2024 Fantasy Football DST rankings: Cowboys top, Eagles slip, Texans on the rise

Most fantasy football leagues treat defenses much differently than offenses when it comes to league scoring settings. For offensive players, except linemen, who are generally unused in fantasy leagues, each player is drafted separately. When it comes to defense, most leagues allow for a manager to draft an entire NFL team's unit, as opposed to single players.

In this scoring format, fantasy teams will receive points for defensive statistics from the entire unit as a whole, regardless of which player on that NFL team recorded it. Various statistical categories include points allowed, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, recovered fumbles, safeties, blocked kicks, and touchdowns.

Most leagues will also reward points to a fantasy defense for the same statistical categories if they are recorded by the same NFL team's special teams unit. This is why team defenses are often listed as DST, referring to the defense and special teams of that particular NFL team. For example, a kickoff returned for a touchdown or a recovered fumble on a punt play counts as defensive points in fantasy football.

Coming up with a strategy for DST units in fantasy football drafts can make a major difference in the overall weekly scores for any lineup. Some managers choose to target one of the top defensive units, while others may elect to wait as long as possible before going after any DST. Those who wait will sometimes choose to draft two of them and play one each week according to which has the better NFL matchup.

The most beneficial DST units in fantasy football are usually those who attack quarterbacks, as they are often the ones who get the most sacks and force the most turnovers. Special teams contributions and defensive touchdowns are extremely difficult to predict, so they should probably be viewed as a bonus rather than a necessity.

In the 2024 DST rankings, the Dallas Cowboys take the top spot, thanks to Micah Parsons' consistent dominance and the return of Trevon Diggs. The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the teams ranked lower this year than last season, partially due to the loss of Haason Reddick. On the other hand, the Houston Texans' aggressive offseason additions, including Danielle Hunter, have them on the rise.

All things considered, here's how each of the 32 DST units rank ahead of the 2024 fantasy football season.

DST rankings for 2024 fantasy football

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. New York Jets
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Kansas City Chiefs
7. Cleveland Browns
8. Houston Texans
9. Miami Dolphins
10. New Orleans Saints
11. Buffalo Bills
12. Philadelphia Eagles
13. Jacksonville Jaguars
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15. Los Angeles Chargerrs
16. Las Vegas Raiders
17. Detroit Lions
18. Cincinnati Bengals
19. Atlanta Falcons
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. New England Patriots
23. Denver Broncos
24. Los Angeles Rams
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Minnesota Vikings
27. Green Bay Packers
28. New York Giants
29. Tennessee Titans
30. Washington Commanders
31. Carolina Panthers
32. Arizona Cardinals