Fantasy Football 2014 Defense/Special Teams Rankings: Week 1

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To the victors go the spoils, which is one reason why Seattle checks in at No. 1 in Athlon Sports' Fantasy Football Defense/Special Teams Rankings? Yes, the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks get a pretty tough opponent in Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense, but Pete Carroll's defense was top dog in the NFL last season, dominated Denver's record-breaking offense in the Super Bowl, and just seems to play at a different level when it's at home in front of the "12th Man."

Each week during the NFL season, we will rank enough players at each position to appease everyone from those in 8-team leagues to 16-team leagues, those that can start two QBs, two TEs, three RBs and four WRs. We cut out the rest, because if you're looking at who the 50th-best running back or the 17th-best kicker is for that week, you need more help than any Web site can give you.

Positional Rankings: QB I RB I WR I TE I DST I K

2014 NFL Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings — Defense/Special Teams


Rank	Player	Opp	Comments
1	Seattle Seahawks	vs. GB (Thurs.)	Hawks always tough at home.
2	Carolina Panthers	at TB	Bucs' O-line shaky during preseason.
3	Cincinnati Bengals	at BAL	Bengals happy to get Geno Atkins back.
4	New England Patriots	at MIA	Pats' D adds Revis + healthy Mayo, Wilfork.
5	Kansas City Chiefs	vs. TEN	Pass rush should be effective once again.
6	New York Jets	vs. OAK	Get first look/crack at rookie QB Carr.
7	St. Louis Rams	vs. MIN	Rams' front 7 vs. Peterson will be fun.
8	Chicago Bears	vs. BUF	Bears overhauled D-line w/ Allen, Houston.
9	Arizona Cardinals	vs. SD (Mon.)	Cardinals' D has holes, but not in secondary.
10	Denver Broncos	vs. IND	Ware, Talib, Ward ready to make an impact.
11	San Francisco 49ers	at DAL	49ers' D not at full strength to start.
12	Detroit Lions	vs. NYG (Mon.)	Eli threw 27 INTs last season.
13	Philadelphia Eagles	vs. JAC	Opportunistic D last season.
14	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	vs. CAR	Smith ready to unveil Bucs' Tampa 2.
15	Pittsburgh Steelers	vs. CLE	Youth movement ready to pay off?
16	Houston Texans	vs. WAS	Watt and Clowney ready to wreak havoc?