Kirk Morrison once again had 100 tackles in 2008, but he has a dislocated elbow and is fighting to keep his MLB spot. He's dropped 10 spots in the rankings.
2009 IDP Top 25 Rankings for LB, DB and DL - Updated
IDP is perhaps the hardest position to draft for. It's new to most of us, and the turnover in top performers can drastically change from season to season. This is another reason to start drafting them after the 10th round. Read my full article on where to draft them here. The thinnest position is Defensive Linemen (DEs and DTs), and the hardest to predict are Defensive Backs (CBs and Ss). The linebacker position is the deepest and it offers the most consistency in weekly fantasy points. Aim for high-tackle LBs. Here are the top 25 at each position for 2009.
| Linebackers |
Bye |
Defensive Linemen |
Bye |
|
| 1 | Patrick Willis, SFO |
6 |
Jared Allen, MIN |
9 |
| 2 | Demarcus Ware, DAL |
6 |
Mario Williams, HOU |
10 |
| 3 | James Harrison, PIT |
8 |
Justin Tuck, NYG |
10 |
| 4 | Barrett Ruud, TBB |
8 |
Terrell Suggs, BAL |
7 |
| 5 | Jon Beason, CAR |
4 |
Julius Peppers, CAR |
4 |
| 6 | D'Qwell Jackson, CLE |
9 |
Trent Cole, PHI |
4 |
| 7 | Jonathon Vilma, NOS |
5 |
John Abraham, ATL |
4 |
| 8 | Karlos Dansby, ARI |
4 |
Robert Mathis, IND |
6 |
| 9 | DeMeco Ryans, HOU |
10 |
Osi Umenyiora, NYG |
10 |
| 10 | Jerod Mayo, NEP |
8 |
Justin Smith, SFO |
6 |
| 11 | DJ Williams, DEN |
7 |
Patrick Kerney, SEA |
7 |
| 12 | EJ Henderson, MIN |
9 |
Dwight Freeney, IND |
6 |
| 13 | Lance Briggs, CHI |
5 |
Shaun Rogers, DET |
6 |
| 14 | London Fletcher, WAS |
8 |
Aaron Kampman, GBP |
5 |
| 15 | Gary Brackett, IND |
6 |
Tamba Hali, KCC |
8 |
| 16 | James Laurinaitis, STL |
9 |
Kyle Vanden Bosch, TEN |
7 |
| 17 | Kirk Morrison, OAK |
9 |
Mathias Kiwanuka, NYG |
10 |
| 18 | James Farrior, PIT |
8 |
Chris Long, STL |
9 |
| 19 | Ernie Sims, DET |
7 |
Gaines Adams, TBB |
8 |
| 20 | Brian Urlacher, CHI |
5 |
Adewale Ogunleye, CHI |
5 |
| 21 | Chad Greenway, MIN |
9 |
Aaron Schobel, BUF |
9 |
| 22 | Paul Posluszny BUF |
9 |
Darnell Dockett, ARI |
4 |
| 23 | Lofa Tatupu, SEA |
7 |
Dewayne White, DET |
7 |
| 24 | Ray Lewis BAL |
7 |
Alex Brown, CHI, |
5 |
| 25 | Channing Crowder, MIA |
6 |
Albert Haynesworth WAS |
8 |
As mentioned above the hardest position to draft is DB. Only the top 3 listed below were in the 100 tackle range. However, ff your league includes return yards in scoring it can really increase the value of certain DBs; read article here. If you don't get one of the top 3 DBs and your league does not include return yardage, I'd wait and fill those picks with my last couple of rounds.
Eric Weddle - A safe high-tackle DB pick.
Rookies to keep an eye on who make great fantasy IDP sleepers:
Derrick Harvey (DL)
Brian Orakpo (DL)
Patrick Chung (DB)
Cliff Avril (DL)
Rey Maualuga (LB).
