With only a few weeks remaining until the 2025 NFL season kicks off, the most exciting time of the year is finally here. The draft has come and gone, most free agents have found a home, and we’re finally getting daily updates on how every player in the league arrived at camp in the best shape of his life and is in for a career year. And as the preseason rolls on, so too does fantasy preparation for us wolves looking to defend our titles or avenge crushing defeats from a season ago.
While scouring ADP trends and mock drafts, it’s easy to stick to the sexy stuff, like mid-round wideouts due for a breakout year, RB sleepers that will get their shot due to injuries or slow starts, or dual-threat passers primed to tear up defenses en route to a top five finish. Although filling these roster spots with consistent scoring is important, fantasy defenses often go overlooked, with many opting to forgo selecting a DST in the draft (if their league allows it) or just scoop up a random team in the last round and hope for the best.
Once the season gets rolling, I, like many others, generally stream defenses week to week based on matchups and recent performances. This can be tough in the early part of the season, though, which is why other factors like prior year performance, offseason moves, and strength of schedule are crucial in helping pinpoint an overlooked defense that can win you a few matchups to kick off the year.
For example, look no further than the 2024 Chicago Bears. The Bears finished the season as the No. 11 DST in scoring — not bad, but nothing groundbreaking. However, they were the DST3 through the first six weeks of the year, averaging over 11 points per game heading into their Week 7 bye. Chicago was a below-average fantasy defense in 2023. Still, offseason acquisitions like Kevin Byard and Jaylon Johnson, combined with an early schedule featuring matchups against middling offenses like the Titans, Panthers, and Jaguars, made them a hot commodity early in the year.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some teams that show potential to be top performers early in the 2025 season that you can snag in the late rounds of your upcoming fantasy football draft.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL DEFENSE PREVIEW (DST)
DENVER BRONCOS
2024 Scoring Finish: 1st
Early Season Schedule: vs. Titans, @ Colts, @ Chargers
We’ll start off with a simple one here, as Denver led all fantasy defenses in scoring practically wire to wire in 2024. They led the league with 63 sacks, nine more than the second-place Ravens, and finished tied for eighth with 15 interceptions and tied for 11th with nine fumble recoveries, along with five defensive TDs. The Broncos took a massive leap in head coach Sean Payton’s second season at the helm, finishing with a top-ten scoring unit on both sides of the ball and securing an AFC Wild Card spot.
Heading into this offseason, Denver took a straightforward approach to free agency on defense: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Much of their defense was already under contract for 2025, and they secured a few others who weren’t, most notably resigning DT DJ Jones on a three-year deal. They also made a couple of moves for some oft-injured former San Francisco stars who have both made significant impacts in the past when healthy in LB Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga. If both can stay healthy (which, admittedly, if a big “if,” as Greenlaw is already missing time with a quad injury), they should be strong additions to an already impressive unit.
In addition to Jones and their new pickups, the Broncos will return the trio of Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper, and Zach Allen that combined for over 32 sacks a season ago, in addition to reigning DPOY Pat Surtain II. With such a high level of roster continuity from a season ago, they should get off to a hot start immediately with early games against the Titans and Colts before what should be a tough divisional matchup with the Chargers.
The Broncos will more than likely be the first D/ST off the board in most drafts this year, but the question remains: how high do you take them? Current ADP projections have them going around the 13th round, but it really comes down to knowing your league and, more importantly, your league mates. Do any of them value defense more than the average player? Are there any Broncos fans in the league that may want them?
If so, you may need to reach to ensure you secure this lucrative unit. And while Denver does have some difficult early-season matchups, including the Bengals and Eagles back to back in Weeks 4 and 5, they luck out in a sense by not having their first matchup with the Chiefs until Week 11, while avoiding Baltimore and Buffalo altogether in 2025.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
2024 Scoring Finish: 2nd
Early Season Schedule: @ Bears, vs. Falcons, vs. Bengals
Real groundbreaking stuff here going from the number one scoring D/ST from last year to number two. Not only did Minnesota trot out one of the best defenses in football last year, but they got off to a scorching hot start, putting up over 14 points per game over the first five weeks. Overall, Minnesota’s defense was a huge factor in their 14-win season, tying for the overall league lead with 33 turnovers forced and coming in T-4th with 49 sacks.
Minnesota has had some holes to fill in its impressive unit from last year — LB Patrick Jones II and his seven sacks are off to Arizona, safety Cam Bynum is a Colt, taking his six 2024 INTs with him, and Stephon Gilmore‘s veteran leadership is still looking for its next destination. However, things could’ve been much worse. The Vikings had four key players in their secondary that hit free agency this spring, but they locked up the most important one, bringing Pro Bowler Byron Murphy back on a three-year deal. They also took a flier on former first-rounder Jeff Okudah, giving him a one-year “prove it” deal to see if he can stay healthy and turn around what’s been a disappointing career so far.
They made a couple of big splashes up front as well, bringing in Jonathan Allen from Washington and Javon Hargrave from San Francisco. Allen missed nine games to a pec injury a season ago, but before that was a consistent piece in Washington’s front four, playing 73% of defensive snaps from 2018 to 2023 and amassing 38 sacks over those six seasons. Hargrave is in a similar boat, having missed most of last season due to injury but averaged almost seven sacks per year over the previous six seasons. If both can stay relatively healthy, they’ll provide worthy compliments to Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, who combined for 23.5 sacks for Minnesota a season ago.
The Vikings will start the year off with back-to-back primetime games, first traveling to Chicago on Monday Night Football before hosting the Falcons the following Sunday night. If they’re able to continue their ways from last year and wreak havoc on those two young QBs to start the season, they’ll head into a Week 3 matchup with Cincinnati’s abysmal offensive line riding high and ready to ruin Joe Burrow‘s day.
Things get tougher later on, including a brutal stretch of Eagles, Chargers, Lions, and Ravens coming out of their Week 6 bye, but up until that point, Minnesota should have no problem replicating their early-season defensive success from 2024. They’re being drafted as the DST4 this year, so you’ll likely need to be a bit aggressive to lock them down.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
2024 Scoring Finish: 30th
Early Season Schedule: vs. Raiders, @ Dolphins, vs. Steelers, vs. Panthers
The Patriots entered last season with some cautious optimism after drafting Drake Maye and promoting Jerod Mayo to head coach. However, that optimism was fleeting, with dismal performances on both sides of the ball leading to a 4-13 finish. In a somewhat surprising move, Mayo was relieved of his duties after just one year, and the Patriots followed that up with the no-brainer move of bringing in former Super Bowl champion linebacker Mike Vrabel to try to right the ship.
It’s still early, but initial signs coming out of Foxboro are promising. Offensive improvements aside, with Maye’s growth and additions like Stefon Diggs and TreVeyon Henderson, the defense should be a complete 180 from last year’s atrocious outfit. New England entered free agency with the defense in mind (along with the most cap space in the league). It emerged from that signing frenzy with a unit that is improved at all levels, adding DT Milton Williams, linebackers Robert Spillane and Harold Landry III, and cornerback Carlton Davis III. While last year’s team sack leader Deatrich Wise is gone to Washington, they’ll return most other top performers from last year, like Christian Barmore up front and Christian Gonzalez, Jabrill Peppers, and Kyle Dugger in the secondary.
The Patriots will get a prime opportunity right off the bat to show us if they’re the real deal, starting the season off with the Raiders, Dolphins, Steelers, and Panthers, with three out of those four at home. Despite road matchups with Cincinnati and Baltimore and their token two games against the Bills, New England has a great schedule — not just in terms of opponents, but travel, too. Outside of two games in Weeks 6 and 7 in New Orleans and Nashville, the remainder of their games are all in the Eastern time zone. Even with one of the younger rosters in the league, cutting down on lengthy travel can be an unsung hero when it comes to building a turnaround from last year’s forgettable season.
New England is currently being drafted as the DST19, meaning you may not even have to use a draft pick to lock them down for Week 1. But they’re well worth a last-round flyer or early waiver pickup with a soft early-season schedule and a much-improved roster led by a defensive-minded head coach that clearly cares, maybe even too much.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Washington Commanders:
T-21st in scoring last year
Added Deatrich Wise, Jonathan Jones, Will Harris, and resigned Bobby Wagner. They’ll start the year off with the Giants, Packers, and Raiders. Currently being drafted as the DST11, so you may be able to get them post-draft.
Dallas Cowboys:
T-16th in scoring last year
Added Dante Fowler Jr., Soloman Thomas, Kenneth Murray, Jr., and resigned Osa Odighizuwa. They open the season with the Eagles, Giants, and Bears. Being drafted as the DST17 as of today, which is subject to change as the Micah Parsons situation has yet to fully play itself out.
Seattle Seahawks:
T-7th in scoring last year
Added DeMarcus Lawrence, resigned Jarran Reed and Ernest Jones IV with no key departures from last year’s unit. They open with the 49ers, Steelers, and Saints. Being drafted a spot ahead of Dallas as the DST16 as of today.
