Article:Week 15 Defense/Special Teams Fantasy Football Rankings



Must Starts:

1. Indianapolis Colts vs. Detroit Lions. On their improbable run for imperfection, the Lions might have to play this week’s game with one-time wonder boy Drew Henson at the helm. Dwight Freeney and Co. are already salivating. Look for the Colts to keep the Lions to under ten points and rack up multiple sacks while forcing a few turnovers. Top fantasy billing.

2. Philadelphia Eagles  vs. Cleveland Browns. The Ken Dorsey led Browns are one of the worst offenses in the NFL right now. Everyone knows what’s coming in Cleveland: a coaching change. And probably personnel too. Their stars don’t want to get hurt now and Philly is still alive in the playoff race. The Eagles will get after Dorsey and make life miserable for the 3rd stringer.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers bring the top ranked defense in the NFL into this game and should be able to continue that trend against the Ravens in this big AFC North on Sunday. Possibly playing without both McGahee and Rice, the Ravens might have to rely on McClain in the backfield and that should put added pressure on Flacco. Look for multiple sacks from the Steelers and possibly a game changing play vs. the rookie signal caller.

4. New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills. The Jets are in a two game funk and their confidence is down, but the Bills are playing worse offensively than any team in the league. The Bills are coming off two games in which they’ve scored three points respectively against the 49ers and Dolphins. Look for the Jets, playing on their home field, to bounce back and have a strong day fantasy wise.

Sleepers:

1. Miami Dolphins  vs. San Francisco 49ers. The Niners come in after having won two consecutive games vs. AFC East teams but this one is against the surprising 1st place Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins need this more and the Niners are probably going to have to go without starting tailback Frank Gore. Expect a big effort out of Miami.

2. Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings. The Cards do a great job of stacking the line to take away the run and Tavaris Jackson is the likely starter for Minnesota. Look for Arizona to create turnovers and sacks and put up a solid fantasy performance once again.

Others with Favorable Match-ups:

1. Washington Redskins  vs. Cincinnati Bengals. The Skins are fading fast but the Bengals have given up completely. The Skins will get a big bounce back defensively on Sunday prior to their showdown with Philadelphia in two weeks.

2. Carolina Panthers  vs. Denver Broncos. The Broncos have lost another RB for the season (Hillis), and now face one of the best pass defenses in football. Look for a dominating effort by Carolina as they look to keep home field throughout within their sights.

3. Baltimore Ravens  vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. This game regardless, will be a tough nosed defensive game. The scoring will be low. Roethlisberger has a tendency to hold onto the ball for too long and this creates sacks and turnovers and that should continue again when Pittsburgh heads to Baltimore.

for more NFL/fantasy articles, visit www.profootball101.org