Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

Which fantasy defense would you most like to own?

JEFFREY KAMYS

I would take the Steelers D. The only reason they rank a bit higher than the Ravens is that we know the Steelers offense can move the ball. The Ravens offense is still very inconsistent and is going to leave their D in plenty of bad situations this year.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.

MIKE NAZAREK

The Tennessee Titans. They have consistently scored in the teens in most league scoring systems this season each and every week.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy auction & regular drafting programs, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He is the reigning four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

It is a tough call between TENN, PHIL or PITT. However, I have to choose TENN due to their easier schedule. The Titans face KC, DET, CLEV and HOU in the next 10 weeks. They have only allowed 46 points while amassing 15 sacks (second in the league). Their high fantasy score has not come from lucky turnovers run back for TDs. Instead, they earn their points with sacks, turnovers and holding their opponents' score down. PITT plays CINN and CLEV twice but the rest of their schedule is brutal. That means PHIL is my second choice as they play SF, ATL, CLEV and CINN. But the status of Westbrook may temper this pick as well.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook and the recently released Fantasy Football Almanac 2008 which are both available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is an 18-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) and will participate this year in the inaugural season of the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

With respect to the Titans, Ravens and Bills, I can't stop thinking about Philadelphia's potential with Jim Johnson's creative rushing schemes. There is no defense I enjoy watching more, and given pick of the league they get the nod. That all said, I'm also an inveterate streamer of defenses, so it's rare that I have a designer unit on my side. Paying for a defense in August usually turns out to be a foolish investment.

Pianowski is a fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports. His work regularly appears on Yahoo's Roto Arcade Blog (rotoarcade.com), and you can also email him at pianowski31@yahoo.com.

DAVID DOREY

For my money, it would be the Titans defense since the offense has been good enough to force opponents into passing situations and that brings on the sacks and interceptions. The Titans have been as good as any other defense at forcing interceptions this year which is critical. But truth be told, there is no one defense I would want to hang my hat on this year since there is a much bigger bang for the buck of mixing two defenses and playing the matchups every week.

Dorey is the co-founder and Senior NFL Analyst at The Huddle since 1997. He has produced award winning rankings and has projected the fantasy stats for every game over the last 13 years. David produces the bulk of The Huddle rankings and his “Predictions and Projections” breaks down every single NFL game every week through the Super Bowl. You can find more about David at TheHuddle.com.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Leaving out the obvious ones like Tennessee or Minnesota, I'd want the N.Y. Jets defense for a while. The schedule after the bye includes: Cincinnati, Oakland, Kansas City, St. Louis and even GASP! a weak New England offense. The Jets are getting sacks, about 3 a game and have had two defensive TDs. Not bad, but should jump up based on that run of teams coming up.

Louis Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about giving advice to players from a player. Lou's been a highly successful owner in many high stakes contests. BFD is giving away 50 fantasy football teams in 2008.

CHRIS LISS

Giants, Eagles, Titans, Ravens, Steelers -- any of those five as they're the most aggressive. Vikings, Chargers, Cowboys aren't too far behind.

RotoWire.com is a leading independent provider of fantasy sports news on the web, covering all the news as it breaks, combining innovative analysis with an easy-to-use format. The site’s content has won numerous awards and has earned partnerships with ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, FoxSports, XM Satellite Radio, NFL.com, NBA.com and many other sites and networks. To sample site content, take advantage of their free 10-day trial.

BOB HECK

We like Tennessee D/ST defense best going forward, a team we were really high on coming on into the season, particularly as they were a killer value play in redrafts a month ago. Last season they were 7th best in sacks (39) and gave up the 8th least amount of points (297). They were 5th best vs. the run and 10th best vs. the pass. They are top 10 in both categories again this year. However in the fantasy-stat areas of sacks and turnovers they have been even more devastating than last year, with 15 sacks through four games and having allowed a mere 46 points on the season. Talent-wise, they are stacked. The anchor is Pro Bowl DT Albert Haynesworth, a true defensive difference-maker in the middle. He is on his way to a career season. Last year he had 6 sacks, and amazingly already has 5 this year. If he keeps up his play he will be a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The Titans have another Pro Bowl on the line in DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, who wreaks havoc on QBs. The team welcomed DE Jevon Kearse back to the team and he has been solid as well. After the big names of Haynesworth, Vanden Bosch and Kearse, Tony Brown (the other DT) is flying under the radar. Brown came in off the bench for Haynesworth for four games and played well enough that they left him in the starting lineup when he returned. The team also has an astounding 8 INTs on the year already as well, leading with way with Cortland Finnegan, who has 4 INTs through 4 games. The Titans are off to their best start in franchise history at 4-0, in large part to the defense which is having, and is going to have, a special season. Check these match-ups still on the docket: Baltimore (rookie QB), Kansas City (crappy QB), Green Bay (giving up sacks by the bushel), Chicago (Orton meet that front line), Detroit (oh my), Cleveland (Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn special), at Houston (week 15 playoff matchup) and home for Pittsburgh in week 16 (and they have given up 12 sacks in their first three games).

Heck is a founding partner at Dynasty Rogues, a fantasy football website filled with football enthusiasts, run by football enthusiasts. The company provides year-round dynasty and redraft fantasy football coverage and analysis, including Dynasty Rogues Radio and the Rogues Forum. The site can be reached at www.dynastyrogues.com.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I'm going to go with the Titans, which is a smart, talented, and well-coached group that also has a very favorable schedule coming up. Next would be the Giants and Eagles, with probably the top two pass rushes in the league. Good things happen with defenses that can bring a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and no one is doing it better than these three teams.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past seven years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

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