FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

Team Defense Rankings: Week 11 John Tuvey November 14, 2012 Follow @jtuvey  Print

Rank Team Opponent Comments TIER 1 1 Bears at 49ers The most opportunistic defense in recent memory against a backup quarterback. Me likey. 2 Ravens at Steelers Have you seen Byron Leftwich's elongated throwing motion? Terrell Suggs has; you can tell by the big smile on his face. 3 Bengals at Chiefs The Bengals rank second in sacks, which suggests they'll apply plenty of pressure on a Chiefs team that's turned the ball over 30 times this year. 4 49ers vs. Bears A home date with Jay Cutler would have been nice. A home date with Jason Campbell... niiiiice. TIER 2 5 Broncos vs. Chargers Philip Rivers has been efficient... except when he hasn't been. And Denver's league-leading pass rush should encourage inefficiency. 6 Texans vs. Jaguars Sacks, picks, defensive scores and the pressure of a high-scoring offense against... Blaine Gabbert? 7 Redskins vs. Eagles Philly is top-five in sacks allowed, fumbles, picks, and defensive scores served up... and now they're going with a rookie quarterback. 8 Packers at Lions No team has allowed more kick return touchdowns than Detroit; if you're on the fence about Randall Cobb, keep that in mind. 9 Falcons vs. Cardinals The Cards are giving up a sack more per game than any other team. John Abraham, start your engine. 10 Jets at Rams On the bright side, the Jets haven't forgotten how to play defense. Too bad they don't get to face their own offense. 11 Patriots vs. Colts Pretty simple, really: the Pats are forcing turnovers, the Colts are giving the ball away. Proven recipe for defensive fantasy points. 12 Buccaneers at Panthers A top-5 intercepting defense against a top-10 intercepted quarterback. Things could get interesting. TIER 3 13 Browns at Cowboys Tony Romo has made plenty of mistakes, but are the Browns capable of forcing him into more? 14 Dolphins at Bills The Bills aren't afraid of turning the ball over, but this iteration of the Dolphins isn't particularly encouraging in that regard. 15 Rams vs. Jets Gang Green isn't threatening anyone offensively; Jeff Fisher's defense might just be able to make them pay. 16 Saints at Raiders Carson Palmer's been known to throw it around more than a little bit, and the Saints are beginning to find their defensive mojo. 17 Chargers at Broncos Gonna be tough for San Diego to generate defensive fantasy points against the best-protected quarterback in the league. 18 Cowboys vs. Browns You'd think with the improved corners and the pass rush and all, the numbers would be better. But they're not. 19 Chiefs vs. Bengals Andy Dalton has turned the ball over plenty. Not as much as KC's quarterbacks, of course, but still... 20 Lions vs. Packers Detroit's defensive line against what's left of Green Bay's offensive line. So we're sayin' there's a chance. 21 Bills vs. Dolphins Buffalo has a solid secondary and may be catching Miami at the right time, fresh off a drubbing by the Titans. 22 Panthers vs. Buccaneers Tampa Bay's offense has been hot--not the sort of unit you want to toss a mediocre fantasy defense in front of. TIER 4 23 Cardinals at Falcons The Falcons have just eight turnovers. Patrick Peterson can't pick six without the "pick" part. 24 Raiders vs. Saints A bottom-five fantasy defense against an elite offense. Not particularly promising, on the defensive side at least. 25 Steelers vs. Ravens You'd think a ball or two would get lost in Brett Keisel's beard. Maybe in Pittsburgh, but not in Baltimore. 26 Eagles at Redskins Remember when the Eagles used to get after the quarterback and create turnovers and stuff? Yeah, that was really cool. 27 Jaguars at Texans The Jags rank dead-dog last in defensive fantasy points; a trip to über-efficient (and über-potent) Houston isn't going to help. 28 Colts at Patriots No team has fewer takeaways than Indy, no team has fewer giveaways than the Patriots. End of story. 29 Giants BYE BYE 30 Seahawks BYE BYE 31 Titans BYE BYE 32 Vikings BYE BYE  Print