Defense & Special Teams – 2020 Outlook
5 min read
The upcoming Fantasy Football 2020 season has me looking at the Defense & Special Teams this week after the Tight Ends – 2020 Outlook last week. When it comes to Defense & Special Teams I am initially looking at their ability to limit points of the opposing offenses and then I am looking for their upside of turnovers & Touchdowns. If they can get you turnovers & Touchdowns, that can be very friendly for your fantasy football team. No matter how good they may be, you are waiting until the tail end of your fantasy football draft to get any of these preferred plays. Below I go through the available Defense & Special Teams this year using my initial 2020 rankings and group them in tiers with feedback and thoughts.
Defense & Special Teams – The Best
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- New England Patriots
- Buffalo Bills
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Minnesota Vikings
These top Defense & Special Teams have had continued success over the years. They are at the top of most rankings out there going into the 2020 NFL Season. The San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots held offenses to the least amount of yards per game while being very productive with their turnovers (27 & 36) and Touchdowns (5 & 7) in 2019. The Bills, Ravens and Steelers were the 3rd, 4th and 5th best defenses in regards to yards allowed per game last year. Baltimore helped their cause in 2019 with 6 Touchdowns as well. The Minnesota Vikings were aided by a 2019 season with 31 total turnovers! These Defense & Special Teams are going in Rounds 12 through 16 of most drafts if you want one. If I choose one of them, it would be San Francisco with that young, hungry defensive line that makes it difficult on any offense.
Defense & Special Teams – Really Good
- New Orleans Saints
- Los Angeles Rams
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Atlanta Falcons
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Chicago Bears
- Philadelphia Eagles
The Chargers, Bears and Eagles Defense & Special Teams were in the Top 10 of offensive yards allowed per game in 2019. While the Saints and Rams were in the Top 15 of the same category last year. The Seattle Seahawks had 32 turnovers and 3 Touchdowns in 2019. The Los Angeles Rams ended 2019 with 24 turnovers and 4 Touchdowns. While both the Saints and Chiefs had 23 turnovers and 4 Touchdowns last year. A couple birds in the Eagles and Falcons both had 20 turnovers and 3 Touchdowns last year as a defense. These Defense & Special Teams are going between Rounds 15 through 16 of most drafts. Of this grouping I like the Eagles and Chargers the best for the 2020 season.
2020 Defense & Special Teams Upside
Call them dart throws, latest round Defense & Special Teams with upside that could improve upon last year and have a larger role in 2020. You may be able to even get some off the waiver wire after the draft that starts your season. Some other teams to keep top of mind:
- Indianapolis Colts
- Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
At the Defense & Special Teams position some of the worst teams can make for a good Defense & Special Teams week in and week out in fantasy football. Depending more on their schedule and their team strength. Last year the New York Jets were a team like this. They didn’t get many wins, but their strength was their Defense & Special Teams that had 21 turnovers and 6 Touchdowns. Those numbers helped them grab a spot in the Top 10 of Fantasy Defense & Special Teams last year.
If you go back and check out the 2020 NFL Schedule piece I put together you will see my initial ranks of teams that have a favorable start to the season. These same teams, may not be bad starts for Defense & Special Teams if the options are thin in your league. Also, on that page you will see a list of teams that I expect to give up the most points. Maybe a you a prefer a team that will be playing against a team on that list which would be favorable as giving up points could be on both sides of the ball! On the flip side if you have a Defense & Special Teams on your fantasy football team that is about to go up against any of the Top Offenses it may be a good time to put them on your bench that week.
Defense & Special Teams Final Thoughts
There inevitably will be a Defense & Special Teams or two that come out of nowhere in 2020 that produce very well for your fantasy football team. I would keep an eye out the first few weeks of the season to see if any are shaping up to be good producers. Do they have a nack to get turnovers? Are they holding teams to limited points/yards? There will be a team that surprises and plays very well who most likely will just be waiting on your waiver wire to pick up in the first four weeks of the season.
It can be tough to predict which Defense & Special Teams will be getting the Touchdowns and turnovers each year. So by getting a one with the ability to limit the yards per game of their opponent is a good start for the 2020 Fantasy Football season. Whether you get one earlier (Rounds 12-14) in your draft or wait until later (Rounds 15 or later). If you believe a Defense & Special Teams is set to limit their opponents Targets and Touchdowns while possibly getting a few Touchdowns and turnovers of their own this season, you know I would be interested in them!
Defense & Special Teams Resources
Missed any recent posts?!, check them out below as you get your mind focused on fantasy football opportunities!
- Tight Ends – 2020 Outlook
- Wide Receivers – 2020 Outlook
- Running Backs – 2020 Outlook
- Quarterbacks – 2020 Outlook
I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy! Enjoy the journey in the upcoming 2020 Fantasy Football Season!
Reference the Targets and TDs pages to see who had the opportunities and end-zone appearances through the 2019 regular season. Statistics courtesy of The Football Database , a great resource for your NFL players statistics. If you enjoyed the article please share it with others (via the social media links).
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