What is fantasy football defense scoring? Fantasy defense scoring refers to the system by which a team’s defensive unit earns points in a fantasy football league. These points are awarded based on the real-life performance of the defensive players on that team. The more a defense excels in preventing the opponent’s offense from scoring, generating turnovers, and disrupting plays, the more points it will accumulate in your fantasy league.
Fathoming Fantasy Defense Scoring
The National Football League (NFL) defense is a complex entity. It’s not just about preventing touchdowns. In fantasy football, defenses are rewarded for a wide array of positive contributions. From shutting down opposing offenses to making game-changing plays, every aspect of a defense’s performance can translate into fantasy points. This guide will break down all the ways your fantasy defense can rack up points, helping you make smarter draft and waiver-wire decisions.
Key Contributors to Fantasy Defense Points
- Sacks: Tackling the opposing quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
- Turnovers: Forcing fumbles or intercepting passes.
- Defensive Touchdowns: Returning turnovers or fumble recoveries for scores.
- Safeties: Tackling an offensive player in their own end zone.
- Blocked Kicks: Preventing field goals or extra points.
- Points Allowed: Limiting the opponent’s ability to score.
- Defensive Returns: Returning punts or kickoffs for touchdowns.
Deciphering Defensive Touchdowns
Defensive touchdowns are the holy grail for fantasy defenses. These are explosive plays that can dramatically swing a fantasy matchup in your favor. When a defensive player intercepts a pass and returns it for a touchdown, or recovers a fumble and takes it the distance, your fantasy defense gets a significant point boost.
Types of Defensive Touchdowns
- Interception Return Touchdowns (Pick-Sixes): A defender catches a pass thrown by the opposing quarterback and runs it back into the end zone.
- Fumble Return Touchdowns: A defender recovers a fumbled ball and carries it into the end zone.
- Blocked Punt Return Touchdowns: A defender blocks an opponent’s punt and recovers it, returning it for a touchdown.
- Blocked Field Goal Return Touchdowns: A defender blocks an opponent’s field goal attempt and returns it for a touchdown.
The value of defensive touchdowns can vary significantly between fantasy platforms. Some leagues award a flat amount, while others might offer bonus points for longer returns. Always check your league’s specific scoring rules.
Grasping Sack Points
Sacks are a fundamental stat for fantasy defenses. A sack is when a defensive player tackles the opposing quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before they can throw the ball or hand it off. Sacks demonstrate a defense’s ability to apply pressure and disrupt the opponent’s passing game.
Why Sacks Matter
- Disruption: Sacks indicate a strong pass rush, which can fluster opposing quarterbacks and disrupt offensive rhythm.
- Loss of Yardage: Sacks result in lost yardage for the offense, pushing them further from scoring.
- Consistency: While touchdowns are rare, sacks tend to be more consistent indicators of a defense’s performance week to week.
Many fantasy scoring systems award points for each sack. The number of points can differ, with some leagues offering a quarter-point or half-point per sack. However, most common scoring systems award one full point per sack.
Interpreting Turnover Points
Turnovers are critical for both real-life football games and fantasy football. Forcing turnovers—whether through interceptions or fumble recoveries—is a direct way for a defense to limit the opponent’s scoring opportunities and gain possession of the ball.
Defensive Interceptions
An interception occurs when a defensive player catches a pass intended for an offensive player. This immediately ends the offensive drive and gives the ball back to the defense’s team.
- Direct Impact: Interceptions halt offensive momentum and can lead to scoring opportunities for the defense.
- Momentum Swing: A key interception can change the tide of a game.
- Scoring Value: Most fantasy leagues award points for each interception a defense records. This is typically 2-4 points.
Fumble Recoveries
A fumble occurs when a ball carrier or receiver drops the ball before being downed. If a defensive player recovers this loose ball, it’s a fumble recovery.
- Possession Change: Like interceptions, fumble recoveries result in a change of possession.
- Additional Pressure: Fumbles often happen when a defender makes a forceful tackle or strips the ball.
- Scoring Value: Fumble recoveries also earn fantasy points, usually in the same range as interceptions, around 2-4 points.
Some platforms may offer bonus points for turnovers returned for a touchdown, but the base points for the turnover itself are usually awarded for simply gaining possession.
The Impact of Safety Points
A safety is a rarer but highly impactful play in football. It occurs when an offensive player is tackled in their own end zone, or when an offensive penalty occurs in the end zone. Safeties award two points to the scoring team and also result in the team that conceded the safety having to kick the ball back to the scoring team.
Safety Scoring in Fantasy
- High Point Value: Safeties typically carry a higher point value in fantasy football than other defensive plays, often worth 5-10 points. This is due to their rarity and the significant swing they create.
- Defensive Dominance: Conceding a safety often indicates a dominant defensive performance, pinning the opponent deep in their own territory.
Because safeties are infrequent, they can be a significant bonus to a fantasy defense’s score in any given week.
The Value of Blocked Kicks
Blocking a kick – whether a field goal or an extra point – is another way a defense can stifle the opponent’s scoring. These plays prevent points from being scored and often result in the defense’s team getting good field position.
Blocked Kick Scoring
- Field Goal Blocks: Preventing a field goal attempt from going through the uprights.
- Extra Point Blocks: Preventing an extra point conversion after a touchdown.
- Fantasy Points: Most fantasy leagues award points for blocked kicks, typically in the 2-4 point range.
While not as glamorous as a touchdown or an interception, blocked kicks are crucial for a defense’s overall fantasy performance, especially in leagues that heavily emphasize preventing points.
Special Teams Touchdowns
While we primarily focus on the defense’s actions, many fantasy football leagues include special teams touchdowns as part of the defense’s scoring. These are touchdowns scored by the team’s special teams unit, which often includes defensive players.
Types of Special Teams Touchdowns
- Punt Return Touchdowns: A player returns a punt for a touchdown.
- Kickoff Return Touchdowns: A player returns a kickoff for a touchdown.
- Blocked Punt/Field Goal Return Touchdowns: As mentioned earlier, these are also special teams plays that result in a touchdown.
These scores are usually awarded to the fantasy defense in leagues that group special teams and defense together. The point value is typically high, similar to defensive touchdowns.
Defensive Returns
Defensive returns refer to plays where a player from the defense gains possession of the ball and advances it towards the opponent’s end zone. This can happen in several ways, most notably through defensive touchdowns.
Return Plays for Fantasy Points
- Interception Returns: As discussed, a pick-six is a prime example of a defensive return for a touchdown.
- Fumble Returns: A defensive player recovers a fumble and returns it for a score.
- Punt/Kickoff Returns (if defense is credited): In some league settings, if defensive players are part of the punt/kickoff return units and score, those points can be credited to the defense.
The key here is that the defensive unit is credited with the score. It’s vital to know your league’s specific rules on how these plays are allocated.
Points Allowed (PA)
Perhaps the most foundational aspect of fantasy defense scoring is how many points the opposing team scores. The fewer points allowed, the better your fantasy defense performs.
The Points Allowed Scale
Most fantasy leagues use a tiered system for points allowed. This means your defense gets a certain number of fantasy points based on the range of points their opponent scores.
Here’s a common example of a Points Allowed scoring scale:
| Points Allowed (PA) | Fantasy Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| 0-6 | 10 |
| 7-13 | 7 |
| 14-20 | 4 |
| 21-27 | 1 |
| 28-34 | -1 |
| 35+ | -4 |
- Zero Points Allowed: This is the ultimate goal for a defense. It usually results in the highest fantasy score.
- Low Scores: Allowing minimal points is crucial for a good fantasy defense score.
- High Scores: Conversely, allowing a lot of points will significantly penalize your fantasy defense.
It’s important to note that the exact points awarded for each tier can vary significantly between leagues, so always consult your league’s specific scoring settings.
Combining Scoring Categories
The beauty of fantasy defense scoring is how all these individual categories combine to form a total score for the week. A defense might not get any defensive touchdowns, but if they rack up sacks, force turnovers, and limit points allowed, they can still be a top performer.
Example Week for a Fantasy Defense
Let’s imagine a hypothetical defense in a standard scoring league:
- Points Allowed: 10 points (earns 7 fantasy points)
- Sacks: 4 (earns 4 fantasy points)
- Interceptions: 2 (earns 4 fantasy points)
- Fumble Recoveries: 1 (earns 2 fantasy points)
- Defensive Touchdown (Interception Return): 1 (earns 6 fantasy points)
- Safety: 0 (earns 0 fantasy points)
- Blocked Kick: 0 (earns 0 fantasy points)
Total Weekly Score: 7 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 6 = 23 fantasy points
This is a very strong week for a fantasy defense, demonstrating how multiple positive contributions lead to a high score.
Strategic Considerations for Drafting and Using Defenses
Knowing how defenses score is crucial for making informed decisions throughout your fantasy season.
Draft Strategy
- Late-Round Value: Defenses are typically drafted in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. While a top-tier defense can provide a significant advantage, the scoring difference between the top few defenses and those drafted just a few rounds later is often minimal compared to the differences at skill positions.
- Targeting Weak Offenses: When drafting, consider targeting defenses that play against historically weak or struggling offenses, especially early in the season.
- Bye Weeks: Remember to keep track of bye weeks for your drafted defense. You’ll need to have a backup plan or a streaming strategy.
Streaming Defenses
Streaming defenses involves picking up and playing a different defense each week based on favorable matchups. This strategy can be very effective, especially if you don’t want to use a high draft pick on a defense.
- Matchup Analysis: Look for defenses playing against teams that:
- Allow many sacks.
- Turn the ball over frequently.
- Have a weak offensive line.
- Are on the road and in a tough environment.
- Are struggling with injuries on offense.
- Waiver Wire Activity: Be prepared to scour the waiver wire for available defenses with good matchups.
- Bye Week Planning: If you’re streaming, plan for your primary defense’s bye week by picking up a suitable replacement a week or two in advance.
Factors to Consider When Evaluating Defenses
- Opponent’s Offense: How potent is the opponent’s attack? Are they prone to turnovers? Do they struggle in pass protection?
- Home vs. Away: Defenses often perform better at home due to crowd noise and familiarity.
- Injuries: Are key offensive players on the opposing team injured? This can significantly weaken their attack.
- Defensive Strength: Does the defense have a strong pass rush? Do they excel at creating turnovers?
- Coaching/Scheme: Some defensive schemes are more aggressive and designed to create turnovers and sacks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Do offensive touchdowns scored by defensive players count for my fantasy defense?
Yes, generally, if a defensive player scores a touchdown through a defensive return (interception return, fumble return, or blocked kick/punt return), those points are awarded to the fantasy defense.
Q2: How many points does a defensive touchdown typically score?
This varies by league, but a defensive touchdown usually awards between 6 and 10 fantasy points. Some leagues may offer bonus points for longer return touchdowns.
Q3: What is the difference between an interception and a fumble recovery in fantasy scoring?
Both interceptions and fumble recoveries typically award a similar number of fantasy points, usually between 2 and 4 points, for simply gaining possession of the ball. The major difference in value comes if either play is returned for a touchdown.
Q4: Should I draft a defense early in my fantasy draft?
It’s generally not recommended to draft a defense in the early rounds. The scoring difference between the top-tier defenses and those drafted later is usually not as significant as the difference between top skill players and their later-round counterparts. Focusing on offensive positions early is usually the better strategy.
Q5: What is the best strategy for managing defenses throughout the season?
Many fantasy managers find success with a “streaming” strategy, picking up and playing different defenses each week based on favorable matchups. This involves analyzing upcoming opponents for weaknesses and avoiding teams playing against elite offenses.
Q6: Do points allowed (PA) affect my defense’s score even if they don’t make big plays?
Yes, points allowed are a fundamental part of fantasy defense scoring. Even if a defense doesn’t generate many sacks or turnovers, limiting the opponent’s scoring will earn them fantasy points based on the league’s PA scale. Conversely, a defense that makes a lot of plays but gives up a lot of points can still end up with a low score.