Cowboys Headline Fantasy Football Defenses (DST) That Might Not Need to Be Dropped in 2025

The Dallas Cowboys are surprisingly one of the defenses that fantasy football managers might not have to drop for the entire 2025 NFL regular season.

Owning the right defense/special teams is hugely important to winning a fantasy football championship. But the right DST doesn't mean it has to be the most impressive or even the most dominating.

Matchups play a huge role in deploying the right defense in fantasy football. Special teams is a significant factor as well.

Matchups are a big reason why I usually don't recommend drafting a DST early and slotting the unit into lineup permanently. That's the stress-free approach but not the one that's going to yield the best results.

The best fantasy managers will play the matchups with DST and use the schedule to their advantage. Managers can do that with DST not drafted early, which will allow them to use as much draft capital as possible to land quality running back, wide receiver and tight end depth.

But for the managers that at least want the same DST on the roster for the entire 2025 season, here are three units to consider.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were 28th in yards allowed and 31st in points yielded. Fifteen DSTs scored more fantasy points than the Cowboys in standard formats last season.

How could they possibly be a defense that one can go all of 2025 without dropping?

Special teams.

All-Pro returner KaVontae Turpin returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown last season. Fellow returner Juanyeh Thomas also had a kickoff return for a score.

Clearly, the new return rules helped the Cowboys and their fantasy managers. No other NFL team had two return touchdowns last season let alone three.

On defense, the Cowboys should see a boost if edge rusher Micah Parsons is healthy the entire season. The unit should also be helped with a healthier offense. Quarterback Dak Prescott missed half the season, which put significant strain on the defense.

Keep in mind, though, that the schedule for the Cowboys is not favorable. They are only going to go undropped in fantasy leagues this fall if managers pair the Cowboys with another DST in a platoon situation.

But for the managers who want a DST with upside and don't mind the risk, the Cowboys are a great option.

Denver Broncos

For the more traditional, less risky formula on defense, the Broncos are the obvious choice for managers to target and not drop all season.

The Broncos dominated leagues last season, posting 166 fantasy points in standard formats. In those leagues, Denver was the only unit that averaged more than nine fantasy points per game, and the Broncos nearly had 10 per contest.

Denver did that behind a league-high 63 sacks, which was nine more than any other team. The Broncos were also ranked in the top 10 in interceptions and takeaways.

That production is more likely to be repeatable than Dallas' return game.

To land the Broncos, though, managers will have to target the Denver DST early. Fantasy Pros rankings have the Broncos at the top of their DST ratings entering NFL training camps.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens might be the perfect mix between the high upside the Cowboys present, and what the Broncos will give managers.

Baltimore was ranked 31st in passing defense last season, which is not usually a recipe for success. However, they dominanted against the run. That helped them finish ninth in points allowed and 10th in yards yielded.

The Ravens were also second in sacks. Only the Broncos had more.

Baltimore didn't have a return touchdown on special teams last season, but John Harbaugh is one of the top special teams minds in the league. He served as a special teams coordinator under Andy Reid prior to his head coaching stint with the Ravens beginning in 2008.

It's never a bad bet to draft the Ravens DST in the hopes that the unit will be worth a fantasy roster spot the entire season.