DL Jared Allen, KC (8 solos, 2 sacks, 3 QH, 2 PD, 1 FF)
After serving a 2-game suspension, Allen blew up against the Vikings this
week. Despite missing those 2 games, it would not be a big surprise if he
finished as the highest scoring DL this year. The Chiefs don't look like
they'll be very good this year which should mean a lot of snaps for their
defense. Allen is a relentless defender who should continue to put up great
tackle numbers (had 64 solos a year ago) and finish with quite a few more
sacks than he did a year ago thanks to improved play from the back seven and
fellow DE Tamba Hali.
DL Trent Cole, PHI (5 solos, 3 sacks, 2 QH, 1 FF)
Cole got off to a huge start last season with 6 sacks in his first 5 games,
but he slowed down and finished with only 8 on the season. After his huge
game on Sunday, he now has 4.5 sacks in his first 3 games this year. A lot
of fantasy owners probably started to write him off after his 2nd half fade
last season. Given that last year was basically his first year as a starter
though, look for him to be more consistent this year and maintain his value
throughout the season provided that he can stay healthy.
DL Juqua Thomas, PHI (2 solos, 2 sacks, 1 QH, 1 FF, 1 FR)
Jevon Kearse remains the starter at DE spot across from Cole, but Thomas has
been the more effective player lately. His 2 sacks on Sunday gives him 3 in
the past 2 games while Kearse has just 1 assisted tackle and half a sack in
3 games played. Unless Kearse starts to produce, Thomas looks like a future
starter for the Eagles. He's an explosive pass rusher in the same mold
as former Eagle Derrick Burgess.
DL Marques Douglas, SF (7 solos, 1 asst, .5 sack, 1 QH)
Douglas is the type of DE who normally flies under the radar. He isn't
the most talented player and doesn't play in a system that is particularly
conducive to fantasy success, but he's been productive lately and is
deserving of an upgrade here. Over the past two games, Douglas has collected
12 solos, 1 asst, and 1.5 sacks. He won't put up double digit sacks (career
high is 5.5 in 2004) but he's been very durable (no missed games in past
4 seasons) and consistent with 44 or more solo tackles in each of the past
4 years.
DL Kenechi Udeze, MIN (7 solos, 1 asst)
Udeze was a pretty major disappointment during the first 3 years of his career,
especially after coming up with 0 sacks last year despite playing in all 16
games. But, he seems to be creeping back up into fantasy relevance now with
a sack in each of his first 2 games and then a big 7 solo tackle game this
week against the Chiefs. The Vikings defense looks very potent these days,
and opposing offenses will probably focus most of their attention on the big
guys in the middle and the emerging Ray Edwards on the weakside. That should
create plenty of favorable opportunities for Udeze, who could still avoid
the bust label with a solid season.
LB Mathias Kiwanuka, NYG (7 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 QH, 1 FF)
Given their great depth at DE, the Giants decided to move Kiwanuka to OLB
this offseason, a position where they had a very glaring need. While he's
still adjusting to the position, Sunday's performance against the Eagles
is a pretty good indicator that the transition is going very well. Kiwanuka
was a one-man wrecking crew on Sunday as he led his team in tackles while
also adding the only 2 sacks of Redskins QB Jason Campbell. Don't expect
that many tackles from him but he does have great big-play potential as we
saw last year when he put up 4 sacks, 2 FF, and 2 INTs in a 7-game stretch.
LB Kamerion Wimbley, CLE (5 solos, 2 sacks, 2 QH, 1 FF)
Wimbley is basically a DE in the Browns defense and his stats should reflect
that (e.g., high sacks, low tackles). The fact that he's listed as a
LB hurts his value significantly but he could still be a fantasy starter or
solid backup in sack-heavy scoring systems. He had a slow start with just
4 solos and 0 sacks in his first two games but had a huge game against the
Raiders this week. Look for him to build off that momentum going forward and
hopefully improve on his rookie totals of 44 solos and 11.5 sacks.
LB John DiGiorgio, BUF (8 solos, 4 asst, .5 sack, 1 QH)
With rookie Paul Posluszny going on IR this week with a broken arm, John DiGiorgio
figures to take over the MLB job for the rest of the year. He drew raves from
the coaching staff in the preseason and started two of the preseason games
so the Bills feel pretty comfortable with him in there. He's a player whose
game is built on speed and given the struggles of the Bills so far this year,
he should have little difficulty collecting a lot of tackles just like he
did this week in a blowout loss to the Patriots.
LB DeMarcus Ware, DAL (6 solos, 2 sacks, 3 QH)
He plays a position similar to Kamerion Wimbley but has more fantasy potential
as he's a more natural LB while Wimbley is more of a pure pass rusher.
Ware, like the rest of the Cowboys defense, got off to a slow start with just
5 solos and 0 sacks in his first 2 games, but he came through with a huge
game on Sunday night against the Bears. He's coming off a 59 solo, 12
sack season and should get plenty of sacks now that the more aggressive Wade
Phillips has replaced Bill Parcells in Dallas.
LB Karlos Dansby, ARI (5 solos, 2 asst, 2 sacks, 2 QH)
There was some concern that Dansby might lose fantasy value this year if the
Cardinals switched to a 3-4 defense, but that doesn't seem to be happening.
Through 3 games, he has 14 solo tackles, 9 assists, and 2.5 sacks. Him and
Gerald Hayes both play in the team's nickel package so they should continue
to receive plenty of snaps regardless of where they line up. Dansby is one
of the better big-play linebackers in the league and has a chance to crack
double digit sacks with 70 solo tackles this year.
LB Gerald Hayes, ARI (9 solos, 2 asst)
Hayes enjoyed a breakout season last year as he finally stayed healthy and
finished the year with 80 solo tackles, 1 sack, and 3 interceptions. Hayes
is a promising young inside linebacker who tends to get overlooked playing
in Arizona, but he now has 17 solos after 3 weeks and looks like he'll
fill the James Farrior role in the new Cardinals defense.
LB Jamar Williams, CHI (8 solos, 2 asst)
Lance Briggs left the game with a groin injury and didn't return for
the second half. Although the defense didn't perform particularly well
in the second half, his replacement Jamar Williams wound up leading the team
in tackles. If Briggs were to miss any time, Williams would likely become
a fantasy starter in most leagues and he is the favorite to replace Briggs
next year.
DB Deon Grant, SEA (8 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Even though Grant has never been much of an impact player during his previous
5 years as a starter, he was a major acquisition for the Seahawks this year.
They believed he would provide consistent play and help stabilize their coverage
in the secondary. Although it's an admittedly small sample size, after
3 games it looks like a great signing as he's on pace to finish with
the best numbers of his career. The Seahawks have 3 starting linebackers that
are all excellent blitzers and that should create more opportunities for Grant
to make plays as well.
DB Nick Ferguson, DEN (9 solos, 2 asst, 1 FF)
Ferguson hasn't been a very productive player for most of his career,
but he did finish with 61 solos and 5 interceptions in 2005. The Broncos have
a new defense this year and are playing Ferguson at SS instead of the hard
hitting John Lynch, so perhaps he has more 9 solo games like this in his future.
Certainly a player worth keeping an eye on, although his numbers were certainly
boosted by the 47 rush attempts by the Jaguars.
DB Chris Harris, CAR (7 solos, 1 FF, 1 FR)
Harris was traded to the Panthers midway through the preseason and went from
being buried on the Bears bench to becoming a fantasy starter in an instant.
Through 3 games, he has 15 solos tackles and 3 forced fumbles, which ranks
him among the top-10 DBs in FBG scoring. He can be a liability in coverage
but is a solid tackler who should continue to produce as long as he remains
in the starting lineup at SS.
DB Atari Bigby, GB (9 solos, 2 asst)
Bigby seemed to come out of nowhere to win the starting SS job in Green Bay
this year and he's off to a good start with 17 solos and 7 assists through
3 games. He's yet to make any big plays but should be a good source of
tackles going forward.
DB C.C. Brown, HOU (7 solos, 1 asst)
Brown got the start at SS for the Texans this week and finished 2nd on the
team in tackles behind MLB DeMeco Ryans. Brown doesn't add much as a
playmaker (just 1 sack and 2 INTs over last 2 seasons), but he's a solid
tackler who appears to have a shot at holding onto the starting SS job in
Houston for the time being.
DB David Barrett, NYJ (7 solos, 1 asst, 1 PD)
Barrett appears to have taken over the starting CB job from Andre Dyson and
he's seeing a lot of action. He has finished with 6 or more solo tackles
in each game so far and his 22 solo tackles rank 2nd among all DBs to Marlin
Jackson of the Colts. Barrett is a good tackler at the CB position who also
has 8 interceptions over the past two seasons. Don't expect him to keep
up this pace, but it may not be a bad idea to ride him while he's hot
in leagues that separate CBs from Ss.
DB Charles Woodson, GB (8 solos, 1 asst)
Woodson had a comeback season last year in Green Bay with 51 solo tackles
and 8 interceptions. He's been a little banged up so far this year but
still managed to finish this week's game with an impressive 8 solo tackles.
He was also the Packers primary punt returner, which may give him some added
value in leagues that award points for special teams yardage.
Downgrades
DL Jevon Kearse, PHI (0 tackles)
Through 3 games played, Kearse has 1 assisted tackle, .5 sack, and 1 FF but
all of those stats came in game 1. He's put up a goose egg two weeks
in a row. Kearse is now 31 years old and coming off a serious injury. Unless
he turns things around soon, it certainly looks like he'll be a non-factor
for fantasy owners this year. The emergence of Juqua Thomas could limit his
snaps, particularly in clear passing situations.
DL Luis Castillo, SD (0 tackles)
Castillo suffered a foot injury in the 2nd quarter. He returned to the game
afterwards but was clearly bothered by it and was rather ineffective as a
result.
DL Bryant Young, SF (1 asst)
After a great start to the season, Young came back to earth this week against
the Steelers. Despite 33 rush attempts, Young only managed 1 assisted tackle
and no QB hits.
DL Brett Keisel, PIT (1 PD)
Keisel came into the year with great promise but has been practically invisible
in 2 of the 3 games so far. He had 3 solos and a sack against the Bills in
week 2 but finished with 0 tackles in week 1 and again this week against the
49ers.
LB Clark Haggans, PIT (1 asst)
Haggans was the only proven OLB on the Steelers roster to begin this season
but he's being outplayed by James Harrison and rookie LeMarr Woodley
so far this year.
LB Boss Bailey, DET (1 solo)
Last week's numbers look like a clear fluke for Bailey at this point.
He had 5 solos and 1.5 sacks a week ago but he has just 1 solo and 1 asst
in the other 2 games combined. He may put up a big week every once in awhile
but he's probably not worth a roster spot in most leagues as he's
simply too unreliable.
LB Lance Briggs, CHI (2 solos, 1 QH)
Briggs left the game with a groin injury and did not return. There hasn't
been any report of how serious the injury is yet so look for an update later
this week.
LB Paul Posluszny, BUF (3 solos, 1 asst)
Posluszny suffered a broken arm in the game against the Patriots this week
and was placed on IR on Monday. He remains a big part of the Bills future,
but this is a big blow for a defense that has been decimated by injuries.
Look for 2nd year pro John DiGiorgio to fill in for him at MLB the rest of
this season. Next in line would probably be Angelo Crowell.
LB Bryan Thomas, NYJ (0 tackles)
Last year's breakout player from the Jets is off to a slow start. Through
3 games, he has just 9 solo tackles (6 of which came in week 2 vs the Ravens)
and 0 sacks and he was shut out from the stat sheet on Sunday.
DB Dexter Jackson, CIN (2 asst)
Jackson had a decent start with 7 solos, 8 assists, and an INT in his first
2 games but cooled off this week and finished with just 2 assists. Jackson
is a good player who figures to see plenty of action playing in the Bengals
porous defense, but he hasn't really been a reliable fantasy option since
2003 when he played for the Cardinals. He's always had trouble staying
healthy and has been banged up a bit already this year.
DB DeAngelo Hall, ATL (0 tackles)
Hall had a strong game and helped shutdown Steve Smith, but he also had a
meltdown late in the game that could lead to a suspension from the team. Hall
was flagged for 3 consecutive penalties on the same drive, costing the team
67 yards and allowing the Panthers to score a game-tying TD. He later got
into a heated argument with his coaches on the sideline and had to be pulled
away by his teammates.
DB Fernando Bryant, DET (1 solo)
Bryant had 13 solo tackles over his first 2 games and probably got picked
up by quite a few people in CB-starting leagues, but he'll probably put
up more games like this one than those going forward. Bryant has only averaged
about 4 solo tackles/game over his career and he doesn't add anything
as a playmaker with just 5 interceptions in 97 career games.
DB Terence Newman, DAL (1 PD)
Newman played his first game of the season but wasn't needed much as
the Cowboys wound up winning rather easily. He's returning from a heel
injury that could limit his effectiveness so it's probably a good idea
to keep expectations low until he shows he's fully recovered.
