Courtesy: Rant Sports
Playing fantasy football can certainly be frustrating. You probably spend hours each week scowling the waiver wires and adjusting your starting lineup. Deciphering through lofty website projections and “expert” analysis’ of start/sit lists can make your mind numb. It is hard enough to fill out replacements for your starting running backs and wide receivers on their bye week or fall to an injury.
But nothing can be more frustrating than losing because of a weak (or even negative) D/ST performance. There is no more volatile position on the field than taking on two entire units and hoping they post valuable points. No other spot in your starting lineup has a higher chance of putting up a negative performance and should be respected as such.
Playing the right D/ST can make a difference in fantasy victory or defeat, especially with so many weekly match ups being decided by ten points or less. So how do you know if you have the right unit? You can never really be sure, but making the educated decision will help limit one of fantasy football’s most harmful mistakes.
The first rule is to not get stuck on any D/ST because of their name value. In the passing age of offenses, no defense is safe from putting together a fantasy dud. The notoriously top units like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks all rank outside the top seven (according to ESPN standard scoring). While you can find diamonds in the rough each week on the waiver wire. Teams like the Atlanta Falcons (whose D/ST ranks 31st in the league) had a 28 point performance in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While, just because the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl with their strong defensive performance (and were a fantasy football juggernaut) in 2013 does not make them a weekly must play. Poor performances against the San Diego Chargers (-1), Washington Redskins (2) and St. Louis Cardinals (1) were certainly not start worthy. Do not get stuck on one defensive play for the entire season; weigh your options.
Also, make sure to play the match ups and find your best option against a weak opponent. It may be time consuming, but examine what other D/ST’s have done against a like opponent. Look for teams that have allowed consistently above average point totals. Examining the schedule will help enlighten you on which offenses you should attack in fantasy football.
The same Ravens defense that gave up 43 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a smart fantasy football option against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10. They only have two offensive performance to not net at least 6 points for an opponent’s D/ST. Though they have not let up any “monster” games, the Titans have consistently been plagued by strong defensive performances.
Finally follow trends with each D/ST unit, including: home vs. away, divisional opponents and turnover consistency. Knowing that the Philadelphia Eagles have forced a turnover in 20 straight games will give you a leg up when looking at their upcoming schedule against weak offenses like the Titans and New York Giants. Or the fact that the Houston Texans D/ST’s worst performances have come on the road and you should avoid their post-bye match up against the Cleveland Browns.
So when setting your fantasy football rosters, be sure to set aside time to find the best available D/ST. Consistently working the waiver wire can be tedious, but necessary when trying to avoid those negative performances. A strong game from the forgotten roster spot can be the point difference between a fantasy football victory or loss.
