Defenses in fantasy force you to consider the opposing defense more than any other position. Take a look at our Week 1 D/ST ranks.
When picking a normal fantasy player - a running back, for example, or a wide receiver - the opposition matters, to an extent. A strong opposing defense will lower a guy a few notches; a weak one will go the other way. For fantasy defense/special teams units, a lot more comes into play.
A decent unit might have a weakness against the run; if they're playing the Rams, who aren't a good offense but do have a top running back, do you lower them because they'll struggle against Zac Stacy, or bump them up because they'll destroy the rest of the teams? A great unit against a great offense is one question; a bad unit against an awful offense is another.
Sure, when the Seahawks play the Jaguars, or the Jaguars play the Broncos, ranking the defenses is easy. But in between are a thousand different permutations.
Below are this week's consensus D/ST rankings for Week 1, followed by the individual rankings of our four contributors. But before that is a look at some specific units for Week 1, and each look will include questions of opponents. Because they matter for defenses more than they do for any other position:
Seattle Seahawks (Consensus Rank: No. 1; opponent: Green Bay Packers) - The Seahawks were legendary a year ago, finishing first among defenses with 195 fantasy points, 10 more than the second-place Panthers. They enter 2014 as the No. 1-ranked unit again. Most weeks, they'll be ranked No. 1. Of course, this week they open the season hosting what should be a stellar offense in Green Bay. Interestingly, only one ranker listed the Seahawks No. 1, but no one had them worse than No. 3. Even against a great offense, the Seahawks ought to perform.
New York Jets (Consensus Rank: No. 6; opponent: Oakland Raiders) - The Jets play the Packers, Bears, Lions, Chargers, Broncos and Patriots in Weeks 2-7. Basically, they'll be fantasy-unplayable after Week 1. But this week, it's a middle-of-the-road unit going against a mish-mash offense in Oakland headed by a rookie quarterback no one expected to see the field a couple weeks ago. In true "what does the opponent mean?" fashion, the Jets were ranked anywhere from third to eighth in our group rankings.
San Francisco 49ers (Consensus Rank: No. 11; opponent: Dallas Cowboys) - The 49ers have been a stout defense for several years now, but between departures, suspensions, and injuries, there's reason for concern at least, if not outright panic. In Week 1, they take on the Cowboys, who at least should have a good offense. It'll be a battle to see what gives.
Consensus Writer Rankings
| Rank | Team | Opponent |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks | Green Bay |
| 2 | Carolina Panthers | at Tampa Bay |
| 3 | St. Louis Rams | Minnesota |
| 4 | New England Patriots | at Miami |
| 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | at Baltimore |
| 6 | New York Jets | Oakland |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | Tennessee |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Carolina |
| 9 | Houston Texans | Washington |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cleveland |
| 11 | San Francisco 49ers | at Dallas |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Indianapolis |
| 13 | Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati |
| 14 | Cleveland Browns | at Pittsburgh |
| 15 | Arizona Cardinals | San Diego |
| 16 | Chicago Bears | Buffalo |
| 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jacksonville |
| 18 | New Orleans Saints | at Atlanta |
| 19 | Minnesota Vikings | at St. Louis |
| 20 | Detroit Lions | NY Giants |
| 21 | Tennessee Titans | at Kansas City |
| 22 | Buffalo Bills | at Chicago |
| 23 | Oakland Raiders | at NY Jets |
| 24 | Miami Dolphins | New England |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | at Seattle |
Individual Writer Rankings
| Rank | Daniel Kelley | Dan Ciarrocchi | John Daigle | Scott Kaliska |
| 1 | Carolina Panthers | St. Louis Rams | New England Patriots | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle Seahawks | Carolina Panthers |
| 3 | Seattle Seahawks | Carolina Panthers | New York Jets | St. Louis Rams |
| 4 | New York Jets | New England Patriots | Cincinnati Bengals | New England Patriots |
| 5 | St. Louis Rams | Cincinnati Bengals | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | New York Jets | Houston Texans | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 7 | Houston Texans | Pittsburgh Steelers | Carolina Panthers | San Francisco 49ers |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kansas City Chiefs | Pittsburgh Steelers | New York Jets |
| 9 | Cleveland Browns | San Francisco 49ers | Minnesota Vikings | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 10 | Denver Broncos | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | St. Louis Rams | Denver Broncos |
| 11 | New England Patriots | Houston Texans | Kansas City Chiefs | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 12 | San Francisco 49ers | Cleveland Browns | Chicago Bears | Houston Texans |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Arizona Cardinals | Baltimore Ravens | Arizona Cardinals |
| 14 | Baltimore Ravens | Denver Broncos | Detroit Lions | Cleveland BRowns |
| 15 | New Orleans Saints | Baltimore Ravens | Philadelphia Eagles | Baltimore Ravens |
| 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | Chicago Bears | Tennessee Titans | New Orleans Saints |
| 17 | Arizona Cardinals | Philadelphia Eagles | Arizona Cardinals | Chicago Bears |
| 18 | Chicago Bears | New Orleans Saints | San Francisco 49ers | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 19 | Buffalo Bills | Detroit Lions | Washington | Detroit Lions |
| 20 | Minnesota Vikings | Oakland Raiders | Denver Broncos | Buffalo Bills |
| 21 | Oakland Raiders | Minnesota Vikings | Jacksonville Jaguars | Green Bay Packers |
| 22 | Tennessee Titans | Green Bay Packers | New Orleans Saints | Miami Dolphins |
| 23 | Miami Dolphins | Miami Dolphins | Cleveland Browns | Minnesota Vikings |
| 24 | Detroit Lions | San Diego Chargers | San Diego Chargers | Tennessee Titans |
| 25 | New York Giants | Washington | New York Giants | New York Giants |
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