Green Bay Packers: Week 15 Fantasy Profile

Dec 13, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) reacts with safety Micah Hyde (33) after intercepting a pass in the first quarter during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Defense

Last Game:  7 Points Allowed, 2 Sacks, 1 Interception; 8.00 fantasy point

It likely won’t cease to amaze me that the defense has really turned into the strength of this team.

Despite some inflated score lines and having to prop up the usually-stalwart offense for weeks at a time, the defense keeps playing at a high level overall. Not even injuries have really slowed them. Case in point: Sam Shields goes down with concussion issues last week, only to see Damarious Randall step up and do really well against Dez Bryant. 

With this as the strength, you would expect them to do well fantasy-wise, right? Well, it is never that simple folks.

Because of the way scoring works, a team’s defense needs to not only hold a team low in points but also garner big plays along the way. For the most part this year the defense has managed to grab some big plays, but in many weeks there are too few to make the fantasy performance worthwhile for starting them.

Honestly, if you expect to have a starting-caliber game from them, here are some things to look towards:

• Average-to-low points allowed (gives at least one point that way)
• Piles of sacks
• Multiple turnovers

Green Bay has had a good amount of that first point, but too often do they just grab one turnover and maybe a couple sacks; to make things work, they need to grab more sacks while taking back the ball on more than just one occasion.

Oakland doesn’t appear to be the team to do that against.

The Raiders have allowed only 21 sacks (tied for 3rd lowest in NFL) and stand currently with a 0 turnover differential (20/20 takeaway/giveaway). While I do believe the Packers have it in them to garner a couple sacks and steal the ball at least once, they have to prove themselves able to bring about a much bigger effort in both areas to make them anything more than a low-end bet.

Week 15 Prediction: 17 Points Allowed, 2 Sacks, 1 Forced Turnovers; 5.00 fantasy points
Verdict: Low-End Possibility