Week 2 Defense Rankings 2013: Teams to Avoid Starting in Your Fantasy League

Unlike its real-world equivalent, defense cannot win fantasy football championships. It can, however, make the difference in a close game.

When it comes to fantasy, defenses rank just ahead of kickers in the positional hierarchy. Most will wait until the final few rounds to just take whatever defense is left. Generally, you don't win or lose your league based on your defense's performance.

With that said, few things are more frustrating than watching your fantasy defense get 40 points dropped on it. You just have to hope that it forced a turnover or two to avoid putting up a bagel—or worse.

Going into Week 2, here are five defenses you'll want to avoid starting for your fantasy team. The three worst will be analyzed with greater depth.

1. New York Giants

Last Sunday, the New York Giants surrendered 263 yards and two touchdowns through the air to an injured Tony Romo. The defense wasn't strictly to blame and actually played very well given how much the offense turned the ball over.

Injuries are really taking a toll on New York, though. Stevie Brown has already been ruled out for the season. Now, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Dan Connor will join Brown on injured reserve.

There's also Prince Amukamara. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, the cornerback has yet to receive clearance to play on Sunday.

That's not all the bad news.

The worse news is that the Giants face off against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. In Week 1, Peyton Manning tied the single-game record for most passing touchdowns with seven. Against such a suspect defense, he and the rest of the Broncos offense should have a field day.

2. San Diego Chargers

One of the more intriguing developments of Week 1 was the Philadelphia Eagles offense. In the first half, it was like you were watching the Oregon Ducks.

Chip Kelly was not afraid to go all the way when it came to bringing his style into the NFL.

The second half was a bit of a different story, but this offense is only going to get better the more the players get used to the system.

In Week 1, the San Diego Chargers gave up 449 yards of total offense to the Houston Texans. After getting a 28-7 lead with 10:42 remaining in the third quarter, the defense collapsed and the Texans were able to score 24 unanswered points.

Now, the Chargers have to worry about slowing down the Eagles offense. San Diego's defense looked really bad in that second half against Houston, and it could be a sign of things to come. 

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

By losing to the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to have earned themselves the right to be the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL.

Most of the drama stems from Josh Freeman being stripped of one of the team's captaincy spots and the belief that Greg Schiano rigged the team vote that made Vincent Jackson a captain instead. Schiano refuted the rumors in an interview with Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Although that's only on the offensive side of the ball, stories like this are bound to affect the team as a whole. You could easily see this creating mistrust in Schiano from the players' perspective.

This isn't the kind of news the Bucs will want to hear heading into a big NFC South matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints look to be a genuine Super Bowl contender again with Sean Payton resuming his head coaching duties. New Orleans should be able to drop at least 28-30 points on Tampa, which will not help your fantasy team.