The Fantasy Hockey Defensemen Rankings for 2024 have been formulated based on traditional fantasy league stats, including points, assists, power play points, shots on goal, blocks, and plus/minus. 

The overall upside is considered first and foremost with a player’s ceiling in the vital scoring categories. 

Factors such as age, opportunity, history, and overall quality of the team have also been weighed in the rankings.

For the rest of my fantasy hockey positional rankings, see below:

• Fantasy Hockey Rankings (Top 150)
• Fantasy Hockey Rookie Rankings
• Fantasy Hockey Goalie Rankings
• Fantasy Hockey Winger Rankings
• Fantasy Hockey Center Rankings
• Fantasy Hockey Sleepers for 2024
• Fantasy Hockey Breakouts for 2024
• Players to Avoid in Fantasy Hockey 2024
• Power Play Specialists for Fantasy Hockey 2024

Defenseman Rankings: Fantasy Hockey 2024

Best Defensemen for Fantasy Hockey 2024 

Evan Bouchard (Edmonton Oilers)

If anyone can overtake consensus No. 1 defenseman Cale Makar this season as the best fantasy producer on the backend it’s Bouchard. The 24-year-old just completed his first full season as the Oilers' leader on the backend and PP, and the results were staggering with 82 points in 81 games—and a playoff run that saw him score at an even higher rate. The Oilers bolstered their roster again this offseason so there is still more upside lurking for Bouchard, who often can be had as the fourth defenseman off the board in drafts. 

Mikhail Sergachev (Utah Hockey Club)

Sergachev got traded to Utah in a shocking deal this summer. He’s now in a position to be an integral power play contributor and play on the first D-pairing for a very thin Utah defensive core. Sergachev should thrive in the new role and looks like a good upside target this season in drafts if he falls past the top 8-9 defensemen taken. 

Fantasy Hockey Value Picks for 2024

John Carlson (Washington Capitals)

I’m not sure if the Capitals will make the playoffs or challenge for the playoffs this season. However, I do like that they attempted to reload on the fly, bringing in Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jakob Chychrun to help bolster the offense. 

The additions should help their power play and John Carlson’s production in 2024-25. Carlson had 52 points last year and is just two seasons removed from a 71-point year. There is not much upside baked into his current valuation, making him a solid value to target in the mid-rounds. 

Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild)

I like Faber as a potential breakout candidate who could improve on his production from his rookie season where he still managed 47 points in 82 games and landed 16 ppp. The Wild may not be that good, which will hurt his plus/minus, but they also don’t have a ton of options on the blueline—and 34-year-old Jared Spurgeon is recovering from an injury, meaning Faber should dominate PP1 minutes.

I have Faber ranked pretty aggressively at 21. but if everything goes right he’s a player who could still outperform that draft position. 

Defenseman to Fade in Fantasy Hockey 2024

Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)

The Golden Knights have built a stout defensive core that includes Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore, two players who can carry power plays on their own. That is likely to mean less power play time overall for the now 34-year-old Pietrangelo, who averaged just 0.45 points per game last season. I still expect Pietrangelo to play a ton, but the Golden Knights have no reason to overuse him on special teams making a bounceback in production unlikely.