New York Jets Defense Worth Starting This Week?

The New York Jets are not a good team. They don’t have a wide receiver anyone not related to them will recognize. Their quarterback is the best of a trio of bad options, and their running game is pedestrian on a good day. Will their cheerleaders be the highlight of the week?

They are pretty much what fans expected after the team dumped most of the high-priced talent it had during the offseason.

However, for daily fantasy purposes, the Jets do have one redeeming quality—their defense.

Last week they held the Miami Dolphins to just six points, had three sacks, and made two interceptions.

They were torched by Derek Carr and the Raiders but they were not bad against Buffalo in Week One (one interception, two sacks).

So, why start them this week?

For one, they will likely be an inexpensive team which will free you up to spend more on other positions. But along with being cheap, they have a ton of potential upside. Yes, Blake Bortles played a brilliant game last week in London (like he is prone to do). But he often has one of his better performances of the season while across the pond.

This week, now that he’s back in the continental United States, chances are it will be back to normal for him. Doug Marrone will probably try to limit his opportunities to screw up. But it’s impossible to factor him out completely.

When you factor in a defensive front that can rush as well as the Jet, you have a recipe for offensive disaster. Leonard Fournette will help minimize the damage, but the Jaguars will have to trust him to some degree.

Whatever that degree of trust is, it will be a mistake—and what makes starting the Jets defense worthwhile. They may only give you a couple of sacks and an interception against Jacksonville. But they could also give you four sacks, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a pick-6 (low risk, high reward).

Jacksonville– and especially Blake Bortles — is that accident-prone and the Jets still have enough talent on defense to capitalize on Jacksonville’s misfortunes.

Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, Or The Detroit Lions Defense?

When Sam Bradford exploded on the New Orleans Saints during Week One for 346 yards and three touchdowns, his fans felt vindicated. For the last year they’ve been saying he just needed time with the Vikings to live up to his potential. He finally got in the offseason and sure enough—he was awesome.

But then he missed the last two weeks due to a knee injury. He hasn’t been ruled out for this week and the team says they are preparing him to play—but he has not practiced. He was given Wednesday off to rest, but why does a guy who hasn’t played or practiced for two weeks need rest?

After how he played last week, fans would not mind if Case Keenum got another start. The journeyman QB has not had a stellar career, and he didn’t look good two weeks ago against Pittsburgh. But he absolutely lit the Tampa Bay defense up (25-33 for 369 yards and three touchdowns).

He had the kind of daily fantasy owners dream about.

But the real question is

Can he do it against the Detroit Lions defense?

The Lions have faced some good quarterbacks (Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, and Matt Ryan). No one has thrown for 300+ yards on them (Ryan came the closest with 294). They have at least one interception in each game and had three off Palmer and Ryan. But the pass rush has only generated six sacks, five of which came against the horrendous Giants offensive line.

So—who do you start?

The turnovers make the Lions defense enticing, but so does Keenum’s day last week and Bradford’s day against the Saints. Who—if anyone – can you trust?

If Bradford get the start he will not be worth the risk. He’ll likely be a little tentative considering his injury history. Then there is the risk of reinjuring whatever was bothering him. If he isn’t one hundred percent the Lions would be foolish to put him out there. Since he isn’t practicing, it is hard to believe he could be.

The kind of day Keenum had against Tampa Bay makes him an intriguing start. With a pair of really good receivers, an excellent tight end, and a good, young running back it is not hard to imagine him having another great day.

However, his great days have been few and far between during his time in the NFL.

The Lions defense has looked great, and could eat Keenum or Bradford alive.

If you must…

Keenum is the only option worth considering, but only if you are willing to take on a substantial amount of risk. As always, check out the pro Lineup Builder for more information.

Jared Goff A Good Start Against Dallas?

To win at daily fantasy games, it helps to find the diamond in the rough; the player no one has high expectations for but could blow up against the right team. That guy will come cheaper than the rest, and if everything goes your way, will help you win. There is a very good chance Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff could be that guy this week.

This Season

He has completed 70.4 percent of his passes, averaged 10.4 yards an attempt and has five touchdown passes (half of his total from last season). He’s got one 300+ yard game under his belt and a 3 touchdown game as well.

Sounds like a pretty good fantasy day, right? Of course, his success has to be taken with a grain of salt. His best two days were against the lowly Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers. Who doesn’t rip those teams?

But the real question is

Whether he can do it against the Dallas Cowboys next week.

The Dallas defense dominated in Week One, but the Giants offense is terrible, so that isn’t much of an accomplishment. Denver’s offense isn’t considered anything special, but Trevor Siemian ripped the Dallas defense for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Carson Palmer was hit a lot, but he still threw for 300+ and 2 touchdowns.

It sounds like the Cowboys defense could be ripe for the picking.

Should you start Goff?

Before answering that, keep in mind the possibility of the Rams running the ball a lot. Todd Gurley is a better running back than C.J. Anderson. If Anderson can gash the Cowboys, it is not hard to imagine Gurley doing the same. That could limit Goff’s chances, but it could also open things up if the Cowboys try to stack the box to stop him.

The only problem could be if the Cowboys find similar success with three down linemen, six defensive back lineup like they did against Arizona.

So—should you give him a shot?

There is an element of risk involved since Goff doesn’t have a history of success. But he has a great arsenal at his disposal, an offensive line that is playing well, and he’ll be facing a suspect secondary. If you are okay with the risk, he could be an excellent addition to your lineup.