Streaming Defenses: Picking a Week 9 Defense

This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.

Colts

In his 18th season in the league, Peyton Manning has become an easy target for defenses and rightfully so, as he has more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (seven) and ranks 23rd in YPA (7.01). Over the last four games, his TD:INT ratio is 2:8, as he's struggling week-to-week to find the end zone. The Colts defense ranks tied for 23rd in YPA (7.3), which should be among the more friendly match-ups for Manning, but then again he hasn't been able to muster much of anything lately, no matter the level of the opponent. WRs Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined have four TD catches this season, as Manning is holding them back. DB Vontae Davis is one of the better cover corners in the league and should hold up just fine against either WR.

On the ground, the Broncos are starting to hit their stride with RB Ronnie Hillman now starting over C.J. Anderson. The former is averaging 4.5 YPC, while the latter just 3.5 YPC. The Colts rank tied for 16th in YPC (4.1) and as long as they are able to limit Hillman, should control the Broncos offense, which overall is one of the worst in the league this season. Vegas has this over/under set at 45 with the Broncos favored by 5, which puts this at about a 25-20 game. Facing the Broncos on the road, the Colts defense/special teams has an ownership of 9.4 percent at ESPN and 21 percent at Yahoo.

Giants

QB Jameis Winston hasn't thrown an interception the last three weeks, as he is starting to show some signs of maturity on the field. He's also up to eighth in the league in YPA (7.85). Where his team starts to fail him is with their health, as TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (shoulder) and WR Vincent Jackson (knee) were out last week and WR Louis Murphy (knee) is out for the season. With a healthy Mike Evans though, he's still been effective enough and pass catching back Charles Sims has helped carry some of the load in the passing game as well. The Giants were destroyed by Drew Brees last week in the air, but Winston isn't near the passer, so I have some optimism there won't be a repeat of that this week.

On the ground, the are tied for 16th in YPC (4.1) and should have their hands full with RB Doug Martin (4.6 YPC). Even then though, the Giants would be better off to have the Bucs run against them for much of the game than pass the ball, as running the ball keeps the clock moving and limits possessions. Coming off that embarrassing performance on defense against the Saints, I expect the G-Men to have a nice bounce-back effort. Vegas has this over/under set at 48 with the Giants favored by 2.5, which puts this at about a 25-23 game. Facing the Bucs on the road, the Giants defense/special teams has an ownership of 23.8 percent at ESPN and 40 percent at Yahoo.

Steelers

A week after holding QB Andy Dalton to just 6.1 YPA and one TD with two interceptions, the Steelers will look to duplicate that effort this week against the Raiders. QB Derek Carr has been on fire as of late with seven TDs and no interceptions in his last two games and ranks 10th in YPA (7.83) on the season. The Steelers rank tied for 19th in YPA (7.1) and will unenviable task of slowing down WR Amari Cooper, who as a rookie leads the team in receiving yards. Veterans Michael Crabtree and Andre Holmes have also helped carry the load and are not to be ignored. The Steelers have been burned this season by WRs that have elite speed and can stretch the field, which Cooper could potentially do.

On the ground, RB Latavius Murray is averaging 4.6 YPC, while the Steelers are tied for eighth in YPC (3.8) and have allowed only two rushing TDs this season, tops in the league. Murray is a capable pass catcher, though FB Marcel Reece also gets touches out of the backfield, which you don't see too often from a FB position. Overall, I don't love this matchup for the Steelers, but they're at home and with the Raiders from from West Coast to East Coast for a noon kick, I think the Steelers should be a decent play with so many others on bye. Vegas has this over/under set at 48 with the Steelers favored by 4.5, which puts this at about a 26-22 game. Facing the Raiders at home, the Steelers defense/special teams has an ownership of 28.5 percent at ESPN and 34 percent at Yahoo.

Titans

After firing Ken Whisenhunt, the Titans can only go up from here, as head coach Mike Mularkey inherits a group with some promise, but not much discipline. Defensively they rank 11th in YPP (5.4) and one of the more underrated groups in the league. Against the Saints they'll need it, as Drew Brees blistered the Giants last week, in what was an eye-popping performance. And I think that's just it, it was one huge game for him and the Saints, as Brees hadn't thrown more than two TDs in any game going into last week and still left having thrown two interceptions. He ranks ninth in YPA (7.84), despite the up-and-down play of WRs Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead. He's made TE Benjamin Watson look 10 years younger, filling the void somewhat that Jimmy Graham left.

On the ground, tough sledding against RB Mark Ingram, who averages 4.5 YPC and has really carried the Saints run game this season. Khiry Robinson and to a lesser extent C.J. Spiller have both had their moments in the red zone. While it might seem idiotic to take the Titans in this spot, they can't get any worse with a new head coach and the Saints can't play any better than last week, so should they meet somewhere in the middle, the Titans, who are a Top 10 defensive unit overall, per Football Outsiders, should be able to help those who are desperate on their waiver wire. Vegas has this over/under set at 47.5 with the Saints favored by 8, which puts this at about a 28-19 game. Facing the Saints on the road, the Titans defense/special teams has an ownership of 23.2 percent at ESPN and 14 percent at Yahoo.

Bucs

Against the Giants, Eli Manning and his six TDs from a week ago are priority No. 1 for the Bucs defense. Manning has played well for the most part this season, but did have just one TD pass in his previous two games combined. He's done a very good job of limiting turnovers, with just four picks on the season. The Bucs ranks tied for 23rd in YPA (7.3) and really needs to focus on Odell Beckham Jr., who is always a deep threat, even when double covered down field. And while that's easier said than done, if the Bucs are able to slow down ODB, the rest of the Giants pass weapons are much less imposing with Rueben Randle and Larry Donnell not likely to stretch the field.

On the ground the Bucs should thrive, as they rank tied for fourth in YPC (3.7), while the Giants have struggled to run the ball this season with RB Rashad Jennings (3.9 YPC). It might make more sense to throw the ball frequently agains the Bucs with RB Shane Vereen an excellent passing catching back and able to do some things in between the tackles. Overall though, the Bucs should win this matchup. The hope here is that the Giants cool and if they can't run the ball, Manning and company become one dimensional as the game goes on. Vegas has this over/under set at 48 with the Giants favored by 2.5, which puts this at about a 25-23 game. Facing the Giants at home, the Bucs defense/special teams has an ownership of 5.3 percent at ESPN and 3 percent at Yahoo.

Here are my rankings for this week, the next four weeks, and the remainder of the season: