IDP Upgrades - Week 2
Updated 9/14 by Aaron Rudnicki, Exclusive for Footballguys.com
Upgrades
DL Kroy Biermann, Atlanta
As a 5th round pick, Biermann has been somewhat overshadowed in Atlanta. He recorded 2 sacks in his entire rookie season but has already matched that total after a very strong effort in this week's game against the Dolphins. The Falcons are going to use a rotation on the defensive line, but Biermann was getting regular nickel snaps at DE and he made the most of them. He earned his first sack while playing at LDE and then beat Jake Long from the RDE spot for his second. Both came on 3rd down and he showed a nice combination of power and quickness. The Falcons would love to find a complementary pass rusher for John Abraham and it looks like Biermann may be the guy.
DL Darren Howard, Philadelphia
Despite being slowed by a groin injury the past couple weeks, Howard did not appear to be limited in a blowout win over the Panthers. Although he did not start the game and most of his plays came after the game was already well in hand, Howard was strong against both the run and pass. He finished the game with a very strong stat line of 5 solos and 2 sacks, while also contributing 2 tackles for a loss, 3 QB hits, and 1 forced fumble. Howard enjoyed a rebound season last year with 10 sacks and may be able to repeat that type of production in this aggressive Eagles defense.
DL Antwan Odom, Cincinnati
Odom was a big free agent signing for the Bengals last year as they tried to replace the production that was lost when Justin Smith signed in San Francisco. Unfortunately, he got injured in the preseason and struggled for most of the year. He had a strong start this year while facing one of the best young tackles in the league in Ryan Clady. Odom finished the game with 3 solos, 1 assist, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits and 1 pass defensed. He could make a solid DL2 this year if he can keep this up.
DL Calais Campbell, Arizona
After being drafted in the 2nd round last year, Campbell did not make much of an impact as a pass rusher but he was a solid run defender. He's expected to take on a bigger role this season and it showed in the opener as he helped the Cardinals defense bottle up Frank Gore and put a lot of pressure on Shaun Hill. Despite playing primarily as a 3-4 DE, Campbell was very productive and finished the game with 6 solos, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit, and 1 pass defensed. He could turn out to be a solid DE option in tackle-heavy scoring systems.
LB Stephen Tulloch, Tennessee
Tulloch is an underrated player who has primarily seen time as a 2-down run stuffing MLB for the Titans in the past. He was injured for much of the preseason, but gives the Titans a strong presence in the middle of the field. His value seemed to take a big jump up this week as the Titans used him in their nickel package during the second half of the game and he finished with an impressive 12 combined tackles with 1 tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. If Tulloch can hold off David Thornton for the nickel role going forward, he could be one of this year's best IDP values.
LB Brandon Chillar, Green Bay
The Packers have some tough decisions to make at linebacker as Chillar looked like the most impressive player on the team during the Sunday night win over the Bears. He is probably their best cover linebacker, but he also added an amazing sack after hurdling over a blocker. Despite sitting behind Nick Barnett and AJ Hawk on the depth chart, Chillar finished the game with a team-leading 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, and 1 QB hit. Based on the way he played in this game, the Packers will need to find ways to keep him on the field this year.
LB Mike Peterson, Atlanta
Peterson was an underrated pickup by the Falcons this offseason. Although he is getting up there in age at 33 years old and his play seemed to fall off last year in Jacksonville, he was familiar with the Falcons defensive scheme and it looks like he will be an everydown player as his natural position of WLB. He had a strong opener, finishing with 7 solo tackles while also contributing an interception and a forced fumble. Peterson was responsible for two of the four Falcons takeaways in the game, which was a big improvement on 2008 when the team finished with just 18 in the entire season.
LB Thomas Davis, Carolina
Despite being limited by a knee sprain for most of the preseason, Davis had a very strong game in the opener. He was credited with an impressive 14 solo tackles and 2 assists as the Panthers got blown out by the Eagles. If the Panthers offense continues to struggle the way they did in this game, Davis figures to be on the field a lot. Jon Beason was also not his normal self in the game, which helped create some additional opportunities for Davis.
LB James Laurinaitis, St Louis
The Rams did not look very good on either side of the ball in their opener against Seattle. If that trend keeps up, there is a good chance that Laurinaitis could wind up with tons of tackle opportunities this year. He was very active in the game and finished with 10 solo tackles and 4 assists. It's never a bad idea to start a 3-down MLB on one of the worst teams in the league.
DB Al Afalava, Chicago
The Bears inserted the rookie into their starting lineup at strong safety during the preseason but nobody was sure if it was going to stick once Danieal Manning got healthy. He did start the opener, however, and helped limit the Packers for most of the game. Afalava finished with 4 solo tackles and also added a sack, a tackle for a loss, a QB hit, and a pass defensed. With Brian Urlacher lost for the season, the Bears SS figures to see a lot more tackle opportunities. They were using a lot of blitzes from their defensive backs in this game, which should also give Afalava some added value in big-play scoring systems.
DB Mike Brown, Kansas City
The Chiefs surprised a lot of people by dumping Bernard Pollard prior to the season and turning the starting SS job over to Mike Brown. While he was generally a very effective player during his time in Chicago, Brown is 31 years old and has battled back from a lot of season-ending injuries over the years. He looked great in the opener against Baltimore, however, as he led the team in tackles with 8 solos and 4 assists. The Chiefs aren't expected to be a very strong team this year, which likely means that Brown will see a lot of time playing up in the box in run support. As long as he can stay healthy, he should be a reliable starter.
DB Abram Elam, Cleveland
After taking over as the head coach in Cleveland, Eric Mangini brought in several of his former players from the Jets to help install his defense. One of the key players was safety Abram Elam, who is a big hitter and solid against the run. He saw a lot of time playing up in the box this week as the Browns tried to contain Adrian Peterson. Elam finished the game with 7 solo tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a QB hit. He's not an exciting option, but could wind up being a very productive player this year given the favorable situation he's in.
DB Louis Delmas, Detroit
The Lions were victimized by the explosive Saints offense, giving up 6 touchdown passes in the game this week. The front four did not get much pressure on Drew Brees and he was able to pick them apart on a lot of big passing plays. That could be a positive sign for Delmas, however, as he figures to see a lot of action playing as the free safety this year. He finished the game with a solid 6 solo tackles and 1 pass defensed while also making a big play in the 3rd quarter on a 65-yard fumble return for a TD that kept the Lions within reach. He's an exciting young player who could be headed for a breakout rookie season.
Downgrades
DL Dewayne White, Detroit
White has generally been a fast starter with a sack in each of the last 3 season opening games. Despite what looked like a favorable matchup against the Saints 2nd and 3rd string left tackles, however, White finished the game with just 1 assisted tackle and 1 QB hit. This had to be considered a disappointment given that the Saints ran the ball 35 times and passed the ball 34 times, but White has always been something of an all-or-nothing player who is tough to rely on from week to week. His counterpart Cliff Avril also did not do much in the game, finishing with just a single solo tackle.
DL Gaines Adams, Tampa Bay
Adams is a very talented young pass rusher who was expected to take another step in his development this season, but he was held to 0 tackles by Cowboys LT Flozell Adams this week. The lack of pressure from the front four contributed to a terrible game for the Buccaneers secondary as they were victimized for several big plays that wound up costing Tampa the game. Adams will need to play much better than this and may be a player that you need to consider sitting against the tougher matchups.
DL Jared Allen, Minnesota
Although he is still undoubtedly one of the elite fantasy defensive ends in the league, this was a bad game for Allen. He was shut down by LT Joe Thomas and finished the game with just a single assisted tackle and put almost no pressure on Brady Quinn during his 35 pass attempts. The Browns did slide their coverage to his side of the field quite often, which helped open things up for Ray Edwards and the rest of the defense as they finished the game with 5 sacks and 9 QB hurries overall. Allen will look to put this game behind him with a nice matchup against the Lions next week.
DL Mathias Kiwanuka, NY Giants
Kiwanuka has been a very productive player with 35 or more solo tackles in the past three seasons, but it looks like he will have a very difficult time matching those numbers this year. With the return of Osi Umenyiora and the signing of Chris Canty, the Giants may only give Kiwanuka regular snaps in clear passing situations. He finished the game with just 1 solo tackle and 1 assist with no QB hurries. Kiwanuka could still put up some decent sack totals in a specialist role, but a big drop in tackles will make it difficult to rely on him as a fantasy starter during most matchups.
LB Brian Urlacher, Chicago
Despite entering the season as healthy as he had been in years, Urlacher suffered a dislocated wrist in the first half against the Packers. He will undergo surgery and placed on injured reserve, ending what was supposed to be a rebound season. It is still not clear how the Bears will adjust their lineup to replace him. They may insert Hunter Hillenmeyer at MLB or possibly move Lance Briggs inside. Either way, this is a devastating injury for the Bears and many fantasy owners who were counting on him to be their #1 LB.
LB Julian Peterson, Detroit
Peterson was acquired in a trade from Seattle this offseason and was expected to provide some much needed big-play ability to the Lions defense. He was ineffective against the Saints this week, however, and finished with just 1 solo tackle and 1 assist while generating very little pressure on Drew Brees. With Larry Foote and Ernie Sims expected to collect most of the tackles in this defense, Peterson could have a tough time matching the same type of production he had with the Seahawks.
LB Takeo Spikes, San Francisco
With the 49ers facing the high powered passing attack of the Cardinals this week, Takeo Spikes was rendered ineffective. He finished the game with 0 tackles while his counterpart at ILB, Patrick Willis, had 11 solos. Spikes was named a defensive captain and is clearly the 49ers 2nd best linebacker so this effort has to be considered a disappointment. Fortunately, he's not much more than a backup player for most fantasy teams so they shouldn't have been hurt by this goose egg.
LB Leroy Hill, Seattle
Leroy Hill started the game at his familiar SLB spot but he left the game early with a groin injury. Hill signed a 6-year contract extension this offseason after the Seahawks initially used the franchise tag on him, but he could wind up using valuable nickel snaps to rookie Aaron Curry.
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, Chicago
Tinoisamoa left the game in the first quarter this week and was diagnosed with a sprained MCL. He's always had some difficulty staying healthy, but his loss will put added pressure on the Bears defense after the Urlacher injury. He was replaced in the lineup by Nick Roach, but there were reports that the Bears might pursue Derrick Brooks as well.
DB Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh
Polamalu got off to a great start in the opener on Thursday night with 6 solo tackles and an amazing interception, but things turned bad quickly on a blocked field goal in the second quarter. Polamalu suffered a sprained MCL on the play and is expected to miss the next 4 to 6 weeks of the season. This is obviously a huge loss for the Steelers defense and could help create some additional tackle opportunities for the rest of the Steelers defenders.
DB Marlin Jackson, Indianapolis
Jackson does not appear to be fully recovered from his knee injury last season so the Colts are starting slow with him. He played in the team's nickel packages this week but finished with 0 tackles and 0 assists. Taking his place in the starting lineup was rookie Jarraud Powers, who played very well and helped shut down the Jaguars WRs. Jackson has never been much of a playmaker and it seems there is a real chance he could wind up losing his starting spot to Powers.
DB Brandon Flowers, Kansas City
Flowers was expected to emerge as one of the best fantasy CBs in the league this year, but he was held out of the opener while recovering from a shoulder injury. His replacement Maurice Leggett was victimized often by the Ravens so the Chiefs are hoping to have Flowers back in the lineup next week. Flowers is a physical player who also wound up missing a couple games last season so this injury is cause for some concern about his value going forward.
DB Adrian Wilson, Arizona
It was a disappointing day for Wilson as he finished with just 2 solo tackles and missed an assignment on the game-winning TD catch by Frank Gore. Wilson also had a couple of penalties in the game including an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for hitting Vernon Davis in the head, which may result in some discipline from the league. Fellow safety Antrel Rolle also was a disappointment in this game as he failed to record a single tackle.
DB Kevin Payne, Chicago
Payne had a very strong season last year but may see a big dropoff in value. He appears to have been replaced at SS by rookie Al Afalava and Danieal Manning is probably a better option at free safety. The Bears may wind up playing all 3 as a big nickel package after the Urlacher injury, but it looks like Payne's role is a little unclear heading forward. He did not play poorly in the game but was caught out of position on the game-winning pass to Greg Jennings when he bit on the play-action from Rodgers.
DB Chris Harris, Carolina
Harris was a late scratch for the Panthers this week with a knee injury. He was dressed and expected to play but apparently aggravated a knee injury during pregame warmups. The Packers decided to replace him with Quinton Teal about 5 minutes before kickoff. Harris was limited in practice all week and was listed as questionable on the injury report.