3 Fantasy Football D/ST SOS Pairings & Other Late-Round Options

Aug 29, 2022
 3 Fantasy Football D/ST SOS Pairings & Other Late-Round Options

Redraft fantasy football leagues typically include 12 participants and a waiver wire/free agency system that allows for the continued adding and dropping of players throughout the season. Leagues with 14+ teams will make a fantasy manager more reliant on drafting effectively. Best ball formats, like the one offered on Underdog Fantasy, cut out waivers/free agency entirely. While Underdog does not actually feature a defense/special teams (D/ST) position, the concept still holds true; on occasion, one must draft D/ST units with a full 17-game slate in mind.

As discussed in last week’s Streaming Fantasy Football Defenses Works—Here’s How to Do it, fantasy managers would do well to avoid D/STs with pricey average draft positions (ADP) and instead seek out less heralded options with fruitful schedule pairings. This piece will tell drafters how to find a pair of D/STs in the 13th round or later that will set one up for success all year long.


Other Strategy Primers: When to Draft a Running Back | Running Back Handcuffs | Tight End Strength of Schedule Beneficiaries | How to Stream Your Fantasy Defense


Defense/Special Teams Pairings for Deep Leagues and Best Ball

4for4 offers proven D/ST sorting tools in the Strength of Schedule Rankings and the Hot Spot: Team Level SOS app, that give one a bird’s eye view of the upcoming season. Utilizing these tools in conjunction with 4for4’s ADP comparison app, reveals three potential D/ST pairings that offer weekly starting ability over the course of the 2022 season.

Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions



Defense/Special Teams ESPN ADP Yahoo! ADP
Cleveland Browns 168 223
Detroit Lions 219 Undrafted
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