Fantasy football defense rankings are largely based on matchups. This week, one of the top-ranked defenses in the NFL faces a depleted offense that, while improving in recent weeks, is still a suspect unit.
Let’s dive right into the fantasy defense rankings for Week 5 and evaluate two intriguing options.
WEEK 5 POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | FLEX
Top 28 Fantasy Defense Rankings
1) Chicago Bears (vs. CAR)
2) Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
3) Dallas Cowboys (at PIT)
4) New York Jets (vs. MIN [London})
5) Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. DAL)
6) San Francisco 49ers (vs. ARI)
7) New England Patriots (vs. MIA)
8) Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
9) Green Bay Packers (at LAR)
10) Houston Texans (vs. BUF)
11) Denver Broncos (vs. LV)
12) Miami Dolphins (at NE)
13) Las Vegas Raiders (at DEN)
14) Seattle Seahawks (vs. NYG)
15) New Orleans Saints (at KC)
16) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
17) Buffalo Bills (at HOU)
18) Minnesota Vikings (vs. NYJ [London])
19) Cleveland Browns (at WAS)
20) Indianapolis Colts (at JAX)
21) Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
22) Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
23) Washington Commanders (vs. CLE)
24) New York Giants (at SEA)
25) Los Angeles Rams (vs. GB)
26) Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)
27) Arizona Cardinals (at SF)
28) Carolina Panthers (at CHI)
Which Defenses Are Intriguing for Week 5?
Denver Broncos (vs. Las Vegas)
The fact that the Denver Broncos defense is only rostered in 16% of leagues on Yahoo seems like a crime, and it should change in short order. They have scored the fourth-most fantasy points this season in Yahoo’s defense scoring, including three double-digit returns.
Defense came to PLAY 😤 pic.twitter.com/ueJXGr1LiT
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 29, 2024
Regardless of the site you play on, the Broncos have been good for fantasy this year. Things should only get better this week when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders, who are the fifth-most favorable offense for a DST to face. They have allowed opposing defenses to score 9.25 fantasy points per game on average.
There is no reason to overthink this; pick up the Broncos, use them this week, and potentially have a usable option through the next month.
Seattle Seahawks (vs. New York Giants)
Given the start the Seahawks have had with the Broncos, New England Patriots, and Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins, you could make the case they have been underwhelming from a fantasy perspective. To only sit 12th after that run of games suggests that the week-to-week ceiling will be lower for this unit.
Therefore, the Seahawks have become mostly a streaming target rather than a must-start every week. In Week 5, they face the New York Giants, who have scored just 60 points through the first four weeks. In that time, they have thrown three interceptions, had three fumbles recovered, and given up a defensive touchdown.
There is plenty of potential for the Seahawks in this matchup. If you are looking for an option next week, add the Seahawks’ defense and ride them.
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.