Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

15. (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Denver Broncos

The biggest surprise in Baltimore has been the role reversal of what has made the team successful. The Ravens offense is putting up points, but their defense is no longer shutting their opponents down at a great rate. Baltimore has allowed 332.7 yards and 21.7 points with 14 sacks and 9 turnovers. With the match up against a Denver Broncos offense that has showed they can put up points, plus the way the Ravens played in their last game against the Minnesota Vikings, you have to be concerned about putting this unit into your lineup. The Ravens may put up an average week, but there isn’t a ton of upside here.
Bruno Boys Stars: ***

16. (Detroit Lions) vs. St. Louis Rams

The defense many guys will run out to pick up this week will be the Detroit Lions, who face the awful St. Louis Rams. Remember this, you are picking up a defense who consistently has been ranked near the bottom of our rankings every week. An example of the type of game the Lions defense could put up is something similar to what the Jacksonville Jaguars did against the Rams, which is not a very good day. Detroit has allowed 370.8 yards and 31.3 points with 15 sacks and 8 turnovers. The numbers the Lions defense has put up shows they can not be trusted to have a solid day even with the Rams on the schedule. In fact, ranking them this high is being generous. 
Bruno Boys Stars: **

17. (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Dallas Cowboys defense had a strong game against the Atlanta Falcons, shutting a potent offense down for most of the game. This match up with the Seattle Seahawks could turn out the same way, as their offense can either be hot as fire or cold as ice. With the game possibly going either way, it’s tough to project exactly how the Cowboys defense will do. They have yet to play up to the talent level they possess and may not be able to shut down Seattle all game long. On the season, Dallas has allowed 347.8 yards and 19.8 points per game while totaling 14 sacks and 7 turnovers. With a lot of questions, we suggest you simply take a pass on the Cowboys defense this week.
Bruno Boys Stars: **

18. (Buffalo Bills) vs. Houston Texans

The Buffalo Bills defense has been very good this season in terms of fantasy points, with good sack (16) and turnover (15) numbers on the year. Their yards (362.9) and points (19.7) per game are not fantastic and show that teams can get their yards on them any given week. On separate occasions, running games and passing games have had their success against the Bills. With Houston having a good balance on offense, they will bring a good test to Buffalo’s defense. Expect the Bills to struggle and not be worth a start this week.
Bruno Boys Stars: **

19. (Jacksonville Jaguars) @ Tennessee Titans

The Jaguars will have a favorable match up this week when they take on the Tennessee Titans, an offense who is in turmoil mostly due to their quarterback situation. We’ve seen in the past even with a bad team on the schedule, the Jaguars defense simply does not do enough to make it fantasy worthy. Tennessee does possess some ability to put points on the board with stud runner Chris Johnson, meaning they can still put up a good day on this sub par defense. In 2009, Jacksonville has given up 360.8 yards and 24.5 points per game with a league low 5 sacks and 10 turnovers. 
Bruno Boys Stars: **

20. (Oakland Raiders) @ San Diego Chargers

Remember the Oakland Raiders defense that played well against the San Diego Chargers in Week 1? It’s tough to say they’re the same kind of unit, after playing great in a win versus the Philadelphia Eagles but playing terrible in a loss to the New York Jets. With the up and down play by Oakland, you can never trust them enough to play them on a week-to-week basis. The Chargers offense has gotten a lot better since Week 1 and should dominate in this match up. This season the Raiders have allowed 377.1 yards and 25.3 points per game while adding 16 sacks and 8 turnovers. We here at the Bruno Boys believe you can rely on a better option this week then Oakland.
Bruno Boys Stars: **

21. (Carolina Panthers) @ Arizona Cardinals

Throughout the year, we have mentioned how the Carolina Panthers defense is owned in too many leagues. The last couple of weeks they were good enough to make spot starts, but now it is time to release the Carolina Panthers defense back onto the waiver wire. Their game this week against the Arizona Cardinals does not offer a lot of promise for a big fantasy day plus Carolina didn’t take advantage of being a solid defense when they did have a favorable match up. This year the Panthers have given up 282.8 yards and 24.2 points with the addition of 15 sacks and 7 turnovers. Continue making Carolina a spot start defense if you can, as they can’t be trusted for much else. 
Bruno Boys Stars: **

22. (St. Louis Rams) @ Detroit Lions

The Rams defense has yet to show any semblance of a somewhat decent group and last week they traded away one of their best players in linebacker Will Weatherspoon. The match up shows some promise with the Detroit Lions on the schedule but really, you simply cannot trust the defensive unit of St. Louis. On the year, the Rams have allowed 385.4 yards and 30.1 points with 12 sacks and 8 turnovers.
Bruno Boys Stars: *

23. (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Indianapolis Colts

Just a few weeks ago, the 49ers were considered a must add after their big fantasy day against the St. Louis Rams. After a let down against the Atlanta Falcons, the 49ers had a bye week to repair their unit and put up an average day at best against the Houston Texans. Now, they face one of the best offenses in the NFL in the Indianapolis Colts. Even if you are hanging on to the Sane Francisco defense, they’re definitely not worth starting this week. This season the 49ers have allowed 324.8 yards and 20.3 points per game while adding 13 sacks and 10 turnovers. 
Bruno Boys Stars: *

24. (Tennessee Titans) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The woes for the Tennessee Titans defense will likely not be cured with a bye week, meaning they will continue to struggle throughout the season. While the team has a chance to steal a victory, their defense will still be near the bottom in fantasy points for yet another week. This year Tennessee has given up 405.7 yards and 33 points per game while totaling 11 sacks and 8 turnovers. Jacksonville doesn’t have the best offense, but even against a mediocre opponent, the Titans are not worth starting. 
Bruno Boys Stars: *

25. (Atlanta Falcons) vs. New Orleans Saints

The Falcons defense has yet to recapture their great performance from Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers and the unit will not come even close this week on Monday night. You simply cannot stop the New Orleans Saints offense entirely, as you can only hope to contain them. Atlanta’s defense does not have the talent to stop all the playmakers on the offensive end for the Saints. This year, the Falcons have allowed 368.3 yards and 19 points per game while totaling 12 sacks and 13 turnovers. This game for the Atlanta defense has disaster written all over it.
Bruno Boys Stars: *

26. (Cleveland Browns) @ Chicago Bears

It’s not that the Chicago Bears offense is a high-flying attack but simply the Cleveland Browns defense is simply terrible. Outside of the ugly game against the Buffalo Bills, the Browns defense has been nothing more than a complete joke. This season Cleveland has allowed 414.9 yards and 25.6 points per game with 12 sacks and 11 turnovers. No matter who their playing, its going to be rare seeing the Bruno Boys justify a start for this unit, as they do not have the playmakers to make a difference for your fantasy football team.
Bruno Boys Stars: *

WEEK 8 BYE WEEK DEFENSES

Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals defense has been quite a surprise this season and last week against the Chicago Bears they showed they may be able to have success even without stud defensive end Antwan Odom. This year Cincinnati has allowed 341.3 yards and 18.3 points per game while adding 17 sacks and 12 turnovers. Their best match ups moving forward will be against the Oakland Raiders (Week 12), Cleveland Browns (Week 12), Detroit Lions (Week 13), and Kansas City Chiefs (Week 16). 

Kansas City Chiefs - No surprise the struggles Kansas City has had on defense considering the amount of younger players they have on the unit. This season they have given up 383.1 yards and 25.9 points per game with only 9 sacks and 8 turnovers. While we advise never putting the Chiefs defensive unit into your lineup, the best times to do so would be when they play the Oakland Raiders (Week 10), Buffalo Bills (Week 14), and Cleveland Browns (Week 15).

New England Patriots - New England’s defense has done quite well this season despite losing a few of the core veterans off its unit. Through the year, the Patriots have allowed 285.7 yards and 14 points per game while adding 13 sacks and 15 turnovers. New England is a top 10 defense moving forward and could probably start every week. If you like to play the match ups, the best time to use the Patriots defense would be against the Carolina Panthers (Week 14), Buffalo Bills (Week 15), and Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 16).

Pittsburgh Steelers - The Pittsburgh Steelers defense may not be playing up to its number one ranking they got in the preseason, but even without having safety Troy Polamalu a few games and losing defensive end Aaron Smith for the year, they are a solid unit. Pittsburgh has given up 291 yards and 18.4 points per game while tacking on 21 sacks and 10 turnovers. The Steelers defense is a must start on any week but the best times to play them will be against the Kansas City Chiefs (Week 11), Oakland Raiders (Week 13), and Cleveland Browns (Week 14).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - From being one of the best defenses in the NFL to one of the worst. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t seem to stop anyone on their schedule, which may be in part due to their defunct offensive attack. Tampa Bay has allowed 376.4 yards and 29 points per game with 11 sacks and 11 turnovers. Never should you have to play the Buccaneers defense, but if you must, their game against the Carolina Panthers (Week 14) may be the only time you can.

Washington Redskins - Washington’s defense has been quite solid this season even with their inept offensive attack. Remember who those numbers for the Redskins defense came up against though: St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and Kansas City Chiefs sandwiched by the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. Washington’s schedule doesn’t get much easier after their bye week, meaning the window to use this defense may be all but closed. This season the Redskins defense has allowed 283.4 yards and 17.6 points per game while totaling 18 sacks and 7 turnovers. If you want to keep a hold of the Washington defense, their game against the Oakland Raiders (Week 14) will be the best time to play the Redskins.

Week 8 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF    (click to read)

Week 8 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  | SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 8 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE      (click to read)

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