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Fantasy Football Pass/Run Funnel Report: Defenses to exploit in Week 13
2Y7CMHH Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Bucky Irving runs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
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• Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers Run Funnel: Tampa Bay faces the NFL’s softest run defense over the last five weeks.
• Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens Pass Funnel: Philadelphia faces Baltimore’s explosive-play-friendly pass defense.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
Identifying exploitable defensive units allows for creative re-draft and daily fantasy sports (DFS) roster constructions, particularly when a plus matchup is not readily apparent. The article below breaks down three NFL defenses that profile as either a pass funnel, run funnel or both for Week 13 by using the defensive expected points added (EPA) allowed per play graphic below as a baseline. These exploitable matchups should be targeted in both half-points-per-reception (half-PPR) and PPR scoring formats unless otherwise stated.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers Run Funnel
The Carolina Panthers fielded the NFL’s worst run-defense unit in Weeks 8-12, allowing the most EPA per play (0.091) among NFL teams during that span while ranking 19th in explosive run plays rate allowed (12.2%), tying for 25th in tackles for loss or no gain (16) and ranking 30th in yards allowed before contact per rushing attempt (1.9). Its 50.6 PFF run-defense grade during that span ranks third-worst.
