Defensive Notes
Time to give some love to defenses that didn’t figure to be particularly good, and in some weeks (and against some opponents), still aren’t. The Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons were two of the league’s three worst teams a year ago, but look at them now: both .500 or better, and both respectable NFL teams for a variety of reasons. Including what’s been overlooked by many observers in the midst of “Wildcat” talk and Matt Ryan praise: their defenses.
With Miami, there was some indication they might have some success this year. They traded for nose tackle Jason Ferguson, who’s a very good run-stuffer, even at 33. They have a couple of capable linebackers in Channing Crowder (59 tackles) and Akin Ayodele (another offseason acquisition), and that’s not even mentioning Joey Porter, whose 11.5 sacks lead the league. Bill Parcells isn’t the coach or even the GM, but his fingerprints are all over this defense, and it plays tough. The Dolphins are in the top 12 in both sacks and interceptions, and they’ve got potential in upcoming games – the next two weeks, in fact, they host miserable offenses from Seattle and Oakland.
Atlanta is even more surprising. The Falcons traded away DeAngelo Hall (turns out that was a pretty shrewd move), and from top to bottom looked like a mess in the offseason. But here they are, average or above-average in sacks and forcing turnovers, and – helped by a favorable home schedule – are 3-0 at home. John Abraham is 2nd in the league with 10 sacks, and their secondary and linebacking corps have held up. Going forward, the Falcons have some tough matchups, including quality opponents and/or offenses from New Orleans, Denver and Carolina the next three weeks. Those games are at home, but regardless, it’s not a favorable schedule. Still, they’ve been far better than expected thus far – maybe they’ll continue to be so.
Other pleasant surprises, some of whom we’ve been talking up for a while, include the Jets (3rd in sacks) and Cardinals (7th). If either defense is available in your league, pick them up. Bottom line, just because a team has been bad in recent years and has had a negligible fantasy defense doesn’t mean it should be overlooked when it starts proving you wrong. Don’t keep playing the Jaguars if the Dolphins or Cardinals are sitting out there. In the NFL, things can change in a hurry.
- Waiver Wire Defense of the Week: Bengals, Cowboys, Bucs and Washington are off – remember, although the schedule might show a bye for the Ravens, they’re at Houston (with a fine matchup against a sack- and turnover-prone offense) in a makeup of a week 2 game. If you need to replace one of the bye teams, or you have some other defense with a particularly unattractive matchup, options that may be available in your league include:
Jacksonville: Granted, we just said you shouldn’t count on them, but the Jaguars have a choice matchup this week against a sack- and turnover-prone Lions offense that figures to give either Drew Stanton his first NFL start or put the recently signed Daunte Culpepper in the lineup. Either way, it’s a favorable situation for Jacksonville. Can the Jaguars give yet another winless team their first victory? It’s definitely possible, but it’s also a week when they should post decent numbers if you need a fill-in option.
Miami: The Dolphins may not be available in your league, but if they are, you have to like them at home against a Seahawks team that’s running on fumes. If you pick them up, keep them around for week 11 (Oakland).
On the flip side, we’re reluctant to roll with the Steelers, hosting a Colts team that may be starting to put things together on offense, or the Bills who have slipped defensively – missing some key players due to injury – and get a tough matchup in New England.
--Andy Richardson
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