The defense is perhaps the most in flux on a fantasy squad, with opponent matchups dictating defenses’ fantasy performance almost as much as the talent they put on the field. When you play a team like Jacksonville or [insert New York team here], your defense will be among the best in the league for that week, and as a result, it’s a mad race each week to find defenders with good matchups on the waiver wire.
On the other hand, even a solid defense will surrender points and yards to the NFL’s best offenses, rendering them unusable against teams like Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, and the rest. As a result, awareness in analyzing matchups is essential to avoid sending out a defense that is ready to run into a buzz saw.
Each week, we’ll compile a consensus rating of NFL defenses based on fantasy projections from four different sites, which take into account matchups and previous performance (ESPN, NFL, CBS, FantasyPros).
