Faceoff - LB Omar Gaither, Philadelphia Eagles

Posted 7/30, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Jene Bramel

This opinion piece, like many, will either look very silly or very smart come October. Advocating the upside on a player who is not currently guaranteed a starting role might seem like an exercise in futility, but there's an argument to be made that Omar Gaither will have huge IDP value at some point in 2007. If and when he does, make sure you are positioned to take advantage of it.

Gaither was a fifth round pick last season and looked to be ticketed for a special teams role in the short term and an apprenticeship behind veteran MLB Jeremiah Trotter. Instead, the Eagles saw multiple options at both outside linebacker spots fail as Matt McCoy proved ineffective for a second consecutive year, Shawn Barber and Chris Gocong were unable to stay healthy and Dhani Jones continued his slide into mediocrity. After taking over in Week 13 as the starter at weak side linebacker, Gaither helped to solidify a defense that had grown porous against the run. Gaither's play translated well to the boxscore for those who picked him off the free agent lists late in the season. In the seven games he started (including two playoff contests), Gaither racked up 40 solo tackles, a well above average number for a WLB.

For now, the Eagles plan to play Gocong and newly acquired veteran Takeo Spikes outside and divide time in the middle between Gaither and Trotter, with Gaither getting nearly all the snaps in the nickel and dime packages. So why push Gaither as a reasonable IDP option when he may only play 40-50% of the team's defensive snaps if the current alignment holds? Much like those who advocated stashing Falcon OLB Demorrio Williams last year, the answer lies in Gaither's upside if and when he earns more playing time.

Even though the Eagles are saying that Trotter is the starter, they've also spent most of the offseason ranting about the veteran's bad knees, poor conditioning and declining play. It is not a stretch to believe that the team is preparing the fan base for Trotter's release if Gocong and Spikes show they are healthy in camp and the glut of youngsters (Stewart Bradley, Torrance Daniels) look ready to contribute if needed. If Gaither proves himself ready for an every down role, he may push Trotter out the door himself. Should that happen, Gaither moves into an every down MLB role with oodles of IDP value. While you shouldn't be banking on that kind of value, taking Gaither late in your redraft leagues as your LB5-6 over players like David Thornton or D'Qwell Jackson is a very worthwhile risk. Dynasty leaguers might want to make one last effort at getting him before he inherits the MLB spot. Long-term, Gaither has top 20 upside in most scoring formats.

Downside - by Sigmund Bloom

Omar Gaither is going to make an impact on the IDP scene, but it might be asking too much to expect it this year. Jeremiah Trotter is still around, blocking Gaither from his likely destination in the middle of the Eagles defense, and the Eagles traded for the new starting weak side linebacker Takeo Spikes. Gaither demonstrated considerable talent that showed up on the stat sheet after taking over for Matt McCoy in week 13 last year, but his opportunity to help your fantasy team this year will be too limited to make Gaither worth drafting.

Gaither is definitely a name that dynasty leaguers should become familiar with. He broke into double digits three times in five starts as a rookie. Gaither averaged eight tackles a game during that stretch, posting a sack and an interception and topping out at 14 total tackles in the season finale. Gaither appears to be the middle linebacker of the future for the Eagles. There was speculation in the offseason that current middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter would retire because of ailing knees. Gaither could take over the role at some point during the season, but as long as Trotter is healthy, he should provide a better run defense presence than Gaither on first and second down.

The Eagles know what they have in Gaither -- they reportedly want to use him liberally in passing situations -- but they also went after an accomplished veteran to fill the spot he manned so admirably down the stretch. Philadelphia Daily News Eagles beat writer Paul Domowitch told us on the Audible that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson "loves" Takeo Spikes. Gaither will likely play next to Spikes in the future, but he is blocked by Spikes for now.

Even redraft leaguers should keep an eye on Gaither. If Spikes or Trotter get dinged, Gaither is definitely worth a pickup. Gaither demonstrated late last year that he can post fantasy numbers, and his coverage skills will keep on the field for all three downs as a starter. For now, you have to draft as if both of the battle-tested vets will hold up and instead be ready to pounce the moment it looks like they won't. There are too many linebackers with upside that you won't have to hold for long to see how they are going to turn out this year. I won't blame you if you drop your 5th or 6th linebacker for Gaither if they don't produce early -- he's the kind of player worth stashing if you have a stiff to drop -- but I don't recommend drafting him.