A trio of fantasy football value defenses to target in your draft

There are few things more satisfying in the world of fantasy football than identifying a player or group to break out when your fellow owners don’t see it. With that in mind, it’s time to look at some possible sleepers for the upcoming season.

3

Miami Dolphins

When your team boasts the NFL’s No. 1 offense, it’s easy to overlook the other side of the ball. With an ADP as the 10th defense selected, the Dolphins are getting that treatment from fantasy owners heading into the 2024 season. They deserve better. While last year’s defense finished 22nd in points allowed (23.0 per game), they landed in the top 10 in total defense (318.3 yards per game; 10th), takeaways (27; tied for 8th), and sacks (56; 3rd). Those last two numbers are the most important ones for fantasy purposes, and they did that despite a lot of high-profile injuries.

While some of the walking wounded are still making their way back — LB Bradley Chubb (knee) sustained a torn ACL on Dec. 31 and currently has no firm return date — the defense still features some difference makers, like LB Jaelan Phillips (Achilles), who is coming back from a torn Achilles, DE Zach Sieler, LB Jordyn Brooks, and CB Jalen Ramsey. Newcomers like S Jordan Poyer and first-round pick LB Chop Robinson add even more talent. It also helps that this offense makes teams play from behind, which is always a good recipe for collecting sacks and forcing turnovers. Despite a new defensive coordinator for 2024 in Anthony Weaver, this group has very real top-five upside.

2

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis wasn’t a stout defense, down in and down out, last season. They featured a deep group of pass rushers, though, finishing fifth in the NFL with 51 sacks despite not having anyone on the club reach double digits in that department. While the loss of last year’s leading sacker, DE Samson Ebukam (Achilles), to a ruptured Achilles is a tough break, they return linemen Kwity Paye (8.5 sacks), DeForest Buckner (8), and Dayo Odeyingbo (8) while adding DE Laiatu Latu, who was the first defensive player selected in this year’s draft.

The Colts, which finished a respectable 16th in takeaways (24), will be looking for growth from a young secondary that features several recent Day 2 picks. LB Zaire Franklin, whose 179 tackles were good for second-most in the NFL, anchors the linebacker level. Ultimately, it’s all about the pass rush with Indianapolis. If they can continue to apply steady pressure to opposing quarterbacks, they should have a shot at taking the ball away more often in 2024. Currently being selected as the 14th defense, this is an under-the-radar unit that might offer consistent starting value.

1

Green Bay Packers

Unlike the first two clubs on this list, Green Bay was a top-10 scoring defense (20.6 points per game; 10th), but they featured a middling pass rush (45 sacks; 16th) and struggled to take the ball away (18 forced turnovers; tied for 23rd). The Packers bid adieu to notoriously cautious defensive coordinator Joe Barry after the season in effort to combat that, hiring Jeff Hafley, who spent three years coaching DBs for the San Francisco 49ers before heading to the collegiate game. He’s expected to adopt a much more aggressive defense that emphasizes taking the ball away.

Personnel wise, the Packers are loaded with premium picks. That includes stars DT Kenny Clark and CB Jaire Alexander, ascending playmakers in LB Quay Walker and DE Rashan Gary, and recent first-round picks DT Devonte Wyatt and LB Lukas Van Ness. They signed S Xavier McKinney to quarterback the secondary and drafted the top-ranked LB (Edgerrin Cooper) and S (Javon Bullard) on a lot of draft boards. The pieces are there. Now, it’s up to Hafley to unlock them in a way Barry never could. This defense is going undrafted in most formats, and they’re more of a risk/reward selection than the other teams here. If it all clicks, though, the ceiling is high.