IDP Upgrades - Week 11
Updated 11/16 by Aaron Rudnicki, Exclusive for Footballguys.com
Upgrades
DE Robert Mathis, IND
Mathis had been going through a bit of a slump with just 6 solo tackles, 4 assists, and 1.5 sacks in his previous 4 games combined. He turned things around with a dominating performance on Sunday night against the Patriots, however, and now ranks among the top-5 at his position in average fantasy points per game. The Patriots were playing without Pro Bowl LT Matt Light, but Mathis made them pay for sliding some extra protection over to Dwight Freeney's side of the line. Mathis gave them fits all night, whether using his speed to get around the edge or simply bull rushing players who outweighed him by 60 pounds. For the game, Mathis was credited with 6 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed.
DE Ray Edwards, MIN
It has been a streaky season for Edwards thus far. He posted 11 solos, 3 assists, and 2 sacks in his first two games of the season, but then went into a long slump with just 7 solo tackles, 2 assists, and 0 sacks over his next 5 games combined. With a strong game against the Lions this week (5 solos, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR), he has now put up back to back multi-sack games. It's been clear all along that he's in a perfect situation playing opposite Jared Allen with the big Williams brothers inside, but it looks like he's finally taking advantage of it. Based on the way things are going right now, he has a great chance to finish as a top-10 fantasy DE this year.
DE Darnell Dockett, ARI
Dockett enjoyed a breakout season in 2007 with 44 solo tackles and 9.5 sacks. While he hasn't been nearly that productive since then with just 6.5 sacks in his last 24 regular season games, he did have a huge Super Bowl game (5 solos, 2 sacks) and he's starting to show new signs of life this season. Dockett posted 5 solos a couple weeks ago against the Panthers, and then he added a sack last week vs the Bears. This week against the Seahawks, Dockett was credited with 5 solos, 1 assist, and a half sack. With a couple more games against the Rams left to play and a week 16 matchup in Detroit, he could be a nice fill-in during the stretch run.
DE Juqua Parker, PHI
The Eagles like to rotate their defensive linemen as much as any other team in the league, so Parker tends to get overlooked by IDP owners. While a lack of playing time limits his upside and tackle production, he's also been quietly putting up some nice sack numbers this year as the Eagles have played 9 games and he has recorded a sack in 5 of them. The Eagles decided to switch things up a bit on their defensive line this week, moving Trent Cole to LDE and giving Parker some work at RDE. The move didn't work out so well for Cole as he was held to just a single assisted tackle with no sacks or QB hits, but Parker had a solid effort and finished with 3 solos, 1 of the only 2 sacks of Rivers, and another QB hit.
DT Jonathan Fanene, CIN
Fanene has been a little-used backup since entering the league as a 7th round pick of the Bengals in 2005, but he is receiving extensive playing time now thanks to the season-ending injury to Antwan Odom and taking advantage. In a huge divisional matchup against the Steelers this week, Fanene got the Bengals off to a great start with 2 sacks and 2 more QB hits in the first half. He's not a particularly fast player but has an excellent motor and never quits on a play. Fanene was credited with 3 solo tackles, 3 assists, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, and a pass defensed. The Bengals figure to be big favorites in each of the next 3 games (Raiders, Browns, Lions) so he'll have an excellent opportunity to add a few more sacks to his total.
LB Nick Barnett, GB
The Packers started the season with a very deep group of linebackers and Barnett was on a limited snap count while recovering from an injury. A couple of injuries have thinned out the LB group now, however, and Barnett is producing like he used to prior to getting injured last year. In addition to his steady play in coverage, Barnett was much more active as a blitzer this week and helped make things miserable for Tony Romo. In addition to a solid 6 solo, 2 assist, 1 pass defensed game, Barnett recorded 2 sacks and 2 additional QB hits in the game.
LB Charlie Anderson, MIA
The Dolphins benched Joey Porter this week and gave backup Charlie Anderson the start. Porter has struggled to make an impact with just 2.5 sacks on the season, and Anderson had an excellent game in his place. Anderson was credited with 5 solo tackles, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles in the game. The Dolphins also got a sack and QB hit out of Cameron Wake in the game so they might not be in a big hurry to put Porter back in the lineup.
LB Andra Davis, DEN
DJ Williams gets most of the attention from IDP owners but his fellow ILB in Denver has put up very similar production thus far. Through 9 games, Davis has 46 solo tackles, 16 assists, and 3.5 sacks compared to 55 solos, 17 assists, and 2.5 sacks for Williams. Davis is a bit more inconsistent from week to week, but he's recorded 5 or more solo tackles in 6 games this year and he's also on a 3-game streak with at least a half sack.
LB Channing Crowder, MIA
Crowder sat out the past two games with a shoulder injury and had been a disappointment over the first couple months of the season, but he returned to action this week with his best game of the season. He led all players in the game with 9 solo tackles and also recorded his first full sack since the 2006 season. If he can stay healthy, which may be a big if, perhaps Crowder can still salvage what looked like a lost season with a strong finish.
LB Kevin Burnett, SD
After sitting out the past three games while recovering from an ankle injury, Kevin Burnett returned to the lineup against the Eagles this week and all he did was lead his team in tackles. Burnett finished the game with 8 solos, 1 assist, a QB hit, and a pass defensed. If we exclude his disappointing effort in the season-opener, Burnett has averaged just fewer than 6 solo tackles and 2 assists per game this year. Given his strength in coverage, he should be a 3-down linebacker with Stephen Cooper and both look like they should remain solid starts regardless of matchup.
CB Charles Woodson, GB
Woodson got off to an incredible start this season with 17 solo tackles and 3 interceptions in his first 3 games, but he only put up starter-type numbers in one of his next 4 games. He started to turn things around last week with a 6-solo effort against the Buccaneers and then blew up this week against the Cowboys. Woodson seemed to be shutting down the Cowboys defense by himself as he finished the game with a team-high 8 solo tackles, an assist, a sack, an interception, and 2 forced fumbles. It would be tough to find a corner who will have a better game this season.
S Brian Dawkins, DEN
Dawkins has been one of the biggest free agent pickups this year and has helped turn the Broncos defense around. He was all over the field this week and was credited with 12 solo tackles and 2 assists. His 53 solo tackles and 67 combined tackles rank 3rd among all safeties in the league. Unfortunately, his big play numbers haven't been there this year as he has yet to record a single interception, sack, or forced fumble. He's on pace for 94 solo tackles and a top-10 season though.
S Antrel Rolle, ARI
Rolle made a successful transition to free safety last year and finished with an impressive 78 solo tackles, but his 1 interception was a pretty big disappointment. After posting 9 solo stops this week against the Seahawks, he is on a similar tackle pace to last year but he also picked up his 4th interception of the year. That makes him one of the best all-around safeties in the league and he should continue to do well given how well the Cardinals offense has been playing of late.
S James Butler, STL
There were some high expectations for Butler coming into the season as he went from being a part-time player with the Giants to a full-time player with the Rams. He was expected to see a lot of time playing up in the box in the new aggressive defensive scheme, but he has been limited by injuries and has missed half the season so far. While it may be a bit too late, he is starting to show what he's capable of with 8 solo tackles and 2 interceptions over his last 2 games. With matchups coming up against passing teams like the Cardinals, Seahawks, and Bears in the next three weeks, he has an excellent chance to be a productive starter.
S Reed Doughty, WAS
Doughty took over the starting SS job in Washington early this year when 2nd year pro Chris Horton was benched and he has put up solid numbers with 40 solo tackles in his last 7 games. The threat of Horton stealing his starting spot is no longer a concern though as he was placed on injured reserve with a toe injury last week. Doughty isn't much of a playmaker, but he's a solid run defender who should continue to put up consistent tackle numbers every week.
Downgrades
DE Dwight Freeney, IND
Freeney saw his amazing sack streak come to an end this week. He had recorded at least a sack in every game of the season, but he was kept in check by the Patriots on Sunday night despite them having to play without their starting LT in Matt Light. Freeney was credited with 1 QB hit in the game and his pressure contributed to the big game for Robert Mathis, but when you have 15 solo tackles and 9.5 sacks, it's clear that basically all of his value comes from sacks.
DE Julius Peppers, CAR
After recording 6 sacks over a recent 4-game stretch, it looked like Peppers was back to his normal dominating self. He finished with just a single solo tackle last week, however, and then was shut out this week against the Falcons. He was credited with a couple of QB hits, but after the game it was revealed that he played the game with a broken hand. The Panthers have a short week and play at home vs the Dolphins on Thursday night, but it looks like he might have a hard time separating from blockers and making tackles if he has to play with one hand.
DE Randy Starks, MIA
Starks had been one of the most consistent linemen in the league of late as he went 5 straight games with at least a half sack. He was invisible in the win over Tampa this week, however, as he finished with 0 tackles, 0 sacks, and 0 QB hits. He'll look to pick things back up with a trip to Carolina on Thursday night.
DE Calais Campbell, ARI
Despite a recent 3-game stretch in which Campbell appeared to be emerging as an impact player at the DE position, he has cooled off with just 2 solos and 2 assists in his past two games. He's a young player working out of a 3-4 front so it's not a surprise, but the Cardinals to have a very favorable schedule the rest of the way so he could get hot again and add to his 3 sacks this season.
DE Trent Cole, PHI
While Cole has clearly established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the league with 29 sacks over the past 3 seasons, he has also worn down at times late in the season. The Eagles moved him from RDE to LDE to start the game this week to try and take advantage of a better matchup, but it didn't really work as Cole finished with just a single assisted tackle with no sacks or QB hits. He still has 4 sacks in his last 5 games but his tackle numbers have fallen off a bit with just 10 solos in the same time period. He should give Orlando Pace and the Bears all they can handle next week though.
DE John Abraham, ATL
Abraham posted 16.5 sacks last season and looked like he'd be one of the anchors of the Falcons defense again this year. Through 9 games, however, he has posted just 4 sacks and 2 of them came in the season opener. He also has just 17 solo tackles on the year which makes him very difficult to keep starting when the sack numbers dry up as they have so far. At 31 years of age, it's possible that he may have lost a step this year or perhaps he's been slowed by nagging injuries but he's clearly been one of the more disappointing IDPs this year.
LB London Fletcher, WAS
Fletcher has been one of the most productive and consistent linebackers throughout his entire career, but it looks like he may finally be starting to slow down. Many thought playing behind Albert Haynesworth would help keep him free to chase down plays all over the field and it seemed to work for awhile as he put up some huge tackle numbers early on. His numbers appear to be on a steady decline over the past month or so, however, and he now has just 4 solo tackles and 2 assists in his last 2 games combined. Might be too early to cut him, but it's also probably not a bad idea to sit him for awhile to see if he can turn things around.
LB Aaron Curry, SEA
While Curry looked like a certain star a month ago, his production has seen a huge dip since the Seahawks had their bye in week 7, which corresponds somewhat closely with when David Hawthorne took over at MLB and Leroy Hill returned to the lineup at SLB. Over his last 3 games, Curry has posted just 7 solo tackles, 2 assists, and no big plays. It looks like Curry and Hill are splitting snaps in the team's nickel package, which is hurting the value of both players.
LB Paris Lenon, STL
With the trade of Will Witherspoon to Philadelphia at the deadline, Paris Lenon moved into the starting lineup at WLB for the Rams. He hasn't exactly set the world on fire, however, with 7 solo tackles and 4 assists in the last 3 games. He also left the game this week early in the first quarter with what has been reported as a rib injury, so it might be a good time to start looking elsewhere if you've been counting on Lenon for any significant production.
LB Will Witherspoon, PHI
Even though Witherspoon has been doing a great job at MLB for the Eagles in recent weeks, the team was forced to move him back to WLB this week to fill in for Akeem Jordan who sat out with an injury. SLB Chris Gocong moved from SLB to MLB after sitting out the previous game with an injury and rookie Moise Fokou got his second career start on the strong side. The reason given for the switch was that Fokou only knows how to play the strong side, but it definitely seemed to have a negative impact on the Eagles run defense as Tomlinson gouged them for his best game of the season. Meanwhile, Witherspoon finished the game with just 2 solo tackles and 1 assist. Hopefully, Jordan will not be out for long so Witherspoon can get to playing in the middle of the field.
LB Joey Porter, MIA
In his first year with the Dolphins, Porter had perhaps his best season as a pro as he finished with 16.5 sacks. Things aren't going nearly as well for him this year, however, as he has just 2.5 sacks on the season and he was benched this week in favor of Charlie Anderson. The coaches apparently informed Porter that he'd be splitting time with Anderson going forward, and he didn't take the news very well so the team left him on their inactive list. Anderson played well in his place and Cameron Wake also made a solid contribution. The Dolphins play on Thursday night, but it looks like Porter may have a hard time getting his starting job back anytime soon.
CB Carlos Rogers, WAS
Rogers has shown flashes of becoming a very good corner in the past, but he has struggled badly this year. He has just 5 solo tackles and 0 passes defensed in his last three games and was benched early this week after giving up a huge play to Brandon Marshall on the Broncos opening possession. Fred Smoot replaced him in the lineup and Justin Tyron saw time as the team's nickel corner. It remains unclear if Rogers will get his job back, but any potential fantasy value he may have had is likely gone at this point.
CB Sheldon Brown, PHI
The Eagles secondary lost Ellis Hobbs to a season-ending injury recently and things got even worse this week with Sheldon Brown suffering a hamstring injury early in the game. He tried to play through it but had to leave the game for good in the third quarter. Brown was schedule to have an MRI but if he's forced to miss any time, his replacement would likely make an interesting fantasy option. Special teamer Dimitri Patterson replaced him as the #2 CB in the second half and finished the game 6 solo tackles.
CB Tracy Porter, NO
Porter came into the game this week with 19 solo tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles in his previous three games. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in the game and it looks like he could be lost for the rest of the regular season. The injury was originally speculated to be a torn ACL but reports that came out late on Monday indicated that it was just a sprained MCL and he may be able to return in time for the playoffs. The Saints also lost starting CB Jabari Greer to a groin injury two weeks ago, but he may be close to returning.
S Louis Delmas, DET
Delmas has been having a very good rookie season but he was held out of the game this week with a tooth and jaw infection. He was active in the game and suited up but the injury was bothering him too much during pregame warm-ups so the team decided to let him sit this one out. Tough blow for IDP owners considering the news didn't come out prior to kickoff.
S Troy Polamalu, PIT
Polamalu had missed four games earlier this year but he also had 3 interceptions in the four games he played in. Unfortunately, he left this week's game early with a knee sprain and only finished with 1 solo tackle. He underwent an MRI and the initial diagnosis was that it was just a sprain, but it was on the same knee that he injured earlier this year. The injury isn't believed to be as serious as that one was but with a matchup against the Chiefs, it probably makes sense for him to sit out at one week at a minimum.
S Jim Leonhard, NYJ
Leonhard has been a valuable member of the Jets defense this year and he has recently started to come on as a playmaker with 1.5 sacks and an interception in his last 3 games. Unfortunately, he injured his thumb in the loss to the Jaguars this week and will undergo surgery. The injury occurred early in the game and he returned to play with a cast but the fact that he had surgery suggests he'll be out for a little while. Look for Eric Smith to replace him in the lineup.
S Darren Sharper, NO
Few players have made a bigger impact on their NFL or fantasy teams this year than Darren Sharper. He sat out this week with a knee injury that he said he probably could have played with, but with the Saints still undefeated he decided to play it safe. He was replaced by Usama Young. It sounds like Sharper expects to play next week against Tampa, but he's 34 years old so it's certainly worth noting that he's dealing with a knee injury that might slow him down or act up again at any moment.