Getting Defensive: Week 2

The first week of the season is in the books, and it came with loads of surprises. While it’s important to reflect on what we’ve seen so far, it’s just as imperative that we don’t overreact.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen folks punt their seasons thanks to a few knee-jerk drops early in the season. Remember, Week 1 can give us an indication of what’s to come, but it’s by no means a complete representation of the season.

Resist the temptation to implode your roster and relax. There’s plenty of football ahead.


Editor's Note: Rotoworld's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-week $250,000 Fantasy Football Contest for Week 2's games. It's only $10 to join and first prize is $25,000. Starts Sunday, September 14th at 1pm ET. Here's the link.

Okay, I’m getting off my soapbox now. Time to roll up our sleeves and dive into the Week 2 matchups. Please note that the following is breakdown of my thoughts on all of the team defenses for the week, but is not my rankings. Instead, it’s best to consider the following as a set of tiers each week, and use them to help you make decisions at team defense.

As always, feel free to shoot me a tweet if you have any specific questions about start/sit dilemmas that I don’t answer here.

The Usual Suspects

Hopefully you didn’t get cute and bench Seattle (at San Diego) because the Seahawks still managed 10 fantasy points in Week 1. They’re an every-week start, no matter what. ...Yes, the Lions looked very good on Monday night against the Giants, but you’re not benching Carolina (vs. Detroit). ... It wasn’t a massive Week 1 for Denver (vs. Kansas City), but the Broncos showed improvement over last season’s incarnation. If you own them, you’re starting them

Preferred Plays

Your solid fantasy defenses with a weekly matchup upgrade. They're just below the Usual Suspects tier.

1. Tampa Bay (vs. St. Louis) – Sure, the Bucs stumbled a little bit out of the blocks, but they get a primo matchup to turn things around this week. The Rams surrendered five sacks, two interceptions, and a score to Minnesota in Week 1. Look for Gerald McCoy to terrorize the St. Louis interior and wreak havoc in the backfield.

2. Arizona (at NY Giants) – This is not the same Cardinals unit from last season, but it really doesn’t matter this week. Eli Manning continued right where he left off last season, throwing two more picks in the season opener. The Giants remain a matchup you should be circling on the calendar.

3. San Francisco (vs. Chicago) – Apparently San Francisco doesn’t need NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith as badly as we thought they did. The 49ers more than exceeded expectations last week, recording four turnovers, three sacks, and a touchdown against Dallas. This isn’t the most desirable matchup, but the Bears did turn the ball over three times last week. The extremely opportunistic 49ers unit has the potential to capitalize and turn any mistake into six points.

4. Minnesota (vs. New England) – After last week, I’ve really elevated my outlook on the Vikings for 2014. Sure, it was a pushover of a matchup, but this unit straight up dominated St. Louis. Mike Zimmer was responsible for a top-end fantasy defense in Cincinnati, and it looks like he’s well on the way to doing the same in Minnesota. This week, the Vikings get a Patriots team that looked to be using five upside down garbage cans at offensive line last week.

Still Solid

New England (at Minnesota) got off to a rough start, but there’s just too much talent on this unit. ... New Orleans (at Cleveland) struggled against a potent Falcons offense in Week 1, but they right the ship in this one. ... Despite being down to Jason Trusnki and Jelani Jenkins, Miami (at Buffalo) still fared well against the Pats. Their pass rush will be a huge headache for E.J. Manuel. ... It wasn’t pretty for St. Louis (at Tampa Bay), but don’t give up hope just yet. They’re loaded with talent and face a Bucs team that yielded three sacks and three turnovers in Week 1.

Plug-and-Play

You don't want to rely on these D/STs on a weekly basis, but their matchup is too juicy to pass up.

1. Houston (at Oakland) – We’re not quite sure if the Texans were a one-week wonder or if their huge opener was a sign of things to come, but it doesn’t matter this week. Houston is the top streaming option against a Raiders team that produced a league-low 158 yards of offense in Week 1.

2. Jacksonville (at Washington) – Don’t underrate this Jags defense. Sure, they ultimately got blown out by Chip Kelly's Eagles last week, but Jacksonville flashed some upside early on. They face a Redskins team that gave up last week’s biggest fantasy performance to the Texans. You’re not going to want to rely on the Jags weekly, but they’re a sneaky streamer this week.

3. Washington (vs. Jacksonville) – We also have a streaming option on the other side of this contest. Washington was lackluster in their opener, but it’s tough to ignore this matchup. Aside from a few big plays from Allen Hurns, the Jacksonville offense looked generally dull and will continue to make for a strong fantasy matchup this season.

4. Tennessee (vs. Dallas) – While he didn’t do much in for Cleveland last season, Ray Horton seems to have transformed this Titans defense. Tennessee was awesome in Week 1, racking up three interceptions and four sacks while allowing just 10 points to the Chiefs. Ascending talent Jurrell Casey and OLB Derrick Morgan pose a formidable one-two punch in the pass rush, and should give Tony Romo fits in this one.

Middle of the Road

There’s still a chance we find value in Chicago (at San Francisco) this season, but they’re not a fantasy option this week. ... Baltimore (vs. Pittsburgh) is coming off an uninspiring Week 1 performance. Avoid them this week against a Steelers team that put up 490 yards in the opener. ... Detroit (at Carolina) got off to a hot start in Week 1, but that was more the product of the matchup than a sign of things to come. ... Green Bay (vs. NY Jets) looked fairly bad across the board on opening night. It’s best to avoid them until they show signs of life. ... Pittsburgh (at Baltimore) wasn’t able to get much done against Brian Hoyer, so it’s probably a good idea to steer clear of them on Thursday night. ... Buffalo (vs. Miami) is an intriguing unit, but it’s tough to stream them this week in an unpredictable divisional contents. ... Philadelphia (at Indianapolis) delivered as a streamer against the Jags, but going on the road to face the Colts on Monday night is a much taller order. ... The NY Jets (at Green Bay) were decent enough in their opener, but there’s not much to like about them traveling to Lambeau.

Matchup Downgrade

They shouldn't be dropped, but a tough matchup limits the fantasy upside of these units.

1. Kansas City (at Denver) – This one’s fairly self-explanatory, but the Chiefs defense does deserve some further discussion. This unit is now trending downward after losing LB Derrick Johnson to a torn Achilles in Week 1. Also without starter Joe Mays, the Chiefs will likely turn to the tandem of Josh Mauga and James-Michael Johnson in the middle. This could get ugly quickly.

2. Cincinnati (vs. Atlanta) – No, the Falcons aren’t going to put up 568 yards of offense every week, but their Week 1 performance showed us their potential. The Bengals are going to be just fine as a unit this season, but this may be a week to fade the Bengals.

3. Cleveland (vs. New Orleans) – I do think the Browns ultimately emerge as a strong fantasy option this season under Mike Pettine. However, they didn’t get off to a strong start in Week 1, and things don’t get much better here. The Saints do play worse on the road, but you still don’t want any piece of this action.

4. Indianapolis (vs. Philadelphia) – The Colts got a tough draw in Week 1, and follow it up with another robust matchup here against the Eagles on Monday night. There will certainly be times where we can stream Indy this season (like next week against Jacksonville), but this is not one of those times.

Bottom of the Barrel

Dallas (at Tennessee) remains at the bottom of the bottom of the barrel, and are actually worse off this week as they’ll be without LB Justin Durant, who is sidelined with a groin injury. ... Atlanta (@ Cincinnati) was one of the worst Week 1 fantasy options, and things won’t get much better this week. ... There’s really not much to get excited about with San Diego (vs. Seattle), especially this week in a tough matchup against the stingy Seahawks. ... It’s a good matchup for Oakland (vs. Houston), but they just gave up 402 yards to Geno Smith. You do the math. ... Welcome the NY Giants (vs. Arizona) to the bottom of the barrel. Despite having playmakers, they just couldn’t generate anything against the Lions in Week 1.

Streaming Ahead

Here are some potential streamers with good matchups in the coming weeks.

Week 3 – Indianapolis at Jacksonville, Houston at NY Giants, Philadelphia vs. Washington

Week 4 – San Diego vs. Jacksonville, Miami at Oakland, Detroit at NY Jets, NY Giants at Washington, Washington vs. NY Giants

Week 5 – Philadelphia vs. St. Louis, Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, Atlanta vs. NY Giants, Houston at Dallas

Can I Kick it?

Here are my top 12 kickers for Week 2:

1. Stephen Gostkowski (at MIN)

2. Steven Hauschka (at SD)

3. Justin Tucker (vs. PIT)

4. Dan Bailey (at TEN)

5. Phil Dawson (vs. CHI)

6. Mason Crosby (vs. NYJ)

7. Matt Bryant (at CIN)

8. Blair Walsh (vs. NE)

9. Brandon McManus (vs. KC)

10. Adam Vinatieri (vs. PHI)

11. Shayne Graham (at CLE)

12. Cody Parkey (at IND)