Now that we've started writing some of our 2010 Fantasy Sleeper articles it seemed high time to give some love to the IDP side of the game. At the top of my IDP sleeper list this season is a defensive back for the G-men.
Last season, I along with many other fantasy "experts" had New York Giants strong safety, Kenny Phillips pegged as a breakout fantasy sleeper in his sophomore season. And we were right...sort of.
Phillips only managed to play in two games to start the season before a Week 2 season ending knee injury took him off the field. But in those two games Phillips gave fantasy owners every reason to believe he would fulfill their faith in the talented young DB.
Phillip's talent and 2009 start have me believing he'll be every bit the 2010 fantasy football sleeper candidate I had him pegged as last season.
Kenny Phillips, DB – New York Giants
ADP: 404th overall – 30th DB selected
- Phillips only got to play all of one game and part of a second, but in those two starts he managed 9 solo tackles, 4 assists, 2 interceptions and 2 pass defenses. Great numbers though granted it was only a small sample to go by. However, if you extrapolate those numbers over a full season, based on standard IDP scoring systems, Phillips would have been the number one fantasy DB in 2009, just beating out Bernard Pollard.
- Phillips showed he has the skills when he put up 50 solo tackles in his 2008 rookie season despite starting only 3 games.
- When Phillips went down last season, C.C. Brown stepped in and got major fantasy points for the G-men. The SS position for the Giants can be a true fantasy gold mine, and Brown couldn't carry Phillips jockstrap.
- Phillips isn't back to team drills yet, but is continuing his rehab and adamantly insists he will be ready for training camp. Phillips had microfracture surgery on his left knee to help relieve his patello femoral arthritis. For this reason he's being highly overlooked in drafts so far.
Summary: Kenny Phillips is a DB who will get 80+ tackles along with a decent number of pass defenses and a few interceptions. He has what it takes to be a Top 10 fantasy DB, but you can get great value for him at the end of your draft.
ADP taken from our friends at MyFantasyLeague.com
