Fantasy Football Recap: 2008 Team Defenses (The Bad)

At the end of every season we like to go back and recap how the players at each fantasy football position fared. And, as with every season, there’s always the good, the bad, and of the course the downright ugly ones.

In this installment of the second part of our yearly "The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly" series, we’ll take a look at the BAD defenses from a fantasy football point of view.

--------------------

1. Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings weren't too far off from their 2007 numbers when it came to points and yardage allowed per game. In fact, while they did allow 1.4 more points per contest in 2008 (20.8 to 19.4 in 2007), they limited their opponents to less total yardage per game (292.4 to 338.1 in 2007).

So, what made them a disappointment from a fantasy stand point? Like so much of football, it came down to turnovers. The Vikings were beasts in 2007 when it came to forcing their opponents into mistakes, tallying 15 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries on the season.

Further helping their fantasy value, they took eight of those 31 turnovers the distance. In 2008, it was a different story as Minnesota notched just 12 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries, taking only three back to the house. The lack of defensive touchdowns is why the Vikings, originally ranked third during the preseason, finished just eighth among fantasy defenses at year's end.

--------------------

2. Dallas Cowboys

A top 10 defense heading into the season, the Cowboys missed the cut once all 16 games were played, barely keeping in the top 15 at No. 14.

In comparing their numbers from 2007 to 2008, two things stand out when attempting to decipher the reason for the Cowboys' decline.

First, there is the average points they allowed per game. Plain and simple, Big D wasn't as effective when it came to keeping opponents' off the board in 2008 as they were in 2007 as they gave up on average 2.5 more points per game.

Another area in which Dallas hurt itself was in its inability to come up with as many interceptions as they did in 2007, seeing a massive drop from 19 to just eight. Those two factors offset the potential gains that their 13 more sacks (59 to 46) and four more fumble recoveries (14 to 10) may have provided.

--------------------

3. Washington Redskins

Take away Santana Moss' week eight punt return against the Detroit Lions and the Redskins' defense/special teams wouldn't have put up any points on the scoreboard all season long.

That's just one of the many reasons the team disappointed fantasy owners despite allowing .9 less points per game on the year. Other reasons include nine less sacks in 2008 than 2007, one less interception, and five less fumble recoveries.

All in all, while a solid NFL defense, the Redskins did not make for a great fantasy squad.

--------------------
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK BELOW...

Fantasy Football Recap: 2008 Team Defenses (The Bad)