There are two ways to approach filling the Defense/Special Teams spot on your roster. If you were fortunate enough to draft an elite unit like the Jets, Ravens, or Steelers, than you likely will use them week to week, regardless of their match-up. However, if you do not have a top flight D/ST, than you probably use a ‘Plug and Play' strategy, in which you pick up a different D/ST each week based on their opponent.
Proper strategic management of the D/ST position can surely make the difference between a win or a loss, a top playoff seed or a wild card, and to a further extent, a fantasy championship. While it’s fine to pick up a different D/ST each week, you’ll want to be sure that you minimize the amount of times you waste auction dollars or waiver claims, so that you can use them on the more important skill positions. Each week, we will provide you with ’Plug and Play’ recommendations of D/STs that should be available in the majority of your leagues.
This week, our recommendation of the New England Patriots D/ST makes for a great pickup that you can add to your roster today, and confidently use for up to the next 3 weeks. Owned in just 44% of Yahoo leagues, and 42.5% of ESPN leagues, the New England D/ST has the potential to post some impressive scores for you in upcoming games. The true reason to use the Patriots isn’t particularly because of their talented, young defense. More so, this is a great play due to their opponent’s lack of offensive production. Over the next three weeks, the Patriots play the Jets, Bills, and Dolphins. And while New England’s defense may not look the same as those of year’s past, you can be sure that Belichick is still the defensive genius he has always been. He will have a field day giving headaches to Sanchez, Edwards, and Henne.
In their last match-up with the Jets, the Patriots intercepted Sanchez four times, while allowing him to complete just 38% of his passes. Sanchez was sacked twice, hit three times, and pressured three times. Overall, he posted a PFF rating of -3.4. So far this season, the Jets offense has yet to prove that it is capable of putting points on the board. They’ve followed a rather lackluster preseason with a disaster of a home opener, as the offense struggled to put up just nine points on three field goals. The Jets overall offense was graded a -12.1, just a few points better than the Lions and Raiders.
In Week 3, the Patriots will host the Buffalo Bills. Again, this is a favorable match-up due to their opponent’s lack of offensive fire power. The last time these teams played each other, New England held Buffalo to just 10 points. The Patriots defense recorded 6 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 TD, earning an overall defensive grade of 5.8. In this season’s home opener, the Bills offense was not impressive.
While Trent Edwards earned a fair grade of 1.1, the rest of the offense failed to give Edwards the support he needed to succeed. Scoring just ten points against the Dolphins, neither the passing game nor the ground game was at it’s best. The running back committee of Spiller, Jackson, and Lynch, only rushed for 38 yards. The run blocking was horrible, earning a grade of -1.4. As for the passing game, the offensive line provided virtually no protection for their QB. Edwards was under pressure 70% of the time, and only managed to complete about half of his 34 pass attempts. Expect the Patriots to have a great fantasy week by taking full advantage of the offensive issues of the Buffalo Bills.
In Week 4, the Patriots will host the Miami Dolphins. Using the Patriots D/ST this week will really depend on what happens in Weeks 2 and 3. Keep an eye on Miami’s offense, specifically Henne, in Week 2 against the Vikings and Week 3 against the Jets. Has Henne been able to take control of this offense? Has the offense made any progress? Are Henne and his receivers on the same page? Looks for signs that show that this offense is beginning to click. If Miami’s offense still look questionable, consider using the Patriots this week, before dropping them for their Week 5 bye.
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