FANTASY FOOTBALL: Will you stream defences or stick with San Francisco?

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There are two schools of thought when it comes to fantasy defences: Pick a top unit and stick with it or use the streaming approach and target different teams weekly based on matchups. Either way has it’s ups and downs so it comes to personal preference.

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1. San Francisco 49ers

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273 points allowed, 44 sacks, 20 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 175 points.

Led by reigning defensive player of the year Nick Bosa, the Niners should once again dominate.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

324 points allowed, 70 sacks, 17 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 164 points.

Fell just two sacks short of the NFL record, but lost some personnel and their defensive coordinator.

3. Dallas Cowboys

324 points allowed, 54 sacks, 16 INTs, 17 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 180 points.

Dan Quinn’s unit created a league-high 33 turnovers and features game-wrecker Micah Parsons.

4. Buffalo Bills

278 points allowed, 40 sacks, 17 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 150 points.

The Bills have been a top-five fantasy defence the past two years but have a worryingly tough schedule.

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5. New York Jets

314 points allowed, 45 sacks, 12 INTs, 4 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 133 points.

Sauce Gardiner was a shutdown corner right out of the gate for this rising unit.

6. New England Patriots

335 points allowed, 54 sacks, 19 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 7 TDs, 197 points.

Head coach Bill Belichick certainly knows his defence and his unit scored seven TDs on 30 turnovers.

7. Baltimore Ravens

309 points allowed, 48 sacks, 14 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 137 points.

The mid-season addition of linebacker Roquan Smith boosted a pedestrian unit into a top-10 outfit.

8. Denver Broncos

341 points allowed, 36 sacks, 15 INTs, 8 fumbles recovered, 107 points.

A solid unit that kept the team in games last season when the offence faltered.

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9. Pittsburgh Steelers

340 points allowed, 40 sacks, 20 INTs, 3 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 115 points.

Have some real star power with 2021 DPOY T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick leading the way.

10. Miami Dolphins

383 points allowed, 40 sacks, 8 INTs, 6 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 117 points.

The injury of new addition Jalen Ramsey hurts, but the Dolphins have solid group led by DC Vic Fangio.

11. New Orleans Saints

321 points allowed, 48 sacks, 7 INTs, 7 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 123 points.

Had the second-most dropped INTs last year and one of the easiest schedules this year.

12. Kansas City Chiefs

369 points allowed, 55 sacks, 11 INTs, 9 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 136 points.

Until star lineman Chris Jones ends his holdout, it’s hard to recommend the Chiefs D.

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13. Cincinnati Bengals

310 points allowed, 30 sacks, 13 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 119 points.

The Bengals were a better real-life defence than fantasy pick last year and lost both starting safeties.

14. Washington Commanders

329 points allowed, 43 sacks, 9 INTs, 9 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 133 points.

A star-studded defensive line should create pressure, but the secondary needs to hold up its end.

15. Green Bay Packers

365 points allowed, 34 sacks, 17 INTs, 7 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 119 points.

Green Bay has invested a lot of draft capital into defence, but has only been middle of the pack.

THE NEXT FIVE

Los Angeles Chargers

378 points allowed, 40 sacks, 14 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 112 points.

Cleveland Browns

379 points allowed, 34 sacks, 11 INTs, 9 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 114 points.

Seattle Seahawks

387 points allowed, 45 sacks, 14 INTs, 11 fumbles recovered, 2 TDs, 134 points.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

358 points allowed, 44 sacks, 10 INTs, 10 fumbles recovered, 1 TD, 113 points.

Carolina Panthers

362 points allowed, 35 sacks, 10 INTs, 7 fumbles recovered, 3 TDs, 122 points.

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