4 Fantasy Football Splits That Matter for Week 15
The Steelers' Defense Without Joe Haden
I actually touched on the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense sans Joe Haden a few weeks ago, but that startling trend has continued to be an issue for the perennial AFC contenders in their last few games. Haden has returned to practice this week, and they're going to need him against the New England Patriots.
In eight games that Haden has been active this season, the Steelers' defense held opposing quarterbacks to an average of 6.5 yards per attempt, a mark that would currently be tied for 29th overall. Without Haden, however, Pittsburgh's defense has been surgically picked apart to the tune of 277.5 yards per game and 8.29 yards per attempt.
If those averages don't paint a vivid enough picture, below are the actual box scores of the quarterbacks Pittsburgh has faced the last four weeks. "NEP" stands for Net Expected Points and shows the expected points added as a passer in that game.
| Player | Attempts | Yards | TD | YPA | Season-Long NEP | NEP vs. PIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Mariota | 33 | 306 | 1 | 9.27 | 9.26 | 14.74 |
| Brett Hundley | 26 | 245 | 3 | 9.42 | -19.97 | 22.4 |
| Andy Dalton | 36 | 234 | 2 | 6.5 | -0.5 | 19.26 |
| Joe Flacco | 35 | 269 | 2 | 7.68 | -26.05 | 16.76 |
Although Haden is practicing, he was a limited participant both Wednesday and Thursday. If he's not fully healthy come Sunday, Tom Brady undoubtedly has an opportunity to eclipse the 21.44 fantasy points our models project him to score.
