When people ask which defense they should draft, or which to play on a given week, the only correct answer is a question:
What is your scoring system?
Scoring systems for Defense/Special Teams (D/ST) vary dramatically. All leagues give credit for sacks, interceptions and return touchdowns. Most count fumble recoveries. Others factor in points allowed and yards allowed. Still a few more count return yardage.
The biggest game-changer for any fantasy team is the return touchdown. It’s an automatic six points, often eight (counting two points for an interception or fumble recovery), but trying to predict them is useless.
Arizona led the NFL with 10 return touchdowns last year. New Orleans had a league-high eight in 2009. Did anyone forecast that?
And if your league doesn’t count return yardage, it’s foolish to consider return men when picking a D/ST. Note that Devin Hester, the NFL's alltime leader with 14 return touchdowns, went through all of 2008 and 2009 without one.
While you can’t forecast defensive scores, you can predict which units will get the most opportunities to score fantasy points. They’re the ones that put quarterbacks under the most duress.
Pressure leads to sacks, of course. It leads to sack-fumbles, which can turn into scoop-and-scores. It causes interceptions. To wit: a QB has to unload before his receiver has turned his head around. A QB throws while getting hit. A scrambling QB throws back against his body. And so on.
How many times a defense converts pressure into fantasy scoring can fluctuate wildly, depending on a split second here and there. But one thing is certain: you want a defense that generates a lot of pressure, thus creating chances for good things to happen.
The combination of Sacks, QB Hits and QB Pressures is the truest indication of the frequency with which defenses harass opposing QBs.
According to Pro Football Focus data, here's how all 32 teams ranked in Combined Sacks, Hits and Pressures in 2010:
1. Titans: 295
2. Steelers: 290
3. Rams: 289
4. Eagles: 286
5. 49ers: 286
6. Seahawks: 279
7. Texans: 278
8. Vikings: 278
9. Raiders: 275
10. Chiefs: 273
11. Giants: 269
12. Lions: 269
13. Falcons: 263
14. Cowboys: 261
15. Packers: 260
16. Patriots: 253
17. Browns: 252
18. Dolphins: 243
19. Panthers: 243
20. Bears: 232
21. Redskins: 228
22. Chargers: 227
23. Colts: 224
24. Jets: 220
25. Ravens: 219
26. Saints: 214
27. Jaguars: 208
28. Bengals: 203
29. Bills: 200
30. Cardinals: 196
31. Buccaneers: 188
32. Broncos: 178
So how did this data correlate to fantasy success? Pretty well.
The top three teams and eight of the top 12 in NFL.com and ESPN.com scoring come the top half of our list above.
And the team that brought the least pressure, Denver, finished dead last in fantasy scoring.
Notice who’s missing from the top half of the league in pressure? The Jets, who ranked 24th with 220 combined sacks, hits and pressures.
They were almost universally the first defense selected in 2010 drafts, going as early as the 7th round. They turned out to be a good, not outstanding fantasy unit, finishing fifth in both NFL.com and ESPN.com scoring. Hardly worth a mid-round draft pick.
Due to Calvin Pace’s suspension and injury, Jason Taylor’s declining play and other factors, the Jets struggled to harass quarterbacks despite Rex Ryan's blitz-happy scheme.
The Jets finished with the third-worst pass rush in PFF rankings (-27.7). They actually maximized the pressure they mustered pretty well, posting 40 sacks (tied for 8th), 12 interceptions (tied for 25th) and 18 fumble recoveries (2nd).
In Week 16, Fantasy’s championship week, Jets owners had to be licking their chops. They had a matchup with turnover machine Jay Cutler. Instead of feasting on Cutler and the Bears’ offensive line – which had yielded nine first-half sacks to the Giants – the Jets mustered two sacks and one pick for the whole game. The Jets lost 38-34, and many fantasy owners lost their Super Bowls.
It's not that the Jets had a bad fantasy defense. They just were selected way too early.
If you’re going to take a defense before the final rounds, make sure you get one that produces a ton of pressure. You need to consider plenty of other factors, too, but pressure should be the foundation.
The Titans, Rams and Eagles are all examples of teams that failed to take advantage of their impressive pressure totals. A championship fantasy defense, like the Steelers, brings a lot of pressure and has the back-end playmakers to capitalize on it.
Look for our pressure-focused rankings of all 32 D/STs, coming soon.
© 2025 PFF - all rights reserved.