Fantasy Football

2011 Fantasy Football, Week 6 Defense Rankings: Packers D Spells Easy Win Against Rams

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Clay Matthews (credits below)

1.  Green Bay Packers (STL) – The Atlanta Falcons definitely made things look easy on their first two possessions last Sunday night.  After falling behind 14-0, the Packers defense stiffened considerably and shut out the Falcons for the rest of the game.  Returning to Lambeau to face a Rams offense that can’t keep opposing defenses from getting to Bradford should have the Packers DST back near the top this week.

2.  Baltimore Ravens (HOU) – The Houston Texans’ offense just doesn’t look the same without Andre Johnson in the lineup.  Look for the Ravens to key on Arian Foster and Owen Daniels, and force the Houston to beat them on the outside.  Playing at home following a bye week, should reap benefits for Baltimore.

3.  New York Jets (MIA) – The Jets once again struggled last week against Brady and the rest of the Patriots.  There probably isn’t a better time for them to get a winless team at home on Monday night.  Daniel Thomas should be back for the Dolphins, but I’m not sure he’ll be at 100%.  Couple that with Matt Moore starting at quarterback, and I think this could be the week the Jets defense breaks through to perform as their owners expected when taking them in the draft.

4.  Cincinnati Bengals (IND) – The Colts’ offense looked improved in Week 5, but far from what we’ve come to expect from them.  The Bengals have given up 20 or fewer points in all of their games except for one, and also held those 4 opponents to under 300 total yards.  Throw in eight turnovers and 13 sacks in 6 games, and you’ve got a defense that should be turning heads sooner rather than later.

5.  Pittsburgh Steelers (JAX) – The Steelers gave up 17 points to the Titans, but 14 of those points came when the game was no longer a contest.  I’m sure Steelers owners would like more big plays from their defense, and this could be the week they get them.  It will be interesting to see how rookie Blaine Gabbert performs in his first start at Heinz Field, but I’m guessing he won’t want to go back anytime soon.

6.  Chicago Bears (MIN) – Aside from giving up some big plays to Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best, the Bears defense fared better than I had expected at a raucous Ford Field.  Returning to Soldier Field should be big for them, and they should also be able to focus on Adrian Peterson, as Donovan McNabb has yet to get things going for the Vikings.

7.  Oakland Raiders (CLE) – The Raiders’ defense looked inspired, and with good reason.  Barring some kind of emotional let down, I think the Raiders can once again have a great week defensively.  They get a Browns team, which has yet to get their offense rolling. 

8.  New Orleans Saints (@TB) – The game Tampa Bay played in San Francisco, was one of the uglier games I’ve seen in recent memory.  The big question is whether or not they can get their act together, and start performing offensively like they in 2010, or if they take another step backwards.  With Blount possible to miss the game, the Saints could force the Bucs to become one-dimensional and take advantage.

9.  Detroit Lions (SF) – The Lions home crowd was just crazy good on Monday night.  While I wouldn’t expect the crowd to be as loud for a Sunday day game, I think they can still have an impact.  The Niners have looked surprisingly efficient the last 6 quarters, but I’m not quite ready to buy into them.  If Detroit gets off to an early lead, that could lessen the Niners’ run game – leaving the burden on the arm of Alex Smith.

10.  New England Patriots (DAL) – The Patriots looked like a better defensive unit on Sunday.  They held the Jets to just 255 yards, but failed to get any turnovers.  This is a risk/reward play, as the Cowboys could easily put up points, but on the other hand Tony Romo could giftwrap some turnovers for the Pats. 

11.  New York Giants (BUF) – The New York Giants have seemed to be the kind of team that follows up a good performance with a poor one, and a poor performance with a good one.  Lucky for us, the Giants put up quite a clunker at home against the hapless Seahawks.  The Bills put up some decent numbers against the Eagles last week, but a large part of that was the inability of the Eagles to hold onto the ball.  I think the Giants defense comes out fast with a fire in their belly.

12.  Washington Redskins (PHI) – This is another one of those risk/reward plays.  If this is the week where the Eagles find “it”, then the Redskins are going to be in trouble.  On the other hand the Eagles have turned the ball over 8 times over the last 2 games, which are fantasy points in the bank.

13.  Philadelphia Eagles (@WAS)

14.  Indianapolis Colts (@CIN)

15.  Atlanta Falcons (CAR)

16.  Buffalo Bills (@NYG)

17.  San Francisco 49ers (DET)

18.  Miami Dolphins (@NYJ)

19.  Houston Texans (@BAL)

20.  Cleveland Browns (@OAK)

21.  Minnesota Vikings (@CHI)

22.  Carolina Panthers (@ATL)

23.  Jacksonville Jaguars (@PIT)

24.  Dallas Cowboys (@NE)

25.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NO)

26.  St. Louis Rams (@GB)

Written by Ilyn Yeh exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com

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(October 8, 2011 – Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)


Tags: the Fantasy Fix, 2011 Fantasy Football, Auction Values, 2011 Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Tips, Draft Kit, Team Defense Rankings, Week 6, Ilyn Yeh
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