Early 2022 Fantasy Defense Rankings

It’s nearly impossible to know what each team’s and D / ST roster will look like next season due to free agency and the 2022 NFL draft, but our early 2022 fantasy defense rankings will be based on what we know. now, and what we can draft for the next season.

New England is back as one of the NFL’s elite stopping units, but heading into 2022, it will have to pay if it is in its draft. We also don’t see the defenses of the Bills, Colts or Saints dropping much, as those units have been some of the best in the league in recent seasons.

On the other hand, the Rams’ defense wasn’t as good as expected this year, but with Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald, he should bounce back and always have big-play potential. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are two of the first franchises that come to mind when we think about defense, but both struggled in 2021, although the Steelers still led the NFL in sacks. For now, we haven’t moved either of those units into our top 10, but they are both out of it.

Miami, Carolina, Denver, Arizona, Tampa Bay and Kansas City all looked like elite defenders in places this season, and each has no shortage of talent on that side of football, so we like their chances too.

Ultimately, this list could completely change at the end of the season, and a dormant defense often makes its way into the top 10. In 2021, Dallas finished as the No. 1 fantasy defense thanks to a ton of findings, but those are impossible to project, so we rely on teams that will generally have a good “real life” defense.

Fantasy Defense Ranking Early 2022