X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 11 NFL Defense (DEF) Tiers

With only two teams on bye this week (Dallas and St. Louis), there are a multitude of defensive options to choose from, but we see one defense that stands out above the rest.

 

Tier 1: Seattle Seahawks

Editor's Note: Access RotoBaller’s trusted fantasy football rankings for PPR, Standard, Dynasty, Super Flex, and Best Ball formats. Get tiered cheat sheets, expert analysis, and player outlooks to dominate your draft from every angle.

For our Week 11 defensive rankings, only the Seahawks are able to reach Tier 1.  Seattle has a prime matchup this week with the Vikings and injured quarterback Christian Ponder, whose struggles have been well documented.  In his six starts this season, Ponder has thrown seven interceptions and only five touchdowns.  Seattle also has the comfort of being at home where they dominate the opposition, allowing only 14 points a contest and generating 10 takeaways in those four games.  The defense also has nine straight games of two or more sacks and they should be able to take advantage of a weak Minnesota offensive line.  Losing corner Brandon Browner will hurt in the long run, but not in this game against an awful Minnesota passing attack.

 

Tier 2: Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers

Tier 2 is studded with teams that match up against fill-in quarterbacks.  The Colts (Fitzpatrick), Jets (Manual), Bengals (Campbell) and Cardinals (Henne) all face quarterbacks who were not QB1 on their teams to start the season.  The outsiders in this group are the Saints, Lions and Panthers, but these three teams all rank in the top ten in take/give margin this year at +5, +1, and +8 respectively.  The Panthers matchup against New England does not look initially good, but they currently are second in the NFL in rushing-yards­-against and points-allowed-per-game (12.8).  Overall, any team in this group should provide solid production with the upside to be the top scoring fantasy defense of the week.

 

Tier 3: Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots

Perhaps no other group of teams listed has as much potential upside or downside this week as does Tier 3.  A team like Kansas City provides a great case study, as the Chiefs lead the league giving up just 12.3 points a game and play a Broncos team scoring over 41 a game.  Do you believe a team with 23 takeaways and seven defensive scores can tame Peyton and company?  The Chargers and Dolphins face off this weekend in Miami in a game featuring no standout group of offensive or defensive players.  A sneaky play in this group could be Buffalo as they take on the Jets and Geno Smith.  Smith has been about as inconsistent as most rookie quarterbacks are, and Buffalo has multiple sacks in all but one game this year.  In that same game the Jets bring in the number one rushing defense (73.8 yards per game), and they should make life difficult for Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller.

 

Tier 4: New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders

For the six teams listed in this class, their inability to stop most teams is combined with the glimmer of hope that they can turn in an effective performance at very low cost.  At the start of the season, the game featuring New York and Green Bay would have one of the most anticipated offensive showdowns. However, with Eli Manning struggling and Aaron Rodgers down with an injury, the game suddenly opens up for the defenses to figure heavily in the outcome.   Manning has a thrown a league-high 16 picks and Green Bay will trot out Scott Tolzein who just a few weeks ago was on the practice squad.  Similarly, Tampa Bay and Atlanta came into the season with high hopes that were dashed with devastating injuries to their best offensive players, Doug Martin and Julio Jones.  Also in this group are the Jaguars, whom many will not give the time of day to, but it is worth noting that last week they forced four turnovers and scored a touchdown. The team has not had more than three sacks in any one game this year-- pressure is not their strong suit, so keep expectations low.

 

Tier 5: Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers

The last tier includes four teams who are all in the bottom third of the league in points allowed per game, with Minnesota and Washington ranking 30th and 31st.  To make matters worse for this group, all of them are facing teams in the top 10 in scoring on the offensive side.  With Washington and Philadelphia playing each other on Sunday, this could be the shootout of the weekend with a red-hot Nick Foles and improving Robert Griffin III under center for each team.  The Steelers only gave up 10 points to Oakland last week, but are just two weeks removed from giving up a franchise-record 55 points to New England.  If you play in a yearly league, none of these defenses should be owned, and if you play in weekly leagues do not get caught up with the cheap price tag for these teams-- the risk far outweighs the reward.

 

=============

Below you can find some more Week 11 articles written by RotoBaller’s team of writers. Check them out as you prepare for your Week 11 fantasy matchups:

 

=============

We have compiled all of our weekly waiver wire recommendations on our famous waiver wire pickups list. If you haven’t seen it yet, the waiver wire pickups are categorized by position. Check it out and bookmark the page – we update it every week, throughout the week! Our fantasy football chat room is also here for you, at any time throughout the day. Our communities of writers and readers are always fielding sit/start questions, talking waivers, and giving live fantasy advice. Let’s win some leagues!

 


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Brice Matthews

Joining Astros
MLB

White Sox-Guardians Postponed on Thursday
Brandon Aiyuk

Likely to Begin Season on PUP List, but Not Ruled Out for Week 1
Jameson Williams

Not in the Team's Long-Term Plans?
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Micah Parsons

Plans to be Present for Start of Training Camp
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Ikem Ekwonu

Next Up for Extension in Carolina?
Jalen Thompson

Heading into Last Year With Cardinals?
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Najee Harris

Suffers Eye Injury in Fireworks Mishap
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Alex Bregman

Will Return to Red Sox This Weekend
Chris Sale

Braves Won't Consider Trading Chris Sale
Clarke Schmidt

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery on Friday
Nick Nash

Unlikely to Make Falcons Active Roster
Lane Johnson

in No Rush To Retire
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Blake Corum

has "Gotten His Speed Back"
Jarquez Hunter

Picking Up Rams Offense Quickly
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Kirk Cousins

Feels Misled by Falcons
Bijan Robinson

Says Falcons Have "Outlandish Goals" for the Running Game
Luther Burden III

Bears Expect Luther Burden III to be Ready for Training Camp
Cole Kmet

an Unlikely Trade Piece
Tony Pollard

Titans Hope to Balance Rushing Attack With Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears
Byron Buxton

Sitting Thursday
Quentin Johnston

Not Assured of Starting Role
Cordarrelle Patterson

on the Roster Bubble in Pittsburgh?
Shedeur Sanders

Not Assured of Roster Spot in Cleveland?
Wan'Dale Robinson

Hoping For More Downfield Opportunities
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
NBA

Alex Ducas Heading to Australia
Dominick Barlow

Inks Two-Way Deal With 76ers
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Re-Sign Jordan McLaughlin to One-Year Deal
Dylan Harper

Out Thursday, Expected to Play Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Homers Twice on Wednesday
Mike Trout

Homers Twice in Win Over Rangers
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Leads Yankees to Victory
Salvador Perez

Crushes Two Homers in Win
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome on the Trade Block?
VJ Edgecombe

Diagnosed with a Sprained Thumb
Zach Tom

An Extension Candidate in Green Bay
Devin Booker

Agrees to Extension with Phoenix
Trevor Williams

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Byron Buxton

Exits After Hit-by-Pitch, X-Rays Negative
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Playing on Wednesday
Alex Bregman

has "Really Good Chance" to Return Before All-Star Break
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Expected to Return on Friday
Walter Clayton Jr.

Leads Jazz to Summer League Win
Carter Bryant

Struggles in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Drops a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Oklahoma City Thunder

Malevy Leons Logs Impressive Summer League Outing on Tuesday
Dalton Knecht

Collects 25 Points in Lakers Summer League Win
Los Angeles Lakers

Darius Bazley Drops 27 Points in Summer League on Tuesday
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Chet Holmgren

Agrees to Rookie Max Extension
Alex Bregman

Not Returning Wednesday
Jhoan Duran

Unavailable Due to Illness
Shane McClanahan

Tosses Clean Frame in First Rehab Appearance
Jacob Wilson

Day-to-Day After HBP
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. to be Reassessed Wednesday
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Malaki Branham

Traded to Washington
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Blake Wesley

Moves to Washington
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Kelly Olynyk

on the Move Again
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Cal Raleigh

Continues Historic Homer Pace Tuesday
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF