ExperiencedRookie
Well-Known Member
Ok Outlawz. Here are my official Pass defense rankings. At the top of the league in pass defense is Pitt, same as run defense. Their numbers from last year are freakish. The worst team in the league is Seattle. Arizona occupied that spot last year, but with Seattle losing Julian Peterson they now own it. It's up to them to prove me wrong.
I will start with the teams/players you may want to avoid this season based on their opposition.
Worst Regular Season
1. Tampa Bay : QB?/Antonio Bryant/Kellen Winslow. It looks to be a really rough season for Tampa Bay. Not only do they have massive questions at QB and on defense, but they have one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL. They face a top 10 pass defense in weeks 1-5. What a terrible way to start the year. They do have 1 fantasy bright spot though, and that's their fantasy playoff schedule. It's actually the easiest in the league. Good luck making the playoffs with a Buc in your starting lineup though.
2. San Diego : Philip Rivers/Vincent Jackson/Antonio Gates. Looks like the NFL decided to challenge Rivers after the best year of his career. 6 of the 1st 12 games are against top 10 defenses. The only thing that keeps this entire picture from being totally black is the appearance of KC and Denver twice. Don't look to the fantasy playoffs for huge games either, it doesn't get much better.
3. Kansas City : Matt Cassel/Dwayne Bowe. The 2nd of 3 AFC West teams with simply awful schedules. The thing that sets this division back is having to play the NFC East, which doesn't have a single pass defense ranked lower than 10th. Pitt and Baltimore sprinkled in make this schedule impossible. If you're a KC owner you might get lucky with some big games against Denver and maybe San Diego but don't count on it. Even though San Diego has a low ranked pass D, Merriman could come back and make a much bigger impact than I gave him credit for.
4. Cincinnatti : Carson Palmer/Chad Ocho Cinco/Laveranues Coles. Cincinatti has the pleasure of being stuck in the dreaded AFC North. Baltimore, Pitt, and even Cleveland find themselves in the top 12 toughest teams against the pass. They see each of these teams twice a piece in the first 6 games. The non-divisional schedule does present some soft spots though. Cincy is also blessed with a pretty nice fantasy playoffs schedule.
5. Denver : Kyle Orton/Brandon Marshall/Eddie Royal/Tony Scheffler. Of course, the last of the AFC West. These poor teams got royally bent over by the schedule crew. Same song and dance as KC. When you factor in that Denver has the most difficult fantasy playoffs schedule, you might conclude that they are the IT team to avoid this year.
Honorable Mention : New England, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston
Worst Fantasy Playoffs
1. Denver : Kyle Orton/Brandon Marshall/Eddie Royal/Tony Scheffler. Ouch Town; Population : Broncos!! The Donkey's schedule is disgusting in weeks 14-16. Indy, Oakland, and Philly. All in the top 10. All planning on shutting down noodle arm Orton. Good luck taking down a title with any of these players in a major point scoring role for your team.
2. New York Giants : Eli Manning/Hakeem Nicks/any other douche who makes the depth chart. The Giants schedule is equally brutal as the Broncos. They see Philly, Washington, and Carolina in the playoffs. 2 tough divisional games. Avoid at all costs, not that any team making a run at a championship is rocking it with any of these players.
3. Washington : Jason Campbell/Santana Moss. Another group of guys who will likely be a part of losing fantasy squads. However, should you be someone who uses a flex for 1 of them, look out in weeks 14-16. They face Oakland, NYG, and Dallas, all top 10 teams.
4. Kansas City : Matt Cassel/Dwayne Bowe. Here is KC again giving rival Denver a run for their money in the "Who can disappoint fantasy owners the most" category. Although the fantasy playoffs aren't as insane as the 3 previous teams, they're still plenty difficult. Buffalo, Cleveland, and Cincinnatti may look soft enough, but non is ranked lower than 16th.
5. Pittsburgh : Big Ben/Santonio Holmes/Heath Miller. A schedule quite similar to KC's. They also have Cleveland in weeks 14-16. Toss in a divisional clash with Baltimore and a game against middle of the road Green Bay and you have the 5th worst fantasy playoffs.
Honorable Mention : Oakland, Cleveland, San Diego, Chicago.
Moving on to the teams and players who are set up to knock over their competition through the air.
Best Regular Season
1. San Francisco : QB?/Michael Crabtree. How completely uninteresting at #1. Although Crabtree gets drafted in the mid rounds as a flex/bench player he could be a nice sleeper based on the competition he will face in his rookie season. The entire NFC West is a cake walk and should provide more real football success than fantasy. Even the fantasy playoffs rank in the top 5. Sleeper alert anyone??
2. St. Louis : Marc Bulger/Donnie Avery. The 2nd of 3 NFC West teams pops in here. This is mainly because Arizona and Seattle find themselves planted at #31 and #32 in my rankings. Certainly presents lots of scoring opportunities for the other teams in the division. This could be as much of a benefit for SJax as any STL WR as he's probably their best receiver ala Chicago and Forte. STL also has one of the easier fantasy playoffs as well. Could Donnie Avery establish himself as a fantasy starter? Could Bulger find himself being plucked off the WW in week 2? Maybe.
3. Seattle : Matt Hasselbeck/Housh/John Carlson. Can anyone in the NFC West besides the 49ers play any defense or what? This looks to be the juiciest group of players to make an impact on this list so far. Hass and company should find themselves in plenty of shoot outs, especially with their 32nd ranked pass defense giving up points left and right. This is my favorite group of schedule sleepers.
4. Indy : Peyton Manning/Reggie Wayne/Anthony Gonzalez/Dallas Clark. As if this group needs any advantages. One of the best QBs in the league gets one of the easiest schedules against the pass. Record year for Manning? No surprise here but, you guessed it, the Colts face the NFC West. Back to back games against Arizona and Seattle should provide for some blowouts for your fantasy teams holding any Colts.
5. Buffalo : Trent Edwards/Terrell Owens/Lee Evans. A nice looking schedule for this developing QB and his best receiving corps yet. These boys are all set up to make it happen if Buffalo could ever stop running the ball. Something tells me that they didn't go get TO to not air it out to him though. There is only 1 game against a top 10 defense so they'll have plenty of opportunities.
Honorable Mention : Minnesota, Green Bay, Miami, Arizona.
Best Fantasy Playoffs
1. Tampa Bay : QB?/Antonio Bryant/Kellen Winslow. This is so odd. The Bucs go from the worst regular season schedule to the best fantasy playoffs schedule. NYJ, Seattle, and New Orleans give them all teams under 21 in the rankings. Might want to think about about snagging a slumping Buc here or there late in the season for a playoff run.
2. Buffalo : Trent Edwards/Terrell Owens/Lee Evans. Here is the 1st of 3 teams to find themselves on both good lists. The Bills get KC, New England(who is surprisingly bad against the pass), and Atlanta in weeks 14-16. Not a single team ranked higher than 20th. That's pretty tasty.
3. Indy : Peyton Manning/Reggie Wayne/Anthony Gonzalez/Dallas Clark. Totally unnecassary again. Don't overlook Colts in your fantasy draft. Peyton could approach the 40 TD mark with multiple receivers getting double digit TDs. Their schedule is simply not fair!
4. Houston : Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson/Owen Daniels. One of the best offenses last year could again provide fantasy glory in weeks 14-16. These guys find Seattle, STL, and Miami on their schedule. Not a single divisional game, not a single game in cold weather. You don't want to face these guys in the fantasy playoffs.
5. San Francisco : QB?/Michael Crabtree. Who cares, right? Not me, but by weeks 14-16 we might already be drooling over Crabtree and wishing we had snatched him up in the mid rounds. The regular season schedule is easy enough, and the fantasy playoffs are even juicier. Besides a tough game on the road at Philly, they have Arizona and Detroit. YUM.
Honorable Mention : Cincy, STL, Green Bay, Miami
I will start with the teams/players you may want to avoid this season based on their opposition.
Worst Regular Season
1. Tampa Bay : QB?/Antonio Bryant/Kellen Winslow. It looks to be a really rough season for Tampa Bay. Not only do they have massive questions at QB and on defense, but they have one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL. They face a top 10 pass defense in weeks 1-5. What a terrible way to start the year. They do have 1 fantasy bright spot though, and that's their fantasy playoff schedule. It's actually the easiest in the league. Good luck making the playoffs with a Buc in your starting lineup though.
2. San Diego : Philip Rivers/Vincent Jackson/Antonio Gates. Looks like the NFL decided to challenge Rivers after the best year of his career. 6 of the 1st 12 games are against top 10 defenses. The only thing that keeps this entire picture from being totally black is the appearance of KC and Denver twice. Don't look to the fantasy playoffs for huge games either, it doesn't get much better.
3. Kansas City : Matt Cassel/Dwayne Bowe. The 2nd of 3 AFC West teams with simply awful schedules. The thing that sets this division back is having to play the NFC East, which doesn't have a single pass defense ranked lower than 10th. Pitt and Baltimore sprinkled in make this schedule impossible. If you're a KC owner you might get lucky with some big games against Denver and maybe San Diego but don't count on it. Even though San Diego has a low ranked pass D, Merriman could come back and make a much bigger impact than I gave him credit for.
4. Cincinnatti : Carson Palmer/Chad Ocho Cinco/Laveranues Coles. Cincinatti has the pleasure of being stuck in the dreaded AFC North. Baltimore, Pitt, and even Cleveland find themselves in the top 12 toughest teams against the pass. They see each of these teams twice a piece in the first 6 games. The non-divisional schedule does present some soft spots though. Cincy is also blessed with a pretty nice fantasy playoffs schedule.
5. Denver : Kyle Orton/Brandon Marshall/Eddie Royal/Tony Scheffler. Of course, the last of the AFC West. These poor teams got royally bent over by the schedule crew. Same song and dance as KC. When you factor in that Denver has the most difficult fantasy playoffs schedule, you might conclude that they are the IT team to avoid this year.
Honorable Mention : New England, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston
Worst Fantasy Playoffs
1. Denver : Kyle Orton/Brandon Marshall/Eddie Royal/Tony Scheffler. Ouch Town; Population : Broncos!! The Donkey's schedule is disgusting in weeks 14-16. Indy, Oakland, and Philly. All in the top 10. All planning on shutting down noodle arm Orton. Good luck taking down a title with any of these players in a major point scoring role for your team.
2. New York Giants : Eli Manning/Hakeem Nicks/any other douche who makes the depth chart. The Giants schedule is equally brutal as the Broncos. They see Philly, Washington, and Carolina in the playoffs. 2 tough divisional games. Avoid at all costs, not that any team making a run at a championship is rocking it with any of these players.
3. Washington : Jason Campbell/Santana Moss. Another group of guys who will likely be a part of losing fantasy squads. However, should you be someone who uses a flex for 1 of them, look out in weeks 14-16. They face Oakland, NYG, and Dallas, all top 10 teams.
4. Kansas City : Matt Cassel/Dwayne Bowe. Here is KC again giving rival Denver a run for their money in the "Who can disappoint fantasy owners the most" category. Although the fantasy playoffs aren't as insane as the 3 previous teams, they're still plenty difficult. Buffalo, Cleveland, and Cincinnatti may look soft enough, but non is ranked lower than 16th.
5. Pittsburgh : Big Ben/Santonio Holmes/Heath Miller. A schedule quite similar to KC's. They also have Cleveland in weeks 14-16. Toss in a divisional clash with Baltimore and a game against middle of the road Green Bay and you have the 5th worst fantasy playoffs.
Honorable Mention : Oakland, Cleveland, San Diego, Chicago.
Moving on to the teams and players who are set up to knock over their competition through the air.
Best Regular Season
1. San Francisco : QB?/Michael Crabtree. How completely uninteresting at #1. Although Crabtree gets drafted in the mid rounds as a flex/bench player he could be a nice sleeper based on the competition he will face in his rookie season. The entire NFC West is a cake walk and should provide more real football success than fantasy. Even the fantasy playoffs rank in the top 5. Sleeper alert anyone??
2. St. Louis : Marc Bulger/Donnie Avery. The 2nd of 3 NFC West teams pops in here. This is mainly because Arizona and Seattle find themselves planted at #31 and #32 in my rankings. Certainly presents lots of scoring opportunities for the other teams in the division. This could be as much of a benefit for SJax as any STL WR as he's probably their best receiver ala Chicago and Forte. STL also has one of the easier fantasy playoffs as well. Could Donnie Avery establish himself as a fantasy starter? Could Bulger find himself being plucked off the WW in week 2? Maybe.
3. Seattle : Matt Hasselbeck/Housh/John Carlson. Can anyone in the NFC West besides the 49ers play any defense or what? This looks to be the juiciest group of players to make an impact on this list so far. Hass and company should find themselves in plenty of shoot outs, especially with their 32nd ranked pass defense giving up points left and right. This is my favorite group of schedule sleepers.
4. Indy : Peyton Manning/Reggie Wayne/Anthony Gonzalez/Dallas Clark. As if this group needs any advantages. One of the best QBs in the league gets one of the easiest schedules against the pass. Record year for Manning? No surprise here but, you guessed it, the Colts face the NFC West. Back to back games against Arizona and Seattle should provide for some blowouts for your fantasy teams holding any Colts.
5. Buffalo : Trent Edwards/Terrell Owens/Lee Evans. A nice looking schedule for this developing QB and his best receiving corps yet. These boys are all set up to make it happen if Buffalo could ever stop running the ball. Something tells me that they didn't go get TO to not air it out to him though. There is only 1 game against a top 10 defense so they'll have plenty of opportunities.
Honorable Mention : Minnesota, Green Bay, Miami, Arizona.
Best Fantasy Playoffs
1. Tampa Bay : QB?/Antonio Bryant/Kellen Winslow. This is so odd. The Bucs go from the worst regular season schedule to the best fantasy playoffs schedule. NYJ, Seattle, and New Orleans give them all teams under 21 in the rankings. Might want to think about about snagging a slumping Buc here or there late in the season for a playoff run.
2. Buffalo : Trent Edwards/Terrell Owens/Lee Evans. Here is the 1st of 3 teams to find themselves on both good lists. The Bills get KC, New England(who is surprisingly bad against the pass), and Atlanta in weeks 14-16. Not a single team ranked higher than 20th. That's pretty tasty.
3. Indy : Peyton Manning/Reggie Wayne/Anthony Gonzalez/Dallas Clark. Totally unnecassary again. Don't overlook Colts in your fantasy draft. Peyton could approach the 40 TD mark with multiple receivers getting double digit TDs. Their schedule is simply not fair!
4. Houston : Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson/Owen Daniels. One of the best offenses last year could again provide fantasy glory in weeks 14-16. These guys find Seattle, STL, and Miami on their schedule. Not a single divisional game, not a single game in cold weather. You don't want to face these guys in the fantasy playoffs.
5. San Francisco : QB?/Michael Crabtree. Who cares, right? Not me, but by weeks 14-16 we might already be drooling over Crabtree and wishing we had snatched him up in the mid rounds. The regular season schedule is easy enough, and the fantasy playoffs are even juicier. Besides a tough game on the road at Philly, they have Arizona and Detroit. YUM.
Honorable Mention : Cincy, STL, Green Bay, Miami
