IDP Upgrades - Week 4
Updated 9/28 by Aaron Rudnicki, Exclusive for Footballguys.com
Upgrades
DE Will Smith, NO
Head coach Sean Payton said he needed better play from his defensive ends and he got a very strong game from both of them this week. Will Smith had a great game and took advantage of an inexperienced Bills line that had been playing over its head through the first couple weeks. He generated consistent pressure on Trent Edwards and finished the game with 4 solos, 1 assist, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, and an interception that came off a deflection. Smith is a talented player who is capable of putting up numbers like this almost every week in the Saints new aggressive defense.
DE Chris Kelsay, BUF
The Bills were able to slow down the vaunted passing attack of the New Orleans Saints this week thanks to the pressure that the defensive line was able to generate on Drew Brees. Kelsay may have played one of the best games of his career, as he finished with a team-high 6 solo tackles while also adding 2 assists, a sack, 2 tackles for loss, and a QB hit. While he's not likely to turn into a great pass rusher anytime soon, he is a very effective run defender who plays hard and he could have some value in tackle-heavy leagues.
DE Leonard Little, STL
This was a great matchup for the Rams pass rushers as the Packers offensive line has been having some serious protection issues. Although the Rams weren't particularly aggressive in terms of blitzing, Little was still able to take advantage of the matchup and finished with 2 solos, 2 sacks, and 2 QB hits. As a team, the Rams are struggling and that likely means plenty of snaps for their defense. Those additional snaps should help Little put up decent tackle numbers and if he can stay healthy, he could easily wind up with 8 or more sacks this year playing opposite Chris Long.
DE Jason Hunter, DET
Hunter started his second straight game in place of the injured Cliff Avril at LDE this week and may be playing well enough to keep the starting spot. Hunter was cut loose by the Packers because he wasn't a great fit for their new 3-4 defense but he has clearly found a home in Detroit. Last week against the Vikings, Hunter had a sack and 4 hits on Favre. This week against the Redskins, Hunter added another sack and a QB hit while also batting down a pass and playing strong against the run.
DE Kendall Langford, MIA
Langford was a standout during the preseason but he got off to a slow start with just 2 solos and an assisted tackle in his first two games. He came through with a strong game against the Chargers this week, however, as he helped limit the Chargers to an average of just 2.5 yards per rush play. Langford also was able to generate some pressure on Rivers, finishing with a sack and a QB hit. As a 3-4 DE, he doesn't have huge upside as a pass rusher but he could be a solid depth player in most deeper leagues.
ILB David Hawthorne, SEA
Even though he was only starting because of an injury to Lofa Tatupu, Hawthorne had the biggest performance of the weekend in a disappointing loss to the Bears. The Seahawks were also missing OLB Leroy Hill so Hawthorne filled in as an everydown LB and helped limit Matt Forte to just 66 yards on 21 carries. Hawthorne finished the game with an amazing 15 solo tackles, many of which came downfield in coverage, and he also added a big interception that killed an early Bears drive. Tatupu is dealing with a hamstring injury and Hill is expected to miss at least another month so there could be some additional opportunities for Hawthorne to stay in the lineup going forward.
OLB Aaron Curry, SEA
The top-5 draft pick was expected to start somewhat slow as he joined a veteran LB group that already had Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill. Early injuries to both players have forced Curry into an everydown role and he responded with a great game against the Bears this week. Despite the 15 solo tackles credited to replacement MLB David Hawthorne, Curry still was able to make enough plays in the game to wind up with 6 solo stops, while also adding a sack, a forced fumble, and an additional QB hit. He has a good chance to put up consistent tackle numbers every week, but the Seahawks are also using him as a blitzer which could lead to some big scoring weeks as well.
ILB Kevin Burnett, SD
Burnett signed with the Chargers after spending most of his time in Dallas as a little-used nickel linebacker. The move from a part-time to full-time role figured to cause a big spike in his production but he got off to a slow start with just 1 solo tackle and 2 assists in the opener. Since that point, he has started to look more comfortable and he was all over the field against the Dolphins this week, finishing with 9 solos, 3 assists, and a sack along with a couple other QB hits. Stephen Cooper will probably still be the best Chargers linebacker to own, but Burnett is the type of player you might be able to get for cheap who can still put up starter numbers in most weeks. The injury to NT Jamal Williams also figures to keep the Chargers defense on the field plenty this year.
ILB Omar Gaither, PHI
After losing his spot in the starting lineup last season, Gaither was mostly a forgotten man coming into the season but a season-ending injury to MLB Stewart Bradley has put him back in position to be a viable fantasy starter again. His tackle numbers the first two weeks were not that impressive but both games were a bit unusual for different reasons. This week against the Chiefs, however, Gaither was able to put up some excellent production with 9 solo tackles and a sack. Gaither is solid in coverage so he figures to remain on the field in all downs and situations and that should help him put up very consistent production almost every week.
ILB Barrett Ruud, TB
Ruud had a disappointing start to the season with just 4 tackles in the opener, but he has followed that up with back to back 14 tackle performances the past two weeks. His numbers this week were undoubtedly helped by the great matchup as the Giants RBs finished the game with an incredible 46 carries, but Ruud figures to be involved in a lot of games like this going forward. The Buccaneers announced this week that they will bench Byron Leftwich and turn the offense over to Josh Johnson, an inexperienced player who figures to have trouble sustaining long drives on offense. Ruud should still have a shot at pushing 100 solo tackles this year as long as he can stay healthy.
CB Zackary Bowman, CHI
Bowman was inserted into the starting lineup last week in place of Nathan Vasher and he has responded with two solid games in a row. Although he was matched up with Nate Burleson for much of the day and Burleson finished with 9 catches, Bowman did a good job of wrapping up players and preventing any bigger plays. Bowman finished the game as the Bear's leading tackler with 8 solo stops and almost added an interception if it wasn't for Burleson making a heads up play to break it up in the end zone. The biggest knock on Bowman has been durability but he has huge fantasy upside if he can stay healthy and remain in the lineup.
S Antoine Bethea, IND
While Bethea doesn't get nearly as much publicity as his counterpart Bob Sanders does, Bethea may actually be the more valuable player since he's done a much better job of staying in the lineup. Bethea finished last year with 74 solo tackles and he had 4 interceptions the year before that, so he clearly has the potential to finish as one of the most productive safeties in the league. He's off to a great start in 2009 with 17 solo tackles and 2 interceptions through his first 3 games. The Colts are taking a more aggressive approach on defense this year and Bethea is capitalizing on it.
S Antrel Rolle, ARI
Rolle entered the league as a big corner who many thought would be a better fit at safety. He made a successful transition last year, but did not come up with enough big plays despite all the points the Cardinals offense put up. It appears that he's much more comfortable this year, however, as he has been a big play machine through the first three games of the season. In week 1, he was credited with a sack and forced fumble. In week 2, he was credited with a half sack and ran back a blocked field goal for a TD. This week, in a Sunday night matchup with the Colts, Rolle came through again with an interception and also added 7 solo tackles. In big-play leagues, there are probably only a handful of IDPs who have been more valuable than Rolle thus far.
S Brandon McGowan, NE
When McGowan signed with the Patriots earlier this year, it went under the radar for most IDP observers. McGowan was headed for a breakout season with the Bears last year before the coaches surprised everyone by benching him in favor of the unproven Kevin Payne. Despite having a more proven player like James Sanders and a high draft pick like Patrick Chung in the lineup, it is McGowan who seems to be emerging as a key player in the Patriots secondary. He got his second straight start at free safety this week and helped limit Tony Gonzalez to just a single catch. McGowan finished the game with 5 solo tackles, a forced fumble, and a QB hit.
Downgrades
DE Osi Umenyiora, NYG
While Umenyiora is always going to be a threat to put up multiple sacks in a game, he is also going to frustrate owners with stretches like the one he's currently on with just 1 solo tackle and 0 sacks over the past two games. He wasn't completely ineffective this week as he was credited with 2 QB hits in the game, but the Giants defense could not bring down either of the Bucs QBs for a sack in the game. Making matters even worse for Giants IDP owners, the Giants offense dominated the game and controlled the ball for nearly 45 minutes, which resulted in just 20 solo tackles being credited to the entire Giants team combined.
DE Darryl Tapp, SEA
Despite the breakout season a year ago, Tapp appears to be something of a forgotten man in Seattle so far this year. He put up some solid tackle numbers in the first two games despite limited playing time, but it finally caught up to him this week as he was shutout on the box score. Tapp was credited with 2 QB hits in the game, but he has yet to record a single sack on the year and seems to be stuck behind other players like Patrick Kerney, Cory Redding, and Lawrence Jackson in the DE rotation.
DE Glenn Dorsey, KC
After a move from playing DT in a 4-3 to playing DE in the Chiefs new 3-4 defense, Dorsey had a solid start to the year with 7 solo tackles in his first two games. He struggled to make much of an impact this week against the Eagles, who were able to move the ball down the field nearly at will. Dorsey was completely shut out in the game and despite his very high status a year ago, his fantasy value is pretty minimal and seems unlikely to improve much this year.
DE Gaines Adams, TB
Adams is looking like one of the bigger IDP busts of the season so far. Through 3 games, he has yet to record a sack and he has also been extremely ineffective defending the run or chasing down plays from behind. The Giants RBs had 46 rushing attempts in the game and they controlled the ball for 45 minutes, but Adams still only finished with a single solo tackle in the game. He did get a couple hits on Eli Manning, but the lack of tackles seems to suggest that he lacks the toughness necessary to become an all-around player and consistent fantasy producer.
OLB Chike Okeafor, ARI
Okeafor missed the week 2 game against the Jaguars as he tried to recover from a shoulder injury. He was listed as questionable on the injury report this week but he was able to start. Unfortunately, he was not very effective in the game as he was shut out on the stat sheet and also dropped what should have been an easy interception after the ball was deflected by Bryant McFadden.
OLB Clint Session, IND
The Colts came into the game against the Cardinals this week with a banged up group at linebacker. MLB Gary Brackett missed the game with a knee injury and was replaced in the lineup by Freddie Keiaho, and OLB Clint Session tried to play through an ankle injury but only managed 2 assists in the first quarter. With the Colts taking a big lead pretty early in the game, they moved almost exclusively to their nickel package with Keiaho and the recently re-signed Jordan Senn in at linebacker. Session should bounce back once he's fully healthy, but it's possible that Keiaho could steal some snaps from him in the nickel package.
OLB Tamba Hali, KC
While Elvis Dumervil is thriving after converting to LB in the Broncos new 3-4 defense, things aren't going nearly as well for Tamba Hali in Kansas City. He had a sack in the opener, but has just 2 solo tackles and 0 sacks in the two games since then. Even though the Eagles were starting backups at QB and RB, Hali and the Chiefs had a very hard time slowing them down as Kevin Kolb threw for 300+ yards and was never sacked or even hit by a Chiefs defender in the game.
OLB LaMarr Woodley, PIT
What a difference a year makes. Last year, it seemed like Woodley could do no wrong as he recorded a sack in what seemed like every game. With just 1 solo tackle against the Bengals this week, he has just 2 solos and an assist through 3 games. He seemed very ineffective in this game as he put little pressure on Carson Palmer and the Steelers defense allowed the Bengals to hang around and steal the game with a couple of 4th quarter touchdowns.
CB DeAngelo Hall, WAS
Despite having some questionable value as a real-life NFL player due to his tendencies to take a lot of chances, Hall has generally been a very valuable fantasy CB in the past. Things don't seem to be working out very well for him this year in Washington, however, as he was shut out this week and had just 1 solo tackle and 2 assists last week. With the way the Redskins sitting at 1-2 and coming off a loss to the Lions, it seems that there is probably plenty of blame to go around but Hall is certainly not living up to the big contract he signed this offseason.
CB Leodis McKelvin, BUF
This has been a rough year for the Bills cornerback. First, he fumbled a kickoff late in the season opener that helped the Patriots come from behind to win. He suffered a leg injury in week 2 and then broke his leg early in the game this week. It wasn't clear exactly how long he'd be out, but it figures to be at least a few weeks. Roscoe Parrish replaced him on kickoff returns and he'll likely be replaced in the lineup by either Reggie Corner or Ashton Youboty.
CB Philip Buchanon, DET
Buchanon was active for the game this week but did not play as he was benched in favor of the veteran William James. Since the Lions won the game, it seems likely that they will stick with James and there's even a chance the team could release Buchanon if they simply think he's not good enough. The Lions secondary is looking like a potential weak spot and Buchanon was one of the few experienced players they had back there.
S Donte Whitner, BUF
Whitner left the game this week with a thumb injury and underwent surgery on Monday to fix it. The injury isn't expected to keep him out for a long time but it looks like the Bills may need to give the rookie Jairus Byrd a start at free safety next week. This could be a devastating blow for a defense that is already down a couple of starters in Paul Posluzny and Leodis McKelvin.
S James Butler, STL
Butler was one of the only significant free agent pickups the Rams made this offseason as they brought him over from the Giants to help install the new defense. He had a solid start with 8 solos and 4 assists in his first two games, but he left the game this week early with a knee injury. It was diagnosed on Monday as a sprained MCL and is expected to keep him out for at least the next two weeks. Butler was replaced in the lineup by Craig Dahl, who played well and finished with a team-high 7 tackles in the game.
S Kerry Rhodes, NYJ
Rhodes started the game but was completely shut out on the stat sheet. Meanwhile, backup safety Eric Smith had a huge game with 6 solo tackles, an interception, and 2 passes defensed. Very frustrating game for his owners as Rhodes clearly has the talent to be an elite fantasy safety but it looks like he might wind up filling the Ed Reed role in the new Rex Ryan-led defense.