Your one-stop-shop for Rotoworld’s preseason fantasy football content.
THE NO-DOUBTERS
Denver Broncos (vs. Tennessee Titans)
The Broncos were the No. 1 defense in fantasy football last year. Denver was third in the NFL in scoring defense. Led the league in sacks with 63. The team amassed 25 takeaways. And if the offseason was any indication, the acquisition of players like linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and rookie first-rounder Jahdae Barron could make them even better in 2025. As if all that wasn’t cause enough for optimism, the Broncos open the season at home against a Tennessee Titans team that was 3-14 last season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (at New York Jets)
The Steelers may have endured another so-so season from an NFL perspective, but as is usually the case Pittsburgh did just fine by fantasy managers—the Steelers were fifth in fantasy points at the position in 2024, the second straight season of top-10 fantasy numbers and second time in the past five years the team cracked the top-five. The Steelers are going to get after New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields, and Gang Green’s offense was gangrenous in the postseason.
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
This play isn’t without risk—while fans of the Dallas Cowboys are still working through the five stages of grief after the Micah Parsons trade, the Dallas offense is still pretty potent. However, these early games can be choppy offensively, the ‘Boys are on the road against their hated rival in a game where the crowd should be, um, lubricated and the Eagles led the league in total defense last year and were eighth in fantasy points among defenses. Philly wins this game by double-digits—and scores on defense. Book it.
New England Patriots (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)
There isn’t a defense in the NFL that has undergone more changes in the offseason this year than the Patriots. The team spent big in free agency on the likes of defensive tackle Milton Williams and linebacker Robert Spillane. New head coach Mike Vrabel wasted no time putting his stamp on the defense, demoting long-time starters like safety Kyle Dugger. The Raiders have quite a few questions on offense (especially in the passing game), and it’s a west coast (sort of) team traveling east to play at 1:00 PM.
Minnesota Vikings (at Chicago Bears)
No team had more fantasy points among NFC defenses last year than the Minnesota Vikings—largely because edge-rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard spent the entire year making opposing quarterbacks miserable. Now the Vikings have added veteran tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to that line, and while Chicago’s offensive line has to better this year than last (there’s nowhere to go but up), it’s still a team that surrendered a staggering 68 sacks in 2024.
Los Angeles Rams (vs. Houston Texans)
The Los Angeles Rams are one of the more underrated defenses in the NFL—especially up front. In edge-rushers Byron Young and 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and tackles Jared Verse and Kobie Turner, the Rams have a front-four that is more than capable of collapsing the pocket. That could pose a problem for the Texans, who decided in their infinite wisdom this offseason that it was a good idea to gut the offensive line in front of a quarterback in C.J. Stroud who ain’t exactly known for his mobility.
Eric Samulski breaks down his fnatasy football defense rankings for Week 1 of the NFL season
STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Arizona Cardinals (at New Orleans Saints)
The Arizona Cardinals spent much of the summer as the favorite son of the streaming crowd where team defenses are concerned, and it had little to do with the Cardinals themselves. The Redbirds aren’t without talent on that side of the ball—the team spent big to add some pop on the edge in the offseason with the acquisition of Josh Sweat and Budda Baker is one of the best safeties in the game. But this is all about a matchup with a Saints team that will have to improve markedly to be stinky poo.
Washington Commanders (vs. New York Giants)
The Commanders were OK defensively last year but not much more than that—the team was 13th in total defense, were mediocre in points allowed at 23.0 per game, had a so-so 42 sacks for the season and finished outside the top-20 in fantasy points. Yes, the Giants should be an improved team with Russell Wilson under center, but the skill-position talent outside star wideout Malik Nabers and Big Blue’s offensive line is ranked by most in the bottom-five in the NFL.
Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland Browns)
The Bengals were admittedly not good defensively last year, and it remains relatively unchanged from a year ago—although Cincinnati was at least able to finally get 2024 sack king Trey Hendrickson sewn up. This pick has a lot less to do with the Bengals being good than it does the Browns being awful. The offensive line is bad. Starting quarterback Joe Flacco has the mobility of an ATM. Running back Quinshon Judkins still isn’t signed. And behind Jerry Jeudy, the wide receivers are meh.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Carolina Panthers)
The Jaguars were bad on defense last year. Like really bad. Really, really bad. The team was 31st in total defense in 2024. 28th in scoring defense. And dead last in the league with all of nine takeaways for the entire season. But there’s a new defensive coordinator in town this year in Anthony Campanile, and the Jaguars aren’t bereft of talent, especially on the front-seven. The Panthers were one of four teams last year who averaged less than 300 yards of offense, and Carolina barely scored 20 points per game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Atlanta Falcons)
The Buccaneers were neither great nor terrible defensively—Tampa’s 341.8 yards allowed per game and 22.6 points allowed per contest were both middle of the pack, and the Buccaneers finished just outside the top-20 in fantasy points. But as uninspiring as those numbers are, there is also more than a little uncertainty surrounding the Atlanta offense with Michael Penix Jr. making just his fourth NFL start. If Penix makes a mistake or two with rock, the Buccaneers could be a sneaky-good start.
The league’s best quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends for draft weekend.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS
Baltimore Ravens (at Buffalo Bills)
In terms of Average Draft Position, the Ravens defense was the fourth one off the board this summer after finishing 10th last year in total defense, ninth in scoring defense and second in the league with 54 sacks. However, the Ravens were just a so-so 12th in the league in fantasy points a year ago, and Baltimore has to open the season on the road against the reigning NFL MVP and a Buffalo offense that was dead last in fantasy points surrendered to defenses in 2024.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.