I’ve always wanted to be in a band.

Not a marching band, though. My wife did that in high school. I’ll show my ignorance by saying I couldn’t get past the rigidity. Step here. Play this note. Music should have a violent fluidity to it. You could call it organized chaos. However, without understanding how groups come together to create melodies, I’ve only ever appreciated the result.

Defensive units are a band. Everyone has their part to play. But all we care about are the offensive skill players. The opposing team trying to stop our guys is just something that happens. So, let’s spice it up. By adding points to the small wins generated by the defense, we can better appreciate their efforts and bring more points to our fantasy teams.

The Two-Piece or Three-Piece DST Combo Bonus

Defenses get their licks in throughout a game. They’ll produce a sack or maybe force a turnover, giving life to their offense. And each of those events boosts their fantasy value. However, units that cause more than one type of scoring action should get a bonus.

I didn’t watch the Bills’ Week 9 game in Jacksonville during the ’21 season live, but I remember the posts on social media. I thought the reports were a mistake. There was an extra Josh Allen in them. Anyway, (the Jaguars’) Josh Allen single-handedly emphasizes my point.

The opposition can stop an offense in multiple ways. Sacks alone are drive killers. The loss of both yardage and a down can put any plans of scoring in the dirt (along with the QB). Turnovers can flip a game on its head. We should reward a defense that can string together multiple game-altering plays in a single match.

• Sack + Int = 3 Points
• Int + Fumble + 5 points
• Sack + Fumble = 4 points
• Sack + Fumble + Int = 6 points

Three things here. First, I used the occurrence rate from 2024 to set the bonuses. Sacks (average 6.9% play rate) happen more often than interceptions (2.2%). Fumbles only took place on an average of 1.9% of all plays last year. Second, these rewards go on top of the points accrued for the action itself. In other words, a sack-fumble would be worth 8 points (2 points sack, 2 points fumble, 4 points bonus). Third, and most importantly, you can adjust the scoring to your liking. 

A system like this allows us to reframe our reaction to a defensive stop. Instead of focusing solely on the offensive implications (e.g., our skill players not scoring points), we can also reward the defense. And still score points! 

Coming Through in the Clutch

I brought up a similar idea when talking about kicker scoring. Big moments aren’t just for RBs, QBs, and their pass catchers. In some cases, teams are counting on their defense or special teams to help them hold onto a victory. But the defenders don’t get enough credit in the boxscore.

Kansas City's ability to will its way to another win via its DST rather than Patrick Mahomes’ arm was an underrated story. Never mind that they held Denver to 260 total yards (fourth-best mark on the season). To seal it with a field-goal block caps a noteworthy performance. Give this type of result 10 points. They stopped a field goal (3 points), saved a win (that’s at least 6 points), and I’ll toss one on top for the vibes. But not every clutch moment is as impactful.

Funnily enough, the Commanders still wound up winning the game. But Washington fans felt their blood pressure ratchet up a bit after Jayden Daniels missed this throw to Zach Ertz. Regardless, the joy of a goal-line stand for Tampa was only short-lived. But it altered the course of the matchup, lending credence to the idea that we should give it a three-point bonus to award the resiliency of the defense.

The Weekly Challenge

Some fantasy leagues take a piece of the dues and start a side pot for seasonal achievements. For instance, if your squad has the most points in a week, you get a prize. So, let’s try this for the defense.

Most weeks, we have an idea of which matchups are the most lopsided. However, it’s not as if the manager with that unit on their team benefits significantly. DST scoring requires, well, scoring! A touchdown, multiple sacks, or interceptions. Without them, they’re just like any other unit. But a massive gap on a real scoreboard should affect our fantasy scoreboards, too. However, that’s not the only way a defense can take it to the other team.

We already award sacks, but stringing nine of them together is absurd. I’m a Bengals fan. Trust me. I know. Anyway, the DST with the most sacks is another theme to track. The winner gains a 10-point bonus (or, again, adjust the score as needed) and everyone moves on to the next week.

Defensive Captain Points

Admittedly, choosing a defensive captain starts to dig into the IDP format. We’re crossing streams here in a sense, but bear with me. The intent isn’t to copy-paste the general metrics used for individual defensive players. At best, it’d be a subset. I’ll use last year’s DPoY as an example.

Without knowing anything about playing CB (I know a little), I’d say breaking up or intercepting passes and tackling were the main functions of the job. So, let’s score those. Or even one or two of them. However, the intent isn’t to only add more positions to track. With a specific player to follow, we can learn about their role, how they play the game, and its impact on their weekly matchup.

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