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Week 9 of the NFL season brings to us a set of prominent team defenses serving their Bye Week. This inevitably means that someone out there is going to be looking for a backup defense they can slide into the lineup that will get them better than zero points. Now if you’re one of those guys who has less respect for a team defense than you do a dog crap stuck to the bottom of your shoe, then you are probably just going to grab whatever free agent defense has the highest stat line.
It’s a sound enough strategy and it’s probably the safest way to keep from getting a goose egg at that position. What if you miss out on that top dog defense in the waiver order, who should you target next?
My suggestion is the St. Louis Rams‘ Defense.
On paper, the Rams are ranked 22nd in total defense. They are ranked 19th against the pass having surrendered 1,820 yards through the air and 14 touchdowns. Against the run they are ranked a pitiful 29th, having surrendered 929 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns.
So, it sounds like owning them is slightly less appealing than helping your mom shave her armpits.
However, we’re talking about a bye week replacement unit, and not some fantasy gem of a DST that will help save your season in its darkest hour.
The Rams’ defense has been hot lately. If you missed their recent Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks, they did a heck of a job shutting down a team with a lot of offensive weapons. One of the highlights of the game was Chris Long recording a three-sack performance.
This week, the Rams go against the Tennessee Titans, a team with the 29th-ranked offense and a quarterback who could hurt himself taking a deep breath running a one-dimensional, run-based offense.
The Rams are a young defense that now at midseason is starting to find chemistry and connection in all the moving pieces.
The Rams’ defense won’t save your season, but if you’re looking for a bye week filler, they can probably get you by.
Eric Beuning is a Fantasy Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericbeuning or add him to your network on Google.
