Team Defense Rankings–Week 6

Here are the team defenses that you should go for or stay away from if your team is either on bye or underperforming:

Start regardless of matchups (including teams on bye): Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers.

Five Matchups To Target:

Minnesota Vikings–(vs. Lions). Given the state of the Lions, it really doesn’t matter which defense they go against. The Lions have not scored more than 25 points in any game this season, and in half of their games they have not hit 20. They are averaging two turnovers a game, as well as allowing four sacks a game. The Vikings are completely stingy against the run, and they should completely shut down the Lions horrific ground game. It looks like 0-5 for Detroit to me, and if Jon Kitna isn’t able to play, the turnovers will go up, and the points will go down. The Lions will be lucky to get to 10 points.

Washington Redskins–(vs. Rams). No team has scored less points through the first five games than the Rams who have averaged just over ten points a game. They have just four touchdowns in four games, but their talent is better than that. The Rams have been good on turnovers, with only five in four games, but they are having a hard time protecting the QB, yielding 13 sacks through four games. Washington hasn’t been forcing turnovers with the league’s best, but every defense has gotten healthy when they play St. Louis. They may not be the best fantasy option, but if your regular team is on bye, the ‘Skins appear to be a good play.

Miami Dolphins–(vs. Texans). I am on the Dolphins bandwagon. No, I don’t think they are going to win 12 games or even make the playoffs, but they will at least be respectable, and be close in many more games than we thought going into this season. They are about middle of the road in most defensive categories, but they have held the Patriots and Chargers to under 14 points in their last two games, and I think they can have a similar outing against the Texans in Week 6. The Texans have committed nine turnovers in just four games, and their QBs have been sacked 10 times over that span. Look for the ‘Fins to be a nice one week replacement, I wouldn’t want them to be my every week starter, even though they look to becoming together good as a whole.

New York Jets–(vs. Bengals). The Jets are averaging over three sacks per game and more than two takeaways, which equals good fantasy points. Unfortunately, they give up a whole load of points, which can negate the positives from the turnovers. Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes are great playmakers in the secondary, and can bring any pick to the house. It also came through that Carson Palmer will miss this game, which adds even more to the Jets chances. I don’t want to say bad things about a guy, but when was the last time a guy from Harvard was successful in the NFL? Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start, and they last time he was in there the Bengals put up a whopping 12 points against the Browns. The Jets are a good play this week.

Green Bay Packers–(vs. Seahawks). Everyone got a little excited about the Seahawks offense last week with the returns of Bobby Engram and Deion Branch, and then they went out and got their butts absolutely kicked by the Giants. Now, the Packers defense is a long way from the G-Men, but Branch is back out again, and now Matt Hasselbeck is very doubtful for the game. With his backup Seneca Wallace unavailable because he is also hurt, the Seahawks might turn to the fan in Section 102, Row E, Seat 13 or some other promotional event to pick their QB.

Matchups to Avoid:

Oakland Raiders–(vs. Saints). Although they haven’t been awful on defense this year, I would always try to stay away from the team playing the Saints. They are able to move the ball down the field in so many different ways, with possible MVP Drew Brees behind center. Gibril Wilson, DeAngelo Hall and the rest of the Raiders secondary will have their hands full this Sunday, especially against a Saints team that was awful last week and shot themselves in the foot repeatedly. They will come ready to play and should be able to put up a 30 spot against Oakland.

Jacksonville Jaguars–(vs. Broncos). The Jags have been one of the worst teams against the pass, and this week they will be playing one of the most exciting young passing games in the league. Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Eddie Royal have given new hopes to Broncos fans that the future is now. Royal should be limited in this game if he plays at all, but Brandon Stokley is a nice backup. The Jags have allowed nine passing TDs in just five games and average just about one sack and one interception per game, not great points should be expected against Denver.

Arizona Cardinals–(vs. Cowboys). In five games the Cardinals have allowed nine passing touchdowns and have gotten just three interceptions. This week they face Tony Romo, T.O., and the rest of the Cowboys offense. Expect some fireworks in Big D, especially if Adrian Wilson is unable to go. With their massive offensive line, it will also be hard to the Cards’ D to find their way to Tony Romo in the backfield. Not even mentioned is one of the best running backs in football in Marion Barber with his stud in training, Felix Jones. The ‘Boys have so many ways to beat you, that you should be able to find a better fill in defense than Arizona.

San Francisco 49ers–(vs. Eagles). Even without Brian Westbrook, the Eagles offense could have a field day against the Niners. Correll Buckhalter has proven to be a more than suitable replacement, and DeSean Jackson has shown that he can get it done in a bunch of different ways. San Francisco has been good getting turnovers and sacks, but the Eagles could easily top 30 points, and unless they put some pressure on McNabb, the prospects for good fantasy points are slim.

Detroit Lions–(vs. Vikings). The Lions have been one of the worst teams in football, and have been exceptionally bad against the run, allowing 180 yards per game on the ground. I don’t think I need to spell out where this one is going. The Vikings will bring Adrian Peterson to the party, and he just might challenge his own single game rushing record. Put that together with an improved passing game, and the Lions look to be in plenty of trouble again this week. The Lions have only forced two turnovers on defense and have just four sacks in four games. Yuck!

As always, your comments and questions (adds/drops, trade advice, lineup help, etc) are welcome at [e-mail]. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.