College Fantasy Football: Defenses to watch for Week 10
We move on to Week 10 of the college football season and Adam Gorney offers five defenses to start in your Yahoo Fantasy League.
MORE: WRs to watch for Week 10 | RBs to watch for Week 10 | QBs to watch for Week 10 | Rivals Fantasy Football Home
WISCONSIN
Rutgers is averaging 15.1 points per game this season and the schedule has been relatively friendly. The Scarlet Knights’ offense is just pitiful and they’re stepping into a situation where Wisconsin needs a blowout win to get back on the winning track heading into the tail end of the season. Rutgers has not scored more than 17 points since the season opener against Texas State and the Scarlet Knights have thrown only three touchdown passes all season. This is not a misprint: Quarterback Artur Sitkowski has three three TDs and 15 interceptions and is completing less than 50 percent of his passes.
GEORGIA
The game that will determine the SEC East champion - Georgia vs. Kentucky - should be a low-scoring affair and that’s perfect for fantasy owners of the Bulldogs’ defense. The Wildcats also have a phenomenal defense and in these games a rhythm comes into play where teams don’t take many shots, relying on ball control and grinding it out for a win. The over/under is set at only 44 points and Georgia is about a 10-point favorite so Vegas isn’t expecting many points out of Kentucky. After all, the Wildcats scored only 15 at Missouri last weekend with 12 of them coming in the final 5:18. They scored 14 points in each of the previous two weeks. This is hardly a fast-scoring attack and Georgia’s defense might smother anything Kentucky offers anyway.
MICHIGAN STATE
The strength of Maryland’s offense is its running attack but that’s where the Spartans have shut down opponents as Michigan State allows just 2.7 yards per rush and has given up only seven rushing scores all season. The Spartans stopped cold a high-flying Purdue offense last week, it only gave up 21 points to Michigan and 17 to Penn State in recent weeks. Plus, the Terps have had a tumultuous week following the reinstatement and quick dismissal D.J. Durkin. I just can’t see a scenario where the Terrapins move the ball easily and score lots of points.
NOTRE DAME
This match-up is lining up perfectly for the Irish and here’s why: Northwestern cannot run the ball. The Wildcats have 729 rushing yards averaging 2.6 yards per carry this season. That’s awful. Northwestern has scored 15 rushing touchdowns, largely as the Wildcats throw the ball down the field and then punch it in. But Notre Dame is exceptional against the pass - allowing just 194 yards per game and five passing TDs all season. Northwestern has scored only 201 points all year - that’s the worst total in the entire Big Ten West and the Wildcats are in first place. That bolsters the Irish case even more.
CLEMSON
This one is just too easy. Clemson’s defense is one of the best in the country and the front four might be No. 1 overall and Louisville is just a sad football team right now that cannot score points. The Cardinals average just 116.8 rushing yards per game and even that number is impossible to fathom against Clemson’s defensive front. Passing the ball has not worked out too well for Louisville all season and it’s lost five-straight games. I don’t suspect the Cardinals are coming in with any hopes of upsetting the Tigers this weekend. It could be ugly.
ONE MORE TO CONSIDER... TENNESSEE
I love these match-ups where Power Five schools in desperate need of wins faces a team that is going to be completely outmatched. Enter Charlotte, which cannot score against good opponents this season as the 49ers put up nine points against Appalachian State, seven against UAB and 13 against Middle Tennessee. The Vols are 3-5. Any hopes of going to a bowl game this season means a win over Charlotte is almost necessary. They should be focused on Saturday.
