| Rank |
Team |
Opponent |
Comments |
| TIER 1 |
| 1 |
Bears |
vs. Rams |
Julius Peppers against what's left of the St. Louis offensive line is illegal in 23 states and several territories. Fortunately, Illinois is not one of them. |
| 2 |
Cardinals |
vs. Eagles |
Yes, the Cardinals. They made Tom Brady look like Blaine Gabbert, and now they get an Eagles team that's turned the ball over nine times already. |
| 3 |
Packers |
at Seahawks |
Seattle's turned the ball over just twice, but it's still a rookie quarterback and it's still a Packers defense that leads the NFL in sacks. |
| 4 |
Texans |
at Broncos |
You just know Wade Phillips was watching Monday night and has more than a few ways for his defense to take advantage of Peyton Manning's shortcomings. |
| 5 |
Eagles |
at Cardinals |
Philly had a couple years to figure out Kevin Kolb's shortcomings; now they get to take advantage of them. |
| TIER 2 |
| 6 |
Jets |
at Dolphins |
Rex Ryan's Jets can still play some defense, and you can bet they'll cook up something special for a rookie quarterback. |
| 7 |
Ravens |
vs. Patriots |
If Arizona's defense can make Tom Brady look mortal in his own place, you have to like Ray Lewis & Co.'s chances of doing the same in Baltimore. |
| 8 |
Browns |
vs. Bills |
Cleveland, second in the league in defensive fantasy points, against last season's interception leader. Who needs Joe Haden? |
| 9 |
Rams |
at Bears |
Chicago has served up a combo platter of nine sacks and five picks; Jeff Fisher can find a way to take advantage of those opportunities. |
| 10 |
49ers |
at Vikings |
The Vikings have been relatively mistake free--against Jacksonville and Indy. This week the Niners brings a whole new level of defensive pressure to town. |
| 11 |
Bills |
at Browns |
Buffalo has always fielded a decent fantasy defense; they'll get a chance to prove they still can against a rookie QB and his equally young troops. |
| 12 |
Saints |
vs. Chiefs |
No team has served up a more potent cocktail of sacks, turnovers, and defensive TDs than KC; the Saints don't even need a bounty to collect! |
| 13 |
Falcons |
at Chargers |
The Falcons picked Peyton three times in a quarter; odds are they can find a way to cause problems for Philip Rivers as well. |
| 14 |
Patriots |
at Ravens |
This one pits a vastly improved New England defense against a Ravens offense that's far less conservative than in past years. |
| TIER 3 |
| 15 |
Seahawks |
vs. Packers |
That 12th Man can be a bugger, even for a tested veteran like Aaron Rodgers. |
| 16 |
Giants |
at Panthers |
You'd think with the pressure the Giants put on opposing QBs they'd be a more productive fantasy defense. That hasn't proven to be true. |
| 17 |
Broncos |
vs. Texans |
Houston has yet to turn the ball over this season, but between Champ Bailey, Von Miller and Elvis Dumerville the Broncos apply enough heat to change that. |
| 18 |
Lions |
at Titans |
Not only are the Titans failing to score points, they've got a shaky offensive line and a QB who loves to take chances. |
| 19 |
Redskins |
vs. Bengals |
The Bengals have allowed a league-high 10 sacks; if only Brian Orakpo was around for this one. Can the Geico caveman get suited up by Sunday? |
| 20 |
Steelers |
at Raiders |
This is not your father's Steelers defense, or even your older brother's. Carson Palmer isn't turning the ball over like last year, either. Hence the ranking. |
| 21 |
Chargers |
vs. Falcons |
No team has surrendered fewer fantasy points to defenses, but the way the Chargers have played thus far earns them at least the benefit of the doubt. |
| TIER 4 |
| 22 |
Colts |
vs. Jaguars |
Indy is still in the transitional phase of its defense, but a date with Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars could allow for some rapid growth. |
| 24 |
Vikings |
vs. 49ers |
Eventually Jared Allen is going to get to the quarterback. Maybe even this week. |
| 25 |
Buccaneers |
at Cowboys |
Eric Wright's return of the Eli pick might be the best broken-field running you'll see this year. Why can't he do the same to Tony Romo? |
| 23 |
Cowboys |
vs. Buccaneers |
You'd like to see a little more from a Dallas defense than the one turnover they've forced. Actually, you'd like to see a lot more. |
| 26 |
Dolphins |
vs. Jets |
Miami's defense gets the short straw, but they're a solid unit and Mark Sanchez had been known to make a mistake or two. |
| 27 |
Panthers |
vs. Giants |
The Bucs picked Eli three times in the first half; Carolina's secondary has an opportunity to take advantage. |
| 28 |
Bengals |
at Redskins |
RG3 has turned the ball over just once and avoided all but two sacks. This is a tough row to hoe for the Bengals D. |
| 29 |
Chiefs |
at Saints |
One sack? When does Tamba Hali come back? Probably won't matter in New Orleans, the way Drew Brees gets rid of the ball. |
| 30 |
Titans |
vs. Lions |
Tennessee has enough problems scoring points on the offensive side of the ball, let alone worrying about generating defensive points. |
| 31 |
Jaguars |
at Colts |
Andrew Luck isn't playing like a rookie, and the Jaguars defense isn't playing well enough for you to pay attention to them. |
| 32 |
Raiders |
vs. Steelers |
The Raiders are one of just two teams who have yet to force a turnover this year. The Steelers have served up only one, so this doesn't look promising. |
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