7 Fantasy Football Splits That Matter for Week 11
The Jags' Defense Since Acquiring Marcell Dareus
The Jacksonville Jaguars' defense currently ranks first overall in Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP). Perhaps more impressive is that corners A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey have limited opposing quarterbacks to a 47.2 and 36.8 passer rating against (via PFF).
The sole issue with the Jags' defense was that the team had allowed 138.5 rushing yards per game prior to its bye. Since acquiring defensive tackle Marcell Dareus from the Buffalo Bills, though, Jacksonville has limited opposing running backs to 90 yards on 40 carries (2.47 yards per attempt) and ranked 14th and 18th-overall in Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP the past two weeks.
Rookie DeShone Kizer has performed better in his last two starts but still ranks dead last in Passing NEP (-49.66) by a margin of -14.57 expected points. He's also averaged a mere 5.5 yards per attempt this season and leads all quarterbacks in turnovers -- metrics in which the Jags defense coincidentally ranks first (5.9 yard per attempt allowed) and second (18 turnovers forced), respectively.
A sticker price of $5,600 is certainly a steep one to pay for any defense on FanDuel, but in this case, it's a (likely) contrarian option that should come with little ownership (given the preference of most DFS players to pay down at the position) and has as high a ceiling as any defense this week.
