3 FanDuel Defenses to Target in Week 12

New England Patriots

FanDuel Price: $4,100
numberFire Projection: 9.0 FanDuel points

Through 10 games this season, the New England Patriots' defense has been solid but not spectacular. They give up 23.6 points per game, leaving them in the middle of the pack (14th) in the NFL. Their pass rush succeeds at applying pressure -- 52 QB hits -- but has only 15 to sacks to show for their hard work. Overall, the Pats average 7.3 FanDuel points per game, the 12th-most in the league. However, our models expect much more of the “average” defense in Week 12 as they face the New York Jets.

Sam Darnold is trending towards playing on Sunday, a positive for the Patriots. Like most rookies, Darnold has struggled with turnovers, posting a 4.8% interception rate. Of the 34 quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts, only Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston are worse than the Jets’ rookie. His 55.0% completion percentage also ranks him 32nd out of the same group of signal callers. His sloppy play has led the Jets to committing 22 turnovers this season, second-most in the league. For their part, the Pats have forced the seventh-most mistakes per game (1.7).

The Jets are also scoring just 20.8 points per game and have an implied total of just 18.25 on Sunday. The game script for the Pats gets even more favorable as they are 9.5-point favorites in Week 12.