Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings: Who Are Week's Best D/ST Plays?

Defense may not be the only key for an NFL team to win a championship, but it plays a major role in your fantasy football team's chances of winning it all.

This week, there are three matchups I believe showcase three defense/special teams units that will see a great deal of success on the field and in turn help you win your week.

Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Last week, the Steelers were the worst-performing fantasy defense in Yahoo! fantasy football scoring, allowing the Ravens to put up 35 points and 385 yards against them.

While they were one of the top defenses in fantasy football in 2010, they aren't off to a great start this year. Look for this to change drastically when the woeful Seattle Seahawks play the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Seahawks offense is near the bottom in every statistical category, ranking 29th in total yardage in Week 1 (219) and 28th in both passing and rushing yards (155 and 64, respectively).

Though the Steelers gave up significant points and yardage in Week 1, it is absurd to think that their vaunted defense is in any serious trouble. They will rebound on Sunday in an impressive manner.

They made a talented San Francisco defense look like world-beaters last Sunday. The Steelers actually are world-beaters, and thus it is not looking good for the Seattle offense this week.

Baltimore Ravens (at Tennessee Titans)

Titans running back Chris Johnson had just nine carries for 24 yards in the team's Week 1 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had two touchdowns, one interception and 263 passing yards.  

This means that while they are in the middle of the pack in terms of Week 1 pass yardage, they rank dead last in rushing, and they did so against a Jaguars defense that isn't considered all that stout.

This week, they face the fearsome Baltimore Ravens defense, and it's likely that their disappointing offensive performance in Week 1 will reprise itself in Week 2.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Ravens defense held the team to just 66 rushing yards and 246 passing yards, and had only one touchdown scored on them.

They allowed only three third down conversions in nine attempts, recovered or forced four fumbles, and picked off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger three times.

Put all this together, and it appears that the Titans are going to have a very difficult time getting their offense started once again.

St. Louis Rams (at New York Giants)

At first glance, the St. Louis Rams do not appear to have the kind of defense you need to win your Week 2 fantasy matchup.

They allowed 236 rushing yards, 167 passing yards, and 31 points in the team's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, but that does not mean they won't be successful when they take on the New York Giants on Monday night.

Of those 236 rushing yards, a staggering 97 of them came from Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. Those yards can be safely taken off the board with Giants quarterback Eli Manning as their opponent this week.

While stopping the run is a concern for the Rams, they will enter this week with a great deal more preparation for the Giants' two-headed rushing attack of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Further, I do not see the two backs combining for the 236 yards that the Eagles achieved. Jacobs and Bradshaw together rushed for just 73 yards in their Week 1 loss against the Washington Redskins.

While I think they have a shot to do better than that this week, I don't believe the two will reach the 122 that LeSean McCoy put up on his own against the Rams last week.

The Giants passing game will also suffer this week with wide receiver, and primary Manning target, Hakeem Nicks possibly out with a knee injury.

Though the Giants just signed wide receiver Brandon Stokley as Nicks' insurance and to be a viable third wide receiver option for Manning, it is unlikely he will have enough of an impact on Monday to damage the Rams defense.