Albert, Bob and Shawne

October 7, 2008 4:08pm CDT

Fantasy football centers around individual players on offense, and leagues typically give only a token nod to defenses, as a whole. When fantasy owners are forecasting the week ahead, usually you look at the player performance, player health, how the rest of the offense is doing, and how that week’s opposing defense is operating, as a whole. In most cases, examining defenses as a unit is a safe stance. Eleven starters plus a handful of key backups need to all play well together for most defenses to function properly.

However, there seem to be some rare exceptions to that thought. Three AFC defenses (Colts, Titans, Chargers) appear to revolve around three stud performers, and fantasy football owners need to be aware of these Pro Bowl talents when setting their lineups. Fortunately for the offensive-minded fantasy leaguers, one of these guys (Shawne Merriman) is already out for the season. His impact is still worth measuring, though. We’ll also look at Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and Colts safety Bob Sanders.

Painsworth

Until last year, Haynesworth was known more for stomping on Andre Gurode’s face than for his dominant play. He also kicked teammate Justin Hartwig during a training camp practice. The 2006 incident earned Haynesworth a five-game suspension. Last season, Haynesworth missed three full games due to a hamstring injury and limped down the stretch. Still, he was dominant enough to earn his first Pro Bowl ticket and a franchise tag. Between the 2006 suspension and the 2007 hamstring injury, we can easily see how much the Titans miss Haynesworth when he is out.

Games with Haynesworth: 30 (including playoffs)
Points/game allowed: 18.4
Rush yards/game allowed: 106.9
Rush average allowed: 4.04
Rush TD/game allowed: 0.96
Pass yards/game allowed: 205.4
Pass TD/game allowed: 0.96
Sacks/game: 2.40

Games without Haynesworth: 8
Points/game allowed: 27.4
Rush yards/game allowed: 141.3
Rush average allowed: 4.65
Rush TD/game allowed: 1.00
Pass yards/game allowed: 222.4
Pass TD/game allowed: 2.25
Sacks/game: 1.25

These numbers would be even more skewed if we had only looked at 2007 and 2008. The surprising differences show up in the passing numbers. The Titans are a very good pass defense with a solid rush when Haynesworth in there. Without the big tackle, Jeff Fisher’s pass defense has been easily picked on by opposing quarterbacks. Of course, the biggest, bottom line difference is that there is a nine-point swing when Haynesworth is out. And fantasy owners are finding out this year what happens when the Titans surround Haynesworth, Keith Bulluck, and Kyle Vanden Bosch with some talented defensive backs. Starting anyone but an elite-level fantasy stud against this defense seems like a bad idea right now.

The Hitman
Sanders was voted as the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year for good reason. The Colts led the league in fewest points allowed (16.4) and finished third in fewest total yards allowed (279.7). Sanders played a career-high 15 games after appearing in only eight contests (four regular season, four playoffs) in 2006. The two-time Pro Bowl safety is missing time again this year due to a high ankle sprain. He has been plagued by foot, rib, knee, hand, hamstring, calf, concussion, upper arm, wrist, back, shoulder, and chest injuries in the past. We probably even missed a few in that list. The numbers from 2006-08 tell the tale of Sanders’s value well, though.

Games with Sanders: 26 (including playoffs)
Points/game allowed: 18.1
Rush yards/game allowed: 121.1
Rush average allowed: 4.23
Rush TD/game allowed: 0.65
Pass yards/game allowed: 180.7
Pass TD/game allowed: 1.04

Games without Sanders: 15
Points/game allowed: 22.6
Rush yards/game allowed: 167.7
Rush average allowed: 5.11
Rush TD/game allowed: 1.33
Pass yards/game allowed: 153.1
Pass TD/game allowed: 0.80

With Sanders, the Colts are a tough defense (18 PPG) with a so-so run-stopping unit. When Bob is out, they practically melt down into the league’s worst rush defense. The solid passing numbers are due in part to talent but also due to the fact that offenses don’t need to air it out when they can run so well. From a fantasy perspective, you always start a running back against the Colts when Sanders is out of the lineup. Opposing running backs are still useful when Sanders is active, but you at least need to consider your other options.


Lights Out
As with Sanders and Haynesworth, we’ll focus on Merriman’s contributions since the start of the 2006 season. He began to make an impact midway through his rookie campaign, when he finally cracked the starting lineup in Week 7. In 2006, Merriman missed four games due to a drug suspension. He played all but one game (knee) in 2007, and we all know he is out for the 2008 campaign due to left knee surgery. All of that time on the shelf gives us plenty of data.

Games with Merriman: 32 (including playoffs)
Points/game allowed: 17.7
Rush yards/game allowed: 104.7
Rush average allowed: 4.16
Rush TD/game allowed: 0.63
Pass yards/game allowed: 204.8
Pass TD/game allowed: 1.25
Sacks/game: 3.03

Games without Merriman: 9
Points/game allowed: 24.9
Rush yards/game allowed: 100.7
Rush average allowed: 4.01
Rush TD/game allowed: 0.78
Pass yards/game allowed: 269.9
Pass TD/game allowed: 1.78
Sacks/game: 2.78

It’s not surprising that the rushing numbers don’t change dramatically, since we all know Merriman’s primary task is getting after the quarterback. The passing yardage and touchdown stats climb sharply without this superstar, and like Haynesworth, the biggest stat is the bottom line: 17.7 vs. 24.9 points-per-game allowed. With Merriman out for the year, opposing quarterbacks are picking apart the Chargers defense, and an effective pass attack should eventually lead to more rushing yards and touchdowns, too.

As I noted in the introduction, it takes a heap of players to make up a fearsome defense but sometimes individual talents stick out enough to cause panic to fantasy football owners. Haynesworth, Sanders and Merriman are clearly three such defensive studs that we need to consider when setting lineups, both now and when Bob and Shawne return from their injuries.