Week 14 IDP Upgrades and Downgrades

Upgrades

DT Jonathan Fanene, CIN (5 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - The Bengals lost 2 of their top defensive ends to season ending injuries recently and that has created a lot of additional playing time for Fanene. He's been a seldom used backup for much of his 4-year career, but now it looks like he could provide some decent tackle production down the stretch as he tries to earn himself a bigger role for next year. Over the past 2 games, Fanene has been credited with 8 solos and 3 assists. He did leave the game this week with a thigh injury but the severity was unknown as of Monday.

DE Jared Allen, MIN (4 solos, 4 assists, 3 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Allen has been a bit more inconsistent this season than he has been in recent years, part of which could have been caused by the shoulder injury he was playing through, but he looked great against the Bears on Sunday night. His 3 sacks of Orton gives him 11 on the season. His tackle numbers are down due to playing on such a dominant run defense but they could also see a bump if the Vikings DTs lose their suspension appeals, and with 4 games to play Allen has a chance to reach 15 sacks for the 2nd year in a row.

DE Cliff Avril, DET (3 solos, 0 assists, 1 sacks 1 FF, 1 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - In what was a completely forgettable game for most Lions players, Cliff Avril stood out as a player who IDP owners may want to target. Avril is an undersized rookie edge rusher from Purdue who has started to make an impact. He has shown good ability as a pass rusher and a knack for knocking the ball loose when he gets to the QB. On the season, he has 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles with two of them coming in the past two weeks. The Lions will be going through some major changes after this year, but Avril could become a pass rush specialist and have some decent value in big play scoring systems.

DE Ryan Denney, BUF (4 solos, 2 assists, 2 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Although he started the year as the #3 DE for the Bills, he has been playing very well and making the most of his increased opportunity while Aaron Schobel recovers from his foot injury. Denney used to be known as a strong run defender with limited pass rush skills, but he's racked up 3 sacks and a forced fumble in the past two weeks and should earn a bigger role. Denney has one year left on his contract, but he has outplayed Chris Kelsay and deserves to remain a starter after Schobel returns.

ILB London Fletcher, WAS (11 solos, 3 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - There were some conflicting reports on Fletcher Sunday morning. It was originally reported by several sources that he would be inactive for the game, but he tested out his foot in the pregame warm-ups and was able to play with it. In a great matchup against the Giants, Fletcher finished with his second best game of the season. His best game came in the opener against the Giants. In both Giants games combined, Fletcher has registered 23 solo tackles and 8 assists. Although he hasn't quite produced up to his normal standards, Fletcher has finished with 6 or more solo tackles in 6 of the past 7 games and the only miss was week 12 when he left early with an injury. He's also yet to miss a single game during an amazing 11-year career.

ILB Bradie James, DAL (12 solos, 1 assists, 2 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - In what was already shaping up to be a surprisingly productive fantasy season, James exploded on Thanksgiving with 12 solo tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. While Zach Thomas was expected to take over as the best fantasy option in Dallas, James is the one who has emerged as a fantasy force. With a secondary that has been having plenty of problems and no player stepping up as a secondary pass rusher behind DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys have been asking James to blitz much more often and he's responded with 5 sacks in the last 6 games. He's also been very active against the run, finishing with 8 or more solo tackles in 3 of the past 4 games. With the Cowboys facing 3 run-heavy offenses in the next 3 weeks, James looks like he could be one of the most valuable IDPs in the league.

OLB Brandon Johnson, CIN (5 solos, 9 assists, 1.5 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - The Bengals were not that talented on defense to begin the season, but they have also been decimated by injuries. Johnson is one of the last men standing, however, and he's playing well in place of the injured Keith Rivers. Over the past 3 games, Johnson has registered 14 solo tackles, 15 assists, 1.5 sacks, and an interception. He figures to lose some value next year when Rivers returns, but for now he's seeing a lot of playing time and is definitely worthy of a pickup.

OLB Scott Shanle, NO (8 solos, 2 assists, 1 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Shanle isn't an exciting player but he's put up 14 solo tackles, 4 assists, and a sack over the past 2 games. With Vilma and Fujita around, he may not see much playing time in passing situations, but the Saints play the Falcons and Bears the next two weeks so that shouldn't be a big issue. Even as a 2-down WLB, he's worth a look if you're desperate for LB help in deeper leagues.

CB Corey Graham, CHI (6 solos, 3 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - Graham has struggled at times defending the pass, but he's a very active player who is not afraid to come up and support the run. Despite not starting for much of the season, he's put up some very impressive numbers. Nathan Vasher was placed on injured reserve with a broken hand this week, which will allow Graham to get plenty of snaps for the last 4 games. If he plays well, he could put himself in a position to start next year given that Vasher has only played in 12 games since signing a 5-year, $28 million contract extension in 2007.

CB Quentin Jammer, SD (8 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 2 FF, 1 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - With his 3rd big game in a row, Jammer has taken over the league lead among cornerbacks with 65 solo tackles and 78 tackles total. Although his numbers are inflated because of how poorly he and the Chargers defense has been playing for much of the year, he has certainly become a more physical player this year than what we've seen from him in the past. Also, playing opposite Antonio Cromartie definitely seems to be helping his numbers as QBs are more willing to pick on Jammer than they were in the past.

CB Charles Woodson, GB (4 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks 1 FF, 1 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - The former 2-way college player has been having an excellent season thanks primarily to his big play ability. He has 5 interceptions on the season, including two that he returned for TDs, along with 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Even though he's been banged up and playing hurt for much of the season, he proved how versatile he can be this week when the Packers decided to start him at strong safety. Atari Bigby or Aaron Rouse might be able to play next week, but Woodson should see a bump up in his tackle numbers as he takes on a bigger role in the Packers secondary.

S Jermaine Phillips, TB (6 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 1 INT, 1 PD) - Phillips has been one of the most productive fantasy safeties in the league over the past couple of seasons. He wasn't having a great season this year before he went down with an injury in week 8, but he returned to action this week and put up some very solid numbers in a big win over the Saints. He has DB1 potential when healthy and should provide a nice spark to teams that were able to wait for him or are lucky enough to pick him up on waivers this week.

Downgrades

DE Mathias Kiwanuka, NYG (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - While the Giants continue to look like the best team in the league, Kiwanuka's production seems to be slipping a bit in recent weeks. He has just 7 solo tackles and 1 sack in his last 4 games combined. Obviously, he could explode with a multi-sack game at any time, but it may be time to consider benching him if you have better options.

DE Chris Long, STL (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Long remains a promising player in dynasty leagues, but he appears to have hit the rookie wall at this point. He got off to a good start with 2 sacks in his first 4 games and 4 sacks in his first 7, but he's done very little since then. In his last 5 games, he has just 8 solo tackles, 2 assists, 1 forced fumble, and 0 sacks.

DE Terrell Suggs, BAL (1 solos, 1 assists, 0.5 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - Suggs remains a top-5 fantasy DE in terms of fantasy points/game on the strength of his early season success, but he hasn't been making much of an impact in recent weeks. Over his last 5 games, he has just 14 solo tackles and a half sack. With 5 sacks in his first 7 games, he looked certain to reach double digit sacks this year but that looks like a long shot now.

DE Darryl Tapp, SEA (0 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Tapp came into the Thanksgiving game on a hot streak with 16 solo tackles and 3 sacks in the previous 4 games, but he was held completely off the stat sheet this week as the Cowboys did a great job of protecting Tony Romo. Hopefully it was just a fluky bad outing for him and he can pick things back up against this week against the Patriots.

ILB Gary Brackett, IND (2 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Brackett suffered an ankle injury early in the game this week and had to be carted off the field. Initial reports made it sound like a serious injury that could keep him out for several weeks. If so, that's a tough loss for IDP owners. Freddie Keiaho took over at MLB in the game and should see a bump in value going forward.

ILB Paul Posluszny, BUF (2 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Posluszny hasn't had the breakout season that many expected from him and his numbers seem to be declining as the season winds down. He had 50 solo tackles in his first 8 games, but he's been credited with just 15 in the 4 games since then and just 5 in his last 2 games. He remains a very promising fantasy option in dynasty and keeper leagues, but he may not have the top-5 upside that many were hoping for from him.

OLB Chad Greenway, MIN (2 solos, 3 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Greenway put up 16 solo tackles and a sack in a week 11 matchup vs the Buccaneers and looked like a player who you had to start every week no matter what the matchup looked like. In the 2 games since then, however Greenway has only managed 4 solos and 4 assists. With a matchup coming against the Lions this week, there is a good chance the Vikings could get up early and control the clock with their running game. Then, the following week, the Vikings face the Cardinals who are not generally a great matchup for linebackers since they pass the ball so much. Greenway is still a big play threat, but he's probably a risky start the next two weeks based on the way things have been going for him lately.

OLB Leroy Hill, SEA (0 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Hill has just 6 solo tackles in his last 3 games and he left the Thanksgiving game last week with what the team referred to as a 'stinger'. On Monday, Mike Holmgren said he was concerned about Hill and wasn't sure if he'd be able to play in the Patriots game.

CB Antonio Cromartie, SD (0 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - In a year when Eric Weddle and Quentin Jammer are both leading their respective positions in tackles, Cromartie has also been rather productive with 50 solos on the year. However, he has been much less consistent than his teammates. He was held off the stat sheet in this week's game, giving him 4 games this year with 2 or fewer solo tackles. With just 2 interceptions and none since week 3, he also hasn't been anywhere near the playmaker that he was a year ago when he led the league with 10.

S Kevin Kaesviharn, NO (2 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Kaesviharn has been a pleasant surprise for the Saints and IDP owners this year, but he suffered a shoulder injury this week and is expected to miss the next 1 or 2 games. Josh Bullocks will replace him in the lineup and could be a solid pickup.

S Marvin White, CIN (5 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - White had been playing well with 16 solo tackles and 6 assists over the last 3 games, but he suffered a torn ACL in the game this week and will be placed on injured reserve. He's a young player who should be able to rebound from this injury, but his recovery is likely to be wrapping up during the preseason next year.