If all goes right in my 2018 fantasy football drafts, I won’t be drafting a kicker or defense (assuming the league allows it).

Two reasons why I recommend this:

1. By streaming each position every week, I’m able to generate a top-five kicker and defense most seasons.

You can follow my award-winning in-season rankings/tiers to know which available players/teams to target on a weekly basis.

2. It’s worth taking two extra fliers at the end of the draft to potentially hit waiver-wire gold before the season starts.

For instance, you can take a player such as Chris Ivory in the later rounds who could potentially become the Bills’ starting running back if LeSean McCoy’s legal situation has a major development.

Colts backup running back Jordan Wilkins could open the season as their starter if Marlon Mack’s hamstring injury turns out to be serious and/or if Nyheim Hines continues to have fumbling issues.

You can even snag Steelers backup running back James Conner in case Le’Veon Bell’s holdout spills over into the regular season.

Once it becomes time to add a kicker and defense for Week 1, you can cut bait on some of the lottery tickets without consequences.

Let’s dive into my tiers for both positions.

All tiers/rankings as of Aug. 22.

KICKERS

Tier 1

Stephen Gostkowski

Greg Zuerlein

Tier 2

Justin Tucker

Jake Elliott

Chris Boswell

Harrison Butker

Wil Lutz

Matt Bryant

Robbie Gould

Matt Prater

Tier 3

Graham Gano

Josh Lambo

Mason Crosby

Ryan Succop

Dan Bailey

Adam Vinatieri

Daniel Carlson

Caleb Sturgis

Ka’imi Fairbairn

Tier 4

Chandler Catanzaro

Sebastian Janikowski

Dustin Hopkins

Brandon McManus

Phil Dawson

Tier 5

Steven Hauschka

Eddy Pineiro

Whoever wins Jets starting K job

Randy Bullock

Jason Sanders

Aldrick Rosas

Cody Parkey

Zane Gonzalez

See My Tiers for Other Positions

DEFENSE

Tier 1

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tier 2

Philadelphia Eagles

Minnesota Vikings

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Baltimore Ravens

Tier 3

Houston Texans

Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver Broncos

Carolina Panthers

Tier 4

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Tennessee Titans

Dallas Cowboys

Tier 5

Arizona Cardinals

Washington Redskins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cincinnati Bengals

Buffalo Bills

San Francisco 49ers

Oakland Raiders

New York Giants

Tier 6

Miami Dolphins

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets

Cleveland Browns