When I saw Ian's factoid about the Eagles strength of schedule yesterday, I was thinking about their opposition, which includes Cleveland this week. The Browns defense looks like a great option in Week 11, and in fact it should be an excellent fantasy starter most of the rest of the way.
For a while, Cleveland was one of the league's best defenses for sacks and takeaways. The last two wind-marred games haven't helped (less passing, fewer chances for sacks) but the Browns still rank in the top 10 in both areas.
This week they're facing the Eagles and Carson Wentz, who's in line to achieve a Triple Crown that I'm not sure has ever been done before: leading the NFL in sacks (35), interceptions (12) and lost fumbles (6). If the Browns defense is available in your league, run don't walk to pick it up.
In the next six games (I left out Week 17, against Pittsburgh, which doesn't count in most leagues), the Browns Defense will have a lot of other good matchups. They play the Giants and Jets in the key playoff weeks of 15 and 16; that's a great spot for them to deliver plenty of sacks and turnovers.
In the next six weeks, I see only one statistically poor matchup (the Titans), perhaps one average one (the Ravens). The rest are all really good.
Table shows average sacks, interceptions and lost fumbles by the next six teams on Cleveland's schedule. For those in leagues where defenses get credit for points allowed, note they'll also face four of the 10 worst teams in terms of scoring offense.
| BROWNS DEFENSE, NEXT SIX WEEKS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | Sk | Sk/G | Int | Int/G | Fum | Fum/G | Pts Rk |
| Phil. | 35 | 3.9 | 12 | 1.3 | 5 | 0.6 | 24th |
| At Jac. | 28 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.8 | 5 | 0.6 | 26th |
| At Tenn. | 13 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.1 | 10th |
| Balt. | 23 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.7 | 5 | 0.6 | 12th |
| At NYG | 31 | 3.1 | 9 | 0.9 | 6 | 0.6 | 30th |
| At NYJ | 26 | 2.9 | 8 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.2 | 32nd |
--Andy Richardson