NFL Week 11 Fantasy Rankings: St. Louis Rams and Sleeper Defenses to Start

One position that is often overlooked in terms of fantasy is defense. While it wouldn't seem as though a defense could make or break your week, it often does. With that in mind, however, it doesn't mean that you have to stray from your draft strategy and reach for a defense.

What I find to be the best option in terms of playing defenses is to add a different one from the waiver wire every week. You won't normally find elite options, but if you play the matchups correctly you can get a big score. Here are three defenses likely on the waiver wire that should score well in Week 11.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars certainly aren't the most exciting team, but they tend to play in some fairly low-scoring games. That is something that bodes well if you decide to start their defense. Seeing as my defensive strategy is all about matchups, the Jags are an ideal play this weekend as they take on the Cleveland Browns and their hapless offense.

The Jags have given up 17 or less points in three of their past four games against much more formidable opponents than the Browns in most cases. Jacksonville may not be a sexy defense like Baltimore in that they won't force a lot of turnovers or score a lot of touchdowns, but they won't give up a ton of points against Cleveland, and minimizing risk is what it's all about.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots defense has certainly had a trying year to this point, especially against the pass. They held up very well against the New York Jets last week, though, and seem as though they may be turning things around. We will find out for sure on Monday night as the Pats have an easy matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

With quarterback Matt Cassel out, the Pats will have to contend with backup Tyler Palko. This will be Palko's first career start and there hasn't been any indication that he is capable of making a defense pay. If the Patriots can put a little pressure on Palko, then he may be ripe for the picking. It wouldn't be surprising to see New England force several turnovers and even score a touchdown or two.

St. Louis Rams

There haven't been many things to write home about this season for the 2-7 St. Louis Rams, but they have played much better as a team recently. The Rams have given up 21-or-less points over their past three games and they have been getting to the quarterback with more regularity. That should once again be the case on Sunday as the Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks.

Not only do the Seahawks lack the offensive weapons necessary to make St. Louis pay, but their offensive line has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks. This game has low-scoring affair written all over it, and that will certainly benefit anybody who owns the Rams defense. With the Rams being at home, I think they should win this game and absolutely shut down Seattle.