College Fantasy Football: Five underperforming defenses
There are a lot of big teams in fantasy football that were expected to put up huge numbers and that are owned in a high percentage of leagues but have not performed up to this point. Here is a look at five defenses that are not delivering big returns yet.
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RELATED: Five underperforming QBs | RBs | WRs
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AUBURN
There is a perception that Auburn has one of the nastiest defenses in the country and while that might be true, the Tigers are not delivering in the fantasy game. Owned in 81 percent of leagues, Auburn is toward the middle-to-lower end of the pack when it comes to fantasy points and still is without a shutout this season. While the run defense is stellar, the pass defense is giving up 225 yards per game and has allowed seven TDs. Florida will be a major test this weekend.
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IOWA
There is nothing to complain about when it comes to the Iowa defense. The Hawkeyes are allowing just 8.5 points per game and they’ve given up no rushing touchdowns, so far this season in wins over Miami (Ohio), Rutgers, Iowa State and Middle Tennessee State. So it’s surprising to see Iowa’s defense not rated among the top 25 in fantasy points and it all comes down to turnovers. The Hawkeyes have just three interceptions and three fumble recoveries so far this season. Get those numbers up and things will look even better.
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LSU
LSU’s offense has been so unbelievably good that some are missing the fact that the defense, while strong, is not among the top 25 in fantasy points. That’s surprising given how many talented players are on the roster, but LSU is doing just fine and has a chance this week to make a statement against Utah State. Owned in 83 percent of leagues, the Tigers have only two interceptions and two fumble recoveries so far this season to drag down their numbers.
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MIAMI
The Hurricanes are in the top 25 of all fantasy defenses, so we can’t complain too much but they’re toward the bottom of that group and it’s been against weak competition. Miami, owned in about 60 percent of leagues, has been great against Central Michigan and Bethune-Cookman, and Virginia Tech’s offense has not shown much firepower yet this season. After a slow start against Florida and North Carolina, The U's D might be turning around now.
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MICHIGAN
The Wolverines lost a lot of high-powered weapons on defense heading into this season and it’s showing when it comes to the fantasy game, as they’re on the back end of all teams in the Power Five. Owned in 73 percent of leagues, only 10 teams have scored fewer fantasy points this season, even after Michigan shut out Rutgers this past weekend. Middle Tennessee and Army each scored 21 points and then there was the Wisconsin debacle when the Badgers went for 35 in an easy win.