Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Allie Fontana & James Burulcich
- Edited by Allie Fontana

Year in and year out defenses are often the deciding factor in who hoists the Lombardi Trophy come season’s end. In the world of fantasy football, defenses are typically relegated to the back pages of fantasy magazines and the last few rounds of our drafts. Should you treat defenses as a necessary evil on your fantasy roster? Definitely not, but you also shouldn’t overpay for one either. Whatever you do, resist the urge to lock up the New York Jets’ defense in the middle rounds of your draft. Fill your roster with additional quality playmakers and then look for your defense in the later rounds or play matchups throughout the season.

Every season there are a handful of under-the-radar or sleeper defenses that could potentially net you the same number of points as the league’s big-name defenses. To ensure that your top skill position picks aren’t gathering points for you in vain, help them out by targeting a defense that will provide you with consistent fantasy points on a weekly basis and also allow you to have a lineup deep with player talent. Here are five defensive units that are frequently overlooked by fantasy owners on draft day, yet have the potential to be significant fantasy factors in 2010.

Atlanta Falcons – The 2009 Atlanta Falcons defense was nothing to write home about. They finished the year tied for No. 26 in sacks with 28, in large part due to the lackluster play of their top defensive end John Abraham who managed just 4.5 sacks, down from 16.5 in 2008. The inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks wasn’t Atlanta’s only defensive weakness. They were No. 28 in pass defense letting up 242 yards per game, giving up 55 pass plays of 20 yards or more, and picking off just 15 passes. The tale of woe extended to the Falcons’ special teams unit that failed to contribute a touchdown all season. Finishing statistically at the bottom of the league is not something that a team with playoff aspirations in 2010 can repeat.

This offseason, the Falcons addressed their glaring secondary issue and signed all-star corner back Dunta Robinson to a six-year $57 million contract. Robinson, who played six seasons with the Houston Texans, was the best cornerback available in free agency. He should be able to lock down one side of the field and give John Abraham and 2008’s first-round draft pick , defensive tackle Peria Jerry (sidelined for much of last season with a knee injury) more time to get to the quarterback. Jonathan Babineaux is one of the league’s most complete defensive tackles and rookie Sean Weatherspoon is an excellent addition to a solid linebacker group. Atlanta is expected to have a very balanced offense this season including a potent run game that should be able to maintain drives and chew up the clock. Moreover, the Falcons have a fairly easy schedule except for games against the Bengals, Packers, Ravens, and two against the Saints. Add these factors together and you have the ingredients for a much improved Falcons’ defensive unit in 2010. They are rarely drafted in in the majority of fantasy leagues. Keep them on your watch list and if they play well, pick them up off the wire and use them for matchup play during the season.

New York Giants – If you want to talk about a Jekyll and Hyde defense in 2009 then look no further than the New York Giants. They entered week six at 5-0 and averaged 12 fantasy points per game. Then injuries started to take their toll as one by one they lost safety Kenny Phillips, cornerback Aaron Ross, and defensive linemen Chris Canty and Jay Alford and finished an atrocious 3-8 in their last eleven games. They managed to give up 40 points in five of those outings as well and ranked No. 30 in points against…yuck.

2010 should be different. Currently playing second fiddle to the top defense in New York, don’t dismiss the Giants this year. All of the aforementioned players should return healthy, and the defensive line is still loaded with talent in Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Mathias Kiwanuka. Perry Fewell took over as the defensive coordinator and should bring more variety to the defensive schemes. The Giants signed safeties Antrelle Rolle and Deon Grant in the offseason, drafted two defensive linemen in Jason Pierre-Paul and Linval Joseph, and also inked 10-time Pro Bowl linebacker Keith Bullock to a one-year contract. The Jets defense may be getting all the attention, but Big Blue could bounce back in a big way this season.

Houston Texans – The Houston Texans are coming off their first winning season in franchise history and while some thought that it would be the Texans turn to upend the Colts as AFC South Division champs in 2009, it didn’t happen. The Colts won the division and the Texans found themselves on the outside looking in. Houston’s defense is one of the youngest in the NFL and also one of the most talented. Under defensive coordinator Frank Bush, they improved from the No. 27 overall defense in 2008 to the No. 15 best in 2009, and finished No. 8 against the run. In fact, the Texans jumped almost 10 spots in each major statistical defensive category. The linebacker corps, led by DeMeco Ryans and Defensive Player of the Year Brian Cushing, is the defense’s strongest group. Houston’s biggest problem last season was defending the pass; they became involved in too many shootouts, and couldn’t get it done in the closing minutes of critical games.

The Texans have the NFL’s toughest schedule in 2010 so they’re going to have to improve as a football team just to match last year’s 9-7 record. Houston’s success this season will largely depend on the defense, which will start off behind the eight ball thanks to Cushing’s four-game suspension. The secondary is still a concern and the Texans’ defensive line including Mario Williams, Zac Diles, Amobi Okoye, Connor Barwin, and Shaun Cody will have to step up and apply far more pressure than they did last year. Replacing Dunta Robinson at corner is Alabama stand out Kareem Jackson, selected in the first round of the NFL draft. While wresting the AFC South title away from the Colts is a long-shot, reaching the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s nine-year history is doable if the Texans’ defense plays to its potential and becomes a top-12 defensive unit. Picking them up in the late rounds or off the wire could prove to be a tremendous value to fantasy teams in the 2010 season.

Indianapolis Colts – No doubt about it – the Indianapolis Colts’ offense led by Peyton Manning overshadows the defense. The team has won at least 12 games every year since 2003, making it one of the most successful NFL franchises in recent history. If you think that the Colts’ defense would be an sure-fire must start option in fantasy football, then you would be wrong. Despite reaching the Super Bowl last season, the Colts finished No. 18 among fantasy defenses in standard scoring leagues and the defensive unit was middle-of-the-road in most statistics, including sacks (34) and interceptions (16). Interestingly enough, standout defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis combined for close to two-thirds of the team’s total sacks, contributing 13.5 and 9.5 respectively. The defense’s overall performance took a hit with the absence of safety Bob Sanders. The two-time Pro Bowler and 2007’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year missed all but two games last season with biceps and knee injuries. As they have in recent seasons, the Colts struggled against the run in 2009, giving up an average of 126.5 yards per game.

Looking ahead to 2010, the Colts made offseason moves to upgrade their defense. The Colts drafted defensive end Jerry Hughes, linebacker Pat Angerer, and cornerback Kevin Thomas with the first three picks of the 2010 NFL draft. Of the three, the speedy Hughes is poised to make an immediate contribution to the defense as a third pass rusher behind starters Mathis and Freeney.  Sanders is expected to return to the lineup, and he, along with free safety Antoine Bethea make up one of the league’s best safety tandems.  The Colts’ linebackers, Gary Brackett, Clint Sessions, and Phillip Wheeler are reliable in coverage and do a good job of creating turnovers and generating big plays by pressuring opposing quarterbacks who are forced to throw the ball when their teams fall behind. 2010 could be the year that the Colts reintroduce themselves to lineups as a reliable starting fantasy defense. While they might struggle to be consistent early on, keep them on your radar screen as the season progresses. 

Chicago Bears – 2009 marked the Chicago Bears 90th season in the NFL and the team hoped to improve on their 9-7 record from 2008, and make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. To say that last season was a disappointment for Bears’ fans would be an understatement. The team finished third in the NFC North with a 7-9 record. Offensively, newly acquired quarterback Jay Cutler threw 26 interceptions and was sacked 35 times. Chicago’s running game was largely ineffective too, averaging a paltry 93.3 rushing yards per game. The Bears offensive line struggled throughout the season, finally showing modest improvement late in the year. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears lost Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher for the season with a wrist injury early in Week 1.The team’s offensive woes led to the defense being on the field all too often. Despite finishing the year as the No. 17 overall defensive unit, the Bears were one of the league’s worst defenses (No. 30) in obvious passing situations of third-and-eight or longer. Chicago was also the NFL’s second-worst defense against passes that were caught 10 or less yards downfield, allowing opponents to complete more than 70 percent of those passes and score 20 touchdowns. The defense produced 35 sacks and picked off 13 passes, down from blank and 22 respectively in 2008.

So what did the Bears do this past offseason to be more competitive in the tough NFC North? Most notably, Chicago signed five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers to a six-year, $84 million deal with $7.5 million available for incentives based on sacks, Pro Bowl appearances and defensive player of the year awards. Peppers, known for his ability to get to the quarterback, is one of the best pass rushers in the game. He’s also a leader who should instill confidence in the Bears’ defense. With Peppers s putting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, Tommie Harris, Charles Tillman, and Zac Bowman will look for opportunities to create turnovers. The Bears pass coverage also received a shot-in-the-arm from the re-acquisition of safety Chris Harris from the Carolina Panthers., When healthy, Chicago’s trio of linebackers – Urlacher along with Lance Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer – are big-time playmakers capable of pushing the defense to a potential top-10 finish. The Bears’ special teams unit is solid. The speedy Johnny Knox will handle kickoff return duties and Devin Hester, the NFL’s most dangerous return man, will handle punt returns.

The Bears’ defense is going undrafted in the majority of standard leagues this season. If Chicago wants to win, then the defense has to help keep Cutler and the offense of the field longer. This is a defensive unit with solid upside, especially if Peppers transitions smoothly in his new home and the other starters remain healthy.

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2010 SLEEPERS:  QB |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)

2010 BUSTS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF   (click to view)

2010 DEEP SLEEPERS:  RB  |  WR |  TE   (click to view)

2010 BREAKOUT PLAYERS:  QB  |  RB |  WR |  TE   (click to view)

2010 RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)

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