DL Adewale Ogunleye, CHI (6 solos, 3 sacks, 1 FF)
Ogunleye has clearly been the Bears best defensive end this year, and he's
the only one who seems capable of putting consistent pressure on opposing
QBs. He has 10 solo tackles and 4 sacks in his last two games and now has
a good chance to reach double digit sacks for just the third time in his 7-year
career.
DL Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, GB (3 solos, 2 sacks)
KGB now has 4 sacks in his last 2 games along with 8.5 for the season. He
was limited in practice this week while battling an illness but still managed
to go out and contribute to a shutout win over the Vikings. Coming off a couple
of disappointing seasons, KGB was demoted to part-time duty but he's making
the most of his opportunities and is a quality option in sack-heavy scoring
systems.
DL Reggie Hayward, JAX (3 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 PD)
After being written off in this very space not long ago, Hayward had a huge
game against Vince Young and the Titans this week. He averaged 9 sacks/year
over his past 3 full seasons and he's still just 28 years old so he might
be able to become a productive IDP starter once again.
DL Tim Crowder, DEN (3 solos, 2 sacks)
Crowder was less heralded than players like fellow rookie Jarvis Moss and
veteran Simeon Rice, but with Moss on IR and Rice being released Crowder figures
to get a lot of playing time for the rest of this season. He flashed some
of his potential with a 2-sack game this week, and he should continue to see
favorable opportunities playing opposite Elvis Dumervil and with a healthy
Champ Bailey in the secondary.
DL Trevor Pryce, BAL (4 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
Pryce saw limited snaps in last week's game against the Steelers but returned
to the starting lineup this week and had a solid game with 4 solos and a sack.
After missing five games with a wrist injury, he should be well rested and
could provide a nice spark for a team on the verge of collapsing.
DL Mike Patterson, PHI (6 solos, 1 sack, 1 FF)
Baby Sapp has had an up and down start to his career, but he's playing very
well right now. Over his last 2 games, Patterson has been credited with 13
solo tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. His 36 solo tackles rank 1st among
all DTs, and have him tied for 2nd among all defensive linemen.
LB James Harrison, PIT (5 solos, 2 FF)
Harrison had one of the best games that any IDP will have all season on Monday
night last week against the Ravens when he finished with 9 solo tackles, 3.5
sacks, 3 forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. While he
probably won't ever have a game that good again, he's still been
very solid and consistent in his other games all season. He appears to have
taken over as the primary pass rusher and playmaker in the Steelers defense.
LB Gary Brackett, IND (7 solos, 1 FR, 1 PD)
Despite averaging 90 solo tackles over the previous two seasons, Brackett
seemed to enter the season as one of the more underrated fantasy LBs in the
league. Then when he managed just 27 solo stops in his first 6 games, there
wasn't much for IDP owners to get excited about. He's really turned
things up a notch in recent weeks, however, as he's collected 24 solo
tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery in his last 3 games.
LB Matt Wilhelm, SD (9 solos, 2 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Wilhelm continued his emergence as a fantasy force at LB with another great
game this week. Whereas he finished with 11 solo stops a week ago when Adrian
Peterson was running all over the Chargers, this week he managed 9 solo stops
while the Chargers shut down Joseph Addai and the Colts offense for most of
the game. He also managed to collect one of the 6 interceptions that Peyton
Manning threw in the game.
LB Mike Peterson, JAX (9 solos, 5 asst, 1 INT, 1 FR, 1 PD)
After consistently producing like one of the best fantasy LBs in the league
over his first seven seasons in the league, Peterson missed most of last season
with a torn pectoral muscle. He is a pretty consistent tackle producer (averaging
6 solos/game), but his big plays are what helps separate him from many other
elite MLBs. Although he had 2 sacks in week 2, those were his only big plays
until he came through with an interception and a fumble recovery this week.
He looks to have a pretty favorable schedule coming up for the fantasy playoffs
so he may be able to put up a few more big plays like that in the weeks to
come.
LB Calvin Pace, ARI (6 solos, 1 asst, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR)
Pace has looked dominant over the past 3 weeks with 24 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks,
an INT, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. With Bertrand Berry likely
done for the season with a torn triceps, there was some thought given to moving
Pace but the Cardinals coaches have decided to keep him on the strongside
where he has been excelling. There's also been some discussions recently
on a contract extension, as Pace is scheduled to become a free agent after
this season.
LB Karlos Dansby, ARI (4 solos, 1 FF, 2 INT, 2 PD)
After missing 2 games with a knee injury, Dansby returned to the lineup this
week and made a huge impact right away with 2 interceptions in a surprisingly
easy win over the resurgent Lions. With the emergence of Pace at one outside
position along with the continued strong play of Dansby and Hayes inside,
the Cardinals are putting together a very strong linebacking unit that the
defense can build around.
LB Derrick Johnson, KC (11 solos, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 PD)
Johnson may not play a position normally conducive to fantasy success, but
he's having a very solid season and could finish among the leading tacklers
in the league by the time the year is over. He's been credited with 24
solo tackles over the past three games, and he's also one of the best
big play linebackers in the league with 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced
fumbles this year.
LB Clint Session, IND (3 solos, 2 INTs, 2 PD)
The Colts were forced to play without a couple starters at LB this week, but
rookie Clint Session was very impressive as the starting WLB. He collected
an amazing interception off a deflected ball in the end zone, although his
94-yard return was wiped out by an inadvertent whistle. Then, he followed
that up with another interception of Phil Rivers in the second half that helped
key a comeback attempt from the Colts. If Keiaho can't return to the
lineup soon, Session certainly looks like he might be worth a look.
LB Kevin Burnett, DAL (10 solos, 1 asst)
Burnett isn't a starter in Dallas but he plays in their nickel package
along with Roy Williams who moves up from safety. He saw a lot of snaps this
week in the matchup against the Giants and finished with 10 solo tackles,
which followed up a 6-solo game last week against the Eagles. Burnett did
have a costly 15-yard penalty for taunting in the first half that showed a
lack of discipline, but it didn't appear to cost him any playing time.
DB Clinton Hart, SD (11 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Hart had a strong preseason to beat out rookie Eric Weddle for the starting
SS job in San Diego and started off the year strong with 2 interceptions in
his first 4 games. After a 2-game mini-slump that saw him collect just 3 solo
stops, he's turned his season around with 21 solo tackles and an interception
over his last 3 games.
DB Stuart Schweigert, OAK (8 solos, 1 PD)
Schweigert provides a steady presence in the Raiders secondary. Like his counterpart
Michael Huff, he doesn't make nearly enough big plays (just 3 career
interceptions in 57 games), but he's a solid tackler who can provide
some consistent production in tackle-heavy scoring systems. He's been
much more active in recent games than he was earlier in the year and has generally
been a strong finisher in recent years as well.
DB Josh Bullocks, NO (5 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack)
Bullocks showed some promise during his first two years in the league but
there was some concern that he'd lose his starting spot to free agent
pickup Kevin Kaesviharn. He's played well enough to hold onto the starting
job, however, and has even been getting more involved in the run defense in
recent weeks. He still makes some mistakes and can be beaten deep, but he's
generally been a reliable tackler and has also been making some big plays
in recent weeks (1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF in last 5 games).
DB Kenoy Kennedy, DET (6 solos, 1 INT, 1 PD)
It's been tough to figure out what's going on with Kenoy Kennedy
this year. The Lions defense has been playing reasonably well and making plays
but Kennedy's numbers have been disappointing as he had just 19 solo
tackles in his first 8 games. He also finished the game a week ago with 0
tackles, but he followed that up with a solid game this week that also included
his second interception in the past 3 weeks. With home games against the Giants
and Packers coming up in the next two weeks, Kennedy should see plenty of
action and might get a chance to try and salvage this season with a strong
finish.
DB Hamza Abdullah, DEN (8 solos, 1 FF, 1 PD)
Abdullah has replaced Nick Ferguson as the starting SS in Denver as the Broncos
wanted to go with a younger, faster player at that position. He picked up
5 solo tackles in the blowout loss to the Lions last week and then followed
that up with a team-high 8 solo stops, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed
in his first start this week. Abdullah is 24 years old and a former 7th round
pick out of Washington State. He was already filling in during passing downs
so he figures to give the Broncos better range in the deep secondary and he
may be worth a look for dynasty owners in need of some help at the safety
position.
DB Pierson Prioleau, WAS (7 solos, 1 asst)
With Sean Taylor suffering a knee injury this week, look for Prioleau to take
over the starting FS job in Washington for the next few weeks. Prioleau replaced
him this week and was very active as Brian Westbrook had a huge game. Look
for Prioleau to see a lot of action next week as the Redskins travel to Dallas.
DB Antonio Cromartie, SD (6 solos, 3 INT, 4 PD)
Cromartie is in the middle of an incredible run right now. Over his last 4
games, he's collected 6 interceptions, a fumble recovery, 9 passes defensed,
and 3 TDs (including a record-tying 109 yard return on a missed FG attempt).
Starting CB Quentin Jammer is banged up so Cromartie got his first start this
week and he came through with 6 solo tackles and 3 interceptions of Peyton
Manning. He was an incredible athlete who the Chargers took in the first round
a year ago even though he was coming off a serious injury in his last year
at Florida State. Given the way he has been playing and his undeniable playmaking
ability, the Chargers would probably be smart to keep him on the field as
much as possible.
DB Eric Wright, CLE (12 solos, 1 sack, 1 PD)
Wright's huge game against the Steelers this week gives him an amazing
64 solo tackles this season for an average of over 7 per game. The only player
in the entire league who has more solo stops than Wright is MLB London Fletcher-Baker
in Washington, who has 65. Like many rookie CBs, Wright is being tested frequently
by opposing QBs and things will probably continue that way as long as the
Browns offense continues to put up points each week.
DB Leon Hall, CIN (7 solos, 1 INT, 2 PD)
Hall hasn't been getting nearly as many tackles as his fellow rookie
Eric Wright, but he's been more successful as a playmaker with 4 interceptions,
including one in each of his last 2 games. Hall still gets burned in coverage
like most rookies do early in their careers but he's been showing improvement
and has the potential to be a very solid fantasy CB. He started over Deltha
O'Neal this week and figures to take over a starting job for good before
long.
Downgrades
DL Justin Tuck, NYG (1 asst)
After collecting 6.5 sacks and 28 solo tackles in his first 7 games, Tuck's
production has dropped off considerably. He has 0 solos, 0 sacks, and just
2 assisted tackles over his last two games combined. He remains a promising
player in dynasty leagues for whenever he takes over a starting job from Strahan,
but as long as both starters are healthy it looks like he may not be able
to return to the production level he showed earlier this year.
DL Mark Anderson, CHI (1 asst, 1 PD)
Anderson got off to a good start this year with 4 sacks in his first 4 games,
but he's yet to record a single sack since then and he's in danger
of losing his starting job back to Alex Brown. Anderson still has the potential
to be an impact pass rusher but he's a very weak run defender. He may
be better suited to a situational role like the one he was in last year. Playing
snaps on early downs may be wearing him down and making him less effective
in pass-rush situations.
DL Travis LaBoy, TEN (DNP)
LaBoy had 3 sacks in his 2 games prior to this week and showed signs of finally
living up to his 1st round draft status a few years ago. Unfortunately, he
suffered a concussion in last week's game and it was bad enough to keep
him out of this week's game.
DL Dwight Freeney, IND (1 solo)
With 18 solos and 3.5 sacks, Freeney is putting up slightly better numbers
than he did a year ago. While he remains an impact player in the NFL, his
impact just hasn't been translating to sacks like some of the other elite
pass rushers around the league, and he's never been the type of player
to put up consistent tackle numbers. Making matters worse, Freeney was carted
to the locker room with a foot injury this week and could miss a week or more.
DL Simeon Rice, FA
Rice was released by the Broncos and it looks like his career could be over.
It was a very quick drop-off for Rice as he went from putting up 14 sacks
in 2005, to 2 in 8 games last year, to 0 sacks in 6 games this year. He had
a very impressive career, however, with double digit sacks in 8 of his first
10 seasons in the league. He never really seemed to be 100% healthy with the
Broncos so there might be a chance that some team will look to bring him back
next year as a pass rush specialist, but his fantasy career is likely over
at this point.
DL Jevon Kearse, PHI (1 asst)
Kearse is a lot like Dwight Freeney in that he can be a disruptive player
whose impact doesn't always show up on the stat sheet. He's been
up and down all year, starting out with 0 solos and .5 sack in his first 3
games, followed by 8 solos and 3 sacks in his next 4 games, followed by 0
solos and just 1 assisted tackle over his last 2 games. With 8 solos in 9
games played, it would take an extremely sack-heavy scoring system to warrant
starting him.
DL Bertrand Berry, ARI (1 solo, .5 sack)
Berry has just 18 solo tackles and 2 sacks in 9 games this year and hasn't
been very effective in the new Cardinals defense. Unfortunately, it looks
like his 2007 season will end just like his 2006 season did, as he suffered
a torn triceps muscle in the game this week and will likely be placed on injured
reserve.
LB Akinola Ayodele, DAL (1 solo, 1 PD)
Ayodele came into the season with some promise as one of the starting ILBs
in the 3-4 scheme brought over by Wade Phillips from San Diego, but he hasn't
really shown anything up to this point in the season to warrant even a roster
spot in most leagues. He doesn't play in passing situations so that limits
his opportunities to make tackles and rush the passer. He's averaging
just over 2 solos/game up to this point and has yet to record any type of
big play.
LB Zach Thomas, MIA (DNP)
Thomas suffered whiplash in a car accident after the week 7 game against the
Patriots and hasn't played since. He hasn't even been cleared to
participate in practice yet, and if he doesn't return soon, the Dolphins
may consider shutting him down rather than have him risk making things worse
in an 0-9 season.
LB Monty Beisel, ARI (1 solo)
With Karlos Dansby's return to the starting lineup, Beisel figures to
head back to the bench. He had a good 3-week run that might lead to more opportunities
in the future, but it's probably safe to release him at this point.
LB Michael Boley, ATL (2 solos, 1 PD)
This was a disappointing output for Boley, but the surprising thing was that
it took this long for him to have one. Many have been expecting him to cool
off as the pace he was on seemed like it would be difficult for a strongside
linebacker to sustain over an entire season. While this is probably nothing
more than an off game for him, don't be surprised if his second half
numbers come up quite a bit short from what he did in the first half.
LB Dan Morgan, CAR (IR)
Morgan's season is officially over as the team placed him on injured
reserve. Given the concussion problems he's been plagued with, this could
also be the end of his career. The Panthers appear to have already found his
replacement as rookie Jon Beason is playing like a defensive rookie of the
year candidate and looks like a future star at the position.
DB LaRon Landry, WAS (1 asst)
Landry's production has been very inconsistent this year as he's
had 4 games with 1 or fewer solo tackles and 4 games with 6 or more solo tackles.
He was nearly invisible this week against the Eagles and looked helpless in
trying to stop Brian Westbrook late in the game. He's a very talented
player who has shown flashes of becoming a star player in this league, but
he's also shown that he's a bit of a slow learner at times. Defensive
coordinator Gregg Williams was upset last week when Landry was penalized for
a helmet-to-helmet hit on Kellen Clemens (which he was fined for) since the
coaches specifically told him early in the season to only hit a QB in the
?strike zone? between the mid-thigh and the shoulders.
DB Sean Taylor, WAS (2 solos, 2 asst)
Taylor has been having a great season with 5 interceptions, but he left the
game with a knee injury this week and is expected to miss at least the next
two weeks. He'll be replaced in the lineup by Pierson Prioleau.
DB Donte Whitner, BUF (4 solos)
Whitner has been playing well for a resurgent Bills defense but his only career
interception came in the season opener of his rookie season last year. He's
now gone 23 games without recording a sack, an interception, a forced fumble,
or a fumble recovery. To become an elite safety like many expect him to, he'll
need to become more of a playmaker at some point in his career. He has the
ability but it's possible the Bills cover two defense just isn't
giving him enough opportunities.
DB Nick Ferguson, DEN (1 solo)
Ferguson's tenure as a starting safety in Denver appears to be over as
the Broncos turned to Hamza Abdullah at SS this week and also played Domonique
Foxworth at FS in place of an injured John Lynch. The team believes that Abdullah
will give them more range compared to Ferguson.
DB Madieu Williams, CIN (1 asst)
Williams left the game with a sprained foot this week and is expected to be
limited during practice. His production had fallen off quite a bit in recent
weeks after he collected 33 solo stops and some big plays in his first 5 games,
so it's probably not a bad idea to sit him until he has a good game.
DB Darren Sharper, MIN (1 solo, 1 asst)
Tough to downgrade a player from where Sharper's value has been this
year, but he's gone from bad to worse with 3 straight games of just 1
solo tackle. It doesn't even look like he's worth a roster spot
anymore.
DB Adrian Wilson, ARI (1 solo)
Wilson's production has fallen off considerably over the past 5 games
as he's collected just 10 solo tackles during that period. He's
apparently been playing through a heel injury, which could help explain his
disappointing numbers. He was forced to leave the game this week with what
was reported as cramping, but was also seen wearing a protective boot on his
foot as he left the locker room. Although he entered the year as the consensus
#1 rated fantasy DB, it's probably a good idea to sit him for the time
being until we have some sign that he's healthy and back to his old self.
