Fantasy Football 2015: How Scoring Can Impact the Value of the Defense/Special Teams Position

Author:
Sarah Lewis
Publish date:
Aug 31, 2015

Typically Defenses/Special Teams (DST) are the second-to-last position that is drafted in fantasy football. DSTs are undervalued and usually for good reason. In many leagues, you get points for your defense based on how many points they allow, plus additional points for interceptions, sacks and defensive/special teams touchdowns.

The key to knowing when to draft a DST is knowing the scoring in your league. While that should be standard fantasy football advice, quite often people assume that a defense is worthless or they can just pick one up off waivers each week. However, in some leagues, defenses can be a hidden source of points (or even negative points). Let's take a look at how DSTs compare depending on a scoring system.

In league No. 1, DSTs are given 20 points for zero points scored against (PA), 15 points for 1-6 PA, 10 points for 7-13, five points for 14-20, three points for 21-27, negative five (-5) points for 28 to 34 PA and negative ten (-10) points for over 35. Negative points are also given for defensive yards allowed (negative five points for 400-499 yards allowed, negative ten points for 500 or more).

In league No. 2, DSTs are given 10 points for zero PA, seven points for 1-6, five points for 7-13, three points for 14-20 points against, one point for 21-27 against, zero points for 28 to 34 points against and negative two (-2) points for over 35 PA. No points are awarded or subtracted for yards against.

In both leagues, the same scoring applies for sacks. In league No. 1, interceptions and fumble recoveries are one point; in league No. 2 they are two points. Here is how the points ended up in 2014:


DST	League No. 1	League No. 2
Buffalo	205	197
Seattle	176	164
Kansas City	165	141
Houston	164	196
Baltimore	162	165
New England	155	170
Detroit	146	156
Philadelphia	144	208
St. Louis	140	171
Green Bay	140	170
Arizona	121	168

Surprised? Based on the scoring, it seems that league No. 1 would have more points from the DST, but actually more points were taken from the DST because of the negative scoring. In most leagues, the scoring is similar to league No. 2, and you don't count on a lot of points from your DST from points allowed. Rather you want a DST that gives you points from either special teams or sacks/interceptions. Here's how the DSTs stacked up in 2014 (all DSTs with at least 50 percent ownership are included):


DST	2014 % Owned	Defensive TDs	Special Teams TDs	Sacks	Interceptions
Philadelphia	91%	7	4	49	12
Houston	99%	6	0	38	20
Minnesota	12%	5	0	41	13
Arizona	94%	4	1	35	18
Green Bay	82%	4	2	41	18
New England	89%	4	1	40	16
St. Louis	97%	3	2	40	13
Kansas City	72%	1	2	46	6
Buffalo	99%	2	2	54	19
Green Bay	82%	4	2	41	18
Seattle	100%	3	0	37	13
Baltimore	83%	2	1	49	11
Carolina	71%	2	1	40	14
Miami	66%	3	0	39	14
San Francisco	56%	3	0	36	23

What about the outlier here? Minnesota, owned in just 12 percent of leagues, actually put up the 13th-most fantasy points in league No. 2 and the 11th-most in league No. 1.

What does this prove? You don't need to reach for a defense on draft day, unless your league does have some crazy scoring system that is far from the norm. Everyone wanted to own Seattle last year (and still does this year), yet in league No. 2, Seattle is the ninth-best team in terms of fantasy points.

Look at the team. Look at the division; these are the teams they play twice. Look at the players on the team. While most fantasy owners don't follow defensive positions as closely as offensive positions, just skim through the defensive news.

Also know that more games are likely to be over 35 points than under six. Take that knowledge and apply it to your league. At the end of the day, the best option is sometimes to "stream" defenses. Use free agency or the waiver wire each week to grab a defense that has the best matchup. For example, teams playing Jacksonville in 2014 were usually great DSTs to use. (Note: Carolina plays Jacksonville in Week 1 of the 2015 season).

Don't reach on a defense, but if you do end up with one that is going well for you, stick with it. Since you will need a DST to start the year, if you are looking for ideas on which to draft, here are my 2015 DST rankings:

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. Buffalo Bills

3. New York Jets

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