Lance's 2023 Fantasy Sleepers: Defenses
This part of the explanation is the same in all the articles, so if you've read a previous one you can skip down to just above where my picks begin.
-For my “top” pick and my “3 others” they have to actually be sleepers.
-For the rookie it has to be someone that wasn’t taken in the first round, and isn’t actively being hyped up by analysts. Quarterback is usually the exception with the first round rule because typically the only ones that have a shot at starting are drafted in the first round.
-For the dark horse it has to be someone so far down most people's boards that they forgot that player even exists, or at least that’s the case for RBs, WRs and TEs. For QBs, Kickers and Defenses it just has to be someone you’ll typically find in the 20-32 range, and if they’re not being talked about or being talked about negatively then that’s a bonus!
I’d consider it a successful pick if my “top” pick finishes top ten, my 3 others finish top 15, and my dark horse finishes top 20. Last year my top pick, Philly, finished top 5, and I correctly predicted a bounce back for Baltimore, one of my "3 others", as they finished top 10. I also listed the Jets as my dark horse and they blew that out of the water, finishing top ten as well. Alright, enough of that, here are my defensive sleepers:
Top: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags were one of the better starting fantasy defenses last season and a big reason for their team's turnaround. They're a young unit that should only be better this season with another year under their belts and another season in the same defensive scheme.
3 Others: Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks
The Bengals aren't going to get a lot of hype because they lost guys like Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates. But in doing so they cleared the way for last year's first round pick, Dax Hill. They kept their starting Linebackers in house, Hubbard and Hendrickson will still man the edges, and Awuzie will be returning from injury to pair with Cam Taylor-Britt who will be entering his second season. They also added a few intriguing pieces to their secondary in Nick Scott, Jordan Battle and D.J. Turner. Not to mention this year's first round pick, Myles Murphy, will be joining the pass rushing rotation. And the cherry on top is an offense that takes some of the pressure off of the defense.
Despite having a young secondary, KC's defense still did quite well last season. That secondary will be going into this season with more experience. Their front-seven will have some new faces, ones that I think will give them a boost from what they were running with last year. And the biggest bonus of all is that their offense doesn't often put them in bad situations.
Seattle was a pleasant surprise last season. Rookie Tariq Woolen dominated, first year starter Mike Jackson had a quietly good season, and Jordyn Brooks was an animal. This year they brought Jarran Reed and Bobby Wagner back, they signed Dre'Mont Jones (one of my favorite signings of the offseason), and they drafted Devon Witherspoon. If Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, or second round pick Derick Hall can step up opposite Nwosu then this could be a top five fantasy defense.
Dark Horse: Houston Texans
Two names: DeMeco Ryans and Will Anderson Jr. They are the two biggest reasons why I think Houston could be this years Jets defense. Ryans is a fantastic defensive coach, the trick will be him finding a balance between being the Head Coach and helping out with the defense. Will Anderson is a monster and I believe he will dominate day 1. They'll need a few other things to go with Anderson though, such as Stingley taking a step forward, one or two of their Linebackers stepping up, and Greenard going back to what we thought we were about to see after his 2021 season. The pieces are there, and the offense should be in better hands, so can they put it together this year, or will we be talking them up as a sleeper again next offseason?
