Getting Defensive: 2024 Week 8

Since we’re halfway through the fantasy regular season, we’ll kick off this week’s edition of Getting Defensive with a “State of the Defenses” look at the best (and worst) of the season’s first half.

The No. 1 defense in fantasy football continues to be the Minnesota Vikings, who failed to hit double-digit fantasy points for the first time in last week’s loss to the Detroit Lions. But even in that loss, the Vikings scored another defensive touchdown on an Ivan Pace fumble return. That has been the key with Minnesota – they give up yardage galore, but the team sits toward the top of the NFL in sacks and takeaways and inside the top-10 in points allowed.

In terms of total points, the Denver Broncos are now hot on Minnesota’s heels after blasting an injury-ravaged Saints team in a game that included six sacks and a defensive score. The Chicago Bears have been consistently solid and rank second in fantasy points per game. The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers round out the top-five, with the latter being the only defense of the lot that drew significant interest in draft season.

The defenses that did draw that interest over the summer? Per ADP data at Fantasy Pros, the 49ers are the only defense drafted in the top-five that is currently ranked inside the top-15 in fantasy points. Two rank outside the top-20.

It’s almost as if waiting to draft a defense and then streaming based on matchups (or sticking with the late gem you stumbled into) is the smart play in fantasy.

Go figure.

THE NO-DOUBTERS

Baltimore Ravens (at Cleveland Browns)

Of course, this could be the week that some of those highly-drafted defenses start making a charge up the board. The Ravens have been Jekyll-and-Hyde defensively this season. One of the league’s best run defenses, while simultaneously one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses – as evidenced by the 370 passing yards piled up by Tampa’s Baker Mayfield last week. It’s possible if Jameis Winston starts that the Clowns…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/getting-defensive-2024-week-8-082834436.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-22 08:28:34

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