Welcome to the Week 5 Funnel Defense Report, where we examine trends in how defenses are most commonly attacked. It is meant to help narrow our focus from overall game selection, down to the “run versus pass” level. We as fantasy gamers, like NFL game planners, ideally seek paths of least resistance.
The term “funnel defense,” or “pass funnel defense” was coined several years ago by the esteemed Adam Levitan. It has become common parlance among DFS players and other fantasy aficionados, and refers to defenses which are simultaneously soft against the pass and stout against the run.
Identifying such characteristics is not a one-time task, as injury and performance variation create an evolving landscape. In this space we will leverage, among other resources, up-to-date PFF defensive grades and metrics to stay on top of these constant changes and difference-making fantasy trends.
Top funnels
With Mike Glennon fumbling his way through the final snaps as Bears starting quarterback, the Packers’ defense could have been a funnel or a traffic cone and it wouldn’t have mattered. Chicago ran one play when the score was within seven points – Glennon lost a fumble when sacked – and the game only deteriorated further from there. Still, the Packers pass defense remains a weakness. Their coverage grade ranks 28th, and a mediocre pass rush scares no one without Mike Daniels in the lineup.
Week 5: A trip to Dallas will test the Packers’ run stopping, first and foremost. Last season, Green Bay supposedly had a shutdown run defense until Ezekiel Elliott stomped them into the Lambeau tundra with 157 yards on 28 carries. They qualify as a pass funnel due to especially poor coverage relative to mediocre run-stopping that grades 14th-best and allows 4.2 yards per carry (13th-most). While this profile pushes action to the air, both from Packers opponents and fantasy enthusiasts, Green Bay’s run defense isn’t something to fear in this matchup.
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