Green Bay Packers: Week 11 Fantasy

Nov 15, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Detroit Lions running back

(21) is tackled by Green Bay Packers safety

(21) and cornerback

(29) during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Defense

Last Game: 18 Points Allowed, 1 Interception; 3.00 fantasy point

After three straight games of the defense playing consistently bad, we saw them step back towards more of the type of performance we had seen from them earlier on in the year.

That should have been somewhat expected however; Detroit is definitely a few steps below San Diego and Carolina in terms of offense, and Denver had the good fortune of one more strong Peyton Manning game before his production completely fell off a cliff again.

Still, the Lions aren’t devoid of talent; Matt Stafford is a former #1 overall pick with a strong arm and Calvin Johnson with Golden Tate make a stellar 1-2 wide receiver punch.

Unfortunately, even though that performance was strong on the field, it didn’t amount to much in the fantasy realm. I think that could continue to be the case too.

The defense has been entirely unable to get sacks since the bye week; in three games, there have been exactly zero. That likely can’t continue to be so bad, but it isn’t encouraging that these performances have come against some of the more maligned offensive lines in the league this season. Minnesota has issues with their line too — they are currently #27 in pass blocking rankings from Football Outsiders — but we’ll have to wait and see if Green Bay can take advantage of that.

Something that does work in their (and therefore our) favor: the Packers have forced at least one turnover in every game this season. Even in the losses these past three weeks, there have been interceptions. In the past two, the interceptions came at crucial junctions that gave Green Bay’s comeback hopes life.

The only thing that really worries me for the defense is their ability to stop the run game. While it has played relatively well in most games this season — including during the losing streak — it will always be something to worry about when a player like Adrian Peterson is going to be lining up against you.

I’m not too worried about the passing game on its own; the only way I expect them to do damage to the Packers is based off the success of the run game.

I expect Peterson to do what he’s done most games: produce at least one big run amongst a decent-if-not-excellent day. That, with some okay production from the passing game, could be enough to give the Vikings enough of an advantage to go along with a good defensive effort to take a victory.

Whether that part actually happens or not, I do expect that this defense won’t have anything better than a pedestrian effort in terms of fantasy points.

Week 11 Prediction: 20 Points Allowed, 2 Sacks, 1 Forced Turnovers (1 INT); 5.00 fantasy points
Verdict: Low-End Option