First Tier – Must Starts

1. Pittsburgh – Jags’ QB Byron Leftwich has only thrown 3 picks thus far, but the Pittsburgh D is firing on all cylinders. This should be a hard-fought game dominated by both of the defenses. With Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger injured, their D will have to come up big time.
2. Tampa Bay – The Bucs are winning with defense. They’ll welcome in the Bohemian Dolphin RB with a bang.
3. Atlanta – You gotta feel for the Saints. First they lose their home, now their franchise RB. Gonna be a long day for the Saints. Gonna be a long season.

Second Tier – Solid Starts

4. Chicago – If the Bears have a chance at taking down their division rival Vikings, it will be because of their solid, opportunistic defense.
5. Indianapolis – They’re playing inspired defensive football. This game should be an aerial showdown, so there will be plenty of opportunities for this defense to score fantasy-wise.
6. Carolina – They continue to play solid defense, and get to face the mess that is the Detroit Lions.
7. Cincinnati – Their opponent, the Tennessee Titans, haven’t made as many mistakes as you’d expect from such a bad team. But if anyone’s gonna cause them to make mistakes, it’s the Bengals’ defense.
8. Buffalo – They took a big step back defensively in losing LB Takeo Spikes a few weeks back, but they’re still solid. And this week, they face Vinny and the Jets.
9. Seattle – Sure, they haven’t done anything spectacular defensively, but hey, they’re playing the Houston Texans. Mark them down for 3 sacks and 2 TOs before they even get out of the tunnel.

Third Tier - Best of the Rest

10. Baltimore – Oh, where have you gone, mighty Baltimore? If they’re gonna show up and regain fantasy stardom, it will most likely kick off against the Browns.
11. Washington – Like many on this list, the Redskins continue to pull off victories because of their defense. Tough task this week facing a pretty good offense in the Chiefs.
12. Jacksonville – If Big Ben plays for the Steelers, expect the Jags to test him early and often. If he doesn’t, they will pressure the backup QB and stack up against the run.