2019 Defense Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: DEF Stats

By Brevin Fleischer | Apr 15, 2023, 9:52am

Contents

The 2020 fantasy football draft is coming up. Lineups has the latest fantasy football rankings including defense fantasy football rankings. We have everything you need for your season long draft with accurate fantasy football projections and historical fantasy football stats. For you DFS junkies, check out our updated NFL DFS projections. Need some help finding the best defensive players? Don’t forget to check out our complete and updated defensive player fantasy football rankings.

Predicting fantasy defensive production is an inexact science to say the least. You have teams like the Bears, where the metrics match the production, and the top defensive unit in the NFL also becomes the top fantasy unit. But you also have the Ravens, a team ranked second in points allowed but only 15th in fantasy points. Finally, the 2018 Chiefs speak to this disparity between fantasy football and actual football. In terms of stopping the opposition, Kansas City was one of the worst teams in the league, but, by virtue of turnovers forced, the Chiefs were the second best fantasy defense.

For the most part, fantasy defensive production relies on turnovers and sacks, the former of which can be owed as much to luck and circumstance as to scheme and talent. Thus, any projections and preseason rankings regarding fantasy football defenses must be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, here are a few thoughts to help guide your thinking come draft day.

2019 DEF Cheat Sheet

Note: All stats are allowed by defense. PTS = PTS Allowed

Team	Tier	FPTS 2018	PTS	YDS	YDS/PLY	RU YDS	RU YDS/ATT	RU TD	PA YDS/ATT	PA YDS	PA TDS	RZ TD %	TO	INT	FUM	SCKS	Draftkings FPTS/G	FanDuel FPTS/G	Yahoo FPTS/G
Chicago Bears	1	160	283	4,795	4.8	1,280	3.8	5	5.7	3,515	22	50%	36	27	9	50	11.69	11.94	11.69
Los Angeles Rams	1	135	384	5,737	6	1,957	5.1	12	7.1	3,780	31	58%	30	18	12	41	9.63	9.63	9.63
Minnesota Vikings	1	108	341	4,955	5	1,815	4.1	13	6.2	3,140	15	45%	20	12	8	50	7.75	7.81	7.75
Los Angeles Chargers	1	98	329	5,339	5.4	1,693	4.3	11	6.7	3,646	23	50%	20	13	7	38	7	7.38	7
Houston Texans	2	125	316	5,490	5.4	1,323	3.4	8	7	4,167	28	71%	29	15	14	43	9.25	9.25	9.25
Denver Broncos	2	112	349	5,842	5.7	1,913	4.5	11	7.2	3,929	26	58%	28	17	11	44	8.25	8.25	8.25
New England Patriots	2	104	325	5,746	5.7	1,803	4.9	7	6.5	3,943	29	59%	28	18	10	30	8.69	8.69	8.69
New Orleans Saints	2	103	353	5,585	5.7	1,284	3.6	12	7.5	4,301	30	63%	24	12	12	49	7	7	7
Baltimore Ravens	2	101	287	4,687	4.8	1,327	3.7	11	5.8	3,360	21	63%	17	12	5	43	8.25	8.25	8.25
Jacksonville Jaguars	2	93	316	4,983	5.1	1,870	4.3	16	6.2	3,113	17	51%	17	11	6	37	7.19	7.19	7.19
Buffalo Bills	2	92	374	4,706	4.9	1,839	4.2	17	5.8	2,867	22	71%	27	16	11	36	6.69	6.69	6.69
Cleveland Browns	3	101	392	6,288	5.6	2,163	4.7	20	6.6	4,125	21	61%	31	17	14	37	6.38	6.38	6.38
Indianapolis Colts	3	92	344	5,431	5.5	1,626	3.9	12	7	3,805	21	54%	26	15	11	38	7.63	7.63	7.63
Tennessee Titans	3	91	303	5,334	5.3	1,863	4.3	9	6.5	3,471	21	45%	17	11	6	39	7.44	7.44	7.44
Detroit Lions	3	83	360	5,360	5.7	1,761	4.4	11	7.3	3,599	29	57%	14	7	7	43	6.25	6.25	6.25
Kansas City Chiefs	4	137	421	6,488	5.9	2,114	5	19	6.9	4,374	30	72%	27	15	12	52	8.31	8.31	8.31
New York Jets	4	109	441	6,086	5.7	2,021	4.6	17	7	4,065	29	53%	20	13	7	39	6.81	6.81	6.81
Washington Redskins	4	104	359	5,654	5.7	1,860	4.5	12	7.1	3,794	27	52%	26	15	11	46	7.5	7.5	7.5
Pittsburgh Steelers	4	104	360	5,235	5.3	1,538	4.2	13	6.5	3,697	27	59%	15	8	7	52	7.25	7.31	7.25
Dallas Cowboys	4	85	324	5,268	5.4	1,513	3.8	12	6.9	3,755	22	51%	20	9	11	39	6.13	6.13	6.13
Green Bay Packers	4	80	400	5,670	5.6	1,918	4.3	15	7.1	3,752	30	61%	15	7	8	44	5.94	6.13	5.94
Philadelphia Eagles	4	77	348	5,859	5.8	1,551	4.7	14	6.9	4,308	22	45%	17	10	7	44	6	6	6
Miami Dolphins	5	117	433	6,257	6.1	2,325	4.8	17	7.7	3,932	31	61%	28	21	7	31	7.5	7.5	7.5
Seattle Seahawks	5	107	347	5,653	5.9	1,811	4.9	9	7	3,842	26	49%	26	12	14	43	7.69	7.81	7.69
Arizona Cardinals	5	93	425	5,741	5.4	2,479	4.9	25	6.4	3,262	21	62%	16	7	9	49	6.56	6.56	6.56
Carolina Panthers	5	87	382	5,651	6	1,804	4.7	13	7.3	3,847	32	70%	23	13	10	35	5.75	5.75	5.75
Atlanta Falcons	5	87	423	6,152	6	1,999	4.9	16	7.1	4,153	33	70%	19	15	4	37	5.06	5.06	5.06
San Francisco 49ers	5	66	435	5,546	5.4	1,814	4.1	13	6.9	3,732	35	66%	7	2	5	37	3.69	3.69	3.69
Cincinnati Bengals	6	99	455	6,618	6.1	2,204	4.7	17	7.6	4,414	32	64%	18	12	6	34	5.31	5.5	5.31
New York Giants	6	90	412	5,942	5.7	1,898	4.3	19	7.2	4,044	24	57%	21	16	5	30	5.25	5.25	5.25
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6	78	464	6,134	6.1	1,983	4.7	19	7.8	4,151	34	78%	17	9	8	38	4.25	4.25	4.25
Oakland Raiders	6	59	467	6,102	6.3	2,249	4.7	16	8	3,853	36	60%	17	14	3	13	2.94	3	2.94

The Clear Number One

The Chicago Bears blew every other defense out of the water last year with a whopping 160 points. The next closest team, the Rams, were 25 points back. Expecting the Bears to replicate all 160 points would be unrealistic, but they should still be the top unit in fantasy football. If you’re the type of drafter that values defense highly and plans to be the first player picking on that side of the ball, the Bears have to be your selection. Other teams like the Rams or Vikings might seem promising, but don’t get cute. If you’re the first person drafting a defense, you better pick Chicago.

Good Value Teams

One defense that’s flying a bit under the radar this offseason resides is that of the Los Angeles Chargers. While the Rams steal all of the LA headlines, the Chargers are also building a pretty strong contender for 2019, and that starts on defense. Joey Bosa should finally be healthy this year to pair with Melvin Ingram, forming one of the most formidable pass rushes in the league. At defensive back, the team is equally loaded. Strong safety Derwin James was All-Pro as a rookie, free safety Desmond King joined him, and Casey Hayward is a two-time Pro Bowler himself. If young stars Bosa, James, and King each take that next step, this defense could be among the league’s very best.

Bill Belichick will be his own defensive coordinator this season, meaning that the New England defense will immediately become the best coached unit in the league. Devin McCourty and Stephon Gilmore lead from the secondary, and fresh talent comes in from the draft in the form of linebacker Chase Winovich, cornerback Joejuan Williams, and defensive end Byron Cowart. The Patriots finished last season just inside the top ten for fantasy defenses. Expect a similar performance this year.

Sleepers

The Arizona Cardinals probably will probably go unselected in roughly 90 percent of fantasy football drafts this August. Considering that they finished 18th in fantasy points last season, the lack of excitement around this unit is hardly surprising. But this 2019 Arizona defense has some fresh faces. Terrell Suggs, Jordan Hicks, and D.J. Swearinger join Patrick Peterson and company to form a unit with playmakers all over the field. If they can piece all of this new talent together, the Cardinals could surprise some people en route to becoming a solid, playable defense.

Although recent history hasn’t been kind to the defense of the Dallas Cowboys, this year’s team has the talent to flip the narrative. Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Sean Lee form perhaps the best linebacker corps in the NFL, while Demarcus Lawrence dominates as a pass rusher and Byron Jones excels in the secondary. However, for the Cowboys to become a dominant fantasy defense, they’ll have to do more than hold the opposing team off of the scoreboard; they’ll need to create turnovers as well, and last year’s unit did a poor job of that, generating just 20 on the season.

Teams to Avoid

While the Seattle Seahawks have long been one of the most reliable defensive teams in fantasy football, I fear that their time at the top has come to an end. With the departure of Earl Thomas this offseason, the Legion of Boom era is officially over. The only remaining star from those Super Bowl runs in linebacker Bobby Wagner, and although Wagner is as good as ever, his supporting cast is not. Pass rusher Frank Clark is now on the Chiefs, and it is unclear who will step up in his stead. It feels odd advising drafters to avoid the Seahawks, but they were only an average unit last year, and this year’s version doesn’t seem nearly as good.

The decline for the defense of the Baltimore Ravens should be less steep than that of the Seahawks but noticeable nonetheless. Like Seattle, Baltimore is a historically strong defensive team. In fact, the Ravens ranked second in points allowed as recently as last season. Also like the Seahawks, the Ravens have lost a lot of talent recently. C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs, Eric Weddle, and Za’Darius Smith all departed this offseason, meaning that roster turnover will be as much of a challenge as facing the potent Pittsburgh and Cleveland offenses a combined four times. Even with all of their talent, the Ravens were a middling fantasy defense last year. This year, expect more of the same, if not worse.

2019 Fantasy Football Kit

Brevin Fleischer

Brevin Fleischer, originally from Albany, New York, is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s a devoted Giants, Yankees, and Rangers fan, but in the NBA, he passionately supports the Sacramento Kings. Beyond sports, Brevin enjoys watching and discussing good movies and television.