Defense wins championships in the NFL. Good defenses and ****ty opponents win championships in fantasy football.
I really can't remember another year when defenses have made such an impact during the season. Having a solid defense on the right week could single-handedly carry your team to a victory.
Remember the 49ers crushing the St. Louis Billy Goats in Week 4? That mercy killing represented 39 fantasy points for the lucky owner in my league (and the first loss for his unlucky opposition, me).
Revis Island and The Sharper Image (Darren Sharper, until that one catches on) have also been incredibly consistent for robbing opposing QBs and taking it to the house. Definitely something to consider when the matchup is right.
So without further fluff, let's take a look at some prime-time defensive feasts in Weeks 14-16:
First of all, if you have a juggernaut like Pitt or Balt, you obviously drafted or acquired them for a reason.
Pittsburg D: @Cle, GB, Bal
Brady Quinn is going to have a rough day, with or without Troy Polamalu. Expect the Browns fans to be driving home from this game by halftime. This is Pitt's only amazing playoff match-up. But, it's a hell of a nice way to start your playoff run.
GB will present as many opportunities for Pitt as it will problems. We all know Aaron Rodgers can chuck the rock to any of his insanely talented WRs and turn this into a shootout. But, for every bomb he throws, there's another 2 min happy dance in the pocket that will allow Harrison, Farrior, and the rest to have a field day. Expect a lot of sacks, but a good amount of points scored by GB.
Bal, just stay away. This will be another very evenly matched game like the one we saw last week. Even with Berger back, don't expect the outcome to be all that different. Neither defense has a great matchup.
Baltimore D: Det, Chi, Pitt
The Detroit Lions are still the Detroit Lions. Their two most important players (Stafford and Megatron for those under rocks) are still beat up and this team may just try to finish out the season without any more disasters. Expect some bloodshed in this one, even if Megatron manages to hit paydirt.
Chicago. Wow how things change. A RB who most owners had in their top 5 at seasons start and Jay Cutler's rocket arm were once thought of as a nightmare to opposing defenses. Fast forward a few months and Matt Forte is one of the biggest disappointments of the year. While Jay Cutler is busy doing his best Brett Favre 08 impression with a 16/20 TD/Int rate. He's had 8 picks in the last 3 weeks. He is that bad, and Baltimore should push him towards a meltdown.
Pittsburgh, we've been there. Not a fan.
Minnesota: Cin, Car, Chi
Did you really think I'd forget about these guys? If you watched any of their games this season, then you all know what this defense is capable of.
Cincinnati represents the only thing even close to a challenge. I still fully expect Palmer to throw a pick and eat the dirt multiple times.
Carolina? O boy, I feel bad for Jake Delhomme Matt Moore. Make that Carolina's franchise as a whole. You knew things were ****ed up when Delhomme got an extension instead of a seat on the bench after last season. Expect Minnesota to make Matt Moore look as inexperienced as he is. Feast.
Chicago. I'll continue to bash the Bears more later on. One of the most overrated RBs in FF (Forte) vs the "as advertised" Williams Wall looks like fun. I think Antoine Winfield has this one circled on his calender.
Now let's get on to the rest. After all, it's these teams that are likely sitting on your wire that are the ones you need to be gobbling up in 10 mins.
I'm a big fan of searching for an easy target and exploiting the poor bastard. In this case, that'd be teams like Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, KC, and St. Louis.
Some beautiful spot starts for Week 14:
Washington @ Oakland
Oakland's 31st ranked offense against the number 1 ranked pass defense in the league. Sign me up.
New York Jets @ Tampa Bay
Josh Freeman takes his first career trip to Revis Island. Expect him to learn a few lessons. The only setback in this game will be not getting to listen to Rex Ryan shed more pounds tears during the press conference.
Tennessee vs. St. Louis
Vanden Bosch and the Titans aren't going out this year without a fight. Expect Kyle Boller and Mr. Glass (Avery) to be the unfortunate recipients. It's also worth noting that Steven Jackson's back is hurting again and resting him in a meaningless season wouldn't seem like too bad of an idea.
Week 15's Opportunities:
Arizona vs. Detroit
Arizona has a ton of talent on that defense. Even if Leinart is starting at QB, this one should be out of hand for Detroit in one quarter.
Denver vs. Oakland
Even though I'm not totally on board with some of the moves McDaniels has made this year, the one area he'll hear no complaints from me is that nasty defense he's assembled. Very few holes on that D. Oakland should be concerned for the future of their franchise QB, Brad Gradkowski.
Houston @ St. Louis
Brian Cushing for Rookie of the Year. Any objections? Thought not. Cushing is on a tear and it seems like he was the missing piece that the Texans needed to take a talent-rich defense to a talent-rich defense that performs. Not to mention, the Texans are still pushing for their first post-season appearance in the team's history. If Kubiak is canned, they may have a shot next year.
Bringin Home the Bacon in Week 16:
Cincinnati vs Kansas City
Larry Johnson is actually lucky to get out when he did. KC ranks 30th in total offense. The Bengals are a tough team that could very well still be in the hunt for a wildcard spot. Either way, Cincy's D will present way too many problems for Cassel to make a stand, even with Dwayne Bowe returning. Over/Under on how many doughnuts Bowe's eaten during suspension: 165.
New Orleans vs Tampa Bay
Remember when Tom Brady and the Patriots ran up the score for ****s and giggles in 07? Expect something similar here. Freeman will try to prevent a goose egg, but NO's defense will dominate this one, especially after Brees hangs 21 on them in the 1st.
San Francisco vs Detroit
San Francisco does have a good defense and Detroit is that bad of a team. Ignore the minor bumps in the road for SF this season. This'll be another one of their 39ers.
Arizona vs St. Louis
Even though Marc Bulger won't be there to give presents, Boller won't do too much better. Arizona will dominate this one in almost every facet. St. Louis' only hope of putting up 7 rests on blown coverage or a John Beck scoring drive after the Rams give up 40.
And there you have it. Your cupcakes are all lined up like the sitting ducks they are. Get to bakin and best of luck closing out your championship.
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