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Top 12 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings for Week 9

By Jason Schandl

Top fantasy football defense rankings for Week 9.
Top fantasy football defense rankings for Week 9. / Joe Sargent/Getty Images
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Defenses are sometimes left as an afterthought in fantasy football, but Week 7 served as another reminder as to just how important they can be. Anyone who got 20 points from the Philadelphia Eagles D/ST on Sunday can attest to that.

With that in mind, here are our fantasy football defense rankings for Week 9.

Best Fantasy Defense for Week 9

12. Chicago Bears (at TEN)

11. New York Giants (at WAS)

10. Green Bay Packers (at SF)

9. Arizona Cardinals (vs MIA)

8. Washington Football Team (vs NYG)

No team has allowed a pressure (hurry, QB hit or sack) on a higher percentage of their dropbacks than the New York Giants, at 28.8%. This has led to Daniel Jones conceding 2.9 sacks and 1.0 interception per game. The Washington Football Team's pass rush is their bright spot, boasting the sixth-highest pressure rate of any defense, and they are perfectly equipped to take advantage of this defense.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs NO)

6. Kansas City Chiefs (vs CAR)

5. Baltimore Ravens (at IND)

4. Houston Texans (at JAX)

The Jacksonville Jaguars concede a top-12 pressure rate, and 12.9% of their drives have ended in a turnover (ninth highest in the NFL). Now, Gardner Minshew will be replaced by Jake Luton — a sixth-round rookie making his first NFL start. The Houston Texans' defense has been one of the worst in NFL from a fantasy standpoint, but there aren't many defenses that wouldn't be an outstanding play in this spot.

3. Tennessee Titans (vs CHI)

2. New England Patriots (at NYJ)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (at DAL)

This one can't come as much of a surprise. The Pittsburgh Steelers' 10.6 fantasy points per game are good for the third-most of any defense, and their 30 sacks are the most in the NFL. Whether the Dallas Cowboys are starting Andy Dalton or Ben DiNucci at QB, this is the offense that has given up the fifth-most sacks in the NFL, including 10 in the last two weeks alone.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.