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We continue on with our early fantasy football rankings. This time we take a look at the 2013 fantasy football team defense landscape.
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1. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks allowed the fewest points last year, yielding just 15.3 points per game. They finished fourth in the league with 306.2 yards per game allowed. Adding Antoine Winfield’s veteran presence to an outstanding secondary anchored by Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas makes this an elite unit. Cliff Avril, who recorded 9.5 sacks last year for the Detroit Lions, gives them even more beef up front.
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2. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers finished just behind the Seahawks with 17.1 points per game allowed. They ranked third in total defense with 294.4 yards per game allowed. Patrick Willis anchors the defense, while Aldon Smith, who recorded 19.5 sacks last year, is a total menace.
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3. Houston Texans
The Texans took a slight step back defensively last year, but still finished in the top ten in both scoring defense (20.7 ppg) and total defense (323.3 ypg). Their struggles were primarily in pass defense, but the addition of future first ballot Hall of Famer Ed Reed should help. Having a healthy Brian Cushing will also be huge. Oh, and they still have J.J. Watt.
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4. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens will miss the leadership of Reed and Ray Lewis, but they reloaded. A clerical error allowed Elvis Dumervil to slip out of the Denver Broncos’ grasp. Baltimore snatched him up to pair with Terrell Suggs, who should be healthy after missing half of the season with an Achilles injury. Michael Huff came over from the Oakland Raiders to soften the blow of Reed’s departure.
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5. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers led the league in total defense with 275.8 yards allowed per game. They ranked sixth in scoring defense (19.6 ppg). Troy Polamalu’s health will be the key to their success or lack thereof.
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6. Denver Broncos
The Broncos will miss Dumervil, but they still have Von Miller terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. Denver finished second in total defense (290.8 ypg) and fourth in scoring defense (18.1 ppg).
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7. Chicago Bears
Da Bears finished third in scoring defense (17.3 ppg) and fifth in total defense (315.6 ypg). A lot of their success last year was predicated on their ability to turn turnover into touchdowns. That isn’t something you can bank on every year.
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8. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals finished sixth in total defense (319.7 ypg) and eighth in scoring defense (20.0 ppg). Geno Atkins (12.5 sacks) and Michael Johnson (11.5 sacks) form an underrated one-two punch.
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9. New England Patriots
The Patriots bend (373.3 ypg), but don’t break (20.7 ppg) on defense. Their offense tends to make opposing teams one-dimensional.
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10. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons had similar numbers as the Patriots (365.6 ypg, 18.7 ypg), which isn’t surprising since they have a potent offense of their own. They added Osi Umenyiora and rookie Desmond Trufant to bolster their defense.
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Now that the NFL draft is behind us we can start exploring the 2013 fantasy football kicker landscape.
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1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
Gostkowski led the NFL last year with 153 points. He was third in 2011 with 143 points. The Patriots figure to have a potent offense once again. Gostkowski should be in line for another banner season.
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2. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons
Bryant finished second in the league with 143 points. He’s been in the top ten in each of the past three seasons. The addition of Steven Jackson should make the Falcons even more powerful.
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3. Blair Walsh, Minnesota Vikings
Walsh finished fourth in the league with 141 points. He nailed 10 field goals from 50 yards and beyond. He led the NFL as a rookie with 35 field goals.
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4. Matt Prater, Denver Broncos
Prater finished seventh in scoring with 133 points. Peyton Manning really made a difference in the Broncos’ offense. They should be even better this year with Wes Welker on board.
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5. Alex Henery, Philadelphia Eagles
Henery finished 16th and 20th in scoring in his two seasons. My expectations are high for him as I feel their offense will be explosive under Chip Kelly.
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6. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
Tucker finished eighth in scoring as a rookie. He made 14 field goals from 40 yards and beyond. He was perfect in the postseason and should be among the best kickers in 2013.
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7. Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders
Janikowksi has kicked at least 30 field goals in each of the past three seasons. He has 59 field goals of 50 yards and beyond since 2006.
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8. Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys
Bailey finished 10th in scoring with 124. He finished fifth in 2011 with 135 points. With 61 field goals in two seasons he is a strong bet in 2013.
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9. Lawrence Tynes, New York Giants
Tynes finished second in the league with 145 points. His 33 field goals were tied for second in the league.
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10. Phil Dawson, San Francisco 49ers
Dawson scored 116 points last year for the Cleveland Browns. The 49ers should provide him many more opportunities.
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We’re closing in on the NFL draft . What better time to start exploring the 2013 fantasy football tight end landscape?
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1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
Graham caught 85 passes last year for 982 yards and nine touchdowns. He has 20 TDs in the past two seasons combined.
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2. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots
With Wes Welker moving on to the Denver Broncos and Rob Gronkowski (arm) becoming a concern, Hernandez will have a chance to put up special numbers. He will, of course, have to stay healthy himself. In ten games last year Hernandez caught 51 passes for 483 yards and five touchdowns.
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3. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Witten caught 110 passes for 1,039 yards last year. His downside is his touchdown total (three). That can be overlooked, particularly in PPR leagues because of his consistency and durability.
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4. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Gronk is a high risk, high reward option. He’s the best tight end in the game when healthy. He could miss the start of the season and the risk of re-injuring seems great at this point.
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5. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings
Rudolph won the Pro Bowl MVP, but doesn’t mean he’ll automatically ascend to greatness. I believe he has the physical tools to make the leap, particularly if Christian Ponder can take a step forward. Rudolph caught nine touchdowns last year.
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6. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
Gonzo continues to go strong. He’s 37, but showed no signs of slowing last year when he caught 93 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns. Julio Jones and Roddy White command so much attention on the outside that Gonzo is free to work the middle of the field.
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7. Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens
Pitta caught 61 passes for 669 yards and seven touchdowns last year. With Anquan Boldin in San Francisco, look for Pitta to become more of a focal point in the offense.
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8. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Gates disappointed last year, finishing with 49 catches for 538 yards and seven touchdowns. He has averaged nine touchdowns for each of the last nine seasons.
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9. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Daniels caught 62 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns. He’s always and injury risk, but he’s productive when he can stay healthy.
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10. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
Olsen caught 69 passes for 843 yards and five touchdowns. He’s one of Cam Newton’s favorite targets
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The NFL Draft is quickly approaching and there has been a lot of movement in the wide receiver circle. What better time to start exploring the 2013 fantasy football wide receiver landscape?
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1. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
Megatron shattered the NFL receiving record with 1,964 yards last year. The only knock on his touchdown total (five). He had 16 and 12 the previous two season respectively, so a return to double-digit scores in highly probable.
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2. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
Dez finished with 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns, but averaged 109.8 yards per game with 10 touchdowns in the final eight games. He showed incredible toughness and dedication playing through his finger injury. He’s arrived.
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3. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
Marshall finished with 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 118 receptions were tied for second with Wes Welker and his 194 targets were tied for second with Reggie Wayne. Megatron led both categories. Marshall is a physical receiver with a quarterback (Jay Cutler) that loves to throw his way.
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4. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Green finished with 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns. He only had one score in the past six weeks and only topped 60 yards in two of the last five weeks. Despite a “slow” finish, Green is a steady performer.
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5. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Julio finished with 1,198 and 10 touchdowns. He had five touchdowns in the final six games and a monster game (182 yards, two touchdowns) in the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
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6. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Johnson stormed back with 1,598 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 147 yards over the past seven games. He’s still a slight injury risk, having missed 12 games in 2010 and 2011, but he’s still a force.
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7. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
Thomas finished with 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had six touchdowns in the final seven games. I would rank him higher if Wes Welker didn’t join Eric Decker in the Broncos’ WR corps.
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8. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
V-Jax finished with 1,384 yards and eight touchdowns. He only had one touchdown in the final six games, but his size (6′ 5″, 230 lbs) gives him an advantage over the opposing secondary.
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9. Victor Cruz, Restricted Free Agent
All signs point to Cruz sticking with the New York Giants. His 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns are slightly disappointing compared to 2011′s 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns, but he remains one of the game’s top threats.
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10. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
White has averaged 1295.5 yards and 8.2 touchdowns over the past six seasons. Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, and Steven Jackson will prevent opposing defenses from keying in on Roddy.
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11. Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers
Crabtree finished with 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. He really clicked with Colin Kaepernick and finished strong averaging 83.1 yards with six touchdowns in the final eight games. Crabtree averaged 95 yards and a touchdown in the Niners’ three playoff games.
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12. Percy Harvin, Seattle Seahawks
Harvin averaged 92.4 total yards with five total touchdowns in the first eight games last year. He gets an upgrade at quarterback from Christian Ponder to Russell Wilson. It’s likely that he gets more use in the red zone with Seattle.
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13. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
Wayne finished with 1,355 and five touchdowns. He was one of the most heavily targeted receivers last year. Andrew Luck figures to be even better in 2013.
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14. Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers
Cobb finished with 1,086 total yards and nine touchdowns. Greg Jennings’ departure to the Minnesota Vikings opens things up for the Packers’ receivers.
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15. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
Nelson dealt with injuries for a lot of season, even missing four games. He finished with 745 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s 22 touchdowns in the past 28 games.
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16. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
OK, I’ll bite. With Carson Palmer on board, Fitz could return to form. He was limited to 798 yards and four touchdowns last year, but averaged 1,296 yards in the prior five seasons. My only concern is Palmer’s ability to remain upright behind their offensive line. They allowed at least 50 sacks in each of the past three years.
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17. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
Colston finished with 1,154 yards with 10 touchdowns. He has had at least 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns in six of his seven seasons.
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18. Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins
Wallace got PAID. He had just 836 yards last year, but has scored 26 touchdowns over the past three seasons.
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19. Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco really got PAID. Anquan Boldin is gone. The Ravens are making the transition to a more pass-happy team. Smith, who had 855 yards and eight touchdowns last year, is ready to take the next step in his third season.
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20. Eric Decker, Denver Broncos
Decker had 1,064 yard and 13 touchdowns. Welker will cannibalize some of that production.
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The NFL Draft is still off in the distance, but what better time to start exploring the 2013 fantasy football running back landscape.
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1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
What more is there to be said about All Day. An injury that could threaten the career of most NFL running backs was shrugged off like a hangnail. All Peterson did was challenge the NFL record with 2097 yards while posting his sixth straight season with double-digit touchdowns.
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2. Arian Foster, Houston Texans
Foster scored 17 touchdowns last year, 15 on the ground. He had 1424 yards rushing and 217 yards receiving. That’s three straight monster years for Foster. He did see a 400-yard drop in receiving yards, which is a slight cause for concern.
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3. Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
Richardson had 1317 total yards and 12 touchdowns despite dealing with knee, rib, and ankle injuries. If he can stay healthy, I believe he can challenge All Day for the top spot.
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4. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While I believe Richardson will be even better in 2013, I think Martin takes a small step back. Simply because the 1926 total yards and 12 touchdowns set his bar so high. That said, this dual threat should remain one of the top fantasy backs.
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5. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills
Spiller averaged a ridiculous 6.0 yard per carry. He gained 1703 total yards on 250 touches. He should get closer to the 300 mark, which should put him over 2000 total yards.
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6. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
Lynch doesn’t typically give you the monster games like some of the other elite backs can produce, but he’s about as steady as they come. He had 1786 total yards and 12 touchdowns last year.
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7. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
Lost in Peterson’s incredible season was Jamaal Charles’ similarly impressive return from his own knee injury. At times the Chiefs went away from Charles, but he still managed to produce 1745 total yards. Another season removed from the injury, Charles should be even better in 2013.
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8. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens may have officially made the transition from Rice being the focal point on offense to Joe Flacco, but Rice isn’t out of the picture just yet. He remains one of the most dynamic running backs in the league with an ability to produce on the ground and in the passing game while having a strong nose for the end zone.
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9. Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
Morris is coming off a 1690 total yard, 13 touchdown season, but he does have the stigma of playing for Mike Shanahan. I think that is less of an issue than Robert Griffin III’s health. That and defenses adjusting to the Pistol offense.
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10. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
2012 was a season to forget for Eagles fans and McCoy owners alike. Shady should be much better in Chip Kelly’s offense.
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11. David Wilson, New York Giants
Wilson should have the chance to carry the load for the G-Men. He has the tools to breakout in a big way.
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12. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Mojo’s season was a complete disaster, but he’s still on the right side of 30 (28 in March). I expect him to be the focal point of the Jaguars’ offense once again and a strong bounceback candidate.
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13. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Johnson was held under 25 yards rushing in four of the first five games, but managed to get back on track. He averaged 92.2 total yards per game. His window is closing (he’ll be 28 in September), but he should still have a couple of good seasons in him.
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14. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Forte is an impressive talent, and while he is able to play through injuries, how often is he limited by them? He also doesn’t punch the ball in frequently enough to be even a mid-level RB1.
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15. Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots
Bill Belichick is even harder to figure with running backs than Mike Shanahan. Ridley had an impressive 12 touchdowns, but he does little in the passing game to help his yardage total.
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Also check out:

• 2013 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football K Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings

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We aren’t even a week removed from the Super Bowl, but what better time to start exploring the 2013 fantasy football quarterback landscape. There has been a changing of the guard at the QB position, which will be quite evident as you peruse the rankings.
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1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers continues to pile up the numbers. He threw for 4295 yards and 39 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. That’s 84 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the past two seasons. He’s also always good for 200 yards or more on the ground with a couple of rushing touchdowns.
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2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Back-to-back 5000-yard seasons. Are you serious? 89 touchdown passes. His interceptions (33 over the past two years) and lack of a ground game bonus keep him out of the top spot, but he’s close.
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3. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Cam was a monster down the stretch. He still didn’t deliver a ton of passing touchdowns, but he was close to the 4000-yard mark. Plus, he has ran for at least 700 yards and eight touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. There were a lot of young quarterbacks that received the hype thanks to their team’s success, but in fantasy terms, Cam is the best young quarterback.
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4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Brady will never confuse anyone for being a mobile quarterback, but he does have seven rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons. You already know what he brings to the table with his arms. Plenty of yards and touchdowns with a low interception total.
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5. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
The more mobile quarterbacks (RG3, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson) got plenty of love, which almost overshadowed just how fine of a season that Luck had. Replacing a legend, Peyton Manning in Luck’s case, is never easy, and Luck did about as fine a job as Rodgers (Favre) or any other quarterback has. Year two should be special.
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6. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
I think Ryan puts up better numbers with his arm than Luck, but Luck has a little of Rodgers’ ability in that he can give you the bonus points with his feet. Luck and Ryan are in the same tier, in my opinion, I just give Luck a slight edge. That said, Ryan has two of the game’s top receivers. Last season was not a fluke. He should challenge 5000 yards and 35 touchdowns.
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7. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
What else can be said about Peyton Manning? He certainly didn’t disappoint in his new home. While his arm strength wasn’t what it once was, you can’t help but be impressed by the 4659 yards, 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions.
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8. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Kaepernick has the “it factor”. He is equally as impressive with his arms as he is his feet. That’s saying a lot. He’ll have to improve in the red zone to take the next step as a quarterback, both in fantasy and reality.
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9. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Stafford quietly approached the 5000-yard mark for the second straight year. He had 20 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. He should provide great value as a low-end QB1.
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10. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson had modest passing totals (3118 yards, 26 touchdowns), but he only threw ten interceptions. He also ran for 489 yards and four touchdowns.
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Also check out:

• 2013 Early Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football K Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings 

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Here’s a look at the LestersLegends’ Super Bowl XLVII fantasy football team defense rankings.
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1.  San Francisco 49ers
This one is very close. The 49ers had the better defense during the regular season, and it wasn’t close. They finished the regular season in the top four in total defense, scoring defense, run defense, and pass defense. I give them a slight edge, but the Baltimore Ravens have really narrowed the gap.
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2. Baltimore Ravens
Meanwhile, while the Ravens weren’t as good during the regular season, they have held the Indianapolis Colts, the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots to a combined 57 points (19 points per game). Ray Lewis has returned with a flurry and they are playing a different brand of defense than earlier in the year. That said, Colin Kaepernick’s versatility and the Niners power running game will make this a tough assignment for Baltimore.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVII Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVII Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVII Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVII Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVII Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVII Pick
• Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings

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