Fantasy Football Defenses: Top 15 to Target in 2016
By Charles Lam
2016 Fantasy Football Defenses: Number Two – Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals defense will be better this season. The Cardinals get back stud defender, Tyrann Mathieu, and the team acquired pass rusher Chandler Jones in free agency. This will help bolster the defense in 2016.
Mathieu played 14 games for Arizona last season. He had five interceptions (one for a touchdown), 17 passes defended, one forced fumble, a sack and 80 tackles for the Cardinals last season. Those numbers could have been better if he stayed healthy the whole season.
The Cardinals welcome to the desert pass rusher, Chandler Jones, formally a member of the New England Patriots. Jones had 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 31 tackles last year.
The Cardinals put up solid numbers last season without Jones and without Mathieu for four games. The team had 19 interceptions (four touchdowns), 22 forced fumbles (two touchdowns) and 35 sacks.
The Cardinals welcome to the desert pass rusher, Chandler Jones, formally a member of the New England Patriots. Jones had 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 31 tackles last year.
Arizona’s schedule has a few tough match-ups, but nothing the new and improved defense can’t handle. The team has five bad, two good and nine even match-ups this season.
Last season, the Cardinals had six games for double-digit fantasy points. Three games over 20 points and one game over 30 points. The best game the Cardinals defense had, came against the Green Bay Packers in week 16.
During week 16, most fantasy football leagues have the championship games being played. The Cardinals defense raked up 33 huge points for the lucky team that started them in the championship game. The Cardinals defense alone may have been the deciding factor on what team won the championship.
The Cardinals defense forced the Packers to turn the football over four times. Arizona got two fumbles for touchdowns in this game alone. That’s the kind of defensive goodness fantasy football players want.
With the addition of Mathieu and Jones, the Cardinals defense will be much better this season. They are a no-brainer top-three defense in fantasy football. Look to lock this defense earlier in the draft than you normally would draft a defense to reap the benefits all season long.