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Unless most of the teams in your league carry a backup defense, more than half of the league should be available to you every week. Perhaps instead of playing one above average defense every week, regardless of matchup, we should instead target the widely available waiver wire defenses with the best matchups in any particular week? You can always make exceptions if your rent-a-defense gets hot - heck, you might find a team worth starting all year by accident. Even if you don't, good matchups will continue to get greater in number as more QBs get injured or yanked as the season goes on. You can steal some points from bad weather come December. Each week I'll list the startable fantasy defenses on most waiver wires and rank them.
Week 11 Results
Miami (vs Buffalo) - 2 sacks, 1 safety
The Dolphins played a good defensive game, but it was present more in their ability to hold the Bills to field goals than turnovers and sacks.
A Look Ahead: @DEN @NYJ BAL - It’s hard to want the D/ST playing Peyton Manning, but Week 13 against the Jets could be promising
Cleveland (vs Houston) -1 INT
The Browns were the dud here, as the Texans controlled the game from start to finish and Ryan Mallett looked like a poised vet.
A Look Ahead: @ATL @BUF IND - Even against the porous Falcons offensive line, I don’t want to trust the Browns on the road.
New Orleans (vs Cincinnati) - 1 sack
Ooof. The Saints lost the game and lost the crowd in a stunning change of fortune for them, the Bengals, and Andy Dalton
A Look Ahead: BAL @PIT CAR - Swearing off the NO D/ST after they burned me again.
Denver (at St. Louis) - 3 sacks
Another game that went 180 degrees from what we expected as the Rams depleted the Broncos offense and stifled Peyton Manning into his lowest scoring game in ten years.
A Look Ahead: MIA @KC BUF - The Broncos D/ST can still devour a poor opposing offensive line like the Dolphins, but the trends aren’t pointing towards them having a big game.
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
Green Bay (vs Philadelphia) - 3 sacks, 2 INT, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 DEF TDs, 1 ST TD
A complete massacre at Lambeau Field that featured Lambeau Leaps from every facet of the game.
Tampa Bay (at Washington) - 6 sacks, 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
So we’re back to Robert Griffin III being a quarterback to target with your D/ST play.
San Francisco (at New York Giants) - 2 sacks, 5 INT
So we’re back to Eli Manning being an occasional interception machine.
Week 12 Candidates
Philadelphia (vs Tennessee)
The Eagles had their second dud in four weeks, but they’ve still yet to post anything but a good to great D/ST game at home, where they are this week against a rookie head coach and a defense that can’t stop much. This one could get out of hand quickly. Remember, the Eagles still almost had a special teams score while they were getting blown out last week.
A Look Ahead: @DAL SEA PHI - If the Eagles come through for you this week, hold them for Weeks 14 and 15.
Buffalo (vs New York Jets)
The Bills were able to generate great pressure on Ryan Tannehil and they’ve been a strong play in eight of ten weeks so far. Add in Michael Vick and a Jets offense that is always a barrel of laughs and a home crowd, and you have a recipe for points.
A Look Ahead: CLE @DEN GB - Nothing brewing here.
San Francisco (vs Washington)
The 49ers are getting some of their swag back on defense, including Aldon Smith and the emerging Chris Borland. Swag is a word no one would associate with Robert Griffin III right now. We might see Colt McCoy against his old mates before this one is over.
A Look Ahead: @SEA @OAK SEA - Did you really need to read back “@SEA” ?
Indianapolis (vs Jacksonville)
The good old “play whoever draws the Jags” strategy is alive and well! The Colts have mustered up multiple sacks or turnovers in every game since Week 3, so there’s an ok floor there, too.
A Look Ahead: WAS @CLE HOU - If the Colts can harass Blake Bortles, then they can probably give Robert Griffin III trouble too. A possible hold.
Seattle (vs Arizona)
So it has come to this. Hey the Seahawks are at least a rent-a-defense, although not the best choice this week. The good news is that they are home, and they have at least three sacks+takeaways combined in every home game this year. Drew Stanton could have some issues with a crowd and atmosphere that is unmatched in the NFL right now.
A Look Ahead: @SF @PHI SF - Not worth holding because they only have one home game left, and the 49ers are their match right now.
New England (vs Detroit)
The Patriots offense is taking control of games, and that allows their weakened defense to be playing offenses outside of the comfort zone. Matthew Stafford has never visited Foxboro before, so this could be a bit of an ambush. We’ve even seen Kurt Warner have one of his worst days as a pro there.
A Look Ahead: @GB @SD MIA - Road games against good quarterbacks = avoid
Week 13/Playoffs Pre-emptive Pickups
If you like to devote two roster spots to a D/ST, or you suspect other teams are going to stream defenses this year, you might want to grab a top option for the following week to stash away. Here are the best ones to target:
Week 13
Detroit (vs Chicago on Thanksgiving)
St. Louis (vs Oakland)
Houston (vs Tennessee)
Indianapolis (vs Washington)
Playoffs
Houston (Week 14 @JAX)
Baltimore (Week 15 JAX, Week 16 @HOU)
Seattle (Week 15 SF, Week 16 ARI)
Detroit (Week 14 TB, Week 15 MIN, Week 16 @CHI)
New Orleans (Week 14 CAR, Week 15 @CHI, Week 16 ATL)
