Fantasy Football Defense: Start'em, Sit'em
Posted by Kurt on Oct 15, 2009 in Fantasy Football
Defensive Starts Week 6:
Week five is now in the books, and there were a few surprise outings on defense. Last week the 49′ers and Jets were more like the defenses from the past rather than the unstoppable force we are used to seeing this year, while Seattle’s defence was more on top of their game pitching a shutout against Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now healthier, can the Seahawks turn things around after their week five outing?
It’s time to take a closer look at the match-ups for week six.
Seattle's defense looks to show they are the real deal in Arizona this week, but are they?
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals : This game should prove to be a tough task for the Texans defense, as they try and stop the Bengals from spreading the ball around through the air, or (as they have shown against Pittsburgh and Baltimore) on the ground. The Bengals offense has proven to be much harder to contain this year and should keep the Texans guessing frequently throughout the match-up. Prediction: 28 – 17 – Bengals
Detroit Lionsat Green Bay Packers:Look for Green Bay to establish a rythm early with Rodgers dicing the Detroit secondary at will. If Green Bay can get an early lead, this game could be turned into a slaughter fest quickly. Aaron Kampman will look to get after whatever QB wishes to start, after a slow start to the season Kampman should visit the Lions backfield often in week six. Green Bay should be a strong start this week against a woeful Lions offense. Prediction: 34 – 14 - Green Bay
St. Louis Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars : This should be a great match-up for the Jaguars to rebound after getting shut-out by Seattle in week five. The Jaguars defense should be able to focus their attention to the running-game of the Rams, (with no real threats in the passing-game to worry about) look for the Jaguars to put all their eggs in one basket and try to maintain Steven Jackson throughout the ball-game. With the Jaguars losing in an ugly fashion last week, the Jags (who have Sims-Walker back after team suspension) should look to try and establish ball-control early and keep the Rams off-balance and open them up for the deep throws down-field. Prediction: 17 – 7 – Jaguars
- Baltimore looks to stop the NFL’s most feared rushing phenom, Adrian Peterson!
Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings: This should be a good tilt between two team rated in the top-ten on defense, look for both teams to try and run the ball effectively throughout the game. Watch out for Jared Allen coming around the edge, this should be a big game for the Ravens running-game because they will want to take Allen’s ability to pass-rush out of the game early, this game should be decided by defense on both sides of the ball.
New York Giants at New Orleans Saints:Another match-up between two top-ten defenses, this game has the potential for big-plays on defense with Manning and Brees being able to run and throw the ball. This game should be fairly potent through the air, leaving lots of opportunities for each defense to make plays on the ball. With the Saints being shut-down the last couple of weeks, look for them to try and establish a running-game early and often if they get a lead in the early stages of the game.
Cleveland Brownsat Pittsburgh Steelers: There shouldn’t be more to this game than whatever QB starts will end up sacked a whole lot throughout the game, look for the Steelers to completely manhandle the Browns from the get-go. This game should be a decisive advantage in favor of the Steelers, Mangini won’t have a clue what he is facing and will probably hide under the bleachers at halftime, if all goes as planned for the Pittsburgh. I don’t see the Browns moving the ball at all in this game, so if you are a huge fan of punters, this game will be one to watch!
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This is a great match-up for the Carolina Panthers to finally start grinding down their opponents, with Peppers motivated and Chris Harris back from injury Carolina should be a team on the upswing heading into week six of the regular season. Tampa has looked awful thus far into the season and with a green QB leading the attack, there should be plenty of opportunities for Carolina to make big plays on defense and earn a starting grade this week.
Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins: At first glance this game looks like a no-brain-er, but if you take a look at Washington’s ability to get to the QB and stir things up in the backfield, it just doesn’t look good. With both teams sitting idle in the win columns lately, I like Washington’s defense to finally get thing rolling in the right direction. If you are looking for a week to start the Skins defense, this could be it, but proceed with caution.
