Defenses to start in Week 9
By: Jake Rajala
Defense wins Championships. Well, I’m going to lay out defenses to start in fantasy in Week 9. Let’s begin.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots nicely scored 19 points in Week 7. Well, they didn’t slow down, as they unleashed 11 points last week. They have a rich history of having many elite performers on defense. Harold Landry is their best edge rusher (with 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble). K’Lavon Chaisson also has 4.5 sacks. The Pats are fourth in PPG allowed, which is quite impressive.
Los Angeles Rams
The LA Rams get to face off against arguably the worst QB in the league in Tyler Shough on the New Orleans Saints. The Rams have given up the seventh least passing YPG. Furthermore, they have the second most sacks in the league. No Aaron Donald, no problem. Byron Young is playing like an All-Pro and Jared Verse is picking it up a step after a modest 2024 season. He has four sacks and three forced fumbles. The Rams are also third in the league in PPG allowed.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos have 36 sacks on the season. They were also first in sacks last season. The next closest team is the LA Chargers with 26 sacks. Vance Joseph is making a serious push to be a head coach again. The DEN defense has had 13 and 16 points. They play the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott arguably had his worst showing of the season against DEN. He threw zero TDs to two ints. Nik Bonitto might be a Top-5 pass rusher, as well. Patrick Surtain is a little banged up, but he should be healthy within a few games.
Los Angeles Chargers
The LA Chargers are coming off an impressive performance on defense, as they scored 12 points last weekend. They have the perfect opportunity to dazzle as they play against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are 32nd in points scored on the season. They are eighth in sacks thus far. The Chargers pass rusher Khalil Mack is just starting to heat up in his return. Derwin James returned to practice and he could return to the line-up soon.
Green Bay Packers
Micah Parsons, who is a regular DPOY candidate, is just starting to heat up. Let’s not forget about Rashan Gary on the other side, too. He has had 7.5 sacks, which is fifth in the league. The Packers face off against the Carolina Panthers, who appear to be starting Andy Dalton in Week 9. That’s far from intimidating. I would like to see more help on the back-end for the Packers, however.
Chicago Bears
The Bears defense has been playing lights out over the past few weeks, largely due to the mind of Dennis Allen. Sure, they aren’t the 1985 Bears defense. They still have four games of double digit points. I will give them a pass for 2 points in Week 8. I don’t love the Bengals offense. The scored 38 points, but it came against the New York Jets. Cincy only scored 18 points against the Packers.
Indianpolis Colts
The Colts have a lot of talent, whether it’s on offense or defense. I love their matchup against the Aaron Rodgers, who isn’t the Hall of Famer we’re accustomed to seeing. The Colts defense is second in turnovers (right behind the Bears). The Colts have shown to stomp average offenses. They scored 14 points against the Dolphins, 15 points against the Titans, and 17 points against the Raiders.
There are a plethora of defenses that shine in unique ways. Some of these defenses excel at rushing the passer, stopping the run, getting turnovers, or are blatantly stingy and don’t break.
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