Tier One - Must Starts

1. Chicago – The Bears are still the top dogs in terms of fantasy defense.  A pretty good draw against J.P. Losman and the Bills this Sunday.  Buffalo has only given the ball away 3 times thus far, but you should expect that number to grow – even double – by the end of Sunday’s game. 
2. Kansas City – Despite having a bye week, they’re in the top-5 in terms of fantasy defense scoring used for this list.  Facing rookie QB Matt Leinart should translate into turnovers and sacks.

Tier Two - Solid Starts

3. Baltimore -  They’ve quieted down after a torrid start (29 and 28 fantasy points in their first two weeks) and have a pretty tough matchup at Mile High against the Broncos.  But expect Ray Lewis & Company to be ready for this big game and try and disrupt the shaky Jake Plummer. 
4. Indianapolis – Another cupcake matchup for the Colt D.  They’ve improved their fantasy scoring since Week 1, and you just can’t ignore the fact that they’re going against the Titans.  Expect a few picks, but don’t count on too many sacks against the mobile Vince Young. 
5. New Orleans – Kansas City?  New Orleans?  What’s up with this list?  Well the stats don’t lie.  Not only are the Saints facing the Bruce Gradkowski-led Bucs, but they’re averaging 10 fantasy points per outing. 
6. Philadelphia –TO returns to the City of Brotherly Love to face an Eagle D that has consistently put up decent fantasy points.  Don’t expect much brotherly love against TO and the rest of the Cowboys in this heated rivalry. 

Tier Three - Best of the Rest

7. St. Louis – Since Week 1 they haven’t scored in the double digits, but facing the INT-prone Brett Favre should change that in a hurry.
8. San Diego – A top-5 ranked fantasy defense, despite already having a week off.  They draw the very tough Pittsburgh Steelers, but in this nationally-televised game, the Charger D should be motivated and will perform.
9. Jacksonville – Look for the Jags to rebound from two bland fantasy defense outputs.  The Jets will give the ball away, especially via fumbling. 
10. New England – Expect the Patriot defenders to disrupt Dolphin QB Daunte Culpepper all day long. 
11. Carolina – If there’s any week for this highly-touted D to go off, this is it.  Facing the league’s worst in terms of giving the ball away (Cleveland; 11 total giveaways) should get this defense back on track.  
12. Dallas – The Eagles don’t turn the ball over much, but you gotta think the Dallas D will have to play nearly perfect to have a chance in this one.  They’ve scored 19 and 14 fantasy points in their last two outings. 

Note: League scoring used for this column is 2 points for safety, fumble recovery, blocked punt or FG, 1 point for blocked PAT or sack, 6 points for defensive or special team TDs, and anywhere from 10 to 2 points based on points allowed.