Aug 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) prepares for a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Reliant Stadium. Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE
From league-to-league scoring systems on defense vary greatly, but our Fantasy CPR staff has a basic ranking for you to start with. With so many rookie QBs there are several defenses each week that are assured to have nice matchups against some turnover-prone offenses. It’s difficult headed into week one to know what offenses will struggle. In addition to the unknowns for the opponents of the defenses, some defenses underwent major makeovers this offseason and this week will be our first look at the new defense.
After a few weeksm we’ll have much more data to go on, but four fantasy CPR staff writers joined me to pick the top 10 to start in Week 1. My picks (ZT) are averaged with Matthew Tuckness (MT), Matthew Bonini (MB), Steve Copps (SC), and Jeffrey Littrell (JL). The rankings are averaged together to come up with a solid composite ranking which should give you an idea of what defense will step up this week. NR stands for not rated and counts as a fifteenth ranking in the composite.
| ZT | MT | MB | SC | JL | ||||
| 1 | Houston Texans | Mia | 1.6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Chicago Bears | Ind | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | Cle | 3.8 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | at Ari | 3.8 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| 5 | San Francisco 49ers | at GB | 7.6 | 7 | 1 | NR | 8 | 7 |
| 6 | Baltimore Ravens | Cin | 7.8 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| 7 | Detroit Lions | StL | 8.4 | 5 | NR | 3 | 4 | 15 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | at Den | 9.8 | NR | 4 | NR | 9 | 6 |
| 9 | Buffalo Bills | at NYJ | 10.8 | 8 | 10 | 6 | NR | NR |
| Green Bay Packers | SF | 10.8 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
For more Week One coverage including the other positional rankings Click here.
Topics: D Rankings, Houston Texans, NFL Week 1, Team Defense
I'm an avid Boston sports fan and fantasy sports enthusiast. When I'm not blogging, I serve as Audio and Video producer as well as High School History teacher at Harvest Ministries on the island of Guam. The 14-hour time difference can make things challenging, but I'll play any fantasy sports just about anytime I can.
Zach Thompson
Fantasy CPR
