NFL Defense vs Position Rankings 2020-21

Fantasy points allowed to running backs by every NFL defense • Final season

Completed 2020-21 season: every column is that season's real per-game average, with no blending or projection.
QB RB WR TE
●Elite Matchup (Target)
●Good Matchup
●Average
●Tough
●Avoid

Best RB Matchups (Most Points Allowed)

#1 Houston Texans 33.6 FPA
#2 Detroit Lions 32.5 FPA
#3 Jacksonville Jaguars 30.8 FPA

Toughest RB Matchups (Fewest Points Allowed)

#32 New Orleans Saints 16.7 FPA
#31 Washington Commanders 18.1 FPA
#30 Pittsburgh Steelers 19.2 FPA
Rank Team DK FPA FD FPA vs Avg 2019-20/G 2020-21/G L4 Rush Yds Rush TD Targets Rec Rec Yds Trend
1
Houston Texans
33.6
 29.3
+9.8
28.3 33.6 35.9 145.6 1.31 6.6 5.0 45.1
2
Detroit Lions
32.5
 29.5
+8.7
28.2 32.5 31.0 114.1 1.19 6.4 4.8 45.4
3
Jacksonville Jaguars
30.8
 26.9
+7.0
30.3 30.8 37.7 126.9 1.06 6.6 5.5 43.4
4
Las Vegas Raiders
29.2
 25.9
+5.4
— 29.2 31.5 106.2 1.12 7.4 5.4 41.9
5
Minnesota Vikings
27.2
 23.7
+3.4
23.2 27.2 38.6 112.5 1.12 6.4 4.8 30.8
6
Green Bay Packers
27.1
 23.5
+3.3
26.9 27.1 18.8 90.0 0.88 6.4 5.2 45.2
7
Tennessee Titans
26.3
 23.1
+2.5
26.0 26.3 27.4 99.5 0.94 6.1 4.7 37.1
8
Carolina Panthers
26.2
 22.1
+2.4
30.6 26.2 25.2 103.4 0.69 7.2 5.9 39.4
9
Cincinnati Bengals
25.5
 22.8
+1.7
26.6 25.5 30.6 125.8 0.69 5.1 3.8 28.1
10
Kansas City Chiefs
25.5
 22.2
+1.7
29.2 25.5 30.5 101.1 0.44 7.1 5.5 49.8
11
New York Giants
24.8
 21.7
+1.0
25.3 24.8 24.4 87.0 0.69 7.7 5.7 46.4
12
Dallas Cowboys
24.5
 21.7
+0.7
23.5 24.5 18.0 126.9 0.94 4.7 3.4 20.4
13
Denver Broncos
24.4
 21.3
+0.6
21.8 24.4 25.7 100.2 0.88 6.2 4.6 31.1
14
New York Jets
24.4
 21.2
+0.6
21.4 24.4 26.0 90.5 0.69 7.7 5.9 42.1
15
Los Angeles Chargers
23.8
 20.5
0.0
26.6 23.8 20.6 95.0 0.56 6.9 5.5 35.4
16
Buffalo Bills
23.7
 20.6
-0.1
23.6 23.7 22.6 96.6 0.88 6.1 4.6 34.9
17
Seattle Seahawks
23.5
 20.3
-0.3
25.2 23.5 19.5 73.8 0.81 7.0 5.4 38.5
18
New England Patriots
23.1
 20.2
-0.7
16.2 23.1 26.5 108.6 0.69 5.6 4.2 27.9
19
Baltimore Ravens
22.3
 19.0
-1.5
19.7 22.3 24.5 88.9 0.44 6.6 4.9 36.9
20
Indianapolis Colts
22.3
 19.0
-1.5
22.3 22.3 21.1 72.8 0.62 6.6 5.3 37.1
21
Arizona Cardinals
22.0
 19.6
-1.8
24.9 22.0 20.4 94.6 0.62 5.6 3.9 34.6
22
Philadelphia Eagles
21.7
 19.0
-2.1
20.7 21.7 21.9 87.1 0.81 5.6 4.2 30.4
23
Miami Dolphins
21.4
 19.1
-2.4
27.5 21.4 19.8 91.2 0.56 5.6 4.6 36.8
24
Chicago Bears
21.1
 18.5
-2.7
24.6 21.1 21.1 96.6 0.69 5.6 4.1 30.2
25
Cleveland Browns
20.9
 18.1
-2.9
26.7 20.9 17.9 82.2 0.75 5.2 4.1 31.4
26
Atlanta Falcons
20.8
 17.9
-3.0
22.4 20.8 23.7 70.5 0.50 7.2 5.6 38.2
27
San Francisco 49ers
20.1
 17.9
-3.7
17.4 20.1 21.4 73.9 0.62 5.8 4.4 35.4
28
Los Angeles Rams
19.8
 17.1
-4.0
23.7 19.8 19.5 75.8 0.50 6.8 4.9 34.6
29
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19.4
 16.3
-4.4
16.9 19.4 19.5 59.2 0.50 7.1 5.6 36.6
30
Pittsburgh Steelers
19.2
 17.2
-4.6
19.5 19.2 22.3 85.3 0.69 4.6 3.2 21.4
31
Washington Commanders
18.1
 16.0
-5.7
30.2 18.1 16.3 81.6 0.50 5.1 3.6 21.8
32
New Orleans Saints
16.7
 14.7
-7.1
19.9 16.7 21.0 73.9 0.50 4.7 3.6 21.4

How These Ratings Work

FPA (Fantasy Points Allowed)

Every player game is scored with official DraftKings and FanDuel scoring (including DK yardage bonuses), then the position group is totaled per game. Higher FPA means a softer defense to target.

Season Blend

This is the completed 2020-21 season: every column is that season's real per-game average, with no blending or projection.

Moving Averages

The 2019-20/G, 2020-21/G, and L4 columns show the raw windows feeding the rating, so you can see exactly why a defense ranks where it does.

vs Average and Trend

vs Avg compares a defense to the league mean for the position (23.8 FPA for RBs). The trend arrow flags defenses drifting softer or tougher over their last four games.

Defense vs Position FAQ

What is NFL Defense vs Position (DvP)?

Defense vs Position measures how many fantasy points and raw stats each NFL defense allows to a specific position (QB, RB, WR, TE). It is built from real box scores: every player at that position who faced the defense, summed per game and averaged.

How are fantasy points allowed calculated?

We score every player game with official DraftKings and FanDuel scoring, including DraftKings 100-yard and 300-yard bonuses, then total the position group per game. FPA is the per-game average of those totals.

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to quarterbacks?

Softest 2020-21 matchups for QBs: Atlanta Falcons (26.1 FPA), Detroit Lions (25.4 FPA), New York Jets (24.0 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to running backs?

Softest 2020-21 matchups for RBs: Houston Texans (33.6 FPA), Detroit Lions (32.5 FPA), Jacksonville Jaguars (30.8 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to wide receivers?

Softest 2020-21 matchups for WRs: Atlanta Falcons (47.5 FPA), Tennessee Titans (45.8 FPA), Detroit Lions (45.7 FPA).

How is this different early in the season?

This is the completed 2020-21 season: every column is that season's real per-game average, with no blending or projection.

Put These Matchups to Work

Pair the softest defenses with our NFL weekly projections, attack them in the DFS lineup optimizer, or shop the numbers on the player props board. Check the weekly schedule to see who draws each matchup next.