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Defensive Notes

It’s fair to say there’s not much you can count on with NFL defenses. Houston turns in its worst fantasy performance against a Falcons team that gave several other opponents their best. The Lions look like the Keystone Kops trying to cover Eagles receivers, then force 3 interceptions, cause 5 fumbles, and block a kick against the Bears (while also scoring a defensive TD). The Giants get lit up for two and a half games (97 points), then hold the opposition without a touchdown for the next six quarters, racking up an NFL-record tying 12 sacks against the Eagles. Crazy stuff.

Given that uncertainty, we’re still willing to make a few general statements about fantasy defenses.

How the Mighty Have Fallen: If teams stopped kicking to Devin Hester, the Bears defense would be only slightly above average for fantasy purposes. It’s still among the league leaders in sacks and forced fumbles, but has just 3 interceptions and only nine teams have allowed more points. Injuries have gutted this group, to the point where – although still a top fantasy defense – you can at least consider benching them, particularly in leagues where you’re penalized for points allowed. Of course, that will be the week when Devin Hester has another highlight-reel kick return, like Sunday’s where he basically guided a would-be tackler off the field of play before loping into the end zone.

How the Mighty Have Fallen, Part II: The Ravens getting lit up by the Browns? Actually, that’s only mildly surprising: Cleveland had some offensive success in this series a year ago, too. Familiarity, it seems, is a plus against this group. We’re not writing off the Ravens, who haven’t been hit by injuries as badly as the Bears, and it might be a great time to trade for them. In the next three weeks Baltimore faces San Francisco, St. Louis and Buffalo – and will probably be a top-5 defense on our board in each of them.

Sleeper Ds: It can be hard to trade for defenses in fantasy leagues; few owners agree on what they’re worth. And all the obvious good ones, either before the season started or within a couple of weeks, are gone. So who are the sleepers? What defenses might be available if you’ve been let down by your first choice?

One that leaps to mind is Tampa Bay, which seems to be getting better every week and came within seconds of shutting out the Panthers on Sunday. This is not the sack-happy group of their Super Bowl year, but it’s a solid defense that appears to have a favorable schedule (after facing Indy this week). Another is Tennessee, which is perhaps more surprising than the Bucs; after losing Pacman Jones from the secondary and finishing 29th in sacks a year ago, the odds the Titans would be starting-caliber were slim. After three games (one fewer than most other defenses) they’re top-5 in interceptions and above-average in forcing fumbles. They’re averaging just 2 sacks per game, but look at the upcoming schedule: Atlanta, Oakland and Carolina in the next month. Last but not least, Arizona (a fantasy sleeper for several years running), which finally might be getting the most out of its talent, particularly at home. A top-10 group in sacks, the Cardinals face struggling offenses from St. Louis and Carolina the next two weeks.

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