Now that the NFL season has hit the quarter pole, we have a good idea of what teams are … and what they are not.
The Colts are still an offensive juggernaut despite the loss of wideouts Marvin Harrison and Anthony Gonzalez; the New York Giants are as good as advertised on the defensive side; the Browns are not stopping anybody; and the Raiders are … well, the Raiders.
Some things never change.
So as a fantasy owner, it’s time to start using that knowledge to your advantage. The best way to do that is to look at the defensive side of the ball. For example, watch Bills RB Marshawn Lynch rise up the rankings this week with the Cleveland Browns coming to town.
So let’s crunch the numbers and check out some of the best defenses to play your guys against:
Cleveland Browns
The aforementioned Browns are giving up the most yards per game in the NFL — an astronomical 403.3 ypg. They’re really bad in both aspects of their defense — pass (276.6) and rush (176.8) — so giving any player going up against them a shot is a good idea. The trading of Braylon Edwards won’t help matters (side note: Pick up Mohamed Massaquoi, who seems to be Derek Anderson’s go-to guy and is now the team’s No. 1 WR).
Carolina Panthers Shockingly, Carolina is actually giving up more yards per game on the ground than through the air. The loss of run-stuffer Maake Kemoeatu seems to be taking its toll more than even the team feared at the beginning of the season. Carolina has faced three strong run teams this season in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas, but expect this trend to continue. In other words, even though I’m not a big fan of him, this is the Sunday to play Clinton Portis.
Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars These two teams played each other last weekend and an aerial explosion ensued. Tennessee and Jacksonville combined for 607 yards of passing offense, including David Garrard’s 323-yard day, the second-best passing day of his career. The Jags aren’t surprising — they finished last season 24th in the league in pass defense and didn’t bolster their secondary in the offseason — but the Titans are bit of a surprise. Tennessee returned three Pro Bowlers to a secondary that was ninth in the NFL in pass defense last season. But sitting at 0-4 a year after going 13-3, nothing the Titans have done this season has gone as expected. I would expect Jacksonville’s pass defense to remain poor this season (play Seneca Wallace if you need a bye replacement this Sunday), but Tennessee’s to improve over the remainder of the season.
Detroit Lions
Sure the Lions finally won a game, but they’re not a contender by a long shot. Detroit is giving up the most points per game at 33.5, four points per game more than the next-worst team. The Lions gave up 45 points in the season opener to New Orleans, and that isn’t even their worst showing after allowing Chicago post 48 last Sunday. I think the defense will start to improve under new head coach Jim Schwartz, but there will still be plenty of points to be had whenever your players go up against Detroit. So play your Steelers this Sunday.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
