Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Wondering when you should draft your favorite NFL defense in your upcoming fantasy football draft? Continue reading our 2010 Fantasy Football Team Defense Rankings to find out…

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 4, 2010::

TIER 1

1. New York Jets (Bye: 7)

No defense played better than the Jets in 2009 and a large part of their success can be attributed to Head Coach Rex Ryan. He brought his aggressive blitz happy defensive schemes from the Baltimore Ravens and implemented them in New York. The results were outstanding. The Jets allowed a league low 252.3 yards (32 yards better than any other defense) and 14.8 points per game while adding 32 sacks and 31 turnovers.

With those numbers, it would be tough to get much better in the offseason; however, New York focused on trying continuing to improve their stellar defense. They added cornerbacks Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers and rookie Kyle Wilson plus brought in veteran Jason Taylor to improve the pass rush. On top of these additions, the Jets will get a big boost when defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who missed 10 games with a torn ACL, returns to the field. The toughest offenses the Jets will face this season will be their two games against the New England Patriots and solo games against the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. The games that could result in big point weeks include their two games versus the Buffalo Bills and single games against the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (Bye: 8)

The Eagles were another defense that had question marks going into last season. They had to deal with the unfortunate passing of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and veteran leader Brian Dawkins was no longer with the team. The defense responded though, allowing 321.1 yards and 21.1 points per game with 44 sacks and 38 turnovers. The play of the defense (with some solid offensive production along the way) helped the Eagles win five straight games during the season and secure their spot in the playoffs.

Even after a solid 2009 campaign, the goal was to make the defense better this offseason. Philadelphia used their Round 1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft on defensive end Brandon Graham plus picked up safety Nate Allen, whom they hope is an eventual replacement for Brian Dawkins.. The one thing the Eagles don’t have going for them is the schedule. The only games that should be locks for big fantasy points are the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. Outside of their tough division which has good offensive foes, other tough matchups for the Philadelphia defense include the Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, and Green Bay Packers. 

3. Baltimore Ravens (Bye: 8)

There were a lot of concerns about Baltimore Ravens defense entering the 2009 season. They lost some of their big contributors on defense (Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard) and the most important missing piece was defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Even with those losses, the team still did quite well by limiting offenses to 300.5 yards and 16.3 points per game while totaling 32 sacks and 32 turnovers.

While the defense was solid, they continued to add depth through the 2010 NFL Draft by adding linebacker Sergio Kindle and defensive tackle Terrence Cody, then picking up defensive tackle Cory Redding and safety Ken Hamlin in free agency. One area they didn’t address though was cornerback, which with the injury to Ed Reed went from a weakness last season to a glaring hole this year. The idea though is that as long as there is pressure up front, the team doesn’t need any outstanding defensive backs. Teams that likely won’t test their defense coming up this fall include the Cleveland Browns (twice), Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The tougher opponents will be the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, and Atlanta Falcons.

4. Green Bay Packers (Bye: 10)

After watching their playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals, you might consider this ranking as a bit high. Before that game however, the Green Bay defense was playing very well. In 2009, their unit gave up only 284.4 yards and 18.4 points per game and totaled 37 sacks and a league-leading 40 takeaways (30 of which were interceptions). 

With those kinds of numbers, there wasn’t a lot that needed to be done in the offseason, other than writing off that playoff game as a fluke. The Packers added some depth in defensive tackles Michael Neal and safety Morgan Burnett; however, they are role players and neither is projected to make an immediate impact. Some games that could be tough for the Green Bay defense this season will be against the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and Minnesota Vikings (twice). Easier matchups include the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions (twice).

5. Minnesota Vikings (Bye: 4)

Every year the Minnesota defense produces at a consistent level and that is thanks to the solid defensive line that includes Jared Allen, Pat Williams, and Kevin Williams. The Vikings totaled a league-high 48 sacks and forced 24 turnovers while allowing just 305.5 yards and 19.5 points per game. Until the line crumbles down, and it’s shown no signs of it happening, you can rely on the Vikings defense on a weekly basis.

The one area that the Vikings needed to address in the offseason was cornerback, where injuries and poor play stopped the defense from being great. Minnesota did just that by adding veteran free agent Lito Sheppard and using their Round 2 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft on Chris Cook. Minnesota also drafted defensive end Everson Griffen, who was a projected first round selection that fell to the fourth round.  An added bonus to an already stellar defense is that the Vikings will get back E.J. Henderson, who missed the final four games of the regular season with a broken leg. Some favorable matchups for Minnesota’s defense in 2010 include two games against the Detroit Lions and a single game with the Buffalo Bills. The Vikings tougher games will be against the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers (twice), and Dallas Cowboys.

TIER 2

6. San Francisco 49ers (Bye: 9)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (Bye: 5)
8. Dallas Cowboys (Bye: 4)
9. New Orleans Saints (Bye: 10)

TIER 3

10. New York Giants (Bye: 8)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (Bye: 6)
12. New England Patriots (Bye: 5)
13. Miami Dolphins (Bye: 5)
14. Chicago Bears (Bye: 8)

TIER 4

15. San Diego Chargers (Bye: 10)
16. Houston Texans (Bye: 7)
17. Indianapolis Colts (Bye: 7)
18. Atlanta Falcons (Bye: 8)
19. Arizona Cardinals (Bye: 6)
20. Tennessee Titans (Bye: 9)
21. Denver Broncos (Bye: 9)
22. Washington Redskins (Bye: 9)
23. Carolina Panthers (Bye: 6)
24. Buffalo Bills (Bye: 6)

TIER 5

25. Oakland Raiders (Bye: 10)
26. Cleveland Browns (Bye: 8)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Bye: 4)
28. Seattle Seahawks (Bye: 5)

TIER 6

29. Detroit Lions (Bye: 7)
30. Kansas City Chiefs (Bye: 4)
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Bye: 9)
32. St. Louis Rams (Bye: 9)

 
To see in-depth player profiles for all 32 TEAM DEFENSES check out the rest of our 2010 FANTASY FOOTBALL TEAM DEFENSES RANKINGS by clicking here… FREE FANTASY FOOTBALL CHEAT SHEETS

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2010 SLEEPERS:  QB |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF   (click to view)

2010 BUSTS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF   (click to view)

2010 DEEP SLEEPERS:  RB  |  WR |  TE   (click to view)

2010 BREAKOUT PLAYERS:  QB  |  RB |  WR |  TE   (click to view)

2010 RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)

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