Three And Out: Getting Defensive: Week 13
The final week of the fantasy regular season has arrived and postseason berths will be locked up in a matter of days. With each fantasy victory carrying significant weight at this point of the season, it is imperative that our fantasy D/ST and kicker choices have the most advantageous matchups possible. With the most critical weeks upon us, this week’s column will begin to morph into playoff mode. As usual, kicker rankings and D/ST breakdowns can be found below, but you will also find extended fantasy playoff coverage that covers the top Week 14-16 D/ST options, as well as some creative ways to build a fantasy playoff Frankenstein by assembling multiple defenses to do your dirty work. Make sure your knuckles are cracked and coffee is brewing as we hammer through the Week 13 edition of Getting Defensive.
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Top Of The Heap
The St. Louis Rams have been a wreck on offense recently with the ineptitude of their quarterbacks dragging the entire offense down. This week, the Rams will host the (1) Arizona Cardinals (at St. Louis), with either Nick Foles or Case Keenum under center and both would provide great matchups for the Cardinals. Somehow, the Rams have managed to throw for more than 200 yards just twice in 11 games this season and with no threat of a passing game, defenses have been able to stack the box and slow St. Louis’ star running back Todd Gurley. The Cardinals will do much of the same in Week 13 in this gravy matchup.
The (2) Carolina Panthers (at New Orleans) delivered a fine Thanksgiving performance that included enough defensive firepower to wake anyone from a turkey-induced afternoon snooze. The Panthers D/ST has been on a roll in recent weeks, allowing just 13.3 points per game and racking up an impressive ten turnovers over the last three weeks. This week, Carolina travels to New Orleans to take on their division rival. The issue with this matchup is that Drew Brees and the Saints generally play better at home, where they are averaging 31.2 points per game this season. New Orleans did turn in two clunkers on the road in their last two contests, and Brees has thrown at least one interception in five straight games. The matchup isn’t great, but the Panthers D/ST is playing well enough to be trusted in a tough spot.
Turnovers have been big for the (3) Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland) in recent weeks, as this defense has recorded six takeaways over their last three games. The Bengals have also held four of their last five opponents to 10 points or less and stroll into a nice Week 13 matchup at Cleveland. With quarterback Josh McCown banged up again, Cincinnati will likely face Austin Davis on Sunday to go with the NFL’s last-ranked rushing offense. The Bengals D/ST is looking at a tap-in birdie putt this week.
The (4) New England Patriots (vs Philadelphia) are allowing just 82.3 rushing yards per game over their last six outings, and that includes coughing up 179 rushing yards to the Broncos last week in the snow. The Patriots will host Philadelphia in Week 13, who have scored more than 19 points in a game just once since Week 6 and have received suspect quarterback play from both Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford this season. No matter which Eagles signal caller takes the snaps this week, the Patriots are a good bet to stuff the run and force Philadelphia into leaning on their passing game that is tied for second in the NFL with 14 interceptions through 11 weeks.
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Mixed Bag, But Worth Starting
Winners of four-straight, the (5) Houston Texans (at Buffalo) have resurrected their defense and allowed an incredible 8.8 points per game over their last four contests. In fact, the Houston defense has allowed only two touchdowns in their last 18 quarters of play. Houston’s Week 13 opponent, Buffalo, doesn’t throw the ball often which will cap the potential of the Texans D/ST this week, but this group should be started right now no matter the opponent as they lead the NFL in scoring defense over the last five weeks and are second in both pass and run defense over that same period.
The (6) Tennessee Titans (vs Jacksonville) are racking up sacks at a blistering pace, recording 20 over the last five weeks. In that same span, Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles has been sent to the turf a league-high 17 times, so the Titans should be able to repeat their Week 11 performance where they sacked Bortles four times. Tennessee has also allowed more than 100 rushing yards only once in their past five games, so Titans D/ST owners will be hoping for plenty of Bortles in this matchup.
Although the recent performance of the (7) Denver Broncos (at San Diego) defense has slowed, their pass defense has remained solid, and that is the primary mode of moving the football for Philip Rivers and the Chargers. The San Diego offense ranks 30th among NFL teams in rushing at 81.7 yards per game, so the Denver defense should have plenty of opportunities to stack fantasy points while Rivers leans on his signature shot put-style pass attempts.
The impressive defensive run of the (8) Kansas City Chiefs (at Oakland) was derailed in Week 12 by the Buffalo Bills, although the Chiefs did turn in a solid second-half performance, allowing just six points. Week 13 brings a trip to Oakland for Kansas City, where they will face the Raiders, who have turned the ball over multiple times in three of their last four games. The road matchup isn’t too cushy, but the Chiefs D/ST has given up just 10.7 points per game in their last three road contests.
Seattle hits the road this week to take on the (9) Minnesota Vikings (vs Seattle), who have been solid on defense outside of Week 11 against Green Bay. Seattle has attempted the fewest passes in the league this season, which may cap Minnesota’s upside this week, but the Seahawks have allowed a massive 37 sacks on the season so the Vikings D/ST will have a chance to create fantasy points in other ways.
The (10) Seattle Seahawks (at Minnesota) have had a tumultuous season on defense, but have played relatively well against teams with lower-scoring offenses while struggling against top offenses like Cincinnati, Arizona, and Pittsburgh. This week, Seattle takes on Minnesota, who checks in at 28th among NFL teams in yardage at 333.2 total yards per game. Stopping Adrian Peterson will be the key to this game, and Seattle ranks fifth in rushing defense this season, allowing just 92.9 rushing yards per game. The ceiling for Seattle is low this week, but they should stay afloat from a fantasy perspective if they keep Peterson reasonably in check.
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