Team Defense Rankings–Week 12
In this column we will be highlighting some of the team defenses that aren’t among the best in the league, but might be able to help you if you are one of those people who play the rotating game with your DEF, or if your team is on bye. I will not tell you to start any of the following in this article because they teams that should be started pretty much against any opponent:
Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts
Two Matchups To Target
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins defense has been no better than average here in 2009, but they did have one tremendous game this season and it was against the Bills. In that game they allowed only ten points to Buffalo, sacked Trent Edwards six times, and also intercepted him three times. On the year the Bills are scoring just 15.5 points a game, and have topped 20 points just once in the last seven weeks. They have also allowed their quarterbacks to be sacked 27 times and have turned the ball over 20 times. Miami has been one of the worst defenses at forcing turnovers with just 13 this year, but they have been able to put good pressure on quarterbacks with 29 sacks in 2009. Right now it is a good time to have a fantasy defense that is playing the Bills, and with Miami already proving that they can handle Buffalo this year, the Dolphins are a great pick for a fill in for Week 12.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta has been one of the bigger disappointments as a fantasy defense, but this week is a good week to have them. The Falcons were a quality defense in 2008, but have taken a turn for thie worse this year. The Falcons are allowing just under 23 points a game, but they have given up 80 in the past three weeks. They have been pretty solid with 19 takeaways and 20 sacks, but most weeks the Falcons haven’t been helping fantasy teams. Atlanta’s opponent, the Buccaneers, seem to be playing better since Josh Freeman has been inserted as quarterback, but he is still a young quarterback and is coming off a three interception game. He has also fumbled seven times in his four games (only lost two), which bodes well for the Falcons defense to force a turnover or two this week against Tampa. If your team defense has a rough matchup this week, perhaps you can look into Atlanta as a one week fix to help you as you try to make the playoffs.
Two Matchups To Avoid
New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots. The Saints defense has been a very solid unit all season long, but this doesn’t seem like a good week to have them in your lineup. New Orleans are the best team in the NFL forcing turnovers with 29 on the year, and have also sacked the quarterbacks 24 times. They also are slightly above average, allowing just over 20 points per game, but this week they will face a team that, when they are on, can be a offensive juggernaut. The Patriots are scoring 29 points a game, including 186 points over the past five games. New England has also been one of the best at protecting both the ball and their quarterback. Tom Brady has only been sacked 14 times in 11 games, and the Pats have only surrendered 10 turnovers as well. The Saints have been one of the biggest surprises as far as fantasy defenses are concerned, but I think this week would be a good time to find a better option.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings. The Bears defense was thought to be one of the top half of the league coming into the 2009 season, but they have been nothing short of ordinary through the first eleven weeks of the year. They have allowed 22.5 points a game on the year, but have given up 75 over the past three weeks. However, they have still been pretty decent in the other fantasy statistics. The Bears have forced 18 turnovers, and they have also sacked opposing quarterbacks 21 times. However, even though they have been decent, they will face one of the better offensive teams in Minnesota. They have scored 100 points in the last three weeks, and average over 30 per game. The Vikings have surrendered just ten turnovers this season, but have allowed 21 sacks of Brett Favre this season. Chicago is a decent start against some of the lesser offenses in the league, but against a quality offense like Minnesota on the road I would certainly try to find a better option on defense.
You can always email me at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com for any fantasy question. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Get on board with the NEW Fighting Chance Radio. We have three podcasts every week, please join us, to listen go to www.blogtalkradio.com/midnight-oil. Join Jeff Mans and myself for Ladies Night every Tuesday night at 10pm EST. We also get together at midnight EST on Friday Night for the Midnight Oil show. You can find the Oil show at www.fsc.fm. If that isn’t enough Jeff Mans and Ted Schuster will give you the last minute information you need right up to kickoff including inactives and advice for your roster. Don’t miss that show as you cruise towards the fantasy playoffs.
