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Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC) can be an effective approach in fantasy football. While other teams spend middle round draft picks on the Ravens or Bears, an owner going DTBC will wait until the final rounds to grab a mediocre defense with a good matchup in week 1. As the season wears on, they’ll pickup defenses week to week depending on the matchup, because a mediocre defense with a great matchup is as good of a play as a great defense with a mediocre matchup.

Last week, my top three picks were MIA, STL and DEN. The Dolphins and Rams were terrific, while the Broncos really laid an egg in Oakland.

Here are a few defenses that have nice matchups this week and are available in at least 40% of ESPN leagues (in order of strength of play):

CIN (vs. STL), DEN (vs. KC), TB (@ HOU), MIA (@ BUF), NO (@ ATL), WAS (vs. CHI) and CLE (@ NYJ)

Last week’s sleepers fared pretty well, to say the least. Derrick Ward gained 183 yards from scrimmage and scored a TD. Meanwhile, Fred Jackson gained 151 total yards against the Redskins.

This week’s sleeper is…

Chris Redman, Falcons (vs. NO)
Redman played well in place of Joey Harrington last week and if he gets the start, he should have a nice game against a Saints defense that has struggled all year against the pass. The game figures to be a shootout, so Redman should put up solid numbers.

Every week, I highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Carson Palmer or LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

START ‘EM

QB: In a bind? Don’t look now, but there are a bunch of suspect QBs with great matchups this week. Rex Grossman (@ WAS), Luke McCown (@ HOU), Kellen Clemens (vs. CLE), Trent Dilfer (vs. MIN), Damon Huard (@ DEN) and Vinny Testaverde (@ JAX) all have good matchups and can be used in a pinch…David Garrard has a nice matchup against the Panthers at home. Since his return, he is averaging 247 yards and 1.7 TD, and should be started over all but the best QBs.

RB: Edgerrin James has a nice matchup against Seattle, who has allowed 14 rushing TD, the third most in the league…Fred Jackson (or Marshawn Lynch, if he can go) has a great matchup against the Dolphins, who have the league’s worst rush defense…Ryan Grant is a must start at home against the Raiders, who have been absolutely brutal against the run. The Raiders have allowed an average of 148 yards and 1.7 TD per game on the ground…Earnest Graham is a great start this week against the Texans, who are struggling to stop the run.

WR: I’ve been pimping Roddy White all season and it’s time to get him in your lineup if you can. He faces a Saints defense that is 28th against the pass and he may have a new QB (Chris Redman) that he seems to jibe with…Patrick Crayton is worth a start against the Lions, who are 31st against the pass. The only worry is that the Cowboys jump out to a big lead (without utilizing Crayton) and stop throwing the ball…For the super-desperate, Brad Smith and Justin McCareins figure to get more work with Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles hobbled with injures. They have a nice matchup against Cleveland this week…Arnaz Battle (vs. MIN), Bobby Engram (vs. ARI) and Joey Galloway (@ HOU) have good matchups as well.

SIT ‘EM

QB: Kurt Warner (@ SEA), Sage Rosenfels (vs. TB), Jay Cutler (vs. KC) and Kyle Boller (vs. IND) all have tough matchups this week and should be avoided if better options are available.

RB: Kevin Jones has a tough matchup this week against the Cowboys. Last week, the Lions fell behind early and Jones only got three carries and wasn’t involved in the passing game against the Vikings. The Lions will probably be trailing a lot against the Cowboys, so expect a similar scenario…Laurence Maroney had a decent game last week, but expect him to struggle against the Steelers, who have the league’s second best rush defense…It’s tough to bench Frank Gore, but he’s had a rough season and faces a stout Minnesota rush defense this week. Avoid Gore if possible.

WR: Brandon Stokley should probably ride the pine against the Chiefs, who have the 7th best pass defense. Brandon Marshall is still startable, however…Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton have a tough matchup against the Colts, who have played good pass defense all season.