Fantasy Finds: QB issues equal defensive bounty

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, September 13, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Fantasy Football
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Looking for a fantasy defense? If you don't own the Chicago Bears' or Baltimore Ravens' 'DST', you probably should be.

The New York Giants will either trot out an injured quarterback or an untested backup this Sunday. The New York Jets will definitely start an inexperienced backup. And the Cleveland Browns? Well, they're just awful (and they're starting an unproven backup).

The next logical question that any self-respecting fantasy football owner should ask is: What defenses have the pleasure of going up against these quarterback-deficient offenses?

The Jets are facing the Baltimore Ravens, but their vaunted 'DST' isn't exactly a "fantasy find." However, both the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals, the other two respective opponents, are lower-tier defenses that could pay huge dividends in Week 2.

The Packers' main strong suit on defense is their secondary, so they should feast on either a banged-up Eli Manning or untested backup Jared Lorenzen. Add to that the injury to starting running back Brandon Jacobs, and you've got a recipe for defensive success.

The Bengals are coming off a six-turnover performance against the Ravens. They'll ride that confidence boost into Cleveland to face off against a completely hapless Browns offense that will be led by unknown quarterback Derek Anderson. Even if apparent golden boy Brady Quinn comes into the game and sparks a rally, it's likely that the 'DST' damage will have already been done. The more likely scenario, however, is that Quinn will add to Cleveland's offensive woes if he does happen to make an appearance.

OK, enough about defense. Let's throw out some skill position gems.

Dallas Cowboys wideout Patrick Crayton could be a nice pickup. He's going up against a beleaguered Miami Dolphins secondary that gave up several big plays against Washington in Week 1 and is now without arguably its best player in safety Yeremiah Bell (Achilles' injury).

Green Bay running back Brandon Jackson is another little-known contributor who could pay off in a big way Sunday. He's going up against an absolutely atrocious Giants defense and is coming off a game in which he was the team's featured back and its second-leading receiver. If regular starter Vernand Morency can't go, Jackson could be a valuable last-minute pickup.

Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is facing the Detroit Lions, so don't be surprised if a shootout ensues and Jackson ends up with a lot of rushing and throwing yards as well as a couple of touchdowns. After all, Adrian Peterson is one of his receiving targets.

I meant to make mention of New Orleans Saints tight end Eric Johnson last week, but in the end, I didn't. Expect him to grab his fair share of catches and maybe even find the end zone this week against a very average Tampa Bay defense. The Saints have made a habit of beating up on their NFC South counterparts, and they've made a concerted effort to utilize the tight end position more often. That means Johnson could be a really pleasant surprise for some forward-thinking fantasy owner.

As for a kicker, let's go with Jay Feely. The Dolphin scored seven points last week and should be in a position to improve upon that showing against a questionable Dallas defense. As a matter of fact, Feely should be a solid option all season long, because the Dolphins seem to be good at moving the ball but bad at finding the end zone.

Make sure to tune in next week when I go over Week 2's fantasy studs and duds.
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About Hugo Guzman

Co-founder of RealFootball365.com. Born in Argentina, of Dominican descent, living in Hoboken, but from Miami through and ...
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