Who wants to talk about quarterbacks and running backs when you can talk about defenses and special teams (D/ST) units! If you’re like me, you probably are changing your team defense on a weekly basis, looking for the optimal matchup to exploit. Well, that’s exactly what I am hoping to accomplish today. Today, let us take a look at Week 11 D/ST rankings!
I’ll go through my process of evaluating defenses, before getting into the specifics for the week! Who is going to be the 30-point defense this week? Let us find out!
First, we need to analyze how effective each D/ST unit has been for fantasy purposes this year. However, this doesn’t come from looking at previous fantasy points. See, turnovers (interceptions and fumbles) can be rather unstable on a week-to-week basis, making them difficult to rely on. Thus, to identify who the top defenses have been, we need to take that out of the equation.
More fantasy football fun for Week 11: Waiver Wire | FAAB Guide | Start & Sit | Loves & Hates | Stock Watch | Sleepers & Streamers | QB Streamers | D/ST Streamers |
This leads me to my new implied points statistic for D/ST units. Based on the number of points they have allowed and the sacks they’ve totaled up, we can see how many points a D/ST unit SHOULD be averaging per week:
Implied Points (Weeks 1-10)
| Defense | Difference | Implied Points | Fantasy PPG |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | 2.7377 | 8.5623 | 11.3 |
| NE | 0.8862 | 8.4138 | 9.3 |
| CAR | -0.7258 | 8.1258 | 7.4 |
| ARI | 0.8644 | 8.0356 | 8.9 |
| GB | -0.5602 | 7.9602 | 7.4 |
| DEN | -1.1453 | 7.9453 | 6.8 |
| PIT | -1.5053 | 7.9053 | 6.4 |
| LAR | -1.5112 | 7.6112 | 6.1 |
| NO | 0.8651 | 7.2349 | 8.1 |
| MIN | 0.5179 | 7.1821 | 7.7 |
| CIN | -2.0501 | 7.1501 | 5.1 |
| TEN | 0.8955 | 6.7045 | 7.6 |
| CLE | -1.4436 | 6.6436 | 5.2 |
| DAL | 2.7694 | 6.6306 | 9.4 |
| TB | 1.3713 | 6.5287 | 7.9 |
| IND | 1.9816 | 6.4184 | 8.4 |
| SEA | -1.1794 | 6.3794 | 5.2 |
| CHI | -0.0759 | 6.2759 | 6.2 |
| BAL | -1.9103 | 6.2103 | 4.3 |
| SF | -0.4925 | 6.0925 | 5.6 |
| NYG | 0.6577 | 6.0423 | 6.7 |
| PHI | 0.3737 | 6.0263 | 6.4 |
| LV | -1.0082 | 6.0082 | 5.0 |
| MIA | 0.8734 | 5.5266 | 6.4 |
| LAC | -1.3045 | 5.4045 | 4.1 |
| JAX | -0.9543 | 5.3543 | 4.4 |
| KC | -0.6410 | 5.2410 | 4.6 |
| WAS | -0.4327 | 4.8327 | 4.4 |
| HOU | -0.1295 | 4.4295 | 4.3 |
| DET | -1.5789 | 4.1789 | 2.6 |
| ATL | -1.6261 | 3.7261 | 2.1 |
| NYJ | -0.8701 | 3.2701 | 2.4 |
The Bills have been unstoppable defensively this season, but their fantasy success has a lot to due with turnovers forced, which is less stable week-to-week. The Patriots and Panthers are certainly within the same tier as them, and are top-ten defenses for me this week, as you’ll see with the Week 11 D/ST rankings. It’s also clear that the Bucs defense has underachieved expectations after being the top unit drafted; you have to hope that a matchup against the Giants helps them head in the right direction.
Next, it is time to dissect some other key factors. These defenses are projected by the betting markets to allow the fewest amount of points this week:
FEWEST PROJECTED POINTS ALLOWED
- Titans
- Browns
- Bucs
- 49ers
- Ravens
- Panthers
- Patriots
- Dolphins
Meanwhile, these defenses will face opposing quarterbacks with the highest pressure rate:
HIGHEST OPPOSING QB PRESSURE RATE
- Titans
- Cardinals
- Ravens
- Bills
- Saints
- 49ers
- Bears
- Patriots
Lastly, these defenses will face opposing quarterbacks with the highest turnover-worthy play rate:
HIGHEST OPPOSING QB TURNOVER-WORTHY PLAY RATE
- Jaguars
- Panthers
- 49ers
- Chargers
- Ravens
- Jets
- Colts
- Raiders
Week 11 D/ST Rankings
More Week 11 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Kicker | D/ST | PPR | Flex
| Rnk | Defense | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | HOU |
| 2 | SF | JAX |
| 3 | CLE | DET |
| 4 | MIA | NYJ |
| 5 | CAR | WSH |
| 6 | TB | NYG |
| 7 | BUF | IND |
| 8 | NE | ATL |
| 9 | LAC | PIT |
| 10 | BAL | CHI |
| 11 | NO | PHI |
| 12 | PHI | NO |
| 13 | GB | MIN |
| 14 | WSH | CAR |
| 15 | ARI | SEA |
| 16 | PIT | LAC |
| 17 | NYJ | MIA |
| 18 | CIN | LV |
| 19 | LV | CIN |
| 20 | JAX | SF |
| 21 | SEA | ARI |
| 22 | MIN | GB |
| 23 | ATL | NE |
| 24 | CHI | BAL |
| 25 | IND | BUF |
| 26 | DET | CLE |
| 27 | HOU | TEN |
| 28 | DAL | KC |
| 29 | KC | DAL |
| 30 | NYG | TB |
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