First Tier – Must Starts

1. Indianapolis – They’ve gradually worked their way up this list, and this week, they face the most hapless offense in the NFL. Top billing earned.
2. Chicago – Had a couple of off weeks before and after their bye week, but had a decent week last week and face a very bland Baltimore offense this week.

Second Tier – Solid Starts

3. Atlanta – Playing on Monday Night Football will energize this very underrated defense. Of course, facing the geriatric Vinny Testaverde will help, too.
4. Detroit – Their offense is so bad, their defense and special teams actually becomes the main source of scoring. Cleveland brings a balanced yet unspectacular offensive game. Detroit will have to play opportunistic defense to have any chance.
5. Cincinnati – Big divisional game against Pittsburgh here. Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger will be a bit gimpy, and the NFL leaders in takeaways will have to bring their “A” game in order to survive this battle.
6. Pittsburgh – See above. They’ll have to bring their “A” game, too. With the offense perhaps sputtering a bit due to injuries, the defense will have to come up big. Again.
7. Buffalo – If Randy Moss is out for the Raiders, the boys in Silver and Black are in serious trouble. They’ll be in trouble with or without him, most likely.
8. Baltimore – Weeks 4 and 6 were what we expected from the Raven D. This week should be more of the same against a below average Bear offense.

Third Tier - Best of the Rest

9. Washington – Perhaps they’re not putting up fantasy points, defensively speaking, but their defense IS solid, and faces a rookie QB led Niner team that was absolutely obliterated by Indianapolis 2 weeks ago.
10. San Francisco – Apply the Detroit Lion Theory here. Their offense is so bad, the defense has to step up and make huge plays. The Niners’ defense has actually scored pretty big in 3 of their 5 games so far this season. Worth a gamble here against the Redskins offense that may be playing a bit over its head.
11. Philadelphia – In most scoring systems, they’re currently the #10 fantasy defense, and they’ve already had their bye. This week’s matchup against the Chargers isn’t the best, but figure they’ll be hungry for a victory after their bye week and losing to the Cowboys.
12. Green Bay – Yeah, you’re reading that right. They dropped a big fantasy number on the Saints last week, and now face the Vikings, who are obviously lost at sea mentally.