Top 12 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings for Week 5 (2022)

Defenses are usually just an afterthought in fantasy football. That's leaving points on the board though. Savvy fantasy managers will be scouring the waiver wire to capitalize on the best defensive matchups each and every week.

With that in mind, here are the top-12 fantasy football defenses for Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season.

Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 5

12. Tennessee Titans (at WAS)

11. Indianapolis Colts (at DEN)

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs HOU)

It's hard to ignore the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense. This team went head-to-head with the only undefeated team in football last week and ended up with a 9-point effort against the Philadelphia Eagles, ranking as the No. 9 fantasy defense in Week 4. The Jaguars' unit is the fourth-highest scoring defense on the year and faces a potential layup against the Houston Texans. Houston ranks bottom-10 in both points scored and total yards. In one of the easier tests of the year, expect Jacksonville to show up strong.

9. Miami Dolphins (at NYJ)

Any defense playing the New York Jets deserves a spot on this list. The Jets' offense is a mess once again and ranks second behind only the New Orleans Saints in turnovers (9). They average just 19 points per game and have allowed a top-10 mark in sacks (10). Miami's defense ranks just 20th in fantasy points thus far, but they've played some juggernaut offenses in the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. Look for Mike McDaniel's defense to get back to work against the struggling Jets and benefit from extra rest after playing on Thursday Night Football. Definitely consider this a wise streaming option.

8. Baltimore Ravens (vs CIN)

7. Dallas Cowboys (at LAR)

6. Denver Broncos (vs IND)

5. Los Angeles Rams (vs DAL)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs ATL)

3. Green Bay Packers (vs NYG (London))

2. San Francisco 49ers (at CAR)

1. Buffalo Bills (vs PIT)

This is the best fantasy defense in the NFL. Buffalo scores an average of 12 fantasy points per game while allowing the second-fewest points and yards to opposing offenses. The Bills have also forced 9 turnovers while ranking top-4 in sacks (13). Whoever the Pittsburgh Steelers start under center is in trouble, whether it be Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett. Pittsburgh's been a turnover machine this year, coughing up 7 turnovers across four games (including 4 to the Jets in Week 4).

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.