Spoiler: the Tennessee Titans might be a little higher in the fantasy defense rankings than you'd expect this year. Last season they were just 18th, and even that was their first time finishing in the top 20 in six years. (In a scoring system of 1 point for sacks, 2 for takeaways and 6 for touchdowns.)
One plus is they hired Dean Pees as their defensive coordinator. Pees was the Ravens coordinator the last few seasons, and Baltimore led the league in takeaways a year ago. Pees pulled a Brett Favre, "retiring" from Baltimore and then emerging from retirement a short time later to run Tennessee's defense. Didn't even cost the Titans a draft pick.
But even aside from the Pees hire, Tennessee was one of the most improved defenses in the second half of last year in key fantasy areas. Especially sacks: after having just 13 in the first eight games, Tennessee had 30 in the last eight games. That ties with Pittsburgh for the most in the second half of the season, and the 17-sack swing was the biggest in the league by far.
| 2017 SACKS AND TAKEAWAYS, 1ST HALF VS. 2ND | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1st Sack | 1st Take | 2nd Sack | 2nd Take | Sack Net | Take Net |
| Tennessee Titans | 13 | 12 | 30 | 9 | 17 | -3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 13 | 14 | 24 | 8 | 11 | -6 |
| New England Patriots | 16 | 8 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 12 | 5 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 2 |
| New York Jets | 11 | 13 | 17 | 7 | 6 | -6 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 26 | 11 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 19 | 17 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 16 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 18 | 6 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 16 | 9 | 18 | 4 | 2 | -5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 18 | 9 | 19 | 12 | 1 | 3 |
| New York Giants | 13 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 14 | 17 | 13 | 8 | -1 | -9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 25 | 15 | 23 | 13 | -2 | -2 |
| Washington Redskins | 22 | 12 | 20 | 11 | -2 | -1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 16 | 8 | 14 | 7 | -2 | -1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 22 | 6 | 19 | 8 | -3 | 2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 27 | 7 | 23 | 14 | -4 | 7 |
| New Orleans Saints | 23 | 12 | 19 | 13 | -4 | 1 |
| Chicago Bears | 23 | 11 | 19 | 11 | -4 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 17 | 9 | 13 | 11 | -4 | 2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 18 | 13 | 13 | 13 | -5 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 19 | 7 | 14 | 10 | -5 | 3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 22 | 13 | 16 | 18 | -6 | 5 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 23 | 13 | 16 | 12 | -7 | -1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 16 | 12 | 9 | 8 | -7 | -4 |
| Houston Texans | 20 | 12 | 12 | 4 | -8 | -8 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 26 | 9 | 17 | 18 | -9 | 9 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 24 | 10 | 13 | 9 | -11 | -1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 35 | 16 | 20 | 17 | -15 | 1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 27 | 11 | 11 | 10 | -16 | -1 |
Table is sorted by sack differential. Green Bay and New England also made great gains from the first half to the second (although Green Bay fired coordinator Dom Capers anyway).
Numbers can be interpreted in different ways, so be careful not to read too much into Jacksonville's presence near the bottom of the table. Their 20 sacks in the final eight games still ranked 7th over that time period. But their first half was so ridiculously productive (they had a couple of 10-sack games) it stands to reason that their second half would pale in comparison to that 35-sack half.
But back to Tennessee. Their pass rush has a lot of 2018 promise. They used their top pick on pass-rushing linebacker Rashaan Evans (pictured; 21 sacks in college). The addition of Pees could help their takeaway numbers. They've got Adoree' Jackson on returns -- no touchdowns a year ago, but 8 in college and a couple of long returns last year. Those who wait until the final rounds to pick a defense might find them as one of the best options.
--Andy Richardson