Top Fantasy Football Team Defenses for 2013

Before the Von Miller suspension, I had the Denver Broncos defense as my No. 3 fantasy defense.

What a difference a suspension makes, right?

Maybe the Broncos were even a tad high to begin with, since the Elvis Dumervil fax incident this offseason already made the pass rush a little weaker than it had been.

If they lose Miller for four games, though, that's four games your fantasy defense is not as effective in the pass rush.

The theme of the top-five defenses in the video is "pass rush leads to secondary success." When you get at the quarterback, you're giving your defensive backs the opportunity to turn the ball over—which is what you want in fantasy football.

There are some question marks without Miller. For example, are Wesley Woodyard, Shaun Phillips, Danny Trevathan and the like capable of getting past the line of scrimmage without Miller there?

Keep in mind, the Broncos were tied for the most sacks in the NFL last year (52), but over half of those came from the combination of Miller and Dumervil.

Who will make up the difference in that four-game stretch?

Champ Bailey, Chris Harris and the Denver defense were middle of the road in interceptions last year, and even adding Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie won't change that all that much.

The hope was that Miller and the rest of the defensive line could keep bringing the heat without Dumervil while the secondary could find a way to be a bit more opportunistic.

That's not looking as solid with Miller out for four games. At least not for a fantasy defense.

While Denver fell just outside the top five, there are still some very good defenses on the list.

Check the video out and let us know your thoughts and who you're targeting in the comments.

And, as always, thanks for watching.

Andrew Garda is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association. He is also a member of the fantasy football staff at Footballguys.com and the NFL writer at CheeseheadTV.com. You can follow him at @andrew_garda on Twitter.