There are always two interesting schools of thought when drafting a defense for your fantasy squad. The first thought is to draft a defense based upon the first couple of weeks of the season and play the waiver wire game later in the year. The other theory is drafting a defense you feel comfortable with and stick with them all year – barring a bye week. Both theories have won fantasy championships, so choose the strategy you feel the most comfortable with.

Each league has a different way of scoring fantasy defenses and teams such as Oklahoma lose value in leagues where there is a scale for points allowed. However, if your defensive scoring only considers turnovers, sacks and touchdowns, the Sooners are a great value.

Be sure to check your league scoring before draft day to decide which defense is the best fit for your roster. Later this summer, Athlon will take a look at some of the best schedules and options for owners playing the waiver wire game for fantasy defenses.

2009 draft kit

2009 kickoff
Quarterback rankings
Kicker rankings

Coming later this week

Wide receiver rankings
Tight end rankings
Team defense rankings
Top 200

Coming later this summer

Player profiles
Sleepers
Position battles
Strategy features
Mock draft
Freshmen/JUCO reports
Keeper watch

Follow us at Twitter: AthlonFantasy

Check out u-sports.athlonsports.com for more information on college fantasy leagues for the 2009 season.

Be sure to keep in mind all rankings will change as needed throughout the offseason and a major update will be posted before August.

Turnover and sack totals taken from weeks 1-14 of 2008 season.

Rank	Team	08 Fantasy Pts	08 Pts Allowed	Turnovers	Sacks	Returning Starters	Bye Weeks
1	Florida	244	12.9	32	31	11	5
2	USC	221	9.0	23	28	3	6, 12
3	Alabama	225	14.3	24	23	9	9
4	Va. Tech	171	16.7	26	26	7	8
5	Ohio State	201	13.9	28	24	7	13
6	Oklahoma	171	24.5	29	38	8	4
7	N. Carolina	170	21.2	27	18	9	7
8	Penn State	188	14.4	23	31	4	13
9	California	183	19.9	27	30	8	6, 13
10	TCU	208	11.3	26	43	4	1
11	Utah	191	17.2	28	21	7	5
12	Tennessee	160	16.8	20	22	5	7
13	Boise State	230	12.6	31	34	5	6
14	Iowa	186	13.0	27	16	8	13
15	Ole Miss	172	19.0	21	34	8	2
16	Clemson	160	17.3	25	15	8	6
17	Texas	165	18.8	16	44	7	5
18	LSU	114	24.2	16	27	6	7
19	Fla. State	178	20.2	23	36	5	7
20	Auburn	157	18.0	18	18	7	12
21	Georgia	107	24.5	15	18	6	8
22	USF	119	20.0	16	20	6	6, 10
23	E. Carolina	168	21.1	25	26	7	8
24	Mich. State	146	22.1	22	24	8	13
25	UCLA	106	29.0	17	21	6	4
26	Kentucky	178	21.5	25	28	4	2
27	Connecticut	155	19.8	21	28	6	5, 11
28	Ga. Tech	183	20.3	29	29	7	12
29	Miami	118	24.2	14	31	6	2
30	Ariz. State	172	22.7	22	22	6	2

Bye Week Key -

Week 1 - Sept. 5
Week 2 - Sept. 12
Week 3 - Sept. 19
Week 4 - Sept. 26
Week 5 - Oct. 3
Week 6 - Oct. 10
Week 7 - Oct. 17
Week 8 - Oct. 24
Week 9 - Oct. 31
Week 10 - Nov. 7
Week 11 - Nov. 14
Week 12 - Nov. 21
Week 13 - Nov. 28

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