In five of the past six seasons, the New England Patriots' defense and special teams has ranked among the top 10 fantasy units, and there's no reason to think this year will be any different. Bill Belichick is on record as saying he likes the depth along the defensive line as much as any group he's coached over the past 17 seasons, and he also called the safety position, from top to bottom, as strong of a position as the team has on the roster.
Defense/special teams
ESPN Fantasy projection: 38.4 sacks, 14.6 interceptions, 90.1 points
Over or under: The Patriots were second in the NFL in sacks last season, with 49, but Belichick often talks about how that can be an overrated statistic to measure the effectiveness of a consistent pass rush. That number will likely go down in 2016, but to think it will reduce by almost 25 percent seems off the mark, so put me down as an "over" on the sacks. I'll go under on the interceptions, in part because top cornerback Malcolm Butler only had two last season. Overall, the front seven has the potential to be one of the NFL's best, and kicker Stephen Gostkowski is already in that category along with punt returner Julian Edelman, making the Patriots' defense/special teams a worthy investment.
