DL Kyle Vanden Bosch, TEN (8 solos, 3 asst, 3 sacks, 1 FF)
This game marks Vanden Bosch's second 3 sack game in the past 3 weeks. He now has 12 sacks on the year with 1 game remaining to break his career high of 12.5 sacks that was set in 2005, his first year in Tennessee. Vanden Bosch was named a starter in the Pro Bowl and will clearly enter the 2008 season as one of the top-10 fantasy DEs in the league.
DL Alex Brown, CHI (5 solos, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Brown started in place of the inactive Mark Anderson this week and the Bears defense played perhaps their best game of the season. He is a clear upgrade in the run defense so the Bears might consider putting him back into the starting lineup next year and keeping Anderson as a pass rush specialist, a role in which he thrived as a rookie last year.
DL Bobby McCray, JAX (2 solos, 2 sacks, 1 FF)
McCray had a breakout season of sorts last year when he finished with 10 sacks, but he has struggled for most of this year and was even inactive for several games at one point. He's playing his best football at the end of the year though as he now has 3 sacks over his last 2 games and was also credited with 4 QB hurries and a forced fumble this week. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season so a strong performance in the playoffs could help him land a big contract from Jacksonville or somewhere else.
LB Brian Urlacher, CHI (4 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 3 PD, 1 TD)
Urlacher has reportedly been playing through some back problems this year and his numbers were rather disappointing for fantasy owners expecting another top-5 type of season from him. However, he has finished the year strong by making lots of big plays. His 85-yard interception return TD this week against the Packers gives him 3 interceptions, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and 5 passes defensed in his last 4 games. If Lance Briggs winds up leaving Chicago and the back problems don't get worse, Urlacher figures to see a bump in his tackle production. There are very few linebackers with his all-around ability as he currently has 85 solos, 5 sacks, 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 11 passes defensed.
LB Patrick Willis, SF (12 solos, 8 asst, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 PD)
Willis has an incredible 125 solo tackles with 1 game still left to play. He was beaten out for the starting spot in the Pro Bowl by Lofa Tatupu, but he is pretty much a lock for defensive rookie of the year, and will also wind up as the highest scoring fantasy LB in the league. Willis, along with last year's rookie of the year DeMeco Ryans, look like they could dominate IDP leagues for the next 10 years.
LB Kawika Mitchell, NYG (3 solos, 3 asst, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD)
Mitchell was a big play machine on Sunday, racking up 2 sacks as well as an interception that he returned for a TD. Unfortunately, he didn't come up with these types of performances during the rest of the season but in his defense he was learning a new position after switching from MLB to WLB. Perhaps this is a sign that he's feeling more comfortable on the outside, and if so, perhaps we'll see a bump in his overall production next season.
LB Calvin Pace, ARI (10 solos, 1 sack)
Pace enjoyed a breakout season with his move to OLB in the Cardinals new defense. After his huge game this week against the Falcons, Pace now has 76 solos and 5.5 sacks for the season and should team up with Gerald Hayes and Karlos Dansby to give the Cardinals a great group of linebackers to build around in their new 3-4 defense.
DB Nedu Ndukwe, CIN (8 solos, 2 asst, 2 INT, 1 FF, 2 PD)
With Madieu Williams out injured, the rookie Ndukwe got his first career start at SS for the Bengals this week and he responded with a huge game that may wind up knocking the Browns out of the playoffs. The Bengals have been struggling to find some consistent play from their defense all year so Ndukwe might have a chance at a starting job next year if he can show that this wasn't a fluke.
DB Bernard Pollard, KC (4 solos, 2 asst, 1 INT, 2 PD)
In his first year as a starter, Pollard has produced like a top-20 DB in most scoring systems. He has a very respectable 67 solo tackles for the season and has finished with no fewer than 4 solos in his last 6 games. He is a big hitter and a promising young talent who should be highly sought after in IDP leagues next season.
DB Corey Chavous, STL (12 solos, 1 sack)
This hasn't been a very good season for Chavous like most of the Rams, but his 12 solos on Thursday night vs the Steelers were just one fewer than he had in his four previous games combined. He'll turn 32 years old in January but provides a steady veteran presence in the secondary and figures to return as a starting safety next season but perhaps under a new defensive coordinator that will take better advantage of his abilities.
DOWNGRADES
DL Brett Keisel, PIT (0 tackles)
After signing a 4-year, $14 million contract extension this past offseason, many expected Keisel to have some fantasy value. However, he's played in every game so far and has only managed 21 solo tackles and 3 sacks. The injury to Aaron Smith doesn't appear to have done him any favors either has he's combined for just 1 solo tackle over his last 2 games. Defensive ends in the Steelers defense generally don't have much fantasy value and Keisel doesn't appear ready to change things.
DL Philip Daniels, WAS (1 asst)
Daniels showed some flashes of being a quality fantasy option midway through the season but he's faded down the stretch. He's gone sackless in his last 5 games and has just 2 solos, 3 assists, and 1 PD over the last 3 games. His starting spot could probably use an upgrade during the offseason.
DL Michael Strahan, NYG (0 tackles)
Strahan missed half a season in 2004 and 2006 due to injuries and threatened retirement prior to this season. He's now 38 years old and although he managed to stay healthy this year and play in every game, he's no longer the same dominant player he used to be. Meanwhile, the Giants also have a young understudy in place ready to take over for him in Justin Tuck. The Giants did make the playoffs this season and Strahan is just 1 sack shy of reaching double digits, but it would not surprise anyone if he decided to walk away once the year ends. He would certainly go down as one of the best defensive ends of all time.
LB Lawrence Timmons, PIT (1 solo)
Timmons was a strange 1st round pick for the Steelers as he didn't appear to be a great fit for their 3-4 defense. He's had a hard time getting any playing time all year and has just 11 solo tackles in 15 games. Making matters somewhat worse, he sustained a broken hand in this week's game vs the Rams, although he's expected to play through it in the season finale next week. It's hard to see where he fits into the defense next year, given how well the Steelers defense has played this year.
LB Cato June, TB (1 asst)
For folks new to IDP leagues who might not understand how significant the difference can be between a player who plays WLB vs SLB or one who plays in the nickel package vs one who doesn't, Cato June is a good case study. Over the last 3 years while starting at WLB and playing in the nickel with the Colts, June averaged about 80 solo tackles and 3 interceptions per season. This year, while playing SLB and not playing in the nickel for the Buccaneers, however, June has just 48 solo tackles and 1 interception. Assuming June stays in Tampa, he may not see a return to his previous levels of production until Derrick Brooks retires.
LB Leon Williams, CLE (1 solo, 1 asst)
Williams has seen a big drop in his production over the past couple weeks since D'Qwell Jackson returned from injury. He has just 2 solos and 1 assist over the last two games while the player he was platooning with earlier this year, Andra Davis, put up 9 solos and a forced fumble. Williams is a young player who is likely still in the team's long-term plans but he might struggle to produce as long as Davis and Jackson are both around.
DB Nick Collins, GB (3 solos, 1 asst)
Although the Packers have had a great regular season, Collins hasn't really lived up to some of the promise he showed during the last two seasons. After averaging over 60 solo tackles, 2 interceptions, and 11 passes defensed in the first two years of his career, Collins has just 36 solos, 0 interceptions, and 5 passes defensed this year. He did miss 3 games with an injury but the lack of big plays has to be a concern given how strong the rest of the Packers defense has been around him.
DB Kevin Kaesviharn, NO (0 tackles)
With a healthy Josh Bullocks returning to the lineup at FS and Roman Harper holding onto his starting job at SS, Kaesviharn saw his playing time drop off this week and he wound up with 0 tackles. After recording an impressive 6 interceptions last year while playing mostly as a reserve in Cincinnati, Kaesviharn has yet to record a single interception this year in New Orleans.
DB Deltha O'Neal, CIN (1 solo, 1 asst)
O'Neal appears to have lost his starting job for good as the Bengals have primarily been playing the rookie Leon Hall and 2nd year pro Jonathan Joseph at CB lately. O'Neal has had some huge seasons in the past, including a 10-interception season back in 2005 but he'll turn 31 years old in January and is probably best suited to a nickel back role at this point in his career.
