When it comes to fantasy football, many players will delay taking a defense/special teams unit and instead focus on building other parts of their roster. Still, not all D/ST units are created equally, and some have better matchups throughout the season than others. Rather than taking a bottom-tier wide receiver or running back and hoping that they have a big game or two, you can look toward selecting a defense that can be more consistent.
2024 best ball rankings: Top 28 D/ST
The Dallas Cowboys D/ST finished as the top fantasy defense a year ago with 178 points. The Baltimore Ravens were right behind them with 174 points. Dallas should be back to form at the start of the season, with top corner Trevon Diggs expected to be healthy. He will pair with 2023 standout DaRon Bland. Leighton Vander Esch medically retired, but the Cowboys replaced him with veteran middle linebacker Eric Kendricks. KaVontae Tuprin should benefit from the new kickoff rules, giving even more upside to this unit.
Baltimore retained Justin Madubuike on a monster extension and let linebacker Patrick Queen walk in free agency. The Ravens still have Trenton Simpson and Roquan Smith holding down the linebacker spots with new addition Kyle Van Noy also helping. Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton, Brandon Stephens, Marcus Williams and rookie Nate Wiggins should combine to give Baltimore one of the best secondaries in the league.