Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

—Written by Brad Berreman
—Edited by Marc Caviglia
—Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 21, 2012::

Even in today’s quarterback-driven NFL, defense still seems to be an important factor in winning championships. Fantasy football owners have two of the top three defenses in ESPN leagues from the regular season (San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens) available this week, and two more (New York Giants, New England Patriots) that have looked good thus far in the playoffs.

Before we get going with our rankings for the Conference Championship games, here is a refresher on how to use our “Bruno Boys Star System” for ranking team defenses.

BRUNO BOYS DEFENSIVE STAR SYSTEM

5-Stars (*****)- Bruno Boys Top Plays of the Week
4-Stars (****)- Bruno Boys Very Solid Plays of the Week
3-Stars (*** - Bruno Boys Average Plays of the Week
2-Stars (**)- Bruno Boys Try To Avoid Playing This Week
1-Star (*)- Bruno Boys Do Not Start Unless You Have To

1. San Francisco 49ers (vs. New York Giants)

The 49ers’ defense continued to be a top option for fantasy football owners last week against the New Orleans Saints, as they forced five turnovers and registered four sacks despite allowing 32 points and 472 offensive yards. Things will be slightly easier this week against the New York Giants, but the Giants have scored 61 offensive points in their two playoff games along with one total turnover. When the teams played back in Week 10, the 49ers allowed 20 points and 305 yards of offenseto the Giants while forcing two turnovers with one sack in the game. A fairly similar performance should be expected this week, and the upside for even better makes the San Francisco defense a top tier fantasy option once again this week.
Bruno Boys Stars:****

2. New York Giants (@ San Francisco)

The Giants held the previously prolificGreen Bay Packers to 20 points last week, and they also forced four turnovers and sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers four times in the game. A matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game looks much easier, though the 49ers are coming off scoring 36 points with over 400 yards of offense against the New Orleans Saints last week. All things considered, the Giants defense is playing very well right now and the potential for rain in San Francisco on Sunday night may make for a low-scoring game. Fantasy football owners should right the hot hand here and consider the Giants’ defense a rock-solid starting option for this week.
Bruno Boys Stars:****

3. Baltimore Ravens (@ New England)

Baltimore had a strong defensive effort against the Houston Texans last week, as they allowed 13 points while forcing four turnovers in the game. A much more challenging matchup is coming this weekend against the New England Patriots, who had one of the league’s top offenses during the regular season and are coming off scoring 45 points against the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. Ravens’ safety Ed Reed is dealing with an ankle issue suffered late in last week’s game, but he has to be expected to play at this point even if he is limited by the injury. If the Ravens can put some pressure on Tom Brady they may be able to contain the Patriots’ offense, but there is too much downside here for fantasy owners to regard this unit as a top option this week.
Bruno Boys Stars:***

4. New England Patriots (vs. Baltimore)

The Patriots had arguably their best defensive performance of the season against the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, as they allowed just 10 points and 252 yards of offense while sacking quarterback Tim Tebow five times. The going will be a little tougher this week against the Baltimore Ravens, who have enough talent in the passing game to take advantage of a bad New England pass defense. The Patriots did force multiple turnovers in eight of their final nine regular season games, so they may be able to create some opportunities in that regard. That said, there is not a lot of upside here and fantasy owners should look elsewhere for a starting defense if possible.