Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Don't Be Afraid To Go Defense Early

There comes a time in your fantasy draft when you have your starting quarterback, two or three running backs, three or four wide receivers, and possibly your tight end all taken care of. Adding depth is very important, but don’t overlook the value of a top-flight defense. 

The good thing about defenses are the elite ones don’t tend to change from year to year despite injuries and turnover.

Take the New York Giants, for example. Who would have figured they would have an elite defense after Michael Strahan retired and Osi Umenyiora went down? Yet, they did. Philly has had players come and go without missing a beat. Think about how long Pittsburgh and Baltimore have been elite fantasy football defenses. 

The top fantasy defenses based on Average Draft Position are:

Pittsburgh Steelers—eighth round
Baltimore Ravens and NY Giants—ninth round
Minnesota Vikings—10th round

You can choose to wait until the 11th or 12th round, assuming there isn’t a run on defenses, and land San Diego, Chicago, Philadelphia, NY Jets, or Tennessee. 

Don’t worry if you miss out on one of the top Ds. There are still great values to be had later, like New England, Green Bay, Dallas, and Washington, but landing Pittsburgh's defense can be a difference-maker.

Some of the players that are being picked in the eighth round along with Pittsburgh's D are Jamal Lewis, Julius Jones, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Percy Harvin. Lewis and Jones have little upside, while Bradshaw and Harvin have great potential, but can you really rely on them any given week?

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is a plug-and-play. You don’t have to worry about matchups. You just use them every week.

This article was originally published at LestersLegends.com.