Ravens defense

[Brees#1]

I have been hearing nothing but big things about the ravens defense this offseason, some even comparing it to 2000. If this is the case, when will they go off the board in the actual drafts if they don't play their hand? Will the prognosticators figure it out and rank them higher? Will someone draft them at the rounds the top defenses go off the boards? I think round 12 is a estimate for where they would go without all the intangibles but with the information out there will a smart owner who takes defenses in rounds 8-10 usually go after them there? This is the defense I want because otherwise I would be relying on FA defenses week to week until someone looks consistent.

Most teams nowadays do not play their hand in preseason, making preseason once again unimportant for the most part after it being important for a while. Raiders were one of the vanilla preseason teams last year. Ravens have won before so they know they don't have to prove anything in preseason so I am hoping they won't play their hand.

 

[SteelersPride]

ok

 

[Ojb81]

I have been hearing nothing but big things about the ravens defense this offseason, some even comparing it to 2000..

 

[Brees#1]

I'm just going off what I read.

 

[Sam Sportboy]

I have been hearing nothing but big things about the ravens defense this offseason, some even comparing it to 2000. If this is the case, when will they go off the board in the actual drafts if they don't play their hand? Will the prognosticators figure it out and rank them higher? Will someone draft them at the rounds the top defenses go off the boards? I think round 12 is a estimate for where they would go without all the intangibles but with the information out there will a smart owner who takes defenses in rounds 8-10 usually go after them there? This is the defense I want because otherwise I would be relying on FA defenses week to week until someone looks consistent.

Most teams nowadays do not play their hand in preseason, making preseason once again unimportant for the most part after it being important for a while. Raiders were one of the vanilla preseason teams last year. Ravens have won before so they know they don't have to prove anything in preseason so I am hoping they won't play their hand.

If you really want them you might want to think about the 4th round.............@TREFF and @averagejoe love them some early round defenses

 

[Brees#1]

ok

Does this by any chance have to do with your pats-owned steelers?

 

[TREFF]

If you really want them you might want to think about the 4th round.............@TREFF and @averagejoe love them some early round defenses

Absolutely, if i don't have a defense before i fill out my flex spot, i don't even bother filing out a lineup most weeks

 

[TKOSpikes]

I have a hard time believing there is an Ed Reed and Ray Lewis on this Ravens team.

 

[TKOSpikes]

Bye week, in week 10. First nine weeks, there are only a couple games I'd be worried about starting them. Home against Pittsburgh in week 4, and at Oakland in week 5.

After their bye, they start at Green Bay and finish home to Indy week 16. With Houston, Detroit and at Pittsburgh in between.

So, good to start the season, find a new team for the second half?

And although the schedule "looks" nice right now, that could change and I certainly would not suggest to draft a defense in rounds 8-10.

 

[femurov]

I feel like you have been fed some bad information. I live near Baltimore and listen to sports talk a lot and people are thinking they will be improved from the past couple seasons, but I doubt they will.come close to what they did in 2000. They usually go undrafted or get scooped up in the last round of mocks that I have been doing. Since I do live close, they are usually gone way before I would consider a defense in my real drafts.

 

[SteelersPride]

Does this by any chance have to do with your pats-owned steelers?

no because even if the ravens d is the best D in history, they may not be a great fantasy D. Fantasy points dont neccesarily make a great real life D

 

[SteelersPride]

i keep hearing they will be good, better, not great. They will def be imroved with some new talent, and some injury upgrades

 

[averagejoe]

If you really want them you might want to think about the 4th round.............@TREFF and @averagejoe love them some early round defenses

Lies. Lies. Lies.

Actually, I have a rather different take on fantasy D/ST. It's not that complicated.

I have this theory that defenses that are good in specific defensive categories (where most categories are not scored in fantasy) will eventually translate well in the fantasy realm.

Here are the 15 defensive statistical categories I rank from 1 to 32:

• Scoring
• Yards per play
• First downs allowed
• Rushing Attempts
• Rushing Yards
• Yards per Rush
• Passing Attempts
• Passing Yards
• Yards per Pass
• Time of Possession
• Turnovers
• Penalties
• 3rd Down %
• 4th Down %
• Strength of Schedule

Based on these categories these are the top 5 defenses from 2016 with their average ranking:

1) 8.4 New England
2) 9.2 Houston and Arizona (tie)
4) 10.1 Minnesota
5) 10.4 Baltimore​

Of the D/ST being drafted in the top 12:
One of the D/ST being drafted with below average statistics is the Kansas City Chiefs. Their ECR is 4 and their ADP is 2! But they rank 18th statistically (18.5 avg). To me that's a red flag. The LA Rams' ECR is 10 and their ADP is 12. But they're ranked 16th statistically (16.5).

I've only been using this criteria for the last 2 seasons. But it's worth noting that this method pointed to the Philadelphia Eagles as an undervalued D/ST for 2016. And it was spot on. Eagles finished 6th in standard scoring.

 

[Brees#1]

Bye week, in week 10. First nine weeks, there are only a couple games I'd be worried about starting them. Home against Pittsburgh in week 4, and at Oakland in week 5.

After their bye, they start at Green Bay and finish home to Indy week 16. With Houston, Detroit and at Pittsburgh in between.

So, good to start the season, find a new team for the second half?

And although the schedule "looks" nice right now, that could change and I certainly would not suggest to draft a defense in rounds 8-10.

They have given Pittsburgh fits at home.

 

[SteelersPride]

They have given Pittsburgh fits at home.

exactly 1/8 of their schedule

 

[Brees#1]

I feel like you have been fed some bad information. I live near Baltimore and listen to sports talk a lot and people are thinking they will be improved from the past couple seasons, but I doubt they will.come close to what they did in 2000. They usually go undrafted or get scooped up in the last round of mocks that I have been doing. Since I do live close, they are usually gone way before I would consider a defense in my real drafts.

Well, here are the games I could see them doing well.
Cle
vs.Jac
Pit
Chi
Mia(they own them and on short rest they definitely have the edge)
Hou(I don't think Watson is ready to go in that place and produce)
Ind(it is in Baltimore in December)

So I see maybe 7 games where they could get DDs. And games like Minnesota, Tennessee(because they tend to be bad at home), and Detroit are debatable. I'm not saying I will draft them but I need a sleeper defense.

 

[Brees#1]

Lies. Lies. Lies.

Actually, I have a rather different take on fantasy D/ST. It's not that complicated.

I have this theory that defenses that are good in specific defensive categories (where most categories are not scored in fantasy) will eventually translate well in the fantasy realm.

Here are the 15 defensive statistical categories I rank from 1 to 32:

• Scoring
• Yards per play
• First downs allowed
• Rushing Attempts
• Rushing Yards
• Yards per Rush
• Passing Attempts
• Passing Yards
• Yards per Pass
• Time of Possession
• Turnovers
• Penalties
• 3rd Down %
• 4th Down %
• Strength of Schedule

Based on these categories these are the top 5 defenses from 2016 with their average ranking:

1) 8.4 New England
2) 9.2 Houston and Arizona (tie)
4) 10.1 Minnesota
5) 10.4 Baltimore​

Of the D/ST being drafted in the top 12:
One of the D/ST being drafted with below average statistics is the Kansas City Chiefs. Their ECR is 4 and their ADP is 2! But they rank 18th statistically (18.5 avg). To me that's a red flag. The LA Rams' ECR is 10 and their ADP is 12. But they're ranked 16th statistically (16.5).

I've only been using this criteria for the last 2 seasons. But it's worth noting that this method pointed to the Philadelphia Eagles as an undervalued D/ST for 2016. And it was spot on. Eagles finished 6th in standard scoring.

So do you like the ravens this year? Seeing that Baltimore was fifth is interesting.

 

[averagejoe]

So do you like the ravens this year? Seeing that Baltimore was fifth is interesting.

Yes. I like Baltimore this year. Of the 15 categories, they had a top 10 finish in all except 4 of them.
I am concerned that their schedule is one of the tougher ones.
All defenses have a flaw or two. But if a D is good, it's good.