IDP Upgrades - Week 9
Updated 11/2 by Aaron Rudnicki, Exclusive for Footballguys.com
Upgrades
DE Ray Edwards, MIN
Few pass rushers in the league are in a better situation than Ray Edwards, who gets to play on the same line as Jared Allen and Kevin Williams. However, prior to this week he had gone 5 straight games without recording even a half sack and his low tackle numbers suggest he hasn't been helping out that well against the run either. Well, in a big Sunday night matchup with the Packers, Edwards finally was able to take advantage of the situation and finished the game with 3 solo tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 passes defensed. The Vikings have a bye next week but Edwards has another good matchup looming in week 10 when the Lions come to town with their rookie RT.
DE Calais Campbell, ARI
Many experts thought Campbell should have stayed in school another year and he struggled to make an impact as a rookie in 2008, but he is starting to make a big impact for the Cardinals. He has a huge frame at 6'7" which should allow him to bat down plenty of passes at the line of scrimmage, but he also has been holding up very well against the run too. The Panthers got out to an early lead in the game so he didn't get many pass rush opportunities this week but still finished with 6 solo tackles, 2 assists, and a half sack. That gives him three straight games with at least a half sack, a great sign for a young pass rusher.
DE Matt Shaughnessy, OAK
Shaugnessy was overshadowed by higher profile players like Greg Ellis and Richard Seymour entering the season, and also by 2nd year pro Trevor Scott, but the Raiders selected him in the third round of this year's draft and clearly have some high hopes for him. He started to see extensive playing time a week ago in a blowout loss to the Jets and he saw even more this week with normal starter Greg Ellis severely limited with a knee injury. Schaughnessy finished the game with 5 solo tackles and a sack, and now it looks like he could join the starting lineup with Greg Ellis scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this week.
DE Jason Babin, PHI
The Eagles love to use a rotation on the defensive line so it's difficult to count on consistent production from anyone other than Trent Cole. Jason Babin, however, is an intriguing option considering he is a former 1st round pick who has flashed some pass rush potential in the past and it looks like he's on a bit of a roll. He posted 3 solos and a sack last week against the Redskins and followed that up with a nice 4 solo, 1 sack game this week against the Giants. The injury to Victor Abiamiri appears to have created some playing time for him and Babin is making the most of it.
LB David Hawhtorne, SEA
With Lofa Tatupu placed on injured reserve, David Hawthorne takes over as the Seahawks MLB. In a week 3 start for Tatupu against the Bears, Hawthorne was credited with 15 solo tackles and picked off a pass. This week against the Cowboys, Hawthorne was once again the most important player on the Seahawks defense as he finished with 5 solo tackles, 3 assists, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed. Hawthorne is not a well known player but if he keeps playing like this, he will be before too long.
LB Justin Durant, JAX
Durant was moved to MLB this year and had a tremendous start to the season with 18 solo tackles in his first two games. He cooled off in the next two weeks and then missed a couple of games with a hip problem heading into the team's bye week. He returned to action this week and was tested repeatedly by the Chris Johnson, Vince Young, and the Titans. Durant finished the game with 12 solo tackles and 4 assists and it looks like he can be considered a LB1 again as long as he remains in the lineup.
LB Brian Cushing, HOU
In a game where the Texans defense was on the field for very few snaps, Cushing still managed to put up numbers that ranked among the best in the league at his position. Cushing was credited with 3 solo tackles, 7 assists, a sack, and an interception. His 10 combined tackles led the team, which marked the 6th time (out of 8 games) that has happened. He appears to be a strong favorite for the defensive rookie of the year award and he's also the only defender in the league who has recorded a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and a safety. It looks like he is becoming the elite fantasy LB that many expected DeMeco Ryans to be.
LB Shawne Merriman, SD
It took him a long time to get going but Merriman finally recorded his first sacks of the season this week. They came against the lowly Raiders so it's probably not worth getting too excited about yet, but it's also a positive sign that he's recorded 12 solo tackles in his last two games. He's not the same dominant player we're used to seeing, but there's still plenty of time left for him to try and salvage his season.
LB Nick Barnett, GB
After missing most of the preseason, Barnett started out the season on a strict snap count. In addition to getting healthy, he also had to learn a new position while shifting to ILB in the Packers new 3-4 defense. As the weeks go on, he has started to look more and more comfortable. Over the past four games, Barnett has averaged 7 solo tackles per game and he's also shown his cover skills with a couple of passes defensed in the last two games. The injury to Brandon Chillar will likely create more playing time for AJ Hawk, but Barnett looks like the most reliable Packers linebacker.
CB Jerraud Powers, IND
The Colts always seem to find young corners that they can plug in to the lineup who are great fits in their scheme and Powers is just the latest. He was a 3rd round pick in this year's draft and he is quickly establishing himself as a starter. He came up big against the 49ers this week with 5 solo tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass defensed. Marlin Jackson might be close to returning, but Kelvin Hayden left the game this week with an injury so Powers should be able to hold onto his starting spot.
CB Terrence Newman, DAL
After nearly half of the season has been played, Newman ranks as the #2 scoring fantasy CB in terms of fantasy points per game. He's playing very well and providing a physical presence in the Cowboys secondary. His interceptions appear to be down a bit this year, but he has been making up for it with 3 forced fumbles and plenty of passes defensed. With road trips to face the passing attacks in Philadelphia and Green Bay coming up, look for Newman to build on his impressive numbers.
CB Marcus Trufant, SEA
Trufant was placed on the PUP list to start the season but made his debut this week against the Terrence Newman, who was drafted 6 picks ahead of him in the 2003 draft. Trufant struggled in his first game back as he was flagged for 3 pass interference penalties and was replaced late in the game due to fatigue. However, he's also averaged nearly 70 solo tackles per season over his career so it seems likely that he'll be able to put together a strong finish once he shakes off the rust.
S Michael Lewis, SF
After sitting out a few weeks while recovering from a concussion, which was his third in two months, Lewis returned to the lineup against the Colts this week and made his presence felt with 5 solo tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed. He's one of the best run stopping safeties in the league so he should be productive as long as he's able to play. With Chris Johnson and the Titans coming to town next week, he should see a lot of time playing up in the box.
Downgrades
DE Greg Ellis, OAK
Ellis missed practice last week but still managed to play in this week's game against the Chargers. He wasn't able to play much, however, and was replaced in the game by rookie Matt Schaughnessy. Ellis is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this week, which will likely keep him out of the lineup for a few weeks at least. Ellis got off to a great start with 4 sacks in his first 4 games but he has been playing injured since then and has just 5 solos and 0 sacks in his last 4 games.
DE Patrick Kerney, SEA
There is little doubt that Kerney can still produce like an elite fantasy defensive end when he's fully healthy, but he has been struggling with a groin injury of late. To try and prevent him from getting worn down, the Seahawks decided to use him as a nickel pass rusher this week and he finished the game with 0 tackles and 0 sacks. He may become a full-time player again once he gets healthy, but as long as his snaps are being limited in this way it seems like his production will be tough to count on during most weeks.
DE Cullen Jenkins, GB
Jenkins is one of the most talented players on the Packers defense, but he is struggling in the new 3-4 defense and is starting to get frustrated. After a disappointing loss to the Vikings in which they got no pressure on Brett Favre, Jenkins lashed out at the Packers coaches and questioned why they are running a scheme that doesn't appear to be a great fit for their personnel. Jenkins came through with a strong effort against the Browns last week but otherwise he has been a non-factor since the first couple games of the season.
DE Justin Tuck, NYG
Many expected the Giants pass rush to terrorize opposing QBs this year, but it hasn't exactly worked out as expected. One of the most disappointing players has been Tuck, who ranked as one of the elite fantasy pass rushers over the past two years. He's gone three straight games without a sack now and he only posted 1 solo tackle and a pass defensed in an ugly loss to the Eagles this week. The Giants have a huge game coming up against the Chargers next week as they hope to turn their season around before going into their bye week.
DT Shaun Rogers, CLE
In his first year with the Browns, Rogers was one of the most dominant players in the league last season. He finished with an incredible 62 solo tackles and 5 sacks and ranked as the best fantasy DT in most standard scoring systems. Things aren't going nearly as well this year, however, as the team is struggling and Rogers has been trying to play through some injuries that are limiting his effectiveness. He's still a force in the middle of the Browns defensive line, but he appears to be tying up blockers more this year and allowing others to make plays rather than penetrating into the backfield and making the plays himself.
LB Eric Barton, CLE
The Browns already lost their best linebacker to a season-ending injury when D'Qwell Jackson was placed on injured reserve. Eric Barton was expected to soak up most of those vacated tackles, but he left the game in the second quarter this week with a shoulder injury. The Browns have been scrambling to find anyone who can hold down the fort inside, but nobody has really looked good enough to hold onto the job. If Barton can't go, it looks like we may see some combination of David Bowens, Kaluka Maiava, David Veikune, or Blake Costanzo.
LB Keith Ellison, BUF
Ellison has been putting up solid numbers this year, but he's an imminently replaceable player. Unfortunately, he was knocked out the game early this week with a quad injury and did not return, finishing with 0 tackles. Ellison was replaced in the lineup by the rookie Nic Harris, who looked solid and may get more playing time after the Bills return from the bye week.
LB Aaron Curry, SEA
Although he continues to have a very strong rookie season, Curry's production seems to have dropped off in his last two games. He was credited with 21 solo tackles and 3 sacks from weeks 3 to 5, but has just 6 solos and 0 sacks in his last two games. David Hawthorne is a very quick linebacker and it seems like he might be making more plays at the MLB spot than Tatupu did, which is leaving less opportunities for Curry. He'll have a chance to turn things around with some big plays against the Lions next week.
LB Brandon Chillar, GB
Chillar suffered a broken hand in the game this week and will undergo surgery to correct it, which should keep him out for a few weeks. He has cooled off after a great start to the season but he has been the Packers best cover linebacker and has seen regular playing time as part of the team's nickel package. His absence should open up some additional opportunities for AJ Hawk.
CB Kelvin Hayden, IND
After missing 3 games earlier this year, Hayden returned to the lineup a week ago and played well. Unfortunately, he left the game this week in the fourth quarter with both a concussion and a knee injury. Given where the Colts are in the standings, they will probably choose to play things safe with him although a matchup with the Texans and Patriots are coming up next on the schedule so they could probably use him.
CB Nate Clements, SF
Clements suffered a broken shoulder blade on a punt return this week and is expected to miss at least the next 6 weeks of action. Initial reports indicated that he wouldn't be placed on injured reserve, but it seems unlikely that he'll be able to make much of a fantasy impact for the rest of the season.
S Chris Hope, TEN
After the first month of the season, Hope looked like he was headed for a top-10 finish this season. Even though the Titans secondary has struggled, however, Hope's numbers have cooled off quite a bit since then. He has just 9 solo tackles over his last three games and a lack of pressure up front is making it difficult for him to make any big plays.
S Kerry Rhodes, NYJ
Rhodes came into the season with 12 interceptions, 9 sacks, and 6 fumbles in a 4-year career so he is clearly a multidimensional player who can contribute to a defense in a lot of different ways. Many expected the Jets under Rex Ryan to find new ways to take advantage of his elite playmaking skills, but it hasn't quite happened. Through 8 games, Rhodes has yet to record a single sack, interception, or forced fumble. He's also seeing far too much time playing deep in the secondary, which has limited his tackle opportunities as well.