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Streaming Defenses- Week 17

Week sixteen is officially over and now it is time to take a look at our “team to stream” in week seventeen.

Analysis: This week we will take the Philly defense on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo will not be playing and Kyle Orton will be at the helm for the Cowboys. Orton has only thrown 15 passes over the last two seasons, so we will count on rust playing a huge factor this week.

The Eagles on the other hand have played great fantasy defense in three of their last four games. Chicago could have wrapped up the NFC North on Sunday night but the Philly defense recorded 5 sacks, 2 turnovers, a safety and a touchdown. The Philly defense does not have good numbers this year which can be attributed to time of possession. But the extra time on defense isn’t all that bad when it comes to sacks(17th in NFL), fumble recoveries(6th) and interceptions(8th). The Philly D/ST is available in over 90% of fantasy leagues.

The Pittsburgh defense is another unit to consider in week seventeen. The Steelers are at home against the Browns who have 15 turnovers during their current six game losing streak. The Pittsburgh defense is available in 30% of fantasy leagues.

Week 16 RB Recap

CJ Spiller and Chris Ivory each carried the ball twenty times in their week sixteen contests.

Analysis: CJ Spiller rushed for 77 yards on 20 carries and tacked on 26 receiving yards on Sunday afternoon against Miami. Spiller is averaging 15 carries, 79 rushing yards and 15 receiving yards over his last four games. Although Spiller is available in about 2% of fantasy leagues he is only being started in just over half of all leagues. Up next for Spiller is the New England Patriots. The Patriots rank 31st in rushing yards allowed and 24th in yards per carry against.

Chris Ivory is another back coming on strong. Ivory is averaging 15 carries and 78 rushing yards over his last four games. Ivory carried the rock 20 times for 109 yards today against the Browns who have a top ten defense against the run this year. Chris Ivory is available in 10-20% of fantasy leagues at the moment. Up next for Ivory is the Miami Dolphins. Miami is 22nd in rushing yards allowed and 17th in yards per carry against this year.

Under The Radar- Channing Frye

Channing Frye is not your typical fantasy big man but he is putting up numbers that merit roster consideration.

Analysis: Frye has averaged 14.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3.2 3PM in his last five games. He’s shooting 47% from the field this season and shoots 81% from the stripe for his career. This year he’s averaging 0.8 BPG and 0.9 SPG in 27 minutes of floor time per night.

The former Arizona product has dual position eligibility(PF/C). He will hurt you a bit in blocks and rebounds but his three ball is elite at his position. He currently ranks 3rd among power forwards in three pointers made. Channing Frye is available in 40-50% of fantasy leagues.

Another interesting power forward is Glen Davis. He’s not a sexy fantasy power forward but he’s getting the job done. In his last five games his line looks like this- 7.2 RPG, 10.6 PPG, 48% FG, 0.8 BPG, 0.8 SPG. The biggest asset Davis has going for him is his floor time, he’s averaging 31 minutes per game this year which is a top fifteen mark for power forwards. He is available in 25-70% of fantasy leagues.

Streaming Defenses- Week 16

Week fifteen is officially over and now it is time to take a look at our “team to stream” in week sixteen.

Analysis: This week we will take the Detroit defense at home against the New York Giants. The Detroit defense held the Ravens to just 18 points on six field goals Monday night. Joe Flacco recorded a 70.3 passer rating and was sacked once. Eli Manning on the other hand threw 5 interceptions in his week fifteen contest and has 25 picks this year.

The Giants have been very poor on offense this season. They rank 28th in yards, 30th in points per game, 31st in turnover margin and 31st in passer rating. Eli Manning has thrown just 2 touchdown passes to 8 interceptions in his last three games.

The Detroit defense has been playing well of late but they are an average unit for the year. They rank 16th in yards per game, 16th in points per game, 28th in sacks and 16th in interceptions. The Detroit D/ST is available in over 90% of fantasy leagues.

You may want to consider the St. Louis and Denver defenses if they are available. St. Louis is at home against Tampa Bay and Denver is on the road against Houston who are on a twelve game losing streak.

Stock Rising- Alex Smith

Alex Smith threw 5 touchdown passes Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.

Analysis: Smith has thrown at least 2 touchdown passes in each of his last five games. He has 14 passing touchdowns to just 2 interceptions in that five game span. He’s on fire and will make it very difficult on fantasy owners in the coming weeks.

Up next for Smith is the Colts at home in week sixteen. The Indy defense is 15th in the NFL in passing yards against, 15th in sacks and 20th in quarterback rating against. Smith will be in San Diego the following week. The Chargers are 29th in passing yards against, 21st in sacks and 30th in passer rating against.

In week sixteen Drew Brees is in Carolina, Matt Ryan is in San Fran and Russell Wilson has the Cardinals at home, so difficult quarterback decisions will have to be made. At the moment Alex Smith is available in 20-30% of fantasy leagues.