Fantasy Football Defense/Special Teams Rankings Week 14

Written by Darryl DiRocco Thursday, 08 December 2011 06:33

defence Last week’s defensive scores for probably the first time all year had most of the top teams come through with big fantasy production for their owners. For the most part anyway, there is always a couple of matchups a week that don’t have the desired result and that came last week in the form of the Patriots vs. the Colts. The Pats were destroying them heading into the 4^th quarter and that is when the Dan Orlovsky to Pierre Garcon show began. They put up a huge yards and scored 21 unanswered points in the 4^th knocking the Patriots from a very good fantasy score to a mediocre one (they scored 9 points).

The Chiefs defense played like a squad possessed and they took home top honors with a monstrous 27 points. The usual suspects rounder out the top 4, the Steelers (23), 49ers (22) and the Ravens (21) all scoring over 20 points to give their owners a much needed boost this late in the season with playoff implications on the line in most leagues throughout fantasy land.

Ravens (vs. Colts) The Ravens get a home game against the winless Colts and this will not be pretty. The Ravens won’t make the same mistakes the Pats made; they will shut down the Colts for the entire game. Start them with absolute confidence.
Jets (vs. Chiefs) The Chiefs defense has come out from time to time this year but their offense is another story. Look for these Jets to dominate this game and for fantasy production you should be expecting a bonanza.
49ers (@ Cards) The 49ers are arguably the best defense in the league this season, that is in reality and fantasy and you should plug them in with confidence against the inconsistent Cards.
Steelers (vs. Browns) The Steel are playing some good football and they will want to keep pace with the Ravens who are expected to be victorious this weekend. This is a rivalry game but I see the Steel controlling the clock with the run game Thursday and playing your typical smash mouth football. It is always nice to get a head start on your matchup by putting up 20 points on a Thursday night.
Broncos (vs. Bears) The Denver Tebow’s have been on fire and they actually had what it takes to win in a shoot-out last week. They are showing everyone that they can just win games. Look for this one to go back to a lower scoring affair and with the loss of Jay Cutler and now Matt Forte the Bears offense is a shell of its earlier seasons self.
Packers (vs. Raiders) The Packers are the best in the NFL and their defense continues to make big plays on a regular basis. The Raiders can move the ball through the air but will have trouble with their ground game in this one. The Packers are a top 10 play this week.
Seahawks (vs. Rams) In what looks to be the most boring Monday Night game of the season we will have a low scoring game in which the home town Hawks should be able to control from the opening kick-off.
Patriots (@ Skins) The Pats have been playing better fantasy defense this last month and they get to play sexy Rex Grossman and his turnover tendencies. The Skins have trouble putting big points on the board and the Patriots are in their late season form and will be looking to dominate the Shanny boys squad. I like the Pats as a top 10 play this week.
Bears (@ Broncos)The Bears may be ravaged on offense but their defense is still one of the best in the game. The Broncos can’t always move the chains with consistency and usually save their magic for the 4^th quarter, this should be a low scoring game and the Bears can still be a healthy start for your fantasy team.
Texans (@ Bengals) The Texans rank 3^rd overall this season in fantasy defense with 181 points, look for them to continue to deliver top 10 fantasy output. They may be banged up but the defense is stellar and the offense will obviously be leaning on Arian Foster and their dominant run game.
Lions (vs. Vikings) I like the Lions in this game and they should be able to right the ship on both sides of the ball against the banged up new look Vikings. Christian Ponder has been surprisingly solid but I would temper my expectations of him in week 14.
Dolphins (vs. Eagles) Michael Vick is back and the Eagles can put up big time points but their dream season has become a nightmare and the Dolphins defense has been top 10 for the last month. Look for another respectable total out of the surging phish.
Bengals (vs. Texans) The Bengals defense has been lit up lately and I think it is in part to injury and playing real football teams. They had some good scheduling early in the year that made them look and perform like a top 10 fantasy squad. Their week 15 and 16 schedules look very tasty and they will be ranked much higher in the coming weeks.
Cowboys (vs. Giants) This is a huge game for the Cowboys, it is also inner division so it should be one of the better games to watch this weekend. I am not in love with the fantasy start but the Cowboys have been a consistent fantasy defense this year. You can pencil them in for at least 12 points.
Jaguars (vs. Bucs) The Jags gave up over 20 points for the first time in weeks but I have a feeling we will be headed to a tighter game this weekend against the Bucs. The Bucs started off the season 4-2 but have been free falling ever since. I don’t like either team this close to the playoffs but if you don’t have a better option it will be better than rolling out the Raiders this week.
Chiefs (@ Jets) The Chiefs were top dogs on D last week but that should come down a peg or two against the Jets on the road. I think the Jets are going to destroy the Chiefs this week so I wouldn’t be confident with the Chiefs defense, then again they could end up giving you 20 points if they play the way they did last week.
Eagles (@ Dolphins) The Eagles defense have been underachiever’s this year but with that being said they are always capable of giving you a top 10 fantasy performance. The problem has been that they are impossible to predict and I just don’t have any confidence in them this season.
Bucs (@ Jags) The Jags will be running all over the Bucs but there is still a chance for some Blaine Gabbert mediocrity and that could turn into fantasy statistics for the Bucs defense. They are not a recommended start this week but if you’re desperate you could definitely do worse.
Rams (@ Hawks) The Rams travel to Seattle for the Monday Night Game and anything is possible on the big stage during prime time television. I still wouldn’t bank my playoff hopes on the Rams swiss cheese defense.
Falcons (@ Panthers) The Falcons have been good at containing the run this season but Cam Newton is something special and I would have zero confidence starting a defense that has to deal with him for four quarters.