Fantasy Football Strategy-Playing the Matchups
One of the key strategies in fantasy football is paying careful attention to who your players are matched up against. Don’t be a slave to draft order even early in the season. Just because you took a player a round or two higher doesn’t necessarily mean starting them is the right call.
Make sure to look at the opposing defense statistics before making your lineup decisions. Don’t just go based on your feel for if the team is good or not. Last season, it was great to have quarterbacks going against New England or Green Bay last year even though their team was likely to lose since those passing defenses were some of the worst against the pass. If you understand your players’ opponents and their strengths and weakensses, you can make the right call for your starting lineup.
It’s difficult in week one with no statistical data yet from these defensive units but here’s the 10 worst defenses in some important categories. Several teams have spent lots of draft picks and money to upgrade on defense, but these numbers can serve as a starting point. Some are predictable, like the Buc, Rams, and Colts showing up on multiple lists. Some teams that appear may be a bit surprising though, like the fact that the Bears gave up the fourth-most passing yards per game to their opponents.
Continue to check back throughout the week and the season for more matchup analysis. To start with, here’s some teams to try to exploit to pike up those huge weeks of fantasy goodness.
10 defenses that gave up the most points in 2011
1. Tampa Bay-30.9 points per game
2. Minnesota-28.1 points per game
3. Buffalo-27.1 points per game
4. Oakland-27.1 points per game
5. Indianapolis-26.9 points per game
6. Carolina-26.8 points per game
7. Denver-25.4 points per game
8. St. Louis-25.4 points per game
9. Detroit-25.4 points per game
10. San Diego-23.6 points per game
10 defenses that gave up the most yards in 2011
1. Green Bay-412.1 yards per game
2. New England-401.5 yards per game
3. Tampa Bay-394.4 yards per game
4. Oakland-387.6 yards per game
5. Detroit-383.8 yards per game
6. Carolina-377.6 yards per game
7. New Orleans-373.0 yards per game
8. Indianapolis-371.2 yards per game
9. Buffalo-371.1 yards per game
10. Denver-368.6 yards per game
10 defenses that gave up the most passing yards in 2011
1. Green Bay-301.2 passing yards per game
2. New England-282.9 passing yards per game
3. New Orleans-266.7 passing yards per game
4. Chicago-254.1 passing yards per game
5. Detroit-252.4 passing yards per game
6. Oakland-251.4 passing yards per game
7. Minnesota-251.2 passing yards per game
8. Miami-249.6 passing yards per game
9. Carolina-246.8 passing yards per game
10. New York Giants-246.5 passing yards per game
10 defenses that gave up the most passing TDs in 2011
1. Minnesota-2.1 passing TDs per game
2. Oakland-1.9 passing TDs per game
3. Green Bay-1.9 passing TDs per game
4. Tampa Bay-1.9 passing TDs per game
5. Buffalo-1.9 passing TDs per game
6. San Diego-1.8 passing TDs per game
7. Carolina-1.8 passing TDs per game
8. Denver-1.7 passing TDs per game
9. Detroit-1.7 passing TDs per game
10. Philadelphia-1.7 passing TDs per game
10 defenses that gave up the most rushing yards in 2011
1. Tampa Bay-156.1 rushing yards per game
2. St. Louis-162.1 rushing yards per game
3. Cleveland-147.4 rushing yards per game
4. Indianaplis-143.9 rushing yards per game
5. Buffalo-139.0 rushing yards per game
6. Oakland-136.1 rushing yards per game
7. Kansas City-132.0 rushing yards per game
8. Carolina-130.8 rushing yards per game
9. Detroit-130.4 rushing yards per game
10. Denver-129.1 rushing yards per game
10 defenses that gave up the most rushing TDs in 2011
1. Tampa Bay-1.6 rushing TDs per game
2. Indianapolis-1.2 rushing TDs per game
3. Buffalo-1.2 rushing TDs per game
4. Carolina-1.1 rushing TDs per game
5. NY Jets-1.1 rushing TDs per game
6. St. Louis-1.1 rushing TDs per game
7. Cincinnati-0.9 rushing TDs per game
8. Arizona-0.9 rushing TDs per game
9. Oakland-0.9 rushing TDs per game
10. Washington-0.9 rushing TDs per game