Lets Talk Fantasy Defenses........

[FantasyBowl33 0]

My Top 5 - agree, disagree???? let's get some chatter.......

 

1. Patriots (If Samuel comes back for 1st game)

2. Bears

3. Denver

4. Baltimore

5. Chargers

 

Also, who is your BUST & Sleeper picks for fantasy defenses in 2007

[darwin 0]

I just went over my D list and that looks pretty similar to mine. I have SD higher and Denver lower. I also looked back at our 12 team league history of drafts and have realized that:

 

1) Nearly all D's are drafted rounds 8-10 (One earlier and one later last year).

2) Half of the drafted defenses were dropped at some point.

 

My analysis of this is that either you take one of those top 5 in the 8th, or you wait till the 13th round or later for any ole defense and then pick one up after the first couple of weeks when you figure out who the surprise D's are going to be. Last year I followed the run and ended up dropping that pick for SD D, who was suprisingly available. In hindsight, I wasted that pick. There will be 2-3 D's that will be good this year that no one expects.

[Guest JahRasta311]

Patriots #1? you're crazy.

[oban14 0]

I just went over my D list and that looks pretty similar to mine. I have SD higher and Denver lower. I also looked back at our 12 team league history of drafts and have realized that:

 

1) Nearly all D's are drafted rounds 8-10 (One earlier and one later last year).

2) Half of the drafted defenses were dropped at some point.

 

My analysis of this is that either you take one of those top 5 in the 8th, or you wait till the 13th round or later for any ole defense and then pick one up after the first couple of weeks when you figure out who the surprise D's are going to be. Last year I followed the run and ended up dropping that pick for SD D, who was suprisingly available. In hindsight, I wasted that pick. There will be 2-3 D's that will be good this year that no one expects.

 

My list:

 

1) Ravens.

2) Chargers.

3) Bears.

4) Patriots.

5) Denver.

6) Jacksonville.

 

I'm surprised to see Baltimore so low on your list. My experience, also, is that the Pats don't do that well in our scoring system.

[CrymsonTyde 0]

Defenses are very valuable in our league compared to other positions. Baltimore was the top D in our league last year with 240 points. Manning scored 273. So pretty large # of points for an elite D.

 

Last year: 1) BALT 240, CHI 206, SD 173, NE 165, and DEN 149. Do you guys see this changing alot from last year? Baltimore would have been worth a pretty high draft pick last year.

[Jesus Christ 0]

Patriots #1? you're crazy.

 

Is it really that crazy that someone could have the Pats ranked #1? They were #3 last year and have improved (gotten some players back from injuries/FA's/rookies/finally back to back years from teh same d-coord since 03-04). A case can definetly be made for them being the Top Dawg. Crazy is thinking it's crazy that they can't be.

[oban14 0]

Is it really that crazy that someone could have the Pats ranked #1? They were #3 last year and have improved (gotten some players back from injuries/FA's/rookies/finally back to back years from teh same d-coord since 03-04). A case can definetly be made for them being the Top Dawg. Crazy is thinking it's crazy that they can't be.

 

I don't disagree that they're a damn good defense - but for whatever reason, they haven't been doing much in our scoring system. Might be a lower than average number of turnovers/big plays returned for DTDs.

[Dr Hook 6]

Patriots #1? you're crazy.

 

 

Please explain why you think this is crazy.

[cmh6476 1,126]

chiefs = sleeper

 

 

I don't think they had 1 defensive or ST TD last year. But we got rid of the bum dante hall, and will have a younger kr and pr. I think jeff Webb is taking punt returns, and I think Ean randolph is our leading candidate for kick returner. I like young guys nobody has really heard of for some reason when choosing my D/ST, cause it seems teams learn how to gameplan once a viable threat emee return game and they start gameplanning him differently

 

And we have a lot of young athletic talent on defense. Donnie edwards is always one of the top LBs when it comes to INTs, and Napoleon harris is also quick and athletic. Tamba hali and Jared Allen have proven to hold their own int he sac department, and we have some new guys competing up front at the tackle positions. We also have two experienced corners, and two young athletic saefties. I think this defense might be worth taking a flyer on this year.

[TD Ryan2 316]

Please explain why you think this is crazy.

 

simply because he's a Chargers fan... his ass still hurts from the Pats focking it got!

 

 

 

 

but with that said, I love the Chargers D this year.

 

No Merrian suspension for the first 4 games

9 (10 if you count Grossman) games against inexperienced QBs.

 

I'll take the SD D all day. They are usually the 4th D off the board (BAL, CHI, NE, SD), but I like them to be #1 this year.

[GiantsFan11 0]

I have

 

Chi

Balt

NE

SD

Philly

 

It is interesting to me that almost everyone has Chi, Balt, NE, SD somewhere in the top 5, but then we are all scattered

[Guest JahRasta311]

Please explain why you think this is crazy.

because they didn't even finish top 5 in my league.

 

has nothing to do with the fact that i hate the patriots. i don't play favorites when it comes to fantasy. (well maybe a little bit)

[TD Ryan2 316]

off the radar... MIN.

 

they were one of the top defenses in my league last year.

they were among the top (if not #1) run Ds in the NFL... teams attacked MIN in the air and it lead to lots of turnovers for them.

 

if I miss on one of the elite Ds, I will take MIN late.

[Chronic Husker 86]

chiefs = sleeper

 

I think this defense might be worth taking a flyer on this year.

That's a shocker.

 

Being a Broncos homer, beware drafting them too high. They really don't have too much of an established pass rush and play more of a vanilla defense. They rarely blitz. Bailey has had a couple of nice returns but when looking for fantasy defense, I prefer teams with a pass rush that will get sacks - which lead to turnovers - which lead to TDs.

 

Denver's defense is a solid NFL "bend but don't break" defense. I wouldn't draft them as high as a couple of you guys have them.

[Chronic Husker 86]

off the radar... MIN.

 

they were one of the top defenses in my league last year.

they were among the top (if not #1) run Ds in the NFL... teams attacked MIN in the air and it lead to lots of turnovers for them.

 

if I miss on one of the elite Ds, I will take MIN late.

Agreed. Look at the sack numbers for their linemen.

[darwin 0]

I have Chi, SD, Bal, NE, and then Dal, Den followed by 10 others you might as well draw from a hat.

That's why my plan is too either get one of the top four as they start to come off the board, or wait till the end for a "sleeper"

[pimptastic69 0]

off the radar... MIN.

 

they were one of the top defenses in my league last year.

they were among the top (if not #1) run Ds in the NFL... teams attacked MIN in the air and it lead to lots of turnovers for them.

 

if I miss on one of the elite Ds, I will take MIN late.

 

Has their pass defense improved this year? They were great until the Pats decided to throw every down against them last year. After that game, you were only safe starting them against teams with poor passing offenses.

[ddies23 0]

Defenses are pretty important in my league too. Last season the top 2 D's scored 140 and 138 pts (Ravens and Bears). The next closest was 106. That is a average of 2.6 points a week difference between #1 and #3. And the difference between the Ravens and the last defensed owned was over 7 points a week average! We will almost always see the top ranked D go in round 5. There isnt a run on them at that point, but a couple of teams will always grabs the top one or two early. Last year, the Bears went in the 4th! The top WR (Owens) scored 134 points in our league...so you can see the value of having that top D.

[mggoilers 0]

chiefs = sleeper

I don't think they had 1 defensive or ST TD last year. But we got rid of the bum dante hall, and will have a younger kr and pr. I think jeff Webb is taking punt returns, and I think Ean randolph is our leading candidate for kick returner. I like young guys nobody has really heard of for some reason when choosing my D/ST, cause it seems teams learn how to gameplan once a viable threat emee return game and they start gameplanning him differently

 

And we have a lot of young athletic talent on defense. Donnie edwards is always one of the top LBs when it comes to INTs, and Napoleon harris is also quick and athletic. Tamba hali and Jared Allen have proven to hold their own int he sac department, and we have some new guys competing up front at the tackle positions. We also have two experienced corners, and two young athletic saefties. I think this defense might be worth taking a flyer on this year.

 

With no passing game outside of Gonzo, new QB, and could be without LJ...lots of time on the field for the D.

[Me_2006 14]

1.New England -Everyone back healthy, plus a perfect weapon in Thomas. Better offense, should be playing from ahead and making teams one dimensional.

 

2.Baltimore-Tons of talent everywhere. Lots of playmakers.

 

3.San Diego- Merriman scores points alone, any help from the secondary and they're ferocious.

 

4.Chicago- Just don't buy them this year. Taking them 2 rounds ahead of every other defense is just foolish in my opinion and with all the turmoil going on with players, loss of defensive coordinator, and the loss of depth along the front line, I just think they're due to fall off. Should still be solid though.

 

5-Denver- That secondary is scary good. You HAVE to throw at Champ Bailey now. No one wants to do that. They bolstered the O-line, and the team as a whole should be better this year. A good team is always a good bet.

 

6-Dallas. New coordinator, an improved Roy Williams, and even more young guns they can use at that hybrid DE/LB spot makes them a nice sleeper too.

[cmh6476 1,126]

That's a shocker.

 

 

I havent been pimping their defense for the last few years, they've sucked. This year I think they might be serviceable though

[Cuse9 131]

Chicago was my most consistant dominate scorer last year in one league! In my memory no defense has scored that well from week to week like they did.

 

1. Bears...after last year, hard to not have them #1.

2. Patriots...very good last year and they added more.

3. Chargers...Even with the coaching staff gone, should still be very good.

4. Ravens...two words: Ray Lewis....okay, two more: Ed Reed

5. Panthers...reaching on this one, but I like Peppers and Rucker on the ends. Beason teamed up with Morgan(if by the grace of God he can stay healthy) gives them two solid lbs. Chris Gamble should be much improved this year. Plus their schedule is favorable.

[cmh6476 1,126]

but I like Peppers and Rucker on the ends.

 

 

i went to HS with mike

[Parkers99 0]

1a & 1b: Chicago & Baltimore... Like LT, they may not finish #1 over-all but you can trust they'll be close.

3: San Diego

4: Denver

5: Patriots

 

Sleeper Defenses:

 

Oakland & Dallas; I expect them to both perform much better than they're currently ranked.

[Vikings4ever 568]

Has their pass defense improved this year? They were great until the Pats decided to throw every down against them last year. After that game, you were only safe starting them against teams with poor passing offenses.

Erasmus James back from injury

Year of experience for Ray Edwards (showed some flashes in limited duty last year)

Year of experience for Cedric Griffin (prototypical cover 2 corner)

Released Fred "Well Done" Smoot (Had such high hopes for him too ).

Tank Williams back from injury

Drafted Marcus McCauley (CB with great potential if he can return to junior year form)

Drafted Brian Robison (DE with good pass rushing skills)

Drafted Rufus Alexander (OLB who fits well in the cover 2 scheme, should help in pass situations)

 

Plenty of things can go wrong, but the biggest problem last year was the lack of pass rush. If the defense gets that working, this can be a scary D, both NFL and fantasy wise.

[Cuse9 131]

i went to HS with mike

 

Cool....I'm a Husker fan so I've always liked him. I always draft him in my IDP league as my last guy.

[darwin 0]

"Erasmus James back from injury

Year of experience for Ray Edwards (showed some flashes in limited duty last year)

Year of experience for Cedric Griffin (prototypical cover 2 corner)

Released Fred "Well Done" Smoot (Had such high hopes for him too ).

Tank Williams back from injury

Drafted Marcus McCauley (CB with great potential if he can return to junior year form)

Drafted Brian Robison (DE with good pass rushing skills)

Drafted Rufus Alexander (OLB who fits well in the cover 2 scheme, should help in pass situations)"

 

What about Chad Greenway? That sucked losing our top draft pick last year before the season started.

Is he ready to go yet?

[Vikings4ever 568]

What about Chad Greenway? That sucked losing our top draft pick last year before the season started.

Is he ready to go yet?

Forgot about him. Yes, he's back on the field.

[hardball 0]

I drafted Minnesota in the 15th round.

[oban14 0]

simply because he's a Chargers fan... his ass still hurts from the Pats focking it got!

but with that said, I love the Chargers D this year.

 

No Merrian suspension for the first 4 games

9 (10 if you count Grossman) games against inexperienced QBs.

 

I'll take the SD D all day. They are usually the 4th D off the board (BAL, CHI, NE, SD), but I like them to be #1 this year.

 

In all fairness, the only reason the Patriots won that game was because San Diego's DB fumbled the Tom Brady thrown interception. That means Tom Brady literally choked two weeks in a row in the 4th quarter - fortunately for him, the fumble was recoverd by the Pats and they went on to choke against the Colts the following week.

[sirensong 111]

Oakland & Dallas; I expect them to both perform much better than they're currently ranked.

 

i get the impression that dallas will be a bit like the seattle defense of a few years ago--they'll give up points on the field, but will be a very good FF defense based on impact play points. last year, they were extremely good until ellis went down, and the resulting lack of a pass rush was what exposed other weaknesses. i don't think anyone can argue with phillips' ability to generate pressure, so look for vastly increased scoring from this bunch. the real question will be special teams scoring.

 

as far as their value, i won't make up my mind until we get pretty far into the preseason.

[RamslovaMartzhata 3]

One defense I really like is Seattle. I think they really added some key components in Kerney and (the safeties who are so good that their names escape me right now. Seriously though, they are solid players). Throw in two of the better linebackers in the league and I like their D. It pains me to say that I think Seattle is way too far under the radar... I mean they took the NFC champions to overtime last year in the playoffs despite big time injuries and a defense that had a very disappointing season.

 

 

Vikings have a good defense as well, as someone has already mentioned.

 

 

Someone mentioned Oakland... who I think ended up the #3 defense last year (in yards). Still they didn't have enough takeaways to be a viable solid fantasy option. But if (and this is a BIG if) the Raiders offense can stay on the field longer.. this group is pretty solid.

 

I also like the Packers as a deeper sleeper. Hawk showed he will be a good to great LB in his rookie year, Barnet is solid, Woodson is solid on the outside, and I don't know if Kampman is shooting up on roids... but he had a huge year.

 

 

That all being said:

 

Tier 1:

Bears

 

Tier2:

Chargers

Ravens

Pats

 

 

Otherwise, by my league scoring... I would wait for a long long time on a defense.

[Sho Nuff 720]

Erasmus James back from injury

Year of experience for Ray Edwards (showed some flashes in limited duty last year)

Year of experience for Cedric Griffin (prototypical cover 2 corner)

Released Fred "Well Done" Smoot (Had such high hopes for him too ).

Tank Williams back from injury

Drafted Marcus McCauley (CB with great potential if he can return to junior year form)

Drafted Brian Robison (DE with good pass rushing skills)

Drafted Rufus Alexander (OLB who fits well in the cover 2 scheme, should help in pass situations)

 

Plenty of things can go wrong, but the biggest problem last year was the lack of pass rush. If the defense gets that working, this can be a scary D, both NFL and fantasy wise.

 

James back...for now. But he might as well be a rookie.

Tank is 2nd-3rd string material.

 

They should improve...but it would be hard not to with that pass D being so bad last season.

[21bravo 0]

When I pick my d's I follow several criteria.

1. SOS-Teams with good d's playing a weak schedule have better #'s than great d's playing tough schedules. You can also pair up 2 average d's based on their schedules.

2. Must have a good running game to eat up the clock.

3. Check for the health/continuity of the d line. They keep the O-line off the linebackers and allow them to make tackles.

4. Check previous d rosters to make sure their ballhawks and fumble causers are still on the team. Turnovers and d touchdowns = more points

[Guest JahRasta311]

In all fairness, the only reason the Patriots won that game was because San Diego's DB fumbled the Tom Brady thrown interception. That means Tom Brady literally choked two weeks in a row in the 4th quarter - fortunately for him, the fumble was recoverd by the Pats and they went on to choke against the Colts the following week.

and he should have just batted it down...why intercept a ball on 4th down when you'll just get it at the LOS anyways?

[Walter34 3]

Last years final numbers in my league scoring:

 

Team	Avg	Total
	
Ravens	15	240
Bears	14.13	226
--------------------------
Chargers	10	160
--------------------------
Eagles	9.69	155
Patriots	9.63	154
Vikings	9.63	154
--------------------------
Dolphins	9.25	148
Packers	9.25	148
Titans	9.13	146
Cowboys	8.94	143

 

Not much reason to change the order for rankings.

 

The Bears have the most turnovers and force them better than any other team. They also have the most TDs by far and have 7, 5 and 9 TDs the past 3 years from 2004-2006, so its not a fluke thing.

 

Add to that a weak division and schedule with Kitna, Favre and Tavaras as turnover machine qbs and there is no reason not to like the Bears #1.

 

That said, I dont like taking Ds early enough to get the #1, so I would go for later picks like Minn or Dallas.

[mikeso 0]

in my league this year we changed the scoring system for defense. now we get pts for kick off return TDs, punt return TDs as well....how does that change the ranking?

[myjimmy1 0]

i think dallas and greenbay can be gotten at good prices and i think they both are sleepers

[Sho Nuff 720]

and he should have just batted it down...why intercept a ball on 4th down when you'll just get it at the LOS anyways?

 

Why don't you tell us about the headbutt that didn't happen again.

[Sho Nuff 720]

i think dallas and greenbay can be gotten at good prices and i think they both are sleepers

 

Agreed.

 

Green Bay will be good as far as being rewarded for turnovers and sacks.

 

Good pass rush and getting better at forcing turnovers.

 

Like the poster mentioned about the Bears...it helps to play against Kitna, Tavaris, and Rex too.