Taking a look at the most consistent fantasy football defenses to draft this season, including the Minnesota Vikings’ DST!
Fantasy football defenses are a weird position to put some thought into. Even though this position probably gets filled with one of the last picks in your fantasy draft, it can be very easy to overlook. While one strategy regarding defenses revolves around streaming them and picking up the best defensive matchup each week, that can become a headache, especially if you are in leagues where you need to pay per transaction. Another strategy is to draft a good defense, put it in your lineup and don’t think about it for the rest of the year.
If you are more akin to the latter strategy, let’s go over the three most consistent fantasy football defenses to ease your mind at the position. When looking at consistency, we are looking at the defenses that finished with the highest percentage of top-12 rankings last season. This data can be found in our award-winning fantasy football draft kit below!
Most Consistent Fantasy Football Defenses | Consistency Fantasy Football Rankings
1. Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Defense
While not hailed as the best defense in the NFL on paper last season, the Minnesota Vikings’ fantasy football defense finished as a top-12 unit in 75% of the weeks last season (No. 1 in the NFL). They were the ultimate “put them in your lineup and don’t think about it” fantasy football defense last season, as they finished as a bottom-19 defense just once.
Looking at the team this year, the Vikings certainly can retain that ranking as the most consistent defense. Andrew Van Ginkel was a major reason that the Vikings’ defense finished so well, as he totaled 11.5 sacks and two interceptions. He brought both of those interceptions back for touchdowns for added points. With Harrison Smith, Byron Murphy and Josh Metellus still around, the Vikings bring back some of that continuity. Added to the roster this year are Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave and Eric Wilson to fortify the front seven.
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2. Green Bay Packers Fantasy Defense
After bringing in Jeff Hafley to call the defensive unit last season, the Green Bay Packers turned a bad defense into a very opportunistic one. Hafley’s scheme brought about more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, leading to more caused turnovers. Last season, the Packers finished as a top-12 defense in 68.8% of weeks. On top of that, they only finished as a bottom-19 defense twice. The team finished third last season with 31 takeaways.
While the Packers lose Jaire Alexander this year, it theoretically should not be that big of a hit fantasy football-wise, as Alexander dealt with injuries for most of the season. The team does keep their front four of Rashan Gary, Devonte Wyatt, Kenny Clark and Lukas Van Ness, hoping to continue to build that strong line. On the back-end, even though he has dealt with an injury in the offseason, Xavier McKinney is still one of the best ball-hawking safeties in the league and will have his fair share of interceptions. Keisean Nixon moves to the starting corner spot, in a physical, though questionable, cornerback room.
3. Denver Broncos Fantasy Defense
As it stands today, the Denver Broncos have a strong argument for sporting the best defense in the NFL. The Broncos finished last season tied for the third-most consistent fantasy football defense in the NFL, being a top-12 defense in 62.5% of weeks. They tied with the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, but what sets Denver apart from those two is that they finished as a bottom-19 defense just once, compared to Philly’s four and Pittsburgh’s three. What set the Broncos apart from other defenses, though, was their league-leading 63 sacks.
This season, the Broncos’ defense continues to be led by Pat Surtain and Zach Allen. Outside of those two, though, Nik Bonitto will continue to improve off of a great season last year. What is interesting with the defense is that they brought in Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, two players who have shown a penchant for creating turnovers in the past. The most underrated newcomer to the team, though, is rookie corner Jahdae Barron. The rookie was one of the better corners in the draft this season, and with Surtain on the team, he is bound to see some action to flex his prowess this season.
