Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Normal fantasy football leagues have come to an end and what a great season it was. We hope that you did well in your league, or leagues, but if you’re still looking for some fantasy football action while the playoffs go on, and you’re looking for some help then look no further because the Bruno Boys will be here throughout the postseason. As such we’ll be releasing our normal weekly position rankings to help you best decide which players to go with in our Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge. To see where this round’s defenses rank continue reading the Divisional Round edition of the Bruno Boys Weekly Team Defense Rankings.

Heading into the Divisional Round of the playoffs, you will see that there really aren’t any good plays for fantasy defenses as every offensive unit going this weekend has their strength. IN fact, the best defensive play this week will likely be the one that minimizes the damage. So, let’s see if we can figure out who may be able to limit a talented offense enough to put up a good fantasy day.

As we head into the article, I would like to explain the “Bruno Boys Star System”.

BRUNO BOYS DEFENSIVE STAR SYSTEM

5-Stars (* * * * *) - Bruno Boys Top Plays of the Week

4-Stars (* * * *) – Bruno Boys Very Solid Plays of the Week

3-Stars (* * *) – Bruno Boys Average Plays of the Week

2-Stars (* *) – Bruno Boys Try to Avoid Playing this Week

1-Star (*) – Bruno Boys Do Not Start Unless You COMPLETELY Have To

Key Abbreviations: YPG (Yards Per Game); PPG (Points Per Game)

1. (New York Jets) @ San Diego Chargers

While the Chargers’ offense can be explosive, you have to feel confident in how good the Jets defense has been playing. The Cincinnati Bengals offense really collapsed a week ago against New York, with their success coming squarely on the ground. While San Diego does have good running backs in LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles, it’s the right arm of quarterback Philip Rivers that is the key to getting them to a Super Bowl. The secondary has played exceptional for New York, and their coverage down field plus the pressure coming up from the blitz schemes makes it tough for opposing quarterbacks to have a ton of success. This should be a low scoring game, with the Jets defense turning in a couple turnovers and a few sacks on the day.
Bruno Boys Stars: * * *  *

2. (San Diego Chargers) vs. New York Jets

Let me preface this by saying the Jets offense will get their yards on the ground, with running backs Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene putting up solid numbers. However, if there is any offense still in the playoffs that you can feel good about starting a defense against, it’s the New York Jets. The San Diego Chargers’ defense got better as the season went on and the bye week last week gave some of their better players time to heal from some injuries that should allow them to be explosive. San Diego will be facing a rookie quarterback (Mark Sanchez) and a mediocre passing game that scares absolutely no one. As long as the Chargers defense can get some key stops and force a long field, they should be able to have a good fantasy day. As we said in the Jets defensive ranking, this should be a low scoring game with both defenses shining among those options available this weekend. 
Bruno Boys Stars: * * * *

3. (Baltimore Ravens) @ Indianapolis Colts

Yes, despite the fact that Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning will be facing a below average secondary, the Baltimore Ravens should still be able to find a way to be a good fantasy defense this weekend. The key will be for Baltimore to force turnovers like they did in these two teams’ regular season meeting (a 17-15 Colts win) in which the Ravens forced 3 turnovers. We have seen in the past that the Colts offense is not very successful against 3-4 defenses and you can almost guarantee Indianapolis starts this game rusty due to being off the field for nearly three weeks. Expect a good game for the Ravens defense this week and likely the best of the average units. 
Bruno Boys Stars: * * *

4. (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Dallas Cowboys

We’ve seen how well Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has played lately ,and sure, the Minnesota secondary leaves a bit to be desired. But, how can you not like the pressure the Vikings continually provide on a week to week basis. Their 48 sacks in the regular season were the most in all of football, with defensive end Jared Allen being the main contributor (with 14.5). The Cowboys have had some injuries to their running game (Marion Barber and Tashard Choice are both banged up) and if they don’t get anything going on the ground, Romo could struggle. Romo will certainly throw at least one interception, and a few sacks are all but certain for the Vikings defense. That makes Minnesota an average defense with the potential to be something more this week. 
Bruno Boys Stars: * * *

5. (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Baltimore Ravens

The scary thing about the Baltimore Ravens is that they have finally went back to their bread and butter that got them to the AFC Championship game a year ago and that is the running game. Indianapolis’s defense is atrocious against the run, and unless defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis can contain running back Ray Rice and keep him inside, the Colts may be in trouble. While we did say above that the San Diego Chargers’ defense will give up a lot of yards to the New York Jets rush offense, it will be the Colts defense who gives up more yards. Add that they face a better passing game, and you see why Indianapolis is ranked a bit lower than San Diego. The fact that quarterback Joe Flacco is banged up and didn’t have much success last week means there is still a chance the Colts defense puts up a respectable fantasy point total. 
Bruno Boys Stars: * * *

6. (Dallas Cowboys) @ Minnesota Vikings

Gradually, the Dallas Cowboys defense has shaped up into a pretty good unit, as they are playing their best football at the perfect time. Minnesota, meanwhile, has struggled on offense, with quarterback Brett Favre looking very fatigued near the tail end of the season. Why the bottom of the average ranked defenses then for Dallas? Well, the rest is certainly what the Vikings and their offense needed, getting everyone healthy and rejuvenated. Add that the Cowboys may struggle to stop both Favre and running back Adrian Peterson plus their secondary is very suspect, and its tough finding an argument good enough to recommend Dallas this weekend. Favre will probably play his best game all season and Minnesota will pound Peterson down the throats of the Cowboys defenders late to secure a win. Even with a couple token interceptions from Favre to the Dallas defense, the sack numbers likely won’t be there to make the Cowboys unit a worthwhile start on Sunday.
Bruno Boys Stars: * * *

7. (New Orleans Saints) vs. Arizona Cardinals

Can the Saints defense step up to stop the Arizona Cardinals explosive offense? Considering how badly the defense played for New Orleans in the final 5 weeks of the season, why trust them to do well against Arizona? Especially after watching the Cardinals offense carve up what was a good Green Bay Packers’ defense a week ago. If there was ever a game that you could count on having an offensive explosion, it’s this one. Both teams have big armed quarterbacks who have no problem slinging the ball in the air and letting their playmakers create some offense. The Saints defense does get the slight edge due to their big play potential and how many turnovers they have forced over the course of a 16 game regular season schedule. If anything though, avoid the surprise fantasy defense of the year in New Orleans.
Bruno Boys Stars: * *

8. (Arizona Cardinals) @ New Orleans Saints

As we said with their competitors rated above, Arizona’s defense should be avoided at all costs once again this week. Another game with a ton of offense is on the horizon, and even though their defense did score a touchdown last weekend, they allowed 45 points while giving up a huge lead. The New Orleans Saints once again had one of the best offenses in all of football, with their passing game not matched by many. After watching Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers put up impressive numbers, there is no reason to believe Saints quarterback Drew Brees won’t be doing the same. The Cardinals defense will get sliced and diced all game long, relying on their offense to once again let them live for another week.
Bruno Boys Stars: *

Divisional Round Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF   (click to read)

Divisional Round Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

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