Fantasy Football Team Defense Rankings: NFL Week 14

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

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

Three Matchups to Target

New England Patriots (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

This is more due to the fact that the Seahawks haven’t scored more than 20 points since Oct. 26 against the Niners. Matt Hasselbeck (or Seneca Wallace if Hasselbeck can't go) has little to work with. His best receivers are Bobby Engram and Deion Branch, and in the backfield are Maurice Morris and Julius Jones. Any of these names scare anybody?

The Pats average just under two sacks a game, and have forced 17 turnovers in their 12 games. New England’s defense has struggled with injuries this season and is not the unit the Pats started the season with, but it should have a great game in Week 14.

Arizona Cardinals (vs. St. Louis Rams)

The Cardinals pass defense is horrible. No team has allowed more passing touchdowns than the Cardinals, as they have allowed five more than the next worst team. Good thing for them that the Rams are on the schedule.

The St. Louis passing attack is now bordering on embarrassing. Marc Bulger has one touchdown pass in the last four weeks.

Steven Jackson is back, which could cause some problem for Arizona, but with the lack of an aerial attack, the Cards should be able to stack the box against the Rams. The Cardinals allow fewer than 100 yards per game on the ground, but Jackson could put up some good yardage.

The Cardinals are in the middle of the pack at sacking the quarterback, but are fourth in the league in forcing turnovers. Against a weak passing team, the Cards look like a good play.

Indianapolis Colts (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

Even with the loss of Robert Mathis for a few weeks, the Colts defense should be a good play this week. The Colts aren’t a great defense against the run, but since the Bengals have only Cedric Benson, they shouldn’t have much to worry about.

The air attack is another story. Ryan Fitzpatrick has tried his best as Carson Palmer’s backup, but he just isn’t talented enough to make an impact. Not to mention the Colts have only allowed four passing touchdowns all season long. With 19 sacks in 12 games, they won’t get you huge points there, but they have forced 19 turnovers, which isn’t that bad. Cincinnati just doesn’t offer much on offense, which makes Indy a good bet.

Three Matchups to Avoid

Houston Texans (vs. Green Bay Packers)

The Texans defense has been a little below average in the 2008 season, but they face a tough matchup with the Packers in Week 14. Ryan Grant has found his groove, and Brandon Jackson looks like a more than competent backup. Aaron Rodgers has proven himself to be among the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL and can put up some good statistics on any given Sunday.

Outside of Mario Williams’ 11 sacks, there isn’t much to offer on the pass rush front for the Texans. They have 16 sacks total for the season, so if Super Mario isn’t getting in the backfield, they aren’t getting much pressure. They have forced 17 turnovers this season, which is around the middle of the pack, but lately Rodgers has been turning the ball over. But you should be able to find a better option.

Washington Redskins (vs. Baltimore Ravens)

The Ravens have been all defense and no offense for years. Oh, the defense is still there, but all of a sudden they have formed an offense that you need to be aware of. 

Led by rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens have all of a sudden started to put points up. Baltimore has scored 27 points or more in six of the last seven weeks, and that one week was against the tough Giants defense.

The Redskins haven’t forced many turnovers, with just 14 in 12 games, and have only sacked the quarterback 19 times. They are sixth in the league in points allowed with 18.5 points a game, but I have a feeling that they are going to allow a good number of points; with their inability to score points in the other categories, there should be a better team for you.

Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Denver Broncos)

Let me run some kicking stats by you. The Chiefs allow the third most points in the league at 28.3 a game. They have allowed 20 rushing touchdowns this season, which is second to only the Lions.

Does that really count? I take the Lions out of the rankings, which makes KC the worst rush defense in the league. Their pass defense is horrendous. They have only recorded six sacks all season long.

Let that sink in for just a second. That is one sack every other game.

With that little bit of pressure, Jay Cutler should have a field day, and given the run defense, Peyton Hillis should do well, too. Denver should build on their confidence after knocking off the Jets, and they will put up big fantasy numbers against the Chiefs.

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