The first week of any NFL season is always full of surprises. A few teams that we thought would be terrible are always a pleasant surprise. Looking at you, Colts. And other teams, like the Lions, look a lot worse than anyone would have dared imagine before the regular season.
Week 2 of the fantasy football season is a unique challenge. Smart fantasy football manager know that now is the time for discipline. Week 1 can be incredibly fluky. If you let it have too big of an influence on your decisions, it could come back to bite you.
Now that we’ve got one week under our belts, what do we know? Is there anything that we can learn from Week 1? Or do we still need more information to choose the best unit?
Let’s cut through the noise and find some winners.
Below we’ll explore some of the best and worst defenses for fantasy football before Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season.
D/STs to start in Week 2 of the 2025 fantasy football season
Baltimore Ravens (vs. CLE)
The Ravens are the perfect example for why the opponent is so important for fantasy football.
Baltimore literally had the worst D/ST for fantasy football in Week 1. It was not because the Ravens are a bad team. They just so happened to be playing Josh Allen and the Bills.
Baltimore allowed 41 points and actually cost you points if you started them last week.
Thankfully, everything is different in Week 2.
Baltimore is facing off against Cleveland on Sunday. The Browns are one team you’ll want to bet against almost every week this season.
Joe Flacco did not look great last week, throwing two interceptions and getting sacked twice. And (no offense), that was against Cincinnati’s defense.
The Ravens are a completely different animal. Kyle Hamilton, Nnamdi Madubuike, and the rest of the defense are a much more dangerous unit.
At worst, the Ravens will limit the Brown to a low amount of points. That’s good enough in fantasy football. But they could also force multiple turnovers or even score a defensive touchdown. That is gold for any fantasy defense.
The Ravens feels like one of the safest possible picks for Week 2.
Denver Broncos (at IND)
Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts were the most surprising story of Week 1.
The Colts absolutely demolished the Dolphins 33-8 and completely shut down Miami’s offense. They also forced a handful of turnovers.
For their effort, Indy was the second-best D/ST unit for fantasy football in Week 1.
Everything will be different in Week 2.
Indianapolis played excellent complementary football in the season opener. Largely because they were against an inferior opponent.
But the Denver Broncos are the exactly opposite.
The Broncos have a functional offense, which should keep the Colts playing honestly on defense. One side effect of that is the Colts won’t be playing from a lead as much as they did last week.
The Broncos also have an elite secondary, perhaps the best in the NFL.
Denver took care of Tennessee in Week 1 and were the best D/ST in the league.
Expect similar result in Week 2. Especially if Daniel Jones was a mirage in Week 1 and reverts back into being a pumpkin.
San Francisco 49ers (at NO)
In some respect, the pick here is simply to follow the Saints.
As we discussed last week, betting against a weak offense is one of the best ways to guarantee points for D/STs in fantasy football.
I will admit, the 49ers’ struggles on offense could make this a closer football game than anyone is willing to admit.
But we’re talking fantasy here.
I still have confidence in the 49ers on defense. Especially after all of the big moves they made this offseason.
The 49ers are a high-upside pick in Week 2 because of the probability of turnovers from Spencer Rattler.
D/STs to sit in Week 2 of the 2025 fantasy football season
Kansas City Chiefs (vs. PHI)
This one is pretty simple.
Philadelphia should put up plenty of points and gain many yards. That alone could make the Chiefs not viable for fantasy football.
Kansas City was one of the worst D/STs in fantasy football in Week 1 against Los Angeles. It is hard for me to imagine them performing much better against Philadelphia.
Perhaps Steve Spagnuolo gets lucky on some schemed-up pressures that result in turnovers. But counting on that is incredibly risky.
To me, the most likely outcome seems to be an Eagles victory. That would likely come from Philadelphia gaining a lead and sucking the air out of the ball with several Saquon Barkley runs.
Stay away from the Chiefs this week.
Chicago Bears (at DET)
Let’s start with the positives.
The Bears were the third-best D/ST in the NFL in Week 1. But that was largely due to Nashon Wright’s pick-six.
Beyond that, Chicago had three sacks in Week 1 (perhaps repeatable) and 27 points allowed (not good).
We’ve already seen what the most positive outcome is for the Bears. But what if things go wrong in Detroit?
If the Lions have a more functional offense in Week 2, that alone will make the Bears unplayable for fantasy football.
We should also recognize that Ben Johnson coming home to Detroit makes this game different for both sides. Neither team may admit it, but they both desperately want to win the game. And the more points scored, the better.
All of that makes the Bears too risky of a play in Week 2.
Washington Commanders (at GB)
Make note of this one before tonight’s Thursday Night Football kickoff!
There are a few reasons to stay away from the Commanders in Week 2.
First, there’s the matchup against the Packers. Green Bay has a chance to run away with this game, literally, if Josh Jacobs can gain momentum on the ground.
Beyond Jacobs, the Packers have several talented receiving options. That is a unique challenge for NFL defenses. The Packers should be able to find somebody open and make the Commanders pay.
Let’s also recognize that Washington was not that great (for fantasy football) in last week’s dominant win against New York.
The Commanders were not a top-10 unit in Week 1 despite two sacks and allowing only six points.
In all likelihood, the Commanders will be a disappointing unit in Week 2. Stay away.
The post Fantasy Football Week 2 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: D/ST appeared first on ClutchPoints.
