Week 9 Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings: Lamar Jackson's Injury And Justin Herbert's Existence Have A Big Impact

While the overwhelming majority of attention in fantasy football focuses on the offensive stars in the league, we still have to pay attention to defense and special teams as well. Some of us pay a ton of attention to defense when we play in the significantly more fun IDP leagues, but here we will be focusing on simpler leagues that only start a D/ST.

Defense And Special Teams

Jacksonville Jaguars

This is a dream matchup for the Jaguars’ defense on Thursday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens on a short week. These teams will face off on Thursday Night Football, just four days after the Ravens lost their starting quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and their backup, Tyler Huntley.

That leaves a strong Jaguars’ defense to pick apart third-string quarterback Joe Fagnano. This one could get really ugly, and we expect the Jacksonville defense to destroy the Ravens’ offense on Thursday.

Houston Texans

The Texans have the pleasure of playing against the spiraling Justin Herbert this week. The Chargers’ offense has been a disaster, and Herbert has been woefully bad. Over the past two games, he has thrown three interceptions and zero touchdowns, bringing his season total to five touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while averaging less than 200 passing yards per game, despite constantly playing from behind and losing every single game.

Houston is going to eat Herbert and this offense alive. Only Joe Fagnano could keep Houston from being the top defense in Week 9. It will be a huge day for Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have been the best defense this season, but they have a huge test this week against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. This will be a showdown to watch. We are about to see fantasy football’s version of the unstoppable force against the immovable object.

Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings: Week 9

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Week 9 Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings: Lamar Jackson’s Injury And Justin Herbert’s Existence Have A Big Impact.