Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: San Francisco 49ers and Weekend's Top Defenses

Maybe I am just naive, but I am not expecting Sunday's Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers to be as dominated by defense as logic would probably dictate. 

Don't get me wrong, I am expecting big plays. But given the future Hall of Fame players on each side, I am expecting a comparatively high scoring affair. 

So, from a fantasy perspective, those won't be the best defenses. Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that you drop either. Even if my predictions come out to be true, they will both be worth a play. But they won't be in the Top Three for fantasy performers that week.

That honor will go to these teams:

San Francisco 49ers

I'll give you two words here: Washington Redskins. Without Tim Hightower and Santana Moss, I just don't like the Redskins to do much of anything against the 49ers defense. 

I'll give you two more words: Patrick Willis. 

Willis is the anchor of one of the best defenses in the league, specifically against the run. They will shut down the Redskins rushing attack, forcing John Beck to beat them. That's a pretty good position for fantasy owners.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are a very solid defensive unit. The offensive unit going against them is just not that good. 

I really like the Bengals to win this one on the road. But even if I am wrong, i doubt that the Titans will do anything significant against them. 

Until Chris Johnson becomes a real threat again, the defense opposing the Titans will always be a good play.

Houston Texans

The common thread for all of these teams isn't that they have a good defense, although they all do. 

No, what's relevant here is that they are all opposing offenses that are just bad. Honestly, what do the Browns have on offense? Josh Cribbs can make big plays. Can anyone else?

Not that I can think of. The Browns attack is just abysmal. Look for the Texans pass rush to force mistakes from Colt McCoy, earning a lot of fantasy points in the process.