Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Defense/Special Teams

Team defense/special teams are difficult to rank in the pre season as we don't get to see the defensive starters play for the whole game. In addition, the success of a defense in one year usually doesn't carry over to the next season, especially with the impact of free agency being so prevalent.

What is also difficult to predict/project is how often a defense/special teams will score a touchdown via a fumble recovery or returning a kick. With individual Quarterbacks, you have a good idea that Aaron Rodgers will throw at least 30 touchdowns this season, assuming good health. We also have a good idea that Arian Foster will probably score 12 or more touchdowns, rush for 1,200+ yards and catch 60-70 balls this season. What we don't know is how often the San Francisco 49ers defense will sack the quarterback, intercept a quarterback pass or return a fumble/interception for a touchdown.

With that said, here is a look at our 2012 Defense/Special Teams Rankings:

Once the season starts, more like after the first 3-4 games, we will have a better idea as to which teams will have the top defense in the league, and which teams will give up touchdowns and yards in bunches.

I say all this to reinforce the point that you should never, NEVER, draft a defense before the next to last, or last, round of your drafts. Unless your league has special rules where defenses score more points than backup running backs or wide receivers, you should just wait to draft your defense late. While that other owner or two in your league drafts the San Francisco defense in the 9^th round, you can grab another back up running back or wide receiver to bolster your offensive weapons to help you during bye weeks.