2009 Fantasy Football Sleeper Rankings: Defenses

It is not glamorous. No one goes into draft day hoping this or that falls to me in the first round, and it certainly is not something that holds a ton of excitement after you obtain one. Unless, that is, if you are the exception to the rule. What am I talking about here? Defenses people, defenses.

The Bruno Boys take great pride in getting you the best information possible, and it doesn’t matter if we are talking quarterbacks, running backs, or the ugly step child, defenses. We are here to serve Bruno Boys Nation to the best possible extreme that we can.

This edition of the Bruno Boys Snooze Alarms focuses on sleeper defenses. It doesn’t matter if the position is flashy or not, the fact of the matter is that if you have a hands up on your competition when it comes to the defense position, that is one more area to help guarantee you victory week in and week out.

Let’s jump into the 2009 Bruno Boys Defense “Snooze Alarm” Rankings, analyzing three defenses that we feel will give you a little more bang for your buck, or in fantasy football terms, your draft pick. 

Ranking System: The higher the “Snooze Alarm” Ranking, the more sleeper value the player has.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are better known for having a team that survives off of pounding the rock and playing solid defense, rather than having an electrifying offense, which is why it was a disappointment to many fantasy football players last year that had the Jaguars as one of their top two defenses.

For the most part, they struggled, ranking 21st in points allowed (22.9) and 17th in the league in yards allowed per game with (330.9). In fact, the best aspect of their defense was against the rush, in which they were still only middle of the pack, ranking 13th, allowing (106.8) rushing yards per game.

You can say that the Jaguars' defense really did not have a standout person last year, as the highest amount of tackles was 84, highest fumble recoveries was two, highest sack totals was four, and the highest interceptions from any one player was four.

If that doesn’t scream mediocrity, we here at the Bruno Boys don’t know what would. But there are positives to take going into 2009.

With as disappointing of a squad as they had on defense last year, the Jaguars will be flying under the radar for most fantasy football players in 2009.

What might scare others off is their schedule because they have to face the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, and the Tennessee Titans twice each year as they are in their division, and they also have to face the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks in 2009.

But don’t quiver too much, as they do face a handful of teams this year in which they will be a pretty solid start. When looking for a DEF2, that is one of the main focuses, matching up secondary squads that have some easy matchups, and if possible, match them up with stronger defenses who have tougher schedules during some of those weeks.

Either way, look for the Jaguars to both, do well and disappoint in 2009. But for where you should be able to grab them, you could do much worse. And that is why they are on this list.

SNOOZE ALARMS: 3 ALARMS

Houston Texans 

One normally does not find a team that rated 27th in points allowed to opponents last year with 24.6 to land on a sleepers list the following season. But, that is because the “so called” experts are afraid of looking a fool and would rather pick safer picks that everyone is already considering.

To us at the Bruno Boys , that really isn’t a sleeper, now is it? We are looking for something a tad bit deeper than a DEF2 in smaller leagues. We are digging deep, and what did we come up with? The Houston Texans, of course.

Led by one of the better defensive lineman in the game in Mario Williams, the Texans started showing some signs of defensive adequacy last season. To continue that momentum, they focused on defense with three of their first four picks in this year's draft, headlined by OLB Brian Cushing. And being in a division that is heavy on the run game, if you are awarded points for tackles (IDP leagues), the Texans offer some pretty good bang for your buck.

The Texans play the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins during the fantasy football playoffs (weeks 15&16), so they could fill in nicely down the stretch. But, the most important thing to pay attention to is that their defense is on the rise. They have playmakers all over the field now and will enjoy a good handful of games against inferior offenses.

If you are looking for a team to start every week, this is not the team for you. But, if you are looking for one that could be an excellent bye-week pluck off the waiver wires or a low-end DEF2 in deeper leagues, the Texans very well can out-produce your expectancy.

SNOOZE ALARMS: 2 ALARMS

San Diego Chargers 

When it comes to fantasy football, there wasn’t a bigger disappointment as far as defenses go in 2008 than the San Diego Chargers. Granted, there are a lot of factors that went into their poor season.

For starters, the team boasted a high-powered offense, which resulted in opposing offenses always trying to play catch up. That alone will wear on a defense eventually, unless you are stocked everywhere, which the Chargers weren’t.

The Chargers were without star LB Shawne Merriman for pretty much the whole 2008 season, which was a huge blow because he is the undeniable leader on the field for the defense. His absence definitely did not help when it came to the team's 15th ranked 21.7 points per game allowed last season.

There are some positives heading into 2009 though, as their RB LaDainian Tomlinson is as healthy as ever and expected to be given a lot of touches this year. That will help keep the offense on the field a little longer, giving the defense a much needed rest. 

Also, the Chargers' schedule is pretty favorable, as they won’t be facing many offenses that are better than average this year. That will help when the teams are trying to keep up with the Chargers, and there are a bunch of forced throws, which can turn into some solid turnovers.

SNOOZE ALARMS: 1 ALARM

*THIS ARTICLE WRITTEN BY BRUNO BOY CHRIS ZIZA. FOR MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL INSIGHT AND ADVICE, CLICK THE LINK BELOW!*

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