NFL Defense vs Position Rankings 2021-22

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

Completed 2021-22 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)

#32 Tennessee Titans 18.1 FPA
#31 New Orleans Saints 18.6 FPA
#30 Dallas Cowboys 20.2 FPA

Toughest RB Matchups (Fewest Points Allowed)

#1 New York Jets 33.3 FPA
#2 Seattle Seahawks 29.9 FPA
#3 Las Vegas Raiders 27.8 FPA
Rank Team DK FPA FD FPA vs Avg 2020-21/G 2021-22/G L4 Rush Yds Rush TD Targets Rec Rec Yds Trend
1
New York JetsNYJ
33.3
 29.1
+9.8
24.4 33.3 24.5 113.6 1.35 7.2 5.9 51.5
2
Seattle SeahawksSEA
29.9
 25.5
+6.4
23.5 29.9 28.4 94.8 0.82 8.2 7.1 61.4
3
Las Vegas RaidersLV
27.8
 24.2
+4.3
29.2 27.8 23.9 94.6 0.94 7.5 5.8 37.0
4
Detroit LionsDET
27.4
 24.5
+3.9
32.5 27.4 22.3 113.5 1.06 3.9 3.1 25.8
5
Houston TexansHOU
27.1
 24.1
+3.6
33.6 27.1 25.3 121.6 1.06 5.5 4.1 29.8
6
New York GiantsNYG
26.8
 23.3
+3.3
24.8 26.8 27.5 113.2 0.76 6.7 5.4 42.1
7
Pittsburgh SteelersPIT
26.5
 23.2
+3.0
19.2 26.5 27.2 120.6 0.76 5.8 4.4 37.7
8
Los Angeles ChargersLAC
25.7
 22.9
+2.2
23.8 25.7 22.5 117.7 1.06 4.8 3.5 24.9
9
Atlanta FalconsATL
25.3
 21.9
+1.8
20.8 25.3 23.4 100.7 0.76 6.6 5.2 38.6
10
Cincinnati BengalsCIN
25.0
 21.1
+1.5
25.5 25.0 26.1 82.9 0.76 7.6 6.1 44.2
11
Philadelphia EaglesPHI
24.6
 21.0
+1.1
21.7 24.6 27.6 89.5 0.82 7.5 6.1 36.8
12
Minnesota VikingsMIN
24.3
 21.2
+0.8
27.2 24.3 26.7 103.0 0.71 5.9 4.5 30.3
13
Kansas City ChiefsKC
24.2
 20.4
+0.7
25.5 24.2 24.3 91.1 0.41 7.6 6.4 51.9
14
Jacksonville JaguarsJAX
23.9
 20.9
+0.4
30.8 23.9 24.8 98.0 1.00 5.7 3.9 28.5
15
New England PatriotsNE
23.9
 20.3
+0.4
23.1 23.9 26.4 101.4 0.35 6.9 5.4 47.5
16
Miami DolphinsMIA
22.5
 19.3
-1.0
21.4 22.5 25.6 92.1 0.71 6.5 4.6 32.6
17
Cleveland BrownsCLE
22.3
 19.4
-1.2
20.9 22.3 23.6 88.7 0.59 5.6 4.6 30.5
18
Washington CommandersWAS
22.3
 19.5
-1.2
18.1 22.3 23.1 74.4 0.53 6.8 4.9 34.9
19
Denver BroncosDEN
22.1
 19.3
-1.4
24.4 22.1 23.5 91.9 0.41 5.8 4.3 41.2
20
Tampa Bay BuccaneersTB
22.1
 18.4
-1.4
19.4 22.1 19.4 63.6 0.41 8.2 6.8 45.8
21
Chicago BearsCHI
21.9
 19.4
-1.6
21.1 21.9 19.3 107.7 0.53 4.8 3.9 25.8
22
Buffalo BillsBUF
21.5
 18.9
-2.0
23.7 21.5 20.1 85.2 0.82 5.2 3.2 28.0
23
San Francisco 49ersSF
21.3
 18.4
-2.2
20.1 21.3 13.7 76.6 0.76 6.5 5.1 31.5
24
Arizona CardinalsARI
21.1
 17.8
-2.4
22.0 21.1 20.0 97.2 0.35 6.2 5.0 36.7
25
Los Angeles RamsLA
21.1
 18.2
-2.4
19.8 21.1 16.2 75.1 0.65 5.9 4.8 36.0
26
Indianapolis ColtsIND
20.8
 17.8
-2.7
22.3 20.8 20.2 76.8 0.53 6.1 4.5 39.0
27
Baltimore RavensBAL
20.7
 18.2
-2.8
22.3 20.7 22.6 71.5 0.65 5.3 4.2 40.6
28
Carolina PanthersCAR
20.6
 18.4
-2.9
26.2 20.6 21.8 92.2 0.71 4.6 3.5 24.3
29
Green Bay PackersGB
20.3
 17.7
-3.2
27.1 20.3 19.5 75.8 0.59 6.1 4.8 30.3
30
Dallas CowboysDAL
20.2
 17.4
-3.3
24.5 20.2 20.2 85.3 0.47 6.4 4.6 32.5
31
New Orleans SaintsNO
18.6
 16.1
-4.9
16.7 18.6 18.4 72.0 0.41 5.9 4.4 35.1
32
Tennessee TitansTEN
18.1
 15.7
-5.4
26.3 18.1 13.5 63.9 0.53 6.1 4.5 35.5

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 2021-22 season: every column is that season's real per-game average, with no blending or projection.

Moving Averages

The 2020-21/G, 2021-22/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 (23.5 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 2021-22 matchups for QBs: Buffalo Bills (12.7 FPA), New England Patriots (14.5 FPA), Denver Broncos (16.7 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to running backs?

Softest 2021-22 matchups for RBs: Tennessee Titans (18.1 FPA), New Orleans Saints (18.6 FPA), Dallas Cowboys (20.2 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to wide receivers?

Softest 2021-22 matchups for WRs: Buffalo Bills (25.1 FPA), New England Patriots (29.6 FPA), Philadelphia Eagles (29.7 FPA).

How is this different early in the season?

This is the completed 2021-22 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.