Week 15 IDP Upgrades and Downgrades

Upgrades

DT Tim Bulman, HOU (2 solos, 1 assists, 1 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Bulman is a backup defensive tackle who entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals in 2005. He is light for a defensive tackle, but he's been outplaying some of the other starters on the Texans defensive line this year and seems to be the only player taking advantage of the double and triple teams seen by Mario Williams. His sack this week gives him 4 in the last 8 games. Other than Williams, no other Texans player has more than 2.

DE Baraka Atkins, SEA (5 solos, 0 assists, 2 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Atkins was a 4-year starter at the University of Miami who the Seahawks selected in the 4th round of last year's draft. He is a versatile player who needed some time to develop, but he's begun to get regular playing time thanks to the season-ending injury to Patrick Kerney. Atkins enjoyed a breakout game this week against the Patriots when he recorded the first two sacks of his career along with 5 solo tackles and 3 additional QB hurries. The Seahawks have a deep group of defensive ends, but more games like this could help Atkins work his way into the rotation for next year.

DE Shaun Ellis, NYJ (7 solos, 1 assists, 1 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Ellis was pulled over last week and arrested for driving without insurance and possession of marijuana. The team chose not to suspend him and he responded with his best game of the year this week, finishing with 7 solo tackles and a sack. There is a good chance he will be suspended by the league, but it appears that might not happen until next season after the legal system has run its course.

DE Robert Mathis, IND (5 solos, 1 assists, 2.5 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - After going through a 5-game sackless stretch in the middle of the season, Mathis has been on fire of late. He has 6 sacks over his last 3 games, along with 10 solo tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery TD. With a favorable matchup coming against the Lions next week, it looks like Mathis could wind up being one of the most valuable IDPs in the fantasy playoffs this year.

ILB Desmond Bishop, GB (8 solos, 4 assists, 1 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - With Brandon Chillar missing the game with a groin injury, Bishop received his first career start at WLB this week. He got off to a great start in the game, posting 8 tackles (6 solos), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 tackles for a loss and a QB hurry all in the first half. His play dropped off in the second half as he struggled in coverage and only added 3 more solo tackles. Bishop is a natural MLB but the Packers decided to keep AJ Hawk inside this week rather than playing both players at their natural position.

ILB David Harris, NYJ (8 solos, 5 assists, 0.5 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - After missing a little over a month with a groin injury, Harris returned to the starting lineup this week and had one of his best games of the season. He led the Jets with 13 tackles (8 solos) and a half sack, and his return likely means that Eric Barton will go back to being more of a depth player than an every week starter. Harris has had a disappointing season for fantasy owners who were expecting top-5 production, but he has a chance to salvage things with a strong finish in the fantasy playoffs.

ILB Gerald Hayes, ARI (8 solos, 3 assists, 0.5 sacks 2 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - After a great start to the season, Hayes had seen his production drop off considerably. In his first 6 games, he was credited with 31 solo tackles and 9 assists. In his next 6 games, he was only credited with 17 solo tackles and 5 assists. Never known as much of a playmaker, Hayes was also seeing little time in passing situations. That all seemed to change this week as the Cardinals got out to an early lead which forced the Rams to pass the ball 37 times, but Hayes still finished with his best game of the year. Next week's matchup against the Vikings with their strong running game looks very favorable for Hayes, so he is probably worth a start this week if you held onto him this long.

ILB DQwell Jackson, CLE (12 solos, 3 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 2 INT, 3 PD) - Jackson's breakout year continued with a monster game against the Titans this week. He was credited with 15 tackles (12 solos), giving him 130 (82 solos) for the year, which ranks him 1st in the league. He also came into the game this week with just 2 interceptions in his first 39 games, but he recorded 2 to double his career total. The Browns are suffering through a miserable season, but Jackson looks like a key building block for their defense. A change in coaching staff could bring in a new system next year though.

OLB Wesley Woodyard, DEN (9 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - Nate Webster returned to action at MLB this week and DJ Williams should be close to returning as well. However, with the way that Woodyard has been playing, it seems the team will have to find a place for him in the lineup. In his 5 starts, Woodyard has racked up 39 solo tackles and 4 assists. He uses his incredible speed and range to chase down plays and has delivered some very big hits as well. The Broncos appear to have found a gem with this undrafted free agent.

CB Brandon Meriweather, NE (6 solos, 0 assists, 1 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 2 PD) - Although Meriweather is a much different player than Rodney Harrison was, he has taken over the SS job in New England and looks like he has the potential to join the fantasy elite. Over his last 4 games, Meriweather has put up very consistent tackle numbers (23 solos and 10 assists), while also showing a knack for making big plays with an interception, sack, and forced fumble. It's unclear whether Harrison will try to return next year, but even if he does Meriweather figures to be a key piece of the Patriots secondary.

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, ARI (5 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 1 INT, 2 PD) - I don't think there are many people who would have predicted that Rodgers-Cromartie would have more interceptions than Antonio Cromartie at this point in the season, but that's where they stand. DRC came from a small school in Tennessee State and many thought he would need some time to adjust to the NFL, but he is starting and playing well for the division champion Cardinals. With the Cardinals offense firing on all cylinders, opposing offenses will be forced to throw against the Cardinals every week to try and keep up and that is giving Rodgers-Cromartie plenty of opportunities. He has 23 solo tackles, 3 interceptions, 10 passes defensed, and a TD over his last 6 games.

CB Tramon Williams, GB (5 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 1 FR, 1 INT, 2 PD) - Williams has emerged as a key player and big-time playmaker in the Packers secondary this year. He recorded his fifth interception of the season this week to enter a tie for 2nd most in the league with a group of other players. Rather than move him back to the bench or nickel role after Al Harris returned, the Packers moved Charles Woodson to safety to keep Williams on the field as much as possible. Given that Harris and Woodson are older players, Williams figures to play a big role in their future plans.

CB Usama Young, NO (9 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - The Saints don't have a lot of healthy corners available and things got worse this week as starter Randall Gay left with a concussion. Young took his place in the lineup and was targeted frequently by Matt Ryan and the Falcons. He finished the game with 7 solo tackles on defense and also added 2 more on special teams. If Gay can't play on Thursday night against the Bears, Young should see a lot of action and could be worth a pickup.

S Troy Polamalu, PIT (7 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 1 INT, 1 PD) - Polamalu is having an amazing season. While his tackle numbers aren't high enough to warrant elite status, his big play numbers more than make up for it. He started off the year by recording an interception in 3 straight games then went 6 games without recording another one, and now has recorded an interception in 4 straight games. His 7 interceptions rank 1st in the league and make him a strong candidate for NFL defensive player of the year.

S Ed Reed, BAL (3 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 INT, 2 PD) - Reed was banged up to start the season and wasn't making a lot of the big plays that he is generally known for. With the plays he's been making over the past few weeks, however, it looks like he's back to his old form. Back in week 12 against the Eagles, Reed picked off 2 passes and returned one of them 108 yards for a TD. This week against the Redskins, Reed picked off 2 passes, forced a fumble, and returned a fumble 22 yards for a TD. That gives him an amazing 4 interceptions and 2 TDs in the past 3 games. He's not the type of player you can rely on for consistent production every week, but there may not be another DB with a better chance to score a TD in any given week.

Downgrades

DE Jamaal Anderson, ATL (0 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Anderson was a top-10 draft pick a year ago who has failed to live up to expectations. He seemed to turn the corner earlier this season when he recorded sacks in back to back games, but those are his only 2 sacks in 29 career games. He's also not making a big impact in the tackle columns either as he's averaging fewer than 2 solos per game over his career and he's been credited with just 5 solo tackles in his last 6 games. With an elite pass rush threat like John Abraham playing opposite him, he really should be much more productive than this.

DE Luis Castillo, SD (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - In the first few years of his career, Castillo has proven to be one of the better pass rushers in the league among 3-4 defensive ends. From 2006 to 2007, he recorded 10.5 sacks in 20 games. This year, however, he has had very little success putting pressure on opposing QBs. In 12 games, he has just 1.5 sacks. The loss of Shawne Merriman is certainly to blame for some of the dropoff but Castillo is considered to be one of the core players on this defense and should be doing better.

DE Jarvis Moss, DEN (0 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - While there is still a slight chance for the 2007 1st round pick to turn things around, it doesn't look like Moss is going to have much value for IDP fantasy owners anytime soon. Although he has yet to receive extensive playing time, Moss has just 19 solo tackles and 3.5 sacks in 16 games. What is particularly troubling is that the Broncos desperately need help in their pass rush this year, but apart from a 2 sack game against the Dolphins in week 9, Moss has been almost a complete non-factor. He has just 3 solo tackles and 0 sacks in his last 5 games.

DE Juqua Parker, PHI (0 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Parker got off to a great start this season with 16 solos and 4.5 sacks in his first 6 games. In the 7 games since then, however, he's failed to record a single sack and has only been credited with 12 solo tackles. Parker is undersized to play LDE and seems to be wearing down late in the season. Long term, he's probably a much better fit as a pass-rush specialist, which could limit his week to week consistency and fantasy upside.

ILB Will Witherspoon, STL (2 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Witherspoon has been dealing with a shoulder injury and it appears he'll see limited action the rest of the way. He participated fully in Friday's practice and was listed a probable, but Chris Draft replaced him in the starting lineup. There has been some speculation that the Rams will move Witherspoon over to his more natural position of WLB next year, which could protect him from some of wear and tear that has limited his effectiveness this year.

OLB Brandon Johnson, CIN (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Johnson came into the game this week on a hot streak with 14 solo tackles and 15 assists in his previous 3 games, but he was held to just a single solo tackle. The low output didn't appear to be caused by an injury, and there wasn't a lack of opportunity with the Colts rushing the ball 20 times and completing 26 passes. The other 2 starting Bengals linebackers combined for 13 solos and 3 assists, but Johnson just failed to make an impact in the game. This obviously makes him a very risky start next week against the Redskins.

CB Randall Gay, NO (0 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Gay had been seeing a lot of action with 17 solo tackles and 9 passes defensed in the 4 games prior to this week's matchup against the Falcons. Unfortunately, he left Sunday's game early with a concussion that may keep also keep him out of Thursday night's game against the Bears.

S Daniel Bullocks, DET (1 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Bullocks has shown flashes this year of being a productive fantasy option and he'll likely wind up with numbers at the end of the year that will warrant some optimism for him in 2009. However, he is not seeing a whole lot of action in recent weeks. Over the past 3 games, Bullocks has combined for just 4 solo tackles and 5 assists. His lone bright spot was a fumble recovery in week 12 that he picked up and returned 44 yards for a TD. He's also yet to record a single interception during his 28 career NFL games.

S Chris Crocker, CIN (0 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Crocker took over for Chinedum Ndukwe at FS a few weeks ago and put up solid numbers during his first three games. Nduke remained out of action again this week, but the Bengals decided to play Crocker very deep against a potent Colts passing game and that helped limit him to just a single assisted tackle in the game despite 26 completions from Peyton Manning. The starting SS this week was Kyries Hebert, a former CFL player who finished with 7 tackles in his first career start. Ndukwe is apparently getting closer to returning so the window for Crocker may be closing.

S Chris Horton, WAS (1 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Horton has been having an exceptional rookie season, but he was held to his second poor outing of the past 3 weeks when he was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury. The MRI showed no damage, so he may still be able to play next week against the Bengals, but the risk of re-aggravating the injury may be enough to justify sitting him for a comparable player.

S Kevin Kaesviharn, NO - Although it was initially reported that Kaesviharn would only miss one or two weeks, the Saints apparently changed their mind and placed him on injured reserve. He suffered a couple shoulder injuries within a four week span, and with the team out of the playoff race they apparently wanted to get a longer look at a younger player like Josh Bullocks, who had 5 solo tackles in his start this week.

S Aaron Rouse, GB (2 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Although Rouse was apparently healthy enough to play, the Packers again chose to start Charles Woodson at SS this week. While Rouse has performed well at times, the coaching staff doesn't seem completely comfortable with him just yet. He did see action in the game after replacing an injured Nick Collins, but it seems the team may not be as high on him lately as they used to be.