Three defenses to target in Fantasy Football in 2022
The NFL preseason has wrapped up, with the season beginning in just a matter of days. Most of you are likely beginning or wrapping up your fantasy football drafts; Vendetta will have their own tomorrow (which I won’t be in, but viewing from afar.)
There’s plenty of debate which running backs go in the top-5, which receiver should go first and when, or when the first quarterback will be drafted.
What’s not discussed much are defenses, which could prove to be valuable if you nab the right one.
A reason why they’re not talked about that much is because of their volatility. Oftentimes it can swayed by turnover luck or facing the right string of quarterbacks at the right time. You can usually predict who the top 10 or so defenses are in the league, but they’re still as difficult to project as individual players offensively.
That said, I will try to do the impossible and give you three fantasy defenses that you — yes, YOU — should be drafting in your drafts. Let’s jump into it.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49er defense is one of my personal favorites. It’s ranked top-5 in the NFL in yards allowed in each of the last three seasons and is a wise bet to bank on yet again in 2022. They have a very good front-seven, led by Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner. They also have two good corners in Charvarius Ward and Emmanuel Mosley, both capable of wreaking havoc on the outside. Oh, and listen to the first few teams they face: Bears, Seahawks, Broncos, Rams, Panthers and Falcons. That’s a doable slate from a fantasy football perspective.
New Orleans Saints
I’ll be interested to see how this defense fares with Dennis Allen as head coach and not just when he’s the defensive coordinator. But nothing suggests a big drop off from a year ago, when they were top-7 in both scoring defense and total defense. Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport are a good duo on the EDGE; We know what Demario Davis does as a MIKE linebacker and New Orleans acquired safety Tyronn Mathieu to put alongside fearsome corner Marcus Lattimore. They begin with Atlanta, Tampa Bay — who they’ve had plenty of recent success against — and Carolina. It gets tougher towards the middle of the season, but if you’re looking for a defense to nab with an easy start to their schedule New Orleans is a good bet.
Dallas Cowboys
I’ll be honest, I was hesitant of putting Dallas on here, but I’m still very enthralled with the pass-rushing potential of Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence on the defensive line, raising their fantasy potential. Perhaps they won’t have as much turnover regression as we may have thought? Since they open with Tampa and Cincinnati, you might want to grab a second defense with an easier opponent to burn Weeks 1-2. But they play the NFC North and AFC South outside of the NFC East. That’s intriguing in it of itself.
Others: Denver Broncos (easy first couple of games), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (tough start to season, easy division), Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens
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