Fantasy Football Defenses: Top 15 To Target In 2015
By Alec Tilson
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Fantasy Football Defenses Number 5: Houston Texans
First things first, J.J. Watt. He’s the best defensive player in the NFL and that’s a starting point for any defense.
It feels like the Texans will be a bit of a trendy pick in fantasy drafts. Still, you might be able to get them a couple rounds after defenses start coming off the board, and they provide a defense with good upside.
They added defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and safety Rahim Moore. Now, Wilfork is a legend, but he is 33 years old and could start showing some wear-and-tear any day now. Assuming he doesn’t, he’s an absolute plug. He’s a mountain, and the not the type you can move with faith alone.
For a defense that allowed just 104.6 rushing yards last season, things just got even more difficult with Wilfork in the middle.
That means teams might have to turn to the pass more often and the Texans should benefit from that as well.
They didn’t sack the quarterback a lot last season (37 team sacks), but with young outside linebackers Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney rushing the edges, it could be open season in Houston. Clowney played in four games his rookie season and he seems to still be working back towards 100 percent, but he’s a mega-talent. He could breakout immediately.
Cornerback Johnathan Joseph is the leader of the secondary. He posted an impressive 70 tackles last season and added 11 passes defensed and two interceptions. He’ll play opposite cornerback Kareem Jackson, the sixth-year corner out of Alabama. He’s been a consistent corner for the Texans for five years now.
The Texans might not have the offense to force teams to gamble against the defense, but it’s a talented unit.
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