Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

If you didn’t have success in your fantasy football season you just need to relax. Websites everywhere are trying to keep fantasy football alive with postseason play. In fact, the Bruno Boys would like to invite you and your friends to join our league on Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge, where you can try knocking off the experts. It’s free and easy to play, so why not keep the magic alive for a few more weeks?

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 Wild Card Round edition of the Bruno Boys Weekly Team Defense Rankings.

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) at Cincinnati Bengals

Out of all the offenses to still be playing in the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals seem to be the one we’d be all for starting a defense against with a ton of confidence. The Bengals offense is run heavy with running back Cedric Benson and quarterback Carson Palmer seems to only have eyes for wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. With Ochocinco locked up by cornerback Darelle Revis (and Ochocinco’s bum knee doesn’t help matters), Palmer will likely struggle in a big way. That will be to a tune of a big fantasy day for this defense. This season New York has allowed a league low 252.3 yards and 14.8 points per game with 32 sacks and 31 turnovers. The Jets 161 fantasy football points on defense in standard leagues were the 2nd most all year.
Bruno Boys Stars: * * * * *

2. (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys seem to have the Philadelphia Eagles number all over the field and that includes on the defensive side. The Cowboys defense has scored 24 fantasy points in their two meetings and held them down to a combined 16 points. After a slow start to the year, Dallas’s defense was the 7th highest scorer in fantasy points with 138 (which included three straight double digit games to close the year). Even though the Eagles do have some offensive firepower, you have to enter the playoffs believing the Cowboys have their number in this matchup which makes for a good fantasy play. On the year Dallas has given up 315.9 yards and 15.6 points per game with 42 sacks and 21 turnovers.
Bruno Boys Stars: * * * *

3. (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. New York Jets

If the offense does let the Bengals down, their defense should at least keep them in the game. Cincinnati’s defense has been a surprise all season, scoring 122 fantasy points (11th overall). The one thing New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez tends to do is throw interceptions, and while the offense seems to be run heavy of late, his turnover tendencies make this Bengals defense a good play. A couple of picks and a few sacks and all of a sudden you have a defense that could be the best of the first playoff round. This season Cincinnati has allowed 301.4 yards and 18.2 points per game with 34 sacks and 25 turnovers.
Bruno Boys Stars: * * * *

4. (New England Patriots) vs. Baltimore Ravens

Although the offense and quarterback Tom Brady get all the glory, the one thing that has led the New England Patriots to success this time of year is their defense. While the young unit has not been great from start to finish this season (13th with 118 fantasy points), the defense has shown at times flashes of being something special. With head coach Bill Belicheck having so much game planning experience in the playoffs, and the Baltimore Ravens offense lacking consistency in the 2nd half of the year, you should see if nothing else an average game from the Patriots defense. On the year New England has given up 320.2 yards and 17.8 points per game with 31 sacks and 28 turnovers.
Bruno Boys Stars: * * *

5. (Philadelphia Eagles) at Dallas Cowboys

In the two meetings between these clubs, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo threw for over 300 yards in each game. This could mean trouble for a defense that tends to be aggressive in the secondary to make plays. If Romo knows how to find the open lanes against this defense, Philadelphia will need to come up with a whole new scheme that would force Dallas to make adjustments on the fly. If that means being less aggressive, then the Eagles defense should already be demoted in your rankings. The Philadelphia defense, as well as the rest of them below, are really risky to roll with in a Gridiron Challenge with other matchups available to you to take advantage of. This season the Eagles have allowed 321.1 yards and 21.1 points per game with 44 sacks and 38 turnovers for 158 points (4th overall). 
Bruno Boys Stars: * * *

6. (Baltimore Ravens) at New England Patriots

Looking at this matchup on paper you may think we are out of our minds to rank the Baltimore Ravens this low against an offense that lost its main possession wide receiver in Wes Welker. Well, here is why Baltimore is still not a good play. New England has a capable replacement in Julian Edelman, who should run similar routes as Welker and produce at a high level. Even with Randy Moss getting double teamed, quarterback Tom Brady should be able to pick apart a mediocre Baltimore secondary. While the Welker loss could lead to the Patriots losing in the divisional round, it’s simply put that the Ravens do not have a secondary good enough to benefit from that loss. On the year Baltimore has given up 300.5 yards and 16.3 points per game with 32 sacks and 32 turnovers for 153 fantasy points (5th overall).
Bruno Boys Stars: * *

7. (Green Bay Packers) at Arizona Cardinals

If there is one game where offense could reign supreme, it is between the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. With this game being in Arizona, this contest could be a shootout, with two quarterbacks who have a ton of offensive firepower. The Packers defense gets the slight edge here because of the blitzes defensive coordinator Dom Capers could dial up that could add a few fantasy points. Even if Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin doesn’t play, it’s still tough imagining Green Bay’s defense being worthy of a start this week. This season the Packers have allowed 284.4 yards and 18.6 points per game with 37 sacks and 40 turnovers for 152 fantasy points (6th overall).
Bruno Boys Stars: * *

8. (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Green Bay Packers

Possibly one of the biggest fantasy football surprises all season when comparing to other defenses is the Arizona Cardinals. While they did benefit from playing a couple bad teams, Arizona’s defense was finally worth owning in fantasy football. Even with the success the unit had (129 fantasy points, 9th overall), facing the Green Bay Packers offensive juggernaut is going to be a tough task. Add that a couple Cardinals players are banged up on defense, and it further diminishes their value. No need to roll the dice in this big way against one of the best offenses (28 points per game) in football for the first week of the Gridiron Challenge. On the year Arizona has given up 346.4 yards and 20.3 points per game with 43 sacks and 29 turnovers.
Bruno Boys Stars: *

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

Wild Card Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

————————

Don’t forget to head over to our Fantasy Football Message Board and sign-up for a FREE FORUM account. By doing so you will be able to talk fantasy football all season long.