Defensive Linemen:

Michael Johnson- Johnson is ticketed to start for Cincy and will likely be a 3-down DE for them. He will be a decent tackler in run defense and should have many one-on-one pass rushing opportunities opposite of Carlos Dunlap when it comes time to rush the quarterback. He offers some nice DL3 value with DL2 upside.

Related: IDP Sleepers 2011

Derrick Morgan- Tennessee seems to produce one or two great fantasy defensive linemen each year and this year might be Morgan’s turn. He is healthy and has looked solid so far this preseason. While he has not cracked the starting lineup over Jason Jones and Williams Hayes yet, he has a big opportunity to shine with Jones sidelined for the remainder of the preseason with an injured knee. If he can build on his three tackle, one sack effort from the first preseason game then Morgan could be starting before long.   

Jason Pierre-Paul- Pierre-Paul showed signs of greatness late last year and he is picking up right where he left off. He had four tackles and two sacks in his first preseason game and with Osi Umenyiora out injured and looking to be traded, JPP has a great chance to start early in the year for the Giants. If he does, do not be surprised if he hangs on to the job and becomes a top-10 DL in almost all fantasy formats.   

Linebackers:

Brandon Spikes- Spikes has not played yet this preseason, but his value is still trending upwards. The Patriots seem dedicated to playing more 4-3 defense this year and have added personnel such as Albert Haynesworth and Andre Carter that only fit in that scheme. The Pats currently have Jerod Mayo penciled in as the WLB in that scheme, leaving Spikes as the favorite to start the year as the MLB in NE. He could easily push 100+ tackles if he sticks there. Spikes posted 46 tackles in his 8 starts last year and none of them were as a 4-3 MLB where he was accustomed to playing in college either.

Thomas Davis- Davis’ talent is unquestioned. When he is healthy he is an elite fantasy LB. He has been hurt a whole lot lately, however. So far this preseason Davis has remained healthy and looked comfortable in his comeback. Combine this with Beason’s issues with his Achilles tendon, and Davis could be in for a very big year if he remains healthy and Beason remains dinged up. 

D’Qwell Jackson- Jackson is back in the middle of a 4-3 scheme where he belongs. He has excelled there before and he is likely set to do so again. So far he has eight tackles (all solo) in his two preseason starts. If he can keep his chest healthy and in one piece, he will be a 120+ tackler again. He is also playing for a new contract, which adds even more motivation.

Sean Lee- Lee has finally, officially cracked the Dallas starting lineup as a replacement for the aging Keith Brooking. So far he has five total tackles in his two preseason appearances. A declining Brooking has been able to rack up 106 and 97 tackles in that spot next to Bradie James over the past two seasons. Lee should at least match that and could push 110 tackles if he stays on the field enough.  

Defensive Backs:

Jimmy Smith- Smith finally got on the field and started his first preseason game this week. He tallied three solo tackles in limited time and looked decent in coverage. He was moved around a lot and he was targeted early and often. He could have the recipe for fantasy success as a rookie CB that will be targeted often this season.

Kurt Coleman- Coleman has started both preseason games at FS for the Eagles. The second game, he put in a huge tackling effort as he totaled 11 tackles (seven solo). While Nate Allen was considered the front-runner to start at FS, Allen has currently been playing out of position at SS and Coleman has made the most of his opportunity. Allen is also admitting that he lacks burst and range of motion in his return from his injury to his patellar tendon. As such, Coleman may end up sticking as the starting FS. If he does he will have many chances to make plays as teams pick on the middle of the Eagles defense and try to stay away from their talented corners on the edges. 

Aaron Ross & Corey Webster- Ross becomes a starter following Terrell Thomas’ season ending ACL injury. Webster now becomes the CB1 for the Giants. While rookie Prince Amukamara remains sidelined and with Bruce Johnson already out for the year, these two will get a ton of playing time and lots of balls thrown their way during the season.   

FALLERS

Defensive Linemen:

Osi Umenyiora- Osi is still talented and a relative stud at the DL position. However, he has started shooting himself in the foot and killing his value in the process. First he demanded a contract. Then a trade. Then said his knee hurt. Then had surgery on the knee. Now he is out for a few weeks and the young kid (Jason Pierre-Paul) is doing a great job replacing him. Suddenly Osi is expendable and he knows it. Now he will have to fight for snaps and at a bare minimum will have fewer opportunities to rack up points then he had last season. His value is certainly trending down.

Mario Williams- Williams was already trending down as most fantasy software started officially listing him as a LB and not a DL. Now after seeing him a bit, I am not so certain his transition to OLB will be a smooth one. He doesn’t look comfortable standing up. He seems a bit out of place in space. I have yet to see the light go on rushing the passer from his OLB spot. Truthfully, the rookie Brooks Reed looks a lot better than Williams does. Williams may be in for a long year and will not justify being rostered as a LB until he starts looking like DeMarcus Ware. That may be a long time away, if ever.

Austen Lane- Lane was one of my favorites to be a nice sleeper and a breakout candidate. Well so far he has yet to record any statistics whatsoever this preseason. The Jags once again have no pass rush through the first couple games, and they have now tried to add Matt Roth to the mix to help their pass rush. Lane’s chances are dwindling and he may end up just being a situational player now, which will significantly limit his upside potential.    

Linebackers:

Casey Matthews- The clock might be ticking on Matthews’ time as the MLB in Philly. He has looked lost and has had a hard time shedding blocks so far this preseason. Pittsburgh abused Philly’s defense in week 2 and Matthews only has three total tackles in two preseason starts thus far. With a few solid free agents on the street (Lofa Tatupu, Kirk Morrison) and with a solid replacement in-house (Jamar Chaney), Matthews’ time might be numbered. Let someone else reach for him.

Justin Durant- When Durant first signed in Detroit he looked like he was poised to be a nice sleeper. He was destined to be a WLB in a Tampa-2 scheme and looked like he would have a chance to re-live his success from 2009 when he had 98 tackles in 13 starts in Jacksonville. However, once Detroit signed Stephen Tulloch, things began looking ominous. Now Tulloch is running at MLB, DeAndre Levy has been bumped over to WLB and Durant has become the new SLB in Detroit. Durant will have to fight Bobby Carpenter for time at SLB and on top of that there isn’t much in the way of fantasy success to be had as the SLB in Detroit anyhow.  

Daryl Smith- Smith has been very successful as the SLB in Jacksonville for years. He has averaged 88 tackles per 16-game season over the past six seasons and he has racked up 106 and 97 tackles the past two years. This year, however, he has some serious talent around him that will steal his thunder. Paul Posluszny and Clint Session will not leave many tackles on the table for Smith and as a result his long-standing success as a contributing IDP from the SLB spot is in jeopardy.

Defensive Backs:

Jaiquawn Jarrett- Jarrett was widely expected by many (myself included) to be destined to be the Eagles’ opening day starter at SS. Scrap that idea. Jarrett has been brought along slowly and the Eagles are now using Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman at safety. Allen has been starting at SS and even with Allen admitting he isn’t 100%, the Eagles are talking about giving more reps to Jarrad Page. Jarrett still has great dynasty value, but his re-draft value is going down.  

Adrian Wilson- Depending who you listen to, either Wilson is “just hurt” (Wilson’s words) or he has a torn bicep tendon (Coach Wisenhunt’s words). Either way he is significantly less than 100% and is likely to miss the entire preseason and maybe even some regular season time. Let someone else take him early as their DB1. He isn’t worth much more than a DB3 right now.   

Terrell Thomas- Thomas was widely considered the top overall fantasy CB and one of the best overall DBs in the game from a fantasy perspective. After the unfortunate leg-whip he sustained from Jason Pierre-Paul last night, Thomas tore his ACL and is now done for the season. As such, do not even consider him in re-drafts and only take a late round flyer as a stashing candidate in dynasty leagues.   

After the year he had last year, LaRon Landry starts the year off as the top DB to own in all IDP formats

Antoine Bethea is often underrated on the field compared to his peers, but he is a top-10 DB due to his consistency and versatility

UPDATED 8/8/2011

Below is a listing of the 2011 Re-Draft IDP Rankings for Defensive Backs.

For our readers’ benefit and researching pleasure we also have a separate article with Dynasty Rankings.

For rankings purposes, all DBs have been lumped together in these rankings. Some leagues will draw a distinction between Cornerbacks and Safeties. As any experienced IDPer knows, it is typically best to target the Safeties early and often amongst DBs. This is particularly true for Strong Safeties (SS) that play “in the box” and accumulate more tackles. That does not mean, however, that Cornerbacks (CB) or Free Safeties (FS) are worthless. You will see a bunch of them mixed in amongst the rankings.

So without further ado, here they are:

REDRAFT
1	LaRon Landry	WAS		Still #1 but his injury is a little scary
2	T.J.Ward	CLE
3	Tyvon Branch	OAK		Rises up when Huff re-signed and he stays at SS
4	Donte Whitner	SF		Not a bad landing spot in SF
5	Bernard Pollard	BAL		Very nice landing spot. Landry put up 110+ tackles here last year. Pollard could maintain his tackling prowess
6	Eric Berry	KC
7	Roman Harper	NO		Just a function of other players moving up
8	Yeremiah Bell	MIA
9	Quentin Mikell	STL		Should remain close to a top-10 DB as the SS in STL
10	Earl Thomas	SEA
11	Antione Bethea	IND
12	Patrick Chung	NE
13	Eric Weddle	SD
14	Louis Delmas	DET
15	Michael Griffin	TEN
16	Kerry Rhodes	AZ		Wilson's injury means enhanced opportunities for Rhodes
17	Terrell Thomas	NYG
18	Cortland Finnegan	TEN
19	Morgan Burnett	GB
20	Daniel Manning	HOU		Big bonus landing in HOU. If he starts at SS he will be huge. He should deserve this spot even at FS, however
21	DeAngelo Hall	WAS
22	Antoine Winfield	MIN
23	Jaiquawn Jarett	PHI
24	Devin McCourty	NE
25	Charles Woodson	GB
26	Courtney Green	JAX
27	Dawan Landry	JAX		Playing FS in JAX hurts his value
28	Adrian Wilson	AZ		Bicep injury drags him down
29	Brent Grimes	ATL
30	Glover Quin	HOU		Moving up. Especially if he becomes the SS replacing Pollard and not D.Manning
31	Patrick Peterson	AZ
32	Oshiomogho Atogwe	WAS
33	Joe Haden	CLE
34	Jerraud Powers	IND
35	Alterraun Verner	TEN
36	Malcolm Jenkins	NO
37	Charles Tillman	CHI
38	Rahim Moore	DEN		Starting, but at FS
39	Troy Polamalu	PIT
40	Melvin Bullitt	IND		Value rises as he is the surefire starting SS in town now
41	Nate Clements	CIN
42	Brandon Flowers	KC
43	Michael Huff	OAK		Value stabilizes by remaining in OAK
44	Richard Marshall	CAR
45	Brian Dawkins	DEN		One more year at SS in Denver
46	Charles Godfrey	CAR
47	Antrel Rolle	NYG
48	Dashon Goldson	SF
49	Leon Hall	CIN
50	Bob Sanders	SD

Yeremiah Bell is still racking up tackles for the Dolphins and until that stops, he will remain a yearly DB1

TJ Ward will continue to grow and be a force as long as he can hang on to a starting job in Cleveland. A FS with 120+ tackles is near impossible to find and to duplicate.

Ndamukong Suh was a monster on the field and on fantasy teams last year and will continue to be for the next decade

Charles Johnson did just fine replacing Julius Peppers in Carolina last year and is a budding star

UPDATED  8/5/2011

Below is a listing of the 2011 Dynasty IDP Rankings for Defensive Linemen.

This article covers the Dynasty Rankings for our readers. We also have separate Re-Draft IDP Defensive Linemen Rankings for our readers’ benefit and researching pleasure.

Players with a ??? next to their team name are in question (amongst others) and will be updated as more information becomes available as to their future whereabouts.

So without further ado, here they are:

DYNASTY
1	Justin Tuck	NYG
2	Terrel Suggs	BAL
3	Trent Cole	PHI
4	Mario Williams	HOU		Value goes up if leagues still list him at DL while he plays LB. If he is listed as a LB his value is terrible
5	Jared Allen	MIN
6	Julius Peppers	CHI
7	Charles Johnson	CAR		Staying in Carolina long term helps his value become much more stable
8	Ndamukong Suh	DET
9	Jason Paul-Pierre	NYG		If Osi keeps holding out, gets traded, or really is hurt then JPP is going to jump to the top-10. That's where I have him now.
10	Robert Mathis	IND
11	Elvis Dumervil	DEN
12	Ray Edwards	ATL		Nice landing spot. Should be solid across from Abraham for the next couple years Abraham has left
13	Cliff Avril	DET
14	Justin Smith	SF
15	Darnell Dockett	AZ
16	Osi Umenyiora	NYG		A trade out of NY could hurt his value. Plus there are rumors that he has a bum knee now.
17	Derrick Morgan	TENN		Is likely the Tenn DL that will shine most and be a future stud
18	Will Smith	NO
19	Mathias Kiwanuka	NYG		Another player that could benefit from Osi's issues. He is not signed long term, though
20	Carlos Dunlap	CIN
21	Michael Johnson	CIN		Supposed to start and be a 3-down player. If that is true he could actually end up more valuable then Dunlap who the team plans to use mostly as a pass rusher
22	Brandon Graham	PHI		How bad is the knee? Supposedly bad enough for him to head to the PUP list to start the year
23	Kyle Vanden Bosch	DET
24	John Abraham	ATL
25	Chris Long	STL
26	Robert Quinn	STL
27	Adrian Clayborn	TB
28	Gerald McCoy	TB
29	Cameron Jordan	NO
30	DaQuan Bowers	TB
31	Calais Campbell	AZ
32	Kory Biermann	ATL		Had very high hopes for his dynasty value, but the signing of Edwards tempers them.
33	Robert Ayers	DEN
34	Matt Shaughnessy	OAK		I am starting to come around on this kid
35	Richard Seymour	OAK
36	Sedrick Ellis	NO
37	Haloti Ngata	BAL
38	Jason Babin	PHI		Not bad short term. Not sure about his long term staying power.
39	Jabaal Sheard	CLE
40	Lamarr Houson	OAK
41	Kyle Williams	BUF
42	Chris Clemons	SEA
43	Aaron Kampman	JAX
44	Dwight Freeney	IND
45	Dwan Edwards	BUF
46	Everette Brown	CAR
47	Glenn Dorsey	KC
48	Israel Idonije	CHI
49	Ahtyba Rubin	CLE
50	Tommy Kelly	OAK

If Carlos Dunlap can continue to build on his 2010 season, then you could have a future stud on your hands

Jason Pierre-Paul is young, athletic, talented and hungry. With all of the defensive playmakers along the Giants' D-line, no team can key on him and he will run wild.

Justin Tuck's scheme and consistency make him THE DL to get this year and beyond

Trent Cole is seemingly always good for a top-10 finish and could be better then ever in 2011

UPDATED  8/5/2011

Below is a listing of the 2011 Re-Draft IDP Rankings for Defensive Linemen.

For our readers’ benefit and researching pleasure we also have a separate article with Dynasty Rankings.

Players with a ??? next to their team name are in question (amongst others) and will be updated as more information becomes available as to their future whereabouts.

So without further ado, here they are:

REDRAFT
1	Justin Tuck	NYG
2	Julius Peppers	CHI
3	Terrel Suggs	BAL
4	Jared Allen	MIN
5	Trent Cole	PHI
6	Mario Williams	HOU
7	Robert Mathis	IND
8	Charles Johnson	CAR		More of the same in Carolina for him. Stays in the top-10
9	Ndamukong Suh	DET
10	Justin Smith	SF
11	Elvis Dumervil	DEN
12	Jason Paul-Pierre	NYG		Has great long term value, but his short term value can rise too if Osi keeps acting up.
13	John Abraham	ATL		Value aided by the addition of a legit threat across from him in Edwards now.
14	Kyle Vanden Bosch	DET
15	Ray Edwards	ATL		Atlanta could mean more of the same for Edwards...and that is a good thing.
16	Cliff Avril	DET
17	Osi Umenyiora	NYG		His situation has bad news written all over it. Best case is for him to be moved.
18	Jason Babin	PHI		Should benefit playing across from Cole
19	Darnell Dockett	AZ
20	Aaron Kampman	JAX
21	Kyle Williams	BUF
22	Mathias Kiwanuka	NYG
23	Haloti Ngata	BAL
24	Carlos Dunlap	CIN
25	Richard Seymour	OAK
26	Dwan Edwards	BUF
27	Chris Clemons	SEA
28	Will Smith	NO		Might miss the first 4 games if he finally has to serve that StarCaps suspension
29	Michael Johnson	CIN		If he truly is starting and playing as a 3-down DE then his value shoots way up.
30	Chris Long	STL
31	Calais Campbell	AZ
32	Brandon Graham	PHI		Could miss the first 6 games of the season and Babin is there now too.
33	Derrick Morgan	TENN
34	Sedrick Ellis	NO
35	Matt Shaughnessy	OAK
36	Robert Quinn	STL
37	Kroy Biermann	ATL		Edwards kills his short term value
38	Jabaal Sheard	CLE
39	Robert Ayers	DEN
40	Ahtyba Rubin	CLE
41	Lamarr Houson	OAK
42	Gerald McCoy	TB
43	Dwight Freeney	IND
44	Everette Brown	CAR
45	Adrian Clayborn	TB
46	Cameron Jordan	NO
47	DaQuan Bowers	TB
48	Glenn Dorsey	KC
49	Israel Idonije	CHI
50	Tommy Kelly	OAK

Despite the change of teams, Peppers kept up his production last year and will do the same this season

For leagues where Suggs is listed as a DL, he is a must-own player

While he was never a total bust, Bush was never able to live up to the hype.

Saints RB Reggie Bush and his status in New Orleans has been one of the hot-button topics so far this offseason. Set to make $11.8 million in 2011 and the chances that a restructured deal won’t get done getting stronger, Bush is expected to eventually be released once free agency begins. There has been news that the Saints could possibly get a conditional future pick. But considering Bush’s injury history, I doubt it.

Speaking of injuries, I smelled a little bit of desperation after Bush made comments that the Saints’ Superdome turf was the main reason why he missed so much time due to various lower-body problems. Didn’t Rams great Marshall Faulk play on turf? Didn’t former Saint Deuce McAllister play on the same field? Come on Reggie, you can think of a better excuse than that.

If Bush wants to play on natural grass, then the news that the Colts will show interest once free agency hits should prove to be a moot point considering they play their home games in a dome. This should also leave out teams like Atlanta and St. Louis as potential suitors.

During a recent appearance on NFL Network’s Total Access, Jason La Canfora stated that the Dolphins will show interest and “might actually set the market” for Bush’s services. He also mentioned Philly and St. Louis, who will miss out because of reasons above, but it sounds like Miami could be the front runners.

Daniel Thomas owners shouldn’t fret. While the Dolphins would be a perfect fit since they need a scat back and they have the type of field Bush would love to play on, he simply isn’t that good anymore. Injuries have taken their toll. And even before injuries started setting in, Bush’s hype coming out of college was just that; HYPE. He’s never come even close to a 1000-yard rushing season, with his career best coming in 2007 with 581 yards. And while he’s still a decent pass catcher, his 88 reception-rookie season looks more like a fluke than a concrete stat.

So if I was a Thomas owner, I really wouldn’t worry. I still fully expect him to get the brunt of the work, with Bush coming in to give the rookie a breather. Bush will also help in the punt-return game, but I can’t see that helping his fantasy value even in return-yardage leagues. And who knows, Bush may decide he wants a much bigger role and blow off Miami’s offer altogether.

After drafting Mario Williams instead of Bush as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, think former Texans GM Charlie Casserly smirks when ever he reads an article like this?

• I preface this with the admitted fact that I am the biggest Colts homer known to man, but if you get to watch this year, take some time to watch Dwight Freeney play. I watch him on every defensive play of every game since he is my favorite player and nobody commands more defensive attention. Nobody. His combination of spin moves, bull rush, and ability to bend at impossible angles getting around the corner are a thing of beauty. Take it from an offensive lineman by trade and a defensive lineman by heart, his first step and package of moves makes him the hardest block in the NFL.

• I have had the chance to watch Ray Lewis in person on numerous occasions (living just outside of Baltimore), and while he may have lost a step, he is still the biggest load in the game when filling a gap and his “slowed down” speed is still better then 60-70% of NFL linebackers. What he adds to his marginally declining skills with instincts and ferocity gives him his longevity. He may play for another 5 years at this rate.

• There are going to be some very solid tacklers on the market amongst DBs if and when free agency hits. Bernard Pollard, Quentin Mikell, Donte Whitner, and Dawan Landry could all be out there, as could some rangy safeties like Eric Weddle and Oshiomogho Atogwe. This could be one fine year to rebuild the back end of a secondary if you have the right pieces to cover their respective weaknesses.

•  I absolutely hate the transition of Mario Williams to OLB. Mario is a beast as a 4-3 bookend and he is nearly impossible to contain. I don’t care if you are going to rush him almost all of the time, you do not stand him up. You put his hand in the dirt and have him destroy people as he has shown the ability to do over and over again. This move will be a colossal failure in my humble opinion. Great for my Colts, however.

• Watch out for the Tampa Bay defense if they can stay healthy. Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Adrian Clayborn and DaQuan Bowers could be a ridiculous force for the next decade. All four have big red flags, however. Here’s hoping they all get healthy, stay healthy, and remain on the field together at some point this season.

• Another rant: Why is Terrell Suggs still a DE in most fantasy leagues while every other player that plays even close to half of their plays standing up is listed as a LB? Don’t get me wrong, I love Suggs and think he should be listed at DE. But if they change everyone else, why not him? I am always deathly afraid that the year I take him as my DL1 will be the year he gets changed over. It never happens and I always miss out.

• I am very hopeful for but reluctant to draft some of these promising young defensive linemen from last year’s draft. I expected so much out of some of them and they disappointed so much that I don’t want to invest in them now. Where are you Derrick Morgan? How about you Brandon Graham? Do you still exist Jerry Hughes?

• Where will Aubrayo Franklin land? Rumors say Washington as a replacement to Albert Haynesworth. Franklin is the anti-Haynesworth. He is a hard worker and he is a black hole that offensive linemen disappear into. He is going to be a prize for whoever lands him. I wouldn’t let him go if I were SF. Too bad his fantasy impact is so minimal.

• Speaking of potential room for success, keep an eye out for whoever lands the SS job in Buffalo. That job always produces fantasy numbers and it looks like they will let Donte Whitner walk. Will it be George Wilson? Bryan Scott? Rookie Da’Norris Searcy?

• What is up with this mess of a linebacker situation in Cleveland? D’Qwell Jackson, Chris Gocong, Scott Fujita, Marcus Benard and maybe Matt Roth? Really? Will DQ step up there and be the stud he used to be? Is he washed up with two straight season ending chest injuries? Something has to give here. Someone has to be a stud right?

• Will someone step up and man the middle in Jacksonville? I thought Kirk Morrison was going to give us flashbacks to Mike Peterson’s old dominating days in the middle in Jax, but he flopped and now Jax has a hole in the middle again. Who fills it? Do they go after Barrett Ruud?

• Speaking of holes in the middle, who fills the one in Tennessee? Do they bring Tulloch back? If not, does Tulloch land in a good spot to keep him in the top-10 to top-20 LBs? Is it really going to be Will Witherspoon? Will Tenn give the kid Colin McCarthy a shot?

Well that’s enough ranting and rumbling for this installment. Till next time folks!