Buccaneers: How valuable is the defense in fantasy football
As your fantasy football draft draws nearer and nearer, you might want to consider investing a late round pick in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.
Historically the Buccaneers franchise has not been much of a fantasy football factory. They’ve had some guys worth drafting here and there, but never have they been a team that is consistently mined for fantasy talent. Like a lot of aspects of the organization, the Bucs’ fantasy football value is improving. The offense, for starters, is oozing with fantasy football potential, be it from Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Jameis Winston, the pair of tight ends, or even Doug Martin. I would venture to say there has never been such high expectations from a Tampa Bay offense.
Today, however, I want to discuss the Buccaneer defense, and what their fantasy potential is for 2017. Similar to the Bucs offense, this is not a unit that has been worthy of drafting very often over the last decade. Also like the Bucs defense, it’s a unit on the rise with plenty of star potential. If you’re the type of fantasy player that likes to wait on a defense in your draft, then I suggest taking a long look at the Bucs.
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Aside from touchdowns, the primary thing you want out of a defense in fantasy is sacks, much the same as it is in real life. Sacks are worth a point in most fantasy leagues, and can breed fumbles and interceptions, both also worth a point. So for the Buccaneers, the first question you have to ask is: what’s their sack upside? We all know about their drought of ten-sack players going back to Simeon Rice; is this the year they finally break it? They certainly have the potential to, on paper. Noah Spence registered 5.5 as a rookie despite playing on a bum shoulder much of the season, and by all accounts he’s taken full advantage of this off-season. His teammate, Robert Ayers, who has ten sack potential of his own, predicted Spence could get as many as fifteen this year! A bold call, but it gives you an idea of the high expectations for this season.
The highest level of sack potential on this Buccaneer defense is unlocked by their deep group of defensive tackles. All-Pro Gerald McCoy is joined this season by veteran Chris Baker, and along with Clinton McDonald the group should be a nightmare for offensive lines. Expect that to pay off in fantasy football as well.
Another important component of drafting a fantasy defense is analyzing their schedule. This is where things get a little less predictable for the Buccaneers, as they play teams from polar opposite ends of the talent spectrum this year. Looking just at the quarterbacks, few teams face a tougher slate of divisional passers than the Bucs who have to take on Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, and Cam Newton twice each. Oh, and on top of those guys, the Bucs also face off against Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady this season. Sounds dire, right? Fortunately for the Bucs they face several weak quarterbacks in between all of those elite guys. The Dolphins, Bears, Vikings, Bills and Jets all have questionable quarterback situations, while the Cardinals, Giants and Lions each have quarterbacks prone to making bad decisions. In all, a balanced schedule, for as much as we can tell in the middle of July.
The best part about the Buccaneers defense this year in fantasy football is their affordability. Though expectations are high around Tampa for Mike Smith’s defense, the same cannot be said about the national perspective. In fantasy football rankings across the web the Bucs defense is underrated. On Yahoo, they’re 24th; on ESPN they’re 26th; on CBS they’re 13th and 16th. If you’re in a ten or twelve person league that means that you can potentially wait until the final couple of rounds before taking the Bucs, and in some leagues they may not get drafted at all. A cheap, high-upside fantasy investment if you ask me.
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The Buccaneer defense is safely ranked behind the Broncos, Texans, Vikings, Seahawks and a couple others, but if you’re stuck deciding between some of the lower ranked units, the Bucs are more than worth a look. Given their upside for sacks and turnovers along with some of the bad offenses they face, the Bucs make for a solid fantasy steal. Where does the Buccaneer defense sit in your own rankings?