NFL - 2010 Fantasy Football Defense & Special Teams (D/ST) Tiered Rankings
Posted by: DaveGawron
on Jul 14, 2010 
Pretty soon, you will be able to see our 2010 player profiles for detailed analysis and projections, but here's the low-down on tight ends in 2010. OA is the current overall RotoCommunity ranking at the position. DG = Dave Gawron, PM = Pat Mayo, RS = Richard Schortenmeyer III, and AV = average.
!!! Tier rankings updated 9/4/10 !!!
STRATEGY
Don't draft a D/ST until one of the last two rounds. Preferably draft one with good match-ups to start the season, then replace and rotate as necessary as the season rolls on.
TIER 1 (elite)
| OA | team | DG | PM | RS | AV | espn | $ |
| 1 | Steelers PIT (Bye: 5) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2.67 | 280 | 10 |
| 2 | Vikings MIN (Bye: 4) | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2.67 | 270 | 9 |
| 3 | Packers GB (Bye: 10) | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3.33 | 250 | 8 |
| 4 | Jets NYJ (Bye: 7) | 1 | 8 | 2 | 3.67 | 230 | 7 |
| 5 | Eagles PHI (Bye: 8) | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4.33 | 220 | 6 |
These will all likely go before we're ready to draft a D/ST.
TIER 2 (star)
| 6 | Cowboys DAL (Bye: 4) | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6.67 | 215 | 4 |
| 7 | 49ers SF (Bye: 9) | 7 | 4 | 8 | 6.33 | 210 | 4 |
| 8 | Ravens BAL (Bye: 8) | 6 | 10 | 7 | 7.67 | 195 | 3 |
| 9 | Saints NO (Bye: 10) | 9 | 6 | 10 | 8.33 | 190 | 3 |
| 10 | Chargers SD (Bye: 10) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9.33 | 185 | 3 |
The Chargers are my pick here, as they begin the season with an easy defensive schedule.
TIER 3 (solid)
| 11 | Giants NYG (Bye: 8) | 11 | 14 | 12 | 12.33 | 180 | 2 |
| 12 | Bears CHI (Bye: 8) | 15 | 13 | 11 | 13.00 | 175 | 2 |
| 13 | Colts IND (Bye: 7) | 17 | 12 | 13 | 14.00 | 175 | 1 |
| 14 | Dolphins MIA (Bye: 5) | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14.67 | 175 | 1 |
| 15 | Patriots NE (Bye: 5) | 12 | 17 | 16 | 15.00 | 170 | 1 |
| 16 | Texans HOU (Bye: 7) | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15.00 | 170 | 1 |
| 17 | Cardinals ARI (Bye: 6) | 18 | 11 | 18 | 15.67 | 165 | 1 |
Some of these teams struggled last season, but they could rebound in 2010. Check the Week 1 match-ups.
TIER 4 (not as solid)
| 18 | Redskins WAS (Bye: 9) | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18.67 | 165 | 0 |
| 19 | Titans TEN (Bye: 9) | 14 | 24 | 17 | 18.33 | 150 | 0 |
| 20 | Bengals CIN (Bye: 6) | 21 | 20 | 23 | 21.33 | 145 | 0 |
| 21 | Bills BUF (Bye: 6) | 22 | 23 | 21 | 22.00 | 145 | 0 |
| 22 | Panthers CAR (Bye: 6) | 24 | 19 | 22 | 21.67 | 140 | 0 |
Aside from a good game here or there, we're not hopeful with these D/STs. However, they could potentially score some fantasy points against poor offenses.
TIER 5 (iffy)
| 23 | Chiefs KC (Bye: 4) | 26 | 21 | 24 | 23.67 | 135 | 0 |
| 24 | Falcons ATL (Bye: 8) | 23 | 28 | 20 | 23.67 | 135 | 0 |
| 25 | Broncos DEN (Bye: 9) | 20 | 26 | 26 | 24.00 | 130 | 0 |
| 26 | Seahawks SEA (Bye: 5) | 27 | 22 | 25 | 24.67 | 130 | 0 |
Even with a juicy match-up, I'd hesitate with these teams.
TIER 6 (ugh)
| 27 | Buccaneers TB (Bye: 4) | 25 | 31 | 28 | 28.00 | 125 | 0 |
| 28 | Jaguars JAC (Bye: 9) | 28 | 27 | 30 | 28.33 | 125 | 0 |
| 29 | Browns CLE (Bye: 8) | 31 | 29 | 27 | 29.00 | 115 | 0 |
| 30 | Raiders OAK (Bye: 10) | 30 | 25 | 32 | 29.00 | 115 | 0 |
| 31 | Lions DET (Bye: 7) | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29.33 | 110 | 0 |
| 32 | Rams STL (Bye: 9) | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31.67 | 105 | 0 |
For the love of all things holy, leave these defenses on the waiver wire, even in good-looking match-ups.
ALSO
Our 2010 Fantasy Football Draft Kit can help you win your league this year, so check out the whole kit. And don't forget, we will promptly answer any questions you may have about your team, line-up, waiver wire, and trades in our FORUM. It just takes a minute to REGISTER a username and password for our site (allowing you to download draft kit files and post reviews, comments, blogs, and forum topics).
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