Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 6, 2012::

Playoff time is here in the NFL, and some very good matchups are coming, including a chance at redemption for a couple teams of games as both of Saturday’s game will be rematch of a regular season game when the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions get a second crack at the New Orleans Saints.

Out of the eight defenses available to fantasy football owners this week, five finished the regular season in the top 12 in fantasy points, and there is a definite line between the best options and those that should avoided.

Here’s a quick reminder of how to use the Bruno Boys Team Defense Star System to help you select a team defense for the critical week ahead.

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

**BEAT THE BRUNO BOYS $350 WILD CARD ROUND FREE CONTEST -  TOP 20 PAID**

We’ve partnered with DraftStreet.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  Through the first 17 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $6,900 in cash prizes. This week, we are offering a $350 free roll in which the TOP 20 win prize money. Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S FREE!!

Please use this link to enter:  Wild Card Round $350 Contest  (click to register)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (@ Denver)

The Steelers had the league’s top-ranked defense (271.8 yards per game) during the regular season, and they were also the best in the NFL against the pass (171.9 yards per game) in scoring defense (14.2 points per game). The results in fantasy football did not always follow, as they struggled to force turnovers, but allowing less than 10 points in five of their final six games helped them post at least nine fantasy points in those same five contests. They will now travel to take on the Denver Broncos this weekend and another dominant defensive effort is in the offing. Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow has struggled in recent weeks, and the team turned the ball over multiple times in each of their final five regular season games (13 total). The absence of safety Ryan Clark does hurt, but the Pittsburgh defense still has more than enough talent elsewhere to contain a limited Denver offense.
Bruno Boys Stars:*****

2. Houston Texans (vs. Cincinnati)

Houston had a big turnaround defensively in 2011, finishing second in the NFL in total defense (285.7 yards per game) and in the top five in pass defense (third), run defense (fourth) and scoring defense (fourth) as well. The results from a fantasy perspective followed, despite a poor finish, as the Texans had the fifth-most fantasy points in ESPN leagues. They will take on the Cincinnati Bengals for the second time this season on Saturday, so a strong performance should be coming. In Week 14, Houston held Cincinnati to 286 yards of offense while forcing two turnovers and registering one sack in the game. Outside of wide receiver A.J. Green the Bengals do not have a lot of explosive talent offensively, so fantasy football owners should once again place the Houston defense toward the top of their list of starting options this week.
Bruno Boys Stars:*****

3. Denver Broncos (vs. Pittsburgh)

Denver finished the season as a decidedly mediocre defense, ranking between 18th and 24th in the league across the board statistically as well as around the middle of pack in fantasy points (93 points-ESPN scoring). Wild Card weekend brings a favorable-looking matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will be without running back Rashard Mendenhall (knee) and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) is still banged up. The Steelers did finish the regular season 12th in total offense (372.3 yards per game), but they were tied for 21st in scoring offense (20.3 points per game) and scored less than 20 points in four of their last six games. It could be a very low scoring contest on Sunday, and the Broncos’ defense is a good starting defense with some upside for this week.
Bruno Boys Stars:****

4. Cincinnati Bengals (@ Houston)

Cincinnati had the NFL’s seventh-best defense during the regular season (316.3 yards per game), and they also finished in the top 10 in scoring defense, pass defense and run defense. Their results from a fantasy football perspective took a dive during the second half of the season, as they posted double-digit fantasy points just twice in their final nine games, but a chance to rebound will come this weekend against the Houston Texans. The Texans’ lost quarterback T.J. Yates to a shoulder injury during last week’s game, but he is on track to play in Saturday’s game at this point. When the two teams played in Week 14, the Bengals forced four turnovers and allowed less than 300 yards of offense to the Texans, and a similar performance this week is not out of the question even with Texans’ wide receiver Andre Johnson active for the game. There is some downside here, but the Cincinnati defense is a worth taking a chance on for fantasy owners that lose out on one of the top tier options this week.
Bruno Boys Stars:***

**BEAT THE BRUNO BOYS $350 WILD CARD ROUND FREE CONTEST -  TOP 20 PAID**

We’ve partnered with DraftStreet.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  Through the first 17 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $6,900 in cash prizes. This week, we are offering a $350 free roll in which the TOP 20 win prize money. Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S FREE!!

Please use this link to enter:  Wild Card Round $350 Contest  (click to register)

5. Atlanta Falcons (@ New York Giants)

The Falcons finished 12th in the NFL in total defense (333.6 yards per game) for the regular season, and also wound up in the top half of the league in terms of fantasy points (110) despite being somewhat inconsistent in that regard. They did finish well, with 12 turnovers forced in their final four games and two defensive touchdowns in that span, which lends some hope for Wild Card weekend against the New York Giants even in a tough matchup. The Giants ended up in the top 10 in total offense (eighth), passing offense (fifth) and scoring offense (ninth) this season. The possibility for turnovers if Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning has an erratic performance is here, but otherwise there is not a lot of upside here for fantasy owners considering using the Atlanta defense this week.
Bruno Boys Stars:**

6. New York Giants (vs. Atlanta)

The Giants finished the regular season 27th in the NFL in total defense (376.4 yards per game), including 29th against the pass (255.1 yards per game). They did end strongly, with a total of 25 fantasy points in Week 16 and Week 17, but this Sunday brings a significant challenge with the Atlanta Falcons coming to town. The Falcons finished 10th in the league in total offense (376.6 yards per game) and were also in the top 10 in passing offense (eighth) and scoring offense (25.1 points per game). Atlanta has a well-balanced offense with weapons all over the field, so fantasy owners should avoid the Giants’ defense at all costs.
Bruno Boys Stars:**

7. New Orleans Saints (vs. Detroit)

New Orleans finished the regular season fairly strongly on the defensive side of the ball, allowing less than 20 points in four of their last five games, but that did not translate into results for fantasy football owners. The Saints’ defense did not post double-digit fantasy points (ESPN scoring) after Week 8 and finished with the fourth-fewest fantasy points overall. Now they will take on the Detroit Lions and the league’s fifth-best offense (396.1 yards per game) on Wild Card weekend, so a big turnaround looks unlikely. The Saints held the Lions to 13 points back in Week 13, but Detroit did pile up 468 yards of offense and quarterback Matt Stafford threw for over 400 yards in the game as well. It looks likely to be a shootout at the Superdome on Saturday, and the Saints’ defense is only startable for the most desperate of fantasy football owners.
Bruno Boys Stars:*

8. Detroit Lions (@ New Orleans)

The Lions’ defense ended the season poorly, allowing at least 27 offensive points in five of their final seven games. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was suspended for two of those games, but they were still at best an inconsistent unit from a fantasy football perspective all season. Things will not be any easier this weekend against the New Orleans Saints, who ended the regular season No.1 in the league in total offense (467.1 yards per game) and second in scoring offense (34.2 points per game). When the two teams played in Week 13, the Saints scored 31 points with 438 yards of offense as the Lions were without Suh and did not force a turnover in the game. Suh will be active for Saturday night’s game, but there is way too much downside here to make the Detroit defense a usable fantasy option.
Bruno Boys Stars:*

WILD CARD ROUND RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)