Fantasy Football Rankings: Five Must-Start Defenses For Week 9

Fantasy football defenses can make or break your week, and while it’s important to make sure you don’t have a D/ST unit that gives you negative points, it doesn’t hurt having a breakout week from an unexpected source, either.

That said, here’s who we think you must start in your Week 9 fantasy lineups.

Minnesota Vikings (vs. Detroit Lions)
Despite a few road bumps the past few weeks against the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota still has arguably the best defense in the NFL, if not the most opportunistic one. The Vikings still have the No. 1 D/ST in fantasy, so they should be in your lineups against Matthew Stafford and the Lions.

Seattle Seahawks (vs. Buffalo Bills)
Despite their struggles, the Seahawks have been a top-five defense all season long. Buffalo has essentially no healthy skill players on offense, and could be without star running back LeSean McCoy once again — this time on the road.

Buffalo Bills (at Seattle Seahawks)
This will be a low-scoring, ugly contest. Russell Wilson can barely move on his ankle, which means Buffalo’s talented front seven will be licking their chops at this opportunity. The Seahawks have scored the fourth-fewest points this season, so this could be a great matchup.

Dallas Cowboys (at Cleveland Browns)
The 7-1 Cowboys are playing the 0-8 Browns. Need we say more?

Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
KC has allowed the eighth-fewest points all season, while the Jags have scored the ninth-fewest. Can Blake Bortles survive a trip to Arrowhead Stadium prosperously? We’re going with no.

Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images