Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Defense

Here’s a look at LestersLegends’ Week 1 2011 fantasy football team defense rankings.

1.  San Diego vs. Minnesota:  They are playing at home. Vikes have shaky line. Could get ugly.

2.  New England @ Miami:  Miami is going to quickly regret not addressing the QB situation.

3.  San Francisco vs. Seattle:  I bought into them early last year. This is more about T-Jack.

4.  New York Giants @ Washington:  Even with the injuries the G-Men should dominate.

5.  Kansas City vs. Buffalo:  I’m not convinced Buffalo can be as productive offensively.

6.  Cleveland vs. Cincinnati:  Bengals are a mess. Period. Trade Carson Palmer already.

7.  Arizona vs. Carolina:  Rookie QB with limited weapons. Yikes.

8.  Philadelphia @ St. Louis:  I’m interested to see how the three corners coexist.

9.  Pittsburgh @ Baltimore:  Don’t love them this week, but hard to bench them.

10.  New York Jets vs. Dallas:  How will Romo handle the pressure?

11.  Detroit @ Tampa Bay:  Suh and company are for real.

12.  Atlanta @ Chicago:  Offense forces Culter to pass. Hello INTs.

13.  Houston vs. Indianapolis:  If Peyton is out, Indy’s offense is suspect.

14.  Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh:  Pittsburgh presents a challenge.

15.  Oakland @ Denver:  Life without Nnamdi could be tough.

Now for a look at the Individual Defensive Players.

1.  Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots @ Miami:  Mayo had 22 tackles and a sack against the Dolphins last year.

2.  Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle:  Willis had 17 tackles against the Seahawks last year.

3.  Lawrence Timmons, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore:  Simmons had 21 tackles against Baltimore last year.

4.  Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh:  Lewis had 22 tackles against Pittsburgh last year. Plus, he’ll be fresh.

5.  Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions @ Tampa Bay:  Tampa kept him in check last year. I’m afraid that won’t be the case this time.

6.  Paul Posluszny, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee:  Poz returns will be busy chasing after Chris Johnson.

7.  James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams vs. Philadealphia:  Laurinaitis will be busy trying to slow Philly’s potent offense.

8.  Chad Greenway, Minnesota Vikings @ San Diego:  Could be a long day for Vikings’ defense, which could lead to a lot of Greenway tackles.

9.  Eric Weddle, San Diego Chargers vs. Minnesota:  Weddle should rack up the tackles supporting the run defense.

10.  John Abraham, Atlanta Falcons @ Chicago:  Ray Edwards will take some pressure off. Nobody got sacked as much as Cutler last year.

11.  Stephen Tulloch, Detroit Lions @ Tampa Bay:  New team, but the tackles should follow.

12.  Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears vs. Atlanta:  The Falcons may pass more, but Turner will still get his carries. Urlacher should have a healthy tackle total.

13.  Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo:  Should be a load for the Bills to handle.

14.  Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore:  Troy typically starts off the season playing like a man possessed.

15.  Donte Whitner, San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle:  Had 140 tackles last year. Should clean up just about anything Willis misses.

Also check out:

• Week 1 Fantasy QB Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy RB Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy WR Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy TE Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy K Rankings