Fantasy Football 2011 Week 3: Team Defense Rankings, Steelers & Chargers Got It Easy
2. San Diego Chargers (KC) – San Diego is trying to bounce back after being the latest team to allow Tom Brady to throw all over them. The good news is they get to face a Kansas City team who has looked lost on both sides of the ball, and who are now without their most dynamic offensive player in Jamaal Charles.
3. New York Jets (@OAK) – The Jets were able to hold the Jags to 3 points last week. While the Raiders were able to make some big plays against the Bills, it will be must tougher sledding against the veteran defense led by Rex Ryan.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (NYG) – The Giants won their first game Monday, but their offense looking anything but efficient. I expect the Eagles’ pressure combined with their elite secondary to cause headaches for Eli Manning. Eli would be much more comfortable in this game if he had a reliable playmaker in the slot or TE.
5. Detroit Lions (@MIN) – If the Lions can get some quick points on the board and build a quick lead, it could force the Vikings to look to Donovan Mcnabb to get them out of the hole. With playmakers like Ndamukong Suh, it could be a tough day for Adrian Peterson.
6. Arizona Cardinals (@SEA) – The Arizona defense is not above average, but the Seahawks offense has been so bad, it’s hard not to like them this week. Seattle has only managed 2 touchdowns on the year, and Tavaris Jackson has a 5.4 yards/attempt average(30th in the league).
7. Tennessee Titans (DEN) – The Titans were able to stifle a Baltimore offense that embarrassed the Steelers the week before. They’ll be looking to follow up their good performance against a struggling Denver offense who are probably still missing some starters at the skill positions.
8. Baltimore Ravens (@STL) – The Ravens will look to bounce back after an uncharacteristic week 2. Look for Sam Bradford to have a much tougher time finding open receivers than Matt Hasselbeck had when he threw for 358 yards.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (SF) – Frank Gore has yet to have a big game this year, which has meant the Niner offense has had to rely on the passing game. It’s no surprise that this hasn’t yielded favorable results. I expect Alex Smith to struggle on the road in this 10 am PST game.
10. Dallas Cowboys (WAS) – I expect Dallas’ defense to come out firing on all cylinders in their home opener on Monday night. There should be a lot of pressure on Grossman all night, which will lead to sacks and probably some turnovers.
11. Green Bay Packers (@CHI) – There’s no doubt that the Packers’ defense has been underwhelming this season. I still believe in their talent and their scheme, and fully expect them to prevent Jay Cutler from being the third straight 400 yard passer to go up against them. The Bears’ pass protection has been a problem for years, and this week I think it reaps a big benefit for Clay Mathews and the Pack.
12. San Francisco 49ers (@CIN)– Patrick Willis and company will be licking their chops with rookie Andy Dalton behind center for the Bengals. Look for them to apply constant pressure and try to disguise their look. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got caught once or twice by the dynamic rookie duo of Dalton and A.J. Green, but I expect them to be mostly successful.
13. New England Patriots (@BUF)
14. Oakland Raiders (NYJ)
15. Atlanta Falcons (@TB)
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ATL)
17. Miami Dolphins (@CLE)
18. St. Louis Rams (BAL)
19. Carolina Panthers (JAX)
20. Seattle Seahawks (ARI)
21. New York Giants (@PHI)
22. Washington Redskins (@DAL)
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (@CAR)
24. Cleveland Browns (MIA)
25. New Orleans Saints (HOU)
26. Indianapolis Colts (PIT)
27. Chicago Bears (@NO)
28. Denver Broncos (@TEN)
29. Houston Texans (@NO)
30. Minnesota Vikings (DET)
31. Buffalo Bills (NE)
32. Kansas City Chiefs (@SD)
Written by Ilyn Yeh exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com
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(August 10, 2011 – Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images North America)