Faceoff - DE Derrick Burgess, Oakland Raiders

Posted 8/1, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by John Norton

Derrick Burgess is one of the most under rated players in the game and a player I target regularly as a value pick. His days with the Eagles weren't pretty but he's been a very different player since arriving in Oakland. When he was with the Eagles we heard over and over how talented Burgess was but every year he seemed to come down with some sort of injury and in the end, never got his chance. Not only did Burgess stay healthy in his first two seasons with Oakland, in 2005 he racked up 52 solo tackles, led the league in sacks with 16 and finished among the top 5 defensive linemen. That was no fluke and Burgess proved it by coming back in '06 with a less stellar but still very solid 43-8-11.5

Some may point to last season's low overall production as a sign that he's headed in the wrong direction. They should take a closer look. He was active for some games early on that he didn't really participate in but once healthy Burgess was 31-7-8 in the last 11 games. Average those numbers out over a full season and you get a solid 45-10-11.5. Yes he missed time early in the year with a calf problem but that doesn't mean his injury prone days have returned. The calf problem was minor and unlike the early days of his career Burgess was able to fight back from this injury and make a strong showing.

Burgess has proven himself over the past three seasons even when the Raiders were a bad team. A healthy Tommy Kelly with the additions of Greg Spires and Kalimba Edwards at DE will go a long way toward taking some pressure off Burgess and helping the defense turn around last year's disaster in general. The run defense will undoubtedly be improved which will in turn create more pass rush opportunity. There is also the fact that he is nearing the end of his contract and we all know what that can do for a player's numbers.

He may not approach his '05 production but it's hard to argue with a guy who gives you 45 tackles and double digit sack every year. Burgess falls a little short of the elite class at the position but you would be hard pressed to find a better option as a second starter.

Downside - by Jeff Pasquino

Derrick Burgess finished as the 36th best defensive lineman last year in fantasy football, yet many are still pegging him as a fantasy DL2 with DL1 potential. Huh? I'm the low man on the totem pole with my ranking (22nd) and I thought I was actually being kind. The reason I have him as a borderline DL2 is three-fold. Let's break each one down.

The first reason to be down on Burgess in 2008 is Burgess himself. For the past three seasons, Burgess has regressed. Ever since he got a nice payday with the Raiders, he has had one worse season after the next. Burgess played well in 2005 with his first season in Oakland, racking up 16 sacks and 52 solo tackles to finish as the overall #3 defensive lineman. Then came 2006, where he had 4.5 fewer sacks along with a respectable 43 tackles, ending the year as DL18. Last season was a bad continuation of this trend as he had only 32 solo tackles and just eight sacks.

Burgess certainly has good upside, but I cannot in good conscience put him in my Top 20 with so many other better options at DE now in the league. From Tamba Hali to Leonard Little to Gaines Adams, there are just many more options now in the league that can rack up double digit sacks and also get the 40-50 tackles to outpace Burgess. Sure Burgess has two 10+ sack seasons in recent history, but I have more concerns about grabbing Burgess quite so early.

This leads me to my other concern -- the Oakland Raiders. Burgess is on a team that was just terrible last year, and some would say that the Silver and Black have not improved much for this year. I disagree, as I think that Oakland will control the ball and play better this season. An improvement at quarterback and the addition of rookie RB Darren McFadden should have the Raider defense on the field a bit less, which will afford Burgess fewer chances at tackles and sacks in 2008.

Optimists will look at the back half of the 2007 season and say that Burgess came on strong to finish with 24 solo tackles and seven sacks, but Oakland's front seven has actually regressed since last year. Chris Clemons has moved over to Burgess' former club (Philadelphia) and without a more formidable opposing end, Burgess could see more double teams this season. Without those 10+ sacks, Burgess is barely a DL3 for fantasy purposes and that is a very realistic outcome in 2008. I would look elsewhere for a DL2 with upside for this coming year.