The new kickoff rules have made for a lot more returns this year. Those returns create the opportunity for D/ST fantasy points. This is a good thing.
But the story of 2025 so far hasn’t been those kickoff returns. It has been punt returns.
Last season, eight punts were returned for touchdowns. Through four weeks in 2025, seven have been—including three in Week 4 alone.
In New England, the Patriots waylaid the Carolina Panthers 42-13 in Week 4. However, the defense failed to produce much in the way of big plays—just a single sack. But thanks to Marcus Jones and his 87-yard punt return for a score, the Pats were a solid fantasy start,
As a matter of fact, in leagues that award points for return yards, Jones was that much more valuable—he had a 61-yarder too.
Now, chasing return touchdowns isn’t a sound strategy. It wouldn’t be all that strange if we don’t see punt return No. 8 for a score for six weeks—or more. But this flurry of touchdowns is putting some of the “special” back in special teams.
Plus, it just makes watching football every Sunday more fun.
Well, unless you’re on the wrong end of one.
Woody Marks overtook veteran Nick Chubb on Sunday, scoring two touchdowns. He’s now one of the top waiver wire targets for Week 5.
THE NO-DOUBTERS
Detroit Lions (at Cincinnati Bengals)
After getting beaten handily in Week 1, the Lions have peeled off three straight wins, and in Sunday’s beatdown of Cleveland the Lions allowed fewer than 250 yards of offense, forced three turnovers, logged three sacks and had a return score on the way to Week 4’s top fantasy finish among defenses. Now, the Lions travel to Cincinnati to face a Bengals team that has been outscored 76-13 the past two weeks and had almost as many penalties against Denver as they had points and first downs combined.
Minnesota Vikings (at Cleveland Browns)
The Vikings aren’t technically headed to the Factory of Sadness—they are staying in the UK after falling to Pittsburgh in Dublin, Ireland last week before taking on the Clowns Sunday in London—because apparently we like to punish the British with bad football. The Vikings haven’t been a great fantasy defense—one giant outing in Week 3 and three clunkers. But the Browns are excellent at making opposing defenses look good—only the hapless Titans are surrendering more fantasy points per game to the position.
Indianapolis Colts (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)
Remember when we thought that the Pete Carroll-led Raiders would be an improved team in 2025? That was a fun 15 minutes or so. It took Raiders offensive coordinator three games to remember Ashton Jeanty was on the team. Quarterback Geno Smith has been picked off a league-high seven times. And the Raiders are surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points to defenses this year. The Colts are quietly sixth in fantasy points among defenses and seething after a close loss in Los Angeles last week. They’ll take it out on Vegas.
Los Angeles Rams (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
The Rams may be the best team in the NFL that no one is talking about as one of the best teams in the NFL—their only loss this season was a nailbiter at Philadelphia in Week 3, and Los Angeles just handed the Colts their first loss of the season. The 49ers are similarly 3-1, but how they have managed that is a mystery, and both Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings are iffy for Week 5. The Niners are also a plus matchup—eighth in fantasy points allowed to defenses this season.
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Denver Broncos)
The Eagles are undefeated, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of, “What’s wrong in Philly?” talk. However, most of that centers on an inconsistent offense—defensively, the team sits eighth in fantasy points after a Week 4 effort against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that included two sacks, a pair of takeaways and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. Denver looked much better on offense against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, but these days the Bengals are making everyone look good.
Eric Samulski breaks down his fantasy football defense rankings for Week 5 of the NFL season
STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Arizona Cardinals (vs. Tennessee Titans)
Frankly, this one is a little unnerving for this analyst—this is the third time in five games that Cardinals defense has had what looks like an excellent fantasy matchup defensively, and so far it hasn’t worked out especially well. But no mortal man can resist the siren’s song of suck that is the Tennessee Titans. If there’s an offensive category that’s bad, the winless Titans are at or near the top of the league at it—including fantasy points surrendered to opposing defenses.
Buffalo Bills (vs. New England Patriots)
The Bills haven’t been anything to write home about defensively so far this season—the team ranks outside the top-20 in fantasy points and have hit double-digits just once in four games. The Patriots are also coming off of their best offensive showing of the season in last week’s blowout win over the Panthers. But the Bills will be playing at home in primetime, and the Pats have given up the 11th-most fantasy points to defenses, At the very least, Buffalo’s a good matchup play.
Cleveland Browns (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
On some level, you may be wondering why the Browns aren’t a “No-Doubter” this week—Cleveland is first in the NFL in total defense and run defense and fifth against the pass. The Vikings offense didn’t look great last week against Pittsburgh, either—Carson Wentz was sacked six times and threw a pair of interceptions. But the Cleveland offense is so trash that it’s sucking the fantasy value out of the defense—they have allowed over 30 points twice and sit outside the top-25 in fantasy points.
Houston Texans (at Baltimore Ravens)
Not that long ago, this would have been a matchup that should be avoided like a plague-carrying rat. But that was before Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered a hamstring injury that leaves his Week 5 status in doubt. Cooper Rush is a capable backup quarterback with 14 NFL starts under his belt. And it helps to be able to just pound away with Derrick Henry. But the Ravens also lost left tackle Ronnie Stanley to an ankle injury, and Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter of the Texans are among the best pass-rush duos in the league.
New York Giants (at New Orleans Saints)
To be completely fair, with the exception of a Week 3 implosion in Seattle, the winless Saints have actually shown more fight than many expected—including on the road last week in Buffalo. But for the season, the team is still giving up the 10th-most fantasy points to defenses this season. The Giants showed flashes defensively of what they are capable of defensively in last week’s upset of the Chargers—especially where rushing the passer is concerned. They should have success in that regard again in Week 5.
Carolina Panthers (vs. Miami Dolphins)
This is a, “my defense is on a bye and the vultures in my league picked the waiver wire clean” play—the Panthers are a mediocre defensive team (at best) statistically in terms of both yards allowed and fantasy points scored. When we last saw Carolina, they were getting flattened by a Patriots team that is, um, average. But two weeks ago, Carolina opened a can at home against the Atlanta Falcons, and the Dolphins have given up the seventh-most fantasy points to defenses this season.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS
Denver Broncos (at Philadelphia Eagles)
Four weeks into the 2025 campaign, the Broncos rank just inside the top-10 defensively in fantasy points. That’s not exactly what fantasy managers who made them the first defense off draft boards expected, but Denver has hit double-digits in three of four games. If you made that investment in the Broncos, the best play is probably just to ride what looks like a down week against an Eagles team allowing the 10th-fewest fantasy points to defenses despite their struggles on offense out. But for fantasy managers at 1-3 or worse, that’s easier said than done.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.
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