It’s important to monitor developments such as coaching changes and free-agent signings  that’ll affect how IDP production when the fantasy football season starts. After a period of rest after another long but exciting fantasy football season, it’s time to start keeping track of what’s happened, and will be happening, in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball.

One of the first thoughts in my mind when Pete Carroll left USC for the Seattle Seahawks was “What happens to David Hawthorne?” First, a little background is needed. Carroll ran a Cover-2 defense at Southern Cal and plans to continue operating one in Seattle. The transition shouldn’t be significant for the Seahawks’ defensive players since former head coach Jim Mora ran the same game plan in 2009. In fact, as evidence that Carroll will stick to the Cover-2 defense, the team will retain defensive coordinator Gus Bradley who was a disciple of Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay and implemented the scheme in Seattle last season.

Any IDP owner is aware that Lofa Tatupu’s season-ending torn pectoral opened the door for Hawthorne and he had a phenomenal season posting 92 solos, 23 assists, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception in only 11 starts.  In most formats, Hawthorne finished in the Top-10 at his position.  They’re both exceptional linebackers in their own right but I consider Tatupu the smarter field general but Hawthorne the superior natural athlete.

The Seahawks are staying in a 4-3 alignment which leaves room for only one middle linebacker (”MIKE”).  I think it’s going to be Tatupu for one reason — Tatupu was Pete Carroll’s starting All-American at the MIKE in 2003-2004.  Carroll is very familiar with Tatupu and knows that he can run the Cover-2 defense very well. In making the transition from college back to the NFL, Carroll will want as much stability as possible.

Hawthorne will be staying in Seattle since he’s an exclusive-rights free agent and the Seahawks won’t be allowing him to leave. He’s only 25 and he’ll have his chance to start at some point in the near future.  It’s difficult to suppress that sort of enormous talent but the key is patience with Hawthorne.

As for Tatupu, he’s never shown elite talent but he’s still a very good linebacker. A healthy return to a statistic-friendly scheme like the Cover-2 makes a return to LB2 status likely.

All stats are based on: solo stop:2 pts, assist: 1 pt, sack/int: 4 pts, fumble recovery: 3 pts, forced fumble: 2 pts, defended pass: 1 pt, TD: 6 pts, safety: 6 pts.

IDP DREAM TEAM
It’s pretty amazing that among the four LBs making the grade, three of them were ranked among the top four. Only a rookie (Brian Cushing) crashed the party this year.

DE: Jared Allen (Minnesota) 194 points
A man among men, Allen was the concensus #1 DL going into the season, and he certainly did not disappoint. His 194 points easily outdistanced the #2 guy by 27 points. That’s a huge margin.
Drafted: 1st Actual finish: 1st

DE: Andre Carter (Washington) 164 points
Somewhat of a surprise, Carters’ 48-14-11 barely outpaced Trent Cole. But if you needed someone for crunch time, Cole would have been the choice, as Carter faded badly down the stretch.
Drafted: 28th Actual finish: 2nd

DT: Kyle Williams (Buffalo) 130 points
A solid year from a consistent DT, who made his mark with over 40 solos.Drafted: 20th Actual finish: 1st (11th among DL)

LB: Patrick Willis (San Francisco) 312 points
It shouldn’t be a shocker that Willis lead all IDPers in points, but it still is. Back-to-back leading years is tough to manage in IDP.
Drafted: 1st Actual: 1st

LB: Jon Beason (Carolina) 293 points
Reminds me of Mike Peterson in his heyday. Beason does it all, and could be the most balanced LB in the game today.
Drafted: 2nd Actual : 2nd

LB: Brian Cushing (Houston) 276 points
Not only cracked the top-three as a rook, but did it as a SLB on a team with a proven stud in the middle. Nobody saw this coming, and a top-twenty finish would have been shocking.
Drafted: 47th Actual: 3rd

LB Barrett Ruud (Tampa Bay) 267 points
No surprise here. If Tampa is as bad again next year Ruud could overtake Willis as the top LB in the game simply based on opportunity.
Drafted: 3rd Actual: 4th

S: Brian Dawkins (Denver) 226 points
Like Cushing, nobody would have believed this script if you wrote it in the preseason. An aging Dawkins put in a full schedule and hung up 88 solos.
Drafted: 44th Actual: 1st

S: Yeremiah Bell (Miami) 216 points
About where he should have been, no suprises.
Drafted: 6th Actual: 3rd (2nd S overall)

CB: Charles Woodson 220 points
He has always been a premier player, but his 9 interceptions and 3 TDs put him into the stratosphere among DBs.
Drafted: 31st Actual: 1st (2nd DB Overall)

CB: Terrell Thomas (NY Giants) 183 points
Best “non official” starter in the NFL. All year he was seemingly in a battle for his position, yet produced every week.
Drafted: NA Actual: 2nd (12th DB overall)

IDP Bargain Team
I could have easily selected only non-drafted players, but I did lean towards non or late drafted players that finished high on the charts.

DE: Ray Edwards (Minnesota) 138 points
The “Allen effect” definitely pushed Edwards into fantasy prominence. Insert another semi-talented player opposite Jared Allen and his name would have appeared here.
Drafted: 39th Actual: 8th

DE: Aaron Schobel (Buffalo) 156 points
Terrific year for Schobel. Barely cracked the double-digits in sacks, but his 22 assists and a good smattering of big plays pushed him up.
Drafted: 17th Actual: 4th

DT: Darnell Dockett (Arizona) 133 points
Shouldn’t have been a shocker, Dockett is one of the best impact linemen in the NFL, stuck in a 3-4 defense.
Drafted: 33rd Actual finish: 9th

LB: James Laurinaitis (St Louis) 251 points
Despite lacking upper-end talent, his opportunities on a poor team kept him in the top ten. Beware if this team improves in the off-season. We likely saw his upside.
Drafted: 27th Actual: 8th

LB: Steven Tulloch (Tennessee) 239 points
Finally a Titan MLB produced a MLB that is fantasy-worthy. One of only seven players to hit 100 solos, the only thing keeping him out of elite status is lack of big plays.
Drafted: 76th Actual: 13th

LB: Dhani Jones (Cincinnati) 213 points
Everyone knew the MLB in Cincy would score well, the big question was whether or not Jones could hold onto the job all year. He did a better NFL than fantasy job this season.
Drafted: 79th Actual: 21st

LB: David Hawthorne (Seattle) 240 points
If only he had started all year, he coulda/would challenged Patrick Willis. Despite the fade at years’ end, he had an incredible run.
Drafted: NA Actual: 11th

S: Tyvon Branch (Oakland) 212 points
I’m surprised he was even drafted. With Michael Huff and rookie Michael Mitchell in the running for the starting gig in preseason, Branch was a long-shot to be a starter. But he started every game on a bad team and racked up points.
Drafted: 69th Actual: 5th

S: Jordan Babineaux (Seattle) 201 points
A big year, although Babineaux proved to be an extremely inconsistent player.
Drafted: NA Actual: 6th

CB: Derek Cox (Jacksonville) 149 points
Grabbed the starting job in week one and never relenquished the role. Should be a good player (NFL and fantasy) for years to come.
Drafted: NA Actual: 43rd (12th CB)

CB: Johnathan Joseph (Cincinnati) 163 points
Always a middle-of-the road player, Joseph moved to a new level this year.
Drafted: 39th Actual: 25th (4th CB)

IDP All-Bust Team
It would have been too easy to select players that hit the IR early on, like Brian Urlacher, Shaun Rogers, Adewale Ogunleye, D’Qwell Jackson, Tatupa, Henderson, etc, but I left them off this list.

DE: Michael Johnson (Cincinnati) 31 points
Was unable to earn a starting gig, even with the Bengals losing Antwan Odom. Worthless prospect.
Drafted: 20th Actual: 173rd

DE: Gaines Adams (Chicago) 39 points
High hopes in Detroit evaporated when he was traded to Chicago as a depth player.
Drafted: 9th Actual: 160th

DT: Hali Ngata (Baltimore) 74 points
Shocked me too, thought he was NFL-ready. Despite starting most of the year, he managed just 1 ½ sacks and 26 solos.
Drafted: 4th Actual: 89th

LB: Shawne Merriman (San Diego) 81 points
3-4 OLB that can’t stay healthy. Go figure.
Drafted: 25th Actual: 114th

LB: Ernie Sims (Detroit) 85 points
Sims fell out of favor, and was clearly behind rookie DeAndre Levy. But he will likely be a bargain next year (assuming Larry Foote does not return).
Drafted: 17th Actual: 111th

LB: Derrick Johnson (Kansas City) 92 points
Talk about in the dog house. A very talented player spent most of the year on the bench.
Drafted: 32nd Actual: 105th

LB: Keith Rivers (Cincinnati) 126 points
Too much was expected. He does not appear to be the impact player we thought.
Drafted: 33rd Actual: 76th

S: Ed Reed (Baltimore) 36 points
Shouldn’t have been a surprise. A great NFL talent, a poor fantasy one.
Drafted: 32nd Actual: 184th

S: Eric Weddle (San Diego) 163 points
27th is not dogmeat by any means, but he was easily the most coveted DB in the game. If he had not missed 2 ½ games, he likely would have finished around 15th.
Drafted: 1st Actual: 27th

CB: Antonio Cromartie (San Diego) 77 points
I bought into this one too. Without big plays, Cromartie is not worth owning.
Drafted: 7th Actual: 136th

CB: Cedric Griffin (Minnesota) 147 points
I bought into Griffin as well, and I will say I am shocked he did not perform better. I have no explanation.
Drafted: 2nd Actual: 46th

IDP All-Rookie Team
Some are repeats from the Dream Team

DE: Roy Miller (Tampa Bay) 77 points
Did not start a single game, and he lead all rookie DLs in points. Just shows how poor this year’s crop of rookie lineman was.
Drafted: NA Actual: 84th

DE: Matt Shaughnessey (Oakland) 77 points
Started just two games filling in for injuries, but did manage 4 sacks.
Drafted: NA Actual: 90th

DT: Terrance Knighton (Jacksonville) 91 points
He was swapped back and forth between DT and NT in the Jax 3-4 hybrid, but he produced well in both systems.
Drafted: NA Actual: 55th (12th DT-NT)

LB: Brian Cushing (Houston) 276 points
Easily #1
Drafted: 47th Actual: 3rd

LB: James Lauriniatis (St Louis) 251 points
No shock here.
Drafted: 27th Actual: 8th

LB: DeAndre Levy (Detroit) 146 points
Seemed like he should be higher, but started just ten games, and was never settled.
Drafted: 77nd Actual: 60th

LB: Clay Matthews (Green Bay) 138 points
Knew he was talented, but just did not think he could create ten sacks as a rookie.
Drafted: 76rd Actual: 65th

S: Louis Delmas (Detroit) 183 points
Was expected to produce from game one, and he did.
Drafted: 16th Actual: 11th

S: Al Afalava (Chicago) 116 points
Late selection as starter, barely registered as a fantasy player however.
Drafted: NA Actual: 86th

CB: Derek Cox (Jacksonville) 149 points
Nice player
Drafted: NA Actual: 43rd (12th CB)

CB: Jerraud Powers (Indianapolis) 137 points
Any CB starter in Indy has a shot at fantasy stardom, and with all the injuries Powers got his shot.
Drafted: 2nd Actual: 46th

Fantasy MVP: Brian Cushing SLB Houston
Runner-up: Jared Allen DE Minnesota
No Patrick Willis? In this case, it’s possible you go both Willis and Cushing on the same team. How sick would that be if you had to face them twice a year? You got what you wanted from Willis, Ruud and Beason, although you paid the price. For Cushing, a late round pick was all it took.

Fantasy Bargain: David Hawthorne MLB Seattle
Runner-up: Brian Dawkins FS Denver
If you were lucky/smart enough to pick him up when Tatupu went down, he likely led you to the promised land. Almost cracked the top-ten, and he was waiver wire fodder.

Fantasy Bust: Ernie Sims WLB Detroit
Runner-up: Gaines Adams DE Detroit/Chicago
So many options for this spot, but since most IDP leagues live and die by LBs, I had to select Sims, who was a selected as a LB2, and probably sunk some ships.

Fantasy IDP ROY: Brian Cushing SLB Houston
Runner-up: James Lauriniatis MLB St Louis
No-brainer on both of these.

Defensive Linemen

Top Five

IDP Scoring (based on 2pts per solo, 1 assist, 4 sack, 4 int)
1) Mario Williams (Houston) 40 points
2) Corey Williams (Cleveland) 37 points
3) Kyle Williams (Buffalo) 35 points
4) Andre Carter (Washington) 34 points
5) Chris Kelsay (Buffalo); Kroy Biremann (Atlanta) 30 points

Combined tackles
1) Kyle Williams (Buffalo ) 15 tackles
2) Tyson Jackson (Kansas City) 15 tackles
3) Six players tied with 14 tackles.

Solo tackles
1) Corey Williams (Cleveland) 13 solos
2) Kroy Biermann (Atlanta) 13 solos
3) Andre Carter (Washington) 12 solos
4) Anthony Adams (Chicago) 11 solos
5) Daniel Muir (Indianapolis) 11 solos

Big plays (sacks, interceptions, TDs, forced or recovered fumbles)
1) Mario Williams (Houston) 5.5
2) Eric Foster (Indianapolis) 4.0
3) Darren Howard (Philadelphia) 4.0
4) Osi Umenyiora (NY Giants) 4.0

Linebackers

Top Five

IDP Scoring (based on 2pts per solo, 1 assist, 4 sack, 4 int)
1) Patrick Willis (San Francisco) 64 points
2) Jonathan Vilma (New Orleans) 63 points
3) Gary Brackett (Indianapolis) 60 points
4) Paul Posluszny (Buffalo) 57 points
5) Clay Matthews (Green Bay) 56 points

Combined tackles
1) Patrick Willis (San Francisco) 31 tackles
2) Gary Brackett (Indianapolis) 31 tackles
3) Jerod Mayo (New England) 28 tackles
4) Steven Tulloch (Tennessee ) 27 tackles
5) Demorrio Williams (Kansas City) 27 tackles

Solo tackles
1) Patrick Willis (San Francisco) 27 solos
2) Steven Tulloch (Tennessee) 26 solos
3) Gary Brackett (Indianapolis) 25 solos
4) Demorrio Williams (Kansas City) 24 solos
5) Jonathan Vilma (New Orleans) 22 solos

Big plays (sacks, interceptions, TDs, forced or recovered fumbles)
1) Clay Matthews (Green Bay) 6.0
2) Tamba Hali (Kansas City) 6.0
3) Ahmad Brooks (San Francisco) 6.0
4) Demarcus Ware (Dallas) 5.0
5) Brian Orakpo (Washington) 5.0

Defensive Backs

Top Five

IDP Scoring (based on 2pts per solo, 1 assist, 4 sack, 4 int)
1) Bernard Pollard (Houston) 67 points
2) Sheldon Brown (Philadelphia) 54 points
3) Chinedum Ndukwe (Cincinnati) 49 points
4) LaRon Landry (Washington) 49 points
5) Nick Harper (Tennessee), Brian Dawkins (Denver), Tyvon Branch (Oakland) 46 points.

Combined tackles
1) Bernard Pollard (Houston) 28 tackles
2) Chinedum Ndukwe (Cincinnati) 27 tackles
3) Tyvon Branch (Oakland) 27 tackles
4) Nick Harper (Tennessee) 23 tackles
5) Marvin White (Detroit) 23 tackles

Solo tackles
1) Bernard Pollard (Houston) 26 solos
2) Nick Harper (Tennessee) 23 solos
3) Melvin Bullitt (Indianapolis) 20 solos
4) Chinedum Ndukwe (Cincinnati), Tyvon Branch (Oakland), Mike Brown (Kansas City) 19 solos

Big plays (sacks, interceptions, TDs, forced or recovered fumbles)
1) Sheldon Brown (Philadelphia) 5.0
2) Dashon Goldston (San Francisco) 4.0
3) Chris Harris (Carolina) 4.0
4) Gerald Alexander (Jacksonville) 4.0
5) Seven players tied with 3.0

Trevor Scott

Scott was one of the more fashionable sleeper picks coming into training camp this summer. He finished his rookie season with 19 solos, five assists and five sacks. They were modest numbers but the statistics came in the last few games of the season and he seemed to pick up momentum heading into the current campaign. The bandwagon practically tipped over when left defensive end Derrick Burgess was traded to New England and the starter on the other side, Kalimba Edwards, was released. However, a funny thing happened on the way to stardom. The Raiders acquired veterans Greg Ellis and Richard Seymour from the Cowboys and the Patriots, respectively, and named them the starters. Scott was reduced to a nickel role and he disappeared from the fantasy radar.

Injuries to the linebacker corps gave Scott another chance last weekend. Injuries to strongside (”SAM”) linebackers Ricky Brown and Jon Alston forced the coaching staff to move weakside (”WILL”) linebacker Thomas Howard to the SAM. In a surprising turn of events, Scott was given the starting nod at the WILL and he performed well against the Cowboys on Turkey Day. Scott registered six solos and two sacks. He’ll reportedly continue to start on the weakside in Week 13. Nothing’s guaranteed but there’s a good chance he’ll continue to start at linebacker the rest of the season – if he performs well this coming Sunday. He’s most likely listed as a defensive end in all leagues, so he could be a huge pickup for owners who can still play him at the defensive line position.

Kevin Payne

Payne was the starter at strong safety for the Bears last season and flourished from a statistical perspective.  He recorded 74 solos and 15 assists along with 4 interceptions, 1 sack and 7 passes defended. Payne was a Top 15 DB in most formats. However, rookie Al Afalava showed more playmaking presence at SS during training camp and veteran Danieal Manning was inserted into the free safety position since the coaching staff wanted his athleticism in center field. Payne was relegated to nickel back duty and sometimes rotated with Afalava at SS.

Observers of the Chicago Bears know that the defensive backfield is always in flux when it comes to the team. There’s more turnover in that part of the team than in any other position.  This past week, head coach Lovie Smith announced that Payne would start at free safety and Manning would return to the nickel role.  The team wanted to shore up its terrible nickel defense by putting Manning on slot receivers that have been destroying the defense weekly.

For Manning owners, it’s a devastating turn of events considering Manning is a Top-5 DB in every format right now and his value takes a monumental hit as a nickel back. Payne is suddenly worth owning but IDP owners should beware: Payne isn’t the athlete or playmaker that Manning is. He won’t put up the same numbers simply because he’s starting at Manning’s old position.

This week we saw the loss of Giants MLB Antonio Pierce, although if you read the early reports that bulging disc sounded bad, and I really didn’t expect to see him again this year. Pierce owners and other owners looking to snag a starter raced to waivers to grab Chase Blackburn. A smart move in deep leagues, although his 4-3 and 6-1 in the last two games has not been up to snuff. Last week may have been understandable seeing that the Giants LBs as a whole collected just 15 total tackles, but in week 11 he was clearly the understudy to WLB Lance Briggs, who racked up 11 solos.

Cleveland NT Shaun Rogers hit the pine for the year as well, and that was really a devastating loss for players in IDP League. Rogers allowed teams to play a 3-4 defense every week, and they could count on solid production, assuming you were in a tackle-based scoring league. Trying to find a replacement at this point in the season for a warm body in the middle is impossible.
The merry-go round in Carolina took another stop last week. After losing WLB Thomas Davis for the year, his replacement (Landon Johnson) hit the IR as well. That led to another round of waiver wire moves to snap up James Anderson. Yuck. Anderson did have a nice debut with a solid 6-4, but I’m not sold he’s the short-term, much less long-term answer there. But with Na’il Diggs seemingly on the doubtful side every week, he may stick. I know Dan Connor has been a bust so far, but he’s literally inches away from displacing Anderson.
On the DB side, there were a few losses, but all were backups, so they really didn’t affect any fantasy rosters.

So heading into Lucky week Thirteen, what to look for?
Cleveland’s Brodney Pool is likely to hit IR before the ink dries on this article, and danged if I can figure out who’s going to replace him. The only “true” safety on the bench in Nick Sorenson, but Mike Adams has been filling in, and he looks to be the one getting the nod. Adams has started three games this season, but all at CB. He did, however hang up a 6-4 two weeks ago.

Dallas’ Ken Hamlin is probably out again, and Alan Ball will likely start again, but if you need either one to fill out your lineup you are in deep, deep do, do.

Jax’ Rashean Mathis will be MIA again this week, Tyrone Brackenridge replaces him, and he actually has a very nice matchup against the Texans. Houston has allowed an average of 8.0 tackles a week to opposing CBs, and has thrown six interceptions in four weeks. Of course, if you are in a shallow league, Derek Cox would be the Jacksonville corner you want to nab.
Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield is healthy, but still not playing. This makes seven weeks since he’s been on the field, and he’s making me think he’s like Anthony Gonzales. Every week he sounds close, but never plays. I wouldn’t play him even if he starts this week. And if you snapped up Benny Sapp thinking he could score, well…no.

How good are the Saints? They were missing their two starting corners (Tracy Porter and Jabrari Greer), and they still manhandled Tom Brady and the Patriots. Wow. Porter and Greer may both be in the lineup this weekend, just adding to the Redskins woes. Over-under on Redskins scoring should be “8”.
But if one of those guys misses again and you need a temp filler, look at Michael Jenkins. 13-2 and an interception in two week. Sweet.

Uber-stud Eric Weddle may be MIA this weekend, and that sobbing you hear are fantasy players around the nation just learning that on their playoff weekend. So do you grab up Paul Oliver, plug him in and cross your fingers and pray. Or grab some other schmuck off waivers and do the same? I’d say grab some other schmuck. FS’s facing the Browns this season have averaged just 4.27 tackles a game, and just 4 and 5 the last two.

Washington CB DeAngelo Hall will likely miss another week of action, just in time for the Saints to roll into town with that QB and receiving crew. Fred “toast” Smoot will be chasing after Saints WRs all day.

Da Bear’s Lance Briggs could be out this week, and that would make this Bears LB corps the worst they have fielded since….ever. Hunter Hillenmeyer in the middle, Nick Roach at SLB and Jamar Williams at WLB? Yikes and yuck! Who are they playing this week? Where’s my bookies number? Oh yeah, no way in hell the Rams Steven Jackson misses this game now.

Will he or won’t he? Keith Rivers is questionable to doubtful again this week, but does it really matter? He was close to ww fodder before going down anyway. Heck, Brandon Johnson is scoring better as his replacement, although that ain’t saying much.

What happened in Cleveland? Kaluka Maiiiaavaadakjdksjdksj had everyone and their dog fist-fighting trying to snap him up on waivers after the Brownies lost both starting ILBs, and he puts up 10-2-.5 in two weeks before unceremoniously being shelved in favor of Jason Trusnik. Hey, I’m a happy camper, since I bet on Trusnik before hand, and thought I screwed the pooch by passing on Kaluka. Apparently, Maiava can rack up points, but mostly downfield after he has been blow back off the line of scrimmage five yards. So the Browns decided Trusnik’s 250-pounds was a better fit that Maiava’s 229 in the middle. Imagine that, and imagine why the Browns stink so badly. Hey, on the good side, my man Trusnik racked up an 8-2 last week, while riding the pine on my bench of course.

Detroit’s Ernie Sims is baaackkk. Ho-hum. All I can say is if the Lions decide to start Sims and sit DeAndre Levy..they are clearly delusional. Oh wait; we are talking about the Lions aren’t we? So they will probably sit Levy until Sims gets hurt in the second quarter. Yeah, the future of the Lions sitting so the Lions can try to tack on another win. Tell my why they just don’t sit Foote, insert Levy and get on with it? Sheesh.

Mike Vrabel of the Chiefs should be back in the lineup this week, so for all you guys that ran out and paid heavily for Andy Studebaker (lol), sorry.

So what will the Iggles do this week? WLB Akeem Jordan should be back. He will start at WLB, no question. Now who’s the MLB? Will “Spoon” slide back over, or will the Eagles let Joey Mays stay? I figure that Witherspoon will now stay at WLB. That poor guy can not catch a break. He has been switched from MLB to WLB so many times..I can’t even work up a good comparison.

Seattle’s David Hawthorne had just 6-0-1 last week. What the hell? Where was my double-digit tackles? Off with his head.

Rams’ MLB James Laurinaitas has 25-0-1 in his last two games. Boom.

Houston SLB Brian Cushing outscored MLB Jonathan Vilma again this past week. Vilma last outscored his SLB teammate sometime back in ’08.

Zona’s Darnell Dockett has six sacks in four weeks.

Saints’ Will Smith now has eight sacks in his last five games. He has just nine sacks on the year, so congrats for all who held onto him through the early parts of the season. I actually picked him in week five in an IDP League myself.

Tennessee’s Kyle Vandenbosch FINALLY picked up a couple of sacks in the last two games, his first two of the year.

That’s all folks! Go Saints!!

Times have changed, my friends. In my oldest tackle-heavy league, more than half of the top 15 defensive backs so far this season are free safeties – Danieal Manning, Darren Sharper, Brian Dawkins, Eric Weddle, Dashon Goldson, Antoine Bethea, Oshiomogho Atogwe, and Antrel Rolle.

Weddle and Atogwe are not surprises on the list since they both finished in the Top-5 among defensive backs last season. Neither one is having as strong a season in 2009 but both are still major contributors at DB.

In other instances, underwhelming play in the other defensive backfield positions have helped the free safety become the primary playmaker behind the front seven. In Chicago, the lack of a playmaking strong safety, as well as injuries and ineffectiveness at the cornerback position (opposite Charles Tillman), on the Bears has given Manning opportunites to contribute. Manning’s considered the team’s best defensive back and one of the Bears’ best athletes so an opportunity was all he really needed to shine. 

In Arizona,  opposing teams often engage in shootouts with the Cardinals which leads to a ton of opportunities for the defensive backs to make plays.  The inconsistency of cornerbacks Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and Bryant McFadden and the disappearance of Adrian Wilson as an IDP stud at strong safety has given Rolle a chance to really make a difference.

In San Francisco and New Orleans, there are excellent strong safeties present in Michael Lewis and Roman Harper, respectively. However, the pass coverage by the 49ers’ corners have been brutally bad and Goldson has had to help out – a lot.  The Saints have had opponents behind in most games and that’s caused the defensive back to be in pass coverage most of the game. The team’s lost its starting cornerbacks, Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer, which has made the wily veteran Sharper even more valuable playing deep.

The loss of Bob Sanders (again) and season-long injuries to Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson have forced the Colts to play journeymen, third-stringers, and rookies at the cornerback positions and the average Melvin Bullitt at strong safety. Bethea, clearly the best defensive back on the team at this point has been forced to be Mr. Everything for the Colts this season and it’s resulted in big numbers.

As for the venerable Brian Dawkins, he’s surprised me since I expected him to be largely irrelevant after moving on from Philadelphia. However, I was wrong and Dawkins has been a huge contributor to the Broncos’ season. Renaldo Hill has been a disappointment at SS and Champ Bailey is no longer the shutdown corner he once was. Dawkins has turned back the clock for one last great season.

The point is that things can change in IDP, and often do, extremely quickly. Pay attention to the trends and the stars that come out of nowhere since the players I just listed are the kind of draft selections and waiver-wire pickups that can win you a title.

Defensive line:

Ma’ake Kemoetau, Carolina DT
Week lost: Preseason
NFL Impact: Big loss for the Panthers defense. A team that has always prided itself on run defense has allowed an average of 130 yards a game.
Fantasy Impact: “Kemo” has never been, and likely would have not been a fantasy impact player, and he was replaced by Hollis Thomas, who is a complete fantasy non-factor.

Adam Carriker, St Louis, DT
Week lost: Preseason
NFL Impact: Loss for an already struggling defense.
Fantasy impact: I was actually somewhat bullish on his prospects, and selected him as a DT in the Slaughterhouse all-IDP league. LaJaun Ramsey has filled in, but he’s not an option for a roster spot in any IDP league.

Rob Meier, Jacksonville DT
Week lost: Preseason
NFL Impact: Meier was expected to be a pass-rusher off the edge in their 3-4 sets, and an interior lineman in the 4-3, so his loss really threw a kink into the Jags flexibility.
Fantasy impact: Meier has always had a little fantasy value, as he throws in a few sacks every year.
John Henderson saw the most upside with the Meier loss, as he was set for a rotational role. But he still was not much of a factor.

Reggie Hayward Jacksonville DE
Week lost: Preseason
NFL Impact: Before the season even started the Jags lost two DL starters, and they really had no other options. This was a big loss in their pass-rushing defense, as through week eleven, the Jags have just 5 ½ sacks among their DL.
Fantasy impact: None. Derrick Harvey got a full-time gig with Hayward and Meier gone, but through week ten he has managed zero sacks.

Jamal Williams, San Diego, NT
Week lost: Week one
NFL Impact: Big. Williams was the Chargers only true NT that could handle a full-time role. Since his loss, they have struggled with Ogemdi Nwagbuo and Ian Scott, and for the most part the Chargers vaunted rush defense has been very iffy.
Fantasy impact: Williams had some value as an IDP player in deeper DT required leagues, but his replacements have none.

Antwan Odom, Cincinnati DE
Week lost: Week Six
NFL Impact: Surprisingly little. Odom was on a tear from a statistical perspective, with eight sacks, but since his loss the Bengals have remained a stout rush defense team and have averaged the same number of sacks.
Fantasy Impact: The loss of Odom hurt some IDP teams bad, as he was probably a WW pick that was making a big-time impact on rosters. His replacement has been Jonathan Fanene, and he’s also been a fantasy surprise, with 3 ½ sacks in 3 starts.

Kris Jenkins, NY Jets, NT
Week lost: Week Eleven
NFL Impact: Too soon to tell, but it will definitely hurt the Jets. Jenkins is a talented, plug-em and forget em type player that jams up the middle.
Fantasy Impact: None. Jenkins had just 11 solos and no sacks this year, so nobody was using him anyway. Sione Pouha will take his place, and he has 19 solos. Still little impact there.

Linebackers:

Stewart Bradley, Philadelphia MLB
Week Lost: Preseason
NFL Impact: It really threw the Eagles into a tizzy, as they went with Omar Gaither, who also ended up on IR later, and tried the Jeremiah Trotter experiment, which ended badly. They ended up spending heavily to bring in Will Witherspoon.
Fantasy Impact: Bradley was expected to be a top-twenty IDP performer, so his loss right before the season opened crashed some teams in deep leagues before the season started. Gaither was not an adequate fantasy replacement, Mays was a bust, and Trotter was worse.

Angelo Crowell, Buffalo SLB
Week Lost: PreSeason
NFL Impact: Unknown, but Crowell had always been a decent fantasy performer when given the opportunity, and in Buffalo he was being drafted.
Fantasy Impact: Unknown, he was drafted in some leagues and was expected to win the starting gig. The rest of the year has been a mix of Chris Draft and Keith Ellison, but neither established themselves well enough to be useable in fantasy leagues.

Brian Urlacher, Chicago MLB
Week Lost: Week two
NFL Impact: Huge of course, Urlacher is the leader of the Bears defense, and they have struggled all year with him out. Their normally powerful defense has allowed over 22 points a week.
Fantasy Impact: Hunter Hillenmeyer has filled in for Urlacher, and he had barely scratched the fantasy surface. He’s behind Lance Briggs and Nick Roach in stats, and collected more than five solos just once.

Kawika Mitchell, Buffalo WLB
Week Lost: Week five
NFL Impact: Mitchell was a guy that had played all three positions in four weeks, so he had real value for the Bills. Ashlee Palmer replaced him, and was pretty much a disaster in run support. The real loss was later in the year when the Bills lost Keith Ellison.
Fantasy Impact: With 16-7 in four weeks of work, he was a starter in larger leagues. Ashlee Palmer came in and put up one useable week in three, then Chris Draft for a couple and finally safety Bryan Scott. Scott looks to be the one that has some real value, especially playing as a safety.

Keith Ellison, Buffalo SLB
Week Lost: Week 10
NFL Impact: Other than Posluszny, Ellison was the only LB you could count on throughout the year He started the year at WLB, then was moved to SLB with the loss of Mitchell. The team really didn’t hurt at SLB with Ellison there, the loss was at WLB.
Fantasy Impact: This one hurt some fantasy players in deep leagues. Ellison had 15-10 through two weeks, and despite moving around was continually a decent scorer. Through ten weeks he was one of just 35 players in tackle-based leagues to collect more than 100 fantasy points. Replacing Ellison will be Chris Draft, a loss on all fronts.

Lofa Tatupu, Seattle MLB
Week Lost: Week Seven
NFL Impact: Less than expected. Tatupu was injured in one form or another in four of his seven weeks, and the team struggled to fill in for those times. Statistically speaking the Seahawks have been a worse run-defense team with Tatupu gone, but it’s hard to argue that David Hawthorne has not been equally as effective as Tatupu had been.
Fantasy Impact: It all depends if you were smart enough to snag David Hawthorne. If you drafted Tatupu as your LB1 and didn’t get Hawthorne….you are hurtin’. But teams that got Hawthorne are thanking their lucky stars. 23-5-2-2 in the last three easily lead all fantasy players in the NFL.

D’Qwell Jackson, Cleveland ILB
Week Lost: Week Seven
NFL Impact: Bad. The hapless Browns were already a disaster against the run, and losing your best run-stopper was not something they could easily recover from. In weeks 7 and 8, the Browns allowed an average of 186 rushing yards per game. Ugh. He was replaced by Kaluka Maiva for one game, then David Bowens slid down inside. Neither player is even in the same stratosphere as a LB.
Fantasy Impact: Another LB1 bit the dust, and there was no replacement in sight. Maybe David Bowens will turn out to be close, but the books’ still out on that one.

Eric Barton, Cleveland ILB
Week Lost: Week Nine
NFL Impact: major, especially considering the D’Qwell Jackson loss. The Browns opted to move OLB David Bowens inside, start Kaluka Maiava at the other ILB spot and start Jason Trusnik at OLB. This may be the worst LB squad in the NFL right now. Kevin Smith in Detroit must be licking his chops this week.
Fantasy Impact: Another bad hit. Like Jackson, there really is no good option on the team to replace him, so you will have to get lucky elsewhere. This week we will see how Kaluka Maiava does with a full game under his belt, but I’m not optimistic.

Pisa Tinoisamoa, Chicago, SLB
Week Lost: Week Seven
NFL Impact: Depends on how you look at it. With Urlacher gone, this loss hurt their depth, but the Bears got one half game out of Pisa as he was fighting injuries all year. Nick Roach filled in this year, albeit he was not a solid player. The last four weeks have been pretty brutal on the Bears “D”, as they have allowed 624 rushing yards. Losing Pisa was not a huge loss, but coupled with the Urlacher news they just couldn’t recover.
Fantasy Impact: Not much. Tinoisamoa was not a heavily drafted player due to his SLB role, and Nick Roach is a waiver player unless you are in a deep, deep league.

Tyjuan Hagler, Indianapolis SLB
Week Lost: Week Seven
NFL Impact: Not a lot, the Colts had Philip Wheeler in the wings, and he’s actually pretty close. This did hurt the Colts depth and pass defense a bit, as Hagler was better in coverage.
Fantasy Impact: Very little. Hagler was not a reasonable fantasy player, with just 18 solos on the season. Wheeler hasn’t done much better, so it’s a wash.

Thomas Davis, Carolina WLB
Week Lost: Week Ten
NFL Impact: It’s bad. A defense that was already struggling against the run fell completely off the charts with Davis missing. In the last two weeks against Atlanta and Miami, the Panthers have allowed 330 rushing yards. And it won’t get any better with Landon Johnson replacing him, who is injured himself.
Fantasy Impact: Maybe the worst of the year. In some scoring systems Davis was the #1 fantasy LB in the NFL. And like other losses, Landon Johnson is not going to be an adequate replacement. Jon Beason could be the one to take advantage.

Antonio Pierce, NY Giants, MLB
Week Lost: None yet
NFL Impact: Pierce is the QB of the defense, and unfortunately the Giants don’t have an adequate replacement. Clint Sintim was expected to push Pierce this year, but he has been a no-show and has been slow to develop. Jonathan Goff and Bryan Kehl both failed in relief, and Chase Blackburn is not a true MLB. So if he does not come back this will be a major blow to the Giants chances this year.
Fantasy Impact: Hard to say how Blackburn will do full time, but he did pretty well replacing Michael Boley earlier this year. I’d say since Pierce himself was a disappointment this year, Blackburn could be a pleasant cheap surprise.

Defensive Backs:

Kenny Phillips, NY Giants SS
Week Lost: Week Three
NFL Impact: At first it didn’t seem to be a huge loss, but as the year drags on it’s pretty apparent the Giants rushing defense has been questionable and inconsistent. Michael Johnson and CC Brown have both spent time at SS replacing Phillips, and neither one is nearly as proficient at run support. Now with Antonio Pierce MIA, it will become more of a loss.
Fantasy Impact: Huge. Phillips was expected to be a top-twenty player, and through two weeks he had 9-4 and 2 interceptions. His replacements have one sack and one interception in relief. I know many fantasy players snagged CC Brown or Johnson, but they have both fell well short of the mark.

Leodis McKelvin, Buffalo CB
Week Lost: Week Four
NFL Impact: It was not as bad as it could have been. With Nate Clements at the other corner, and a very good nickel back in Drayton Florence, the Bills missed McKelvin more in depth and nickel and dime packages than anything else. If Clements misses much time with his own injuries, we will see how badly it hurts.
Fantasy Impact: Little. McKelvin was not considered much of a fantasy player, and through three weeks his 8-2 was not much you would have missed. Florence is not much better, so this was an NFL and not a fantasy loss.

Brian Williams, Atlanta CB
Week Lost: Week Six
NFL Impact: It was a shocker to see the jaguars release Williams right before the Season started, but the Falcons wasted no time in snapping him up. He was expected to make the Falcons a much better overall team. Things were going well and Williams was fitting in well before the injury. At the time of his injury five games into the season, the Falcons had allowed three TD passes. Over the next three games the Falcons were hammered with seven. Brent Grimes is a nice nickel back, but is suspect in full-time coverage.
Fantasy Impact: As soon as Williams was picked up in preseason, many fantasy owners went out and picked him up as well. Through five games Williams put up 15-3 and an interception, not a real fantasy impact player, but his replacement has been worse. Grimes has struggled to stay in the starting grid.

Bob Sanders, Indianapolis SS
Week Lost: Week Nine
NFL Impact: Sanders may have landed on IR in week nine, but in reality he was there all year. He managed just 1 ½ games of work all year, and three solos and two assists were all he could muster. Melvin Bullitt has been the man all year, so nothing really changed, other than the “thought” of Sanders on the field. Overall, the loss of Sanders did hurt, as Bullitt is far from Sanders in run support.
Fantasy Impact: Luckily, most fantasy players avoided Sanders like the plague, unless he happened to fall far. Bullitt had been a very marginal fantasy player this year, and that’s somewhat surprising.

Chris Horton, Washington SS
Week Lost: Week Ten
NFL Impact: This was just another nail in the coffin on a bad overall football team. About the only thing the Skins had going for them was a pretty stout defense, especially against the pass. Reed Doughtry replaces Horton, and although he’s not a step down in pass support, he’s not as strong at the point of attack. It will show in their rush defense.
Fantasy Impact: Horton has been a player, albeit not a strong fantasy one. He started the year pretty strong, but really tailed off in the middle as teams basically had their way with Washington. Doughtry has proven the last two weeks to be a better bet for production, with 13-2, So if you owned Horton and nabbed Doughtry, you may come out ahead.

Marquand Manuel, Detroit SS
Week Lost: Week Eleven
NFL Impact: Another guy with a lot of potential, but was not a great player, on a bad team. Manuel would probably be a depth player on 24+ other NFL teams, but even so, he should be able to score. From a strictly football outlook, it was not a huge drop from him to Ko Simpson. And when you are as bad as the Lions, it’s hard to notice.
Fantasy Impact: Manuel started the year pretty well, with 27-5 through six, but his lack of any big plays kept him off most starting lineups. His replacement on the other hand (Ko Simpson) has put up 19-3 in the last three games. He has a better shot at success.

Roy Williams. Cincinnati SS
Week Lost: Eleven
NFL Impact: Like Bob Sanders, Williams may have officially hit IR in week eleven, but he was a no-show after week five. Chinedum Ndukwe replaced him, and Ndukwe is much better in coverage, although not as punishing a hitter. It’s a wash in NFL terms.
Fantasy Impact: If Williams can stay up close, he can score. This year he had 14-7 through three games, and I was thinking he was going to make me eat my words that he would lose his starting gig by week six. I was right, but not for the reason I thought. I’d prefer Ndukwe myself for a starter, and since he was slotted in for week four, he has managed 28 solos. But no big plays. Both players have been disappointing for the most part.

So what happened this week?

It was another brutal week of injuries, although this week it was more about offense with Ronnie Brown hitting the hay for the season. But us IDP’ers took some major hits too.

The Raven’s Terrell Suggs will miss some time. Not only did he cost you last week with one solo and a defended pass, but now he’s out of commission for a couple of games with an MCL sprain.
Carolina’s Julius Peppers had a broken hand (Thanks for keeping us fans so well informed before the game). He gave you the big ole’ goose-egg for sticking him in the lineup. If you are a Peppers’ owners, can you name ANY other NFL player in fantasy that’s such a crap-shoot from week to week? Peppers is on my perpetual do-not-own list. The only thing consistent about him is his inconsistency.
Aaron Kampan (OLB Green Bay) missed last week and rook Brad Jones filled in and collected seven solos. Kampman had not sniffed seven solos all year. So for you people in big-play IDP leagues that actually count on 3-4 OLBs from week to week, this week could be all Kampman, all Jones, or a mix of both. I’d certainly shy away from either if it were me. And that’s too bad, seeing as the Packers are going to mix it up with the 49ers, who have allowed 19 sacks in 7 weeks.

Interesting development in Saints land. (I’m the blogger for the Saints as well. Yes, the 9-0 freaking Saints. Catch me at www.whodatblog.com Anyway, the Saints have their best corner, Tracy Porter probably missing one game, according to reports. So why did the Saints go out and sign Chris McAlister in such a hurry? Me thinks there may be more to the Porter story the coaching staff may not be telling us.
Marquand Manuel was the latest starter in a fantasy-friendly spot to be given his IR papers for the year. Not much to say in team terms, as the Lions “D” is pretty pathetic anyway. But Ko Simpson takes over for good at SS, and in three weeks he has put up 9-0, 7-1 and 7-1. Pretty sweet numbers.
Phily’s Sheldon Brown was doubtful early in the week, but is now more on the questionable side in the Eagles matchup against Chicago. They sure hope he can play, as their other option is Dimitri Patterson, who collected six solos last week, but is a real soft spot in pass defense. If he can’t go, upgrade the Chicago passing game.
For those of you caught by surprise with the last-second decision of Detroit’s Louis Delmas to sit last week (with a friggin’ tooth-ache??), he looks to be a safe play this time around. That is, unless he gets a last-minute hangnail or something.
Shocker in New England. Shawn Springs was benched last week, and he wasn’t even hurt. He was brought in to be the Pats best corner this year, and right now he ranks about 4th behind journeyman Jonathan Wilhite and rookie Darius Butler. Sad.

Nate Clements should return this week in San Fran, but if you are still holding onto him you might want to bone up on your depth charts a little. He has officially-unofficially been demoted behind Tarrell Brown. No reason to hang onto the aging defender any longer.

Washington’s Albert Haynesworth may miss Sunday’s game against the Boys, and that’s a shame. I really wanted to see the rematch with him and center Andre Gurode. If you recall, Haynesworth stomped on Gurode’s head and caused 30 stitches. But in bigger terms, if Haynesworth misses the game, Marion the Barbarion will run amok.
Jet’s Jim Leonhard is expected to miss this week’s game, and that’s a blow to not only the Jets, but to fantasy players. He will be replaced by Eric Smith.
Jaguars ILB/MLB will likely miss the game this Sunday with a concussion. (Isn’t that about four players suffering from concussions now?) With Adam Seward still likely out, the Jags are thin at LB, and it looks like Brian Iwuh will start at OLB and Clint Ingram could slide inside.
So how did the newbies do last week?
Landon Johnson got his first start at WLB in place of Thomas Davis, and managed a respectable 6-1. This week he faces the Dolphins, and they are allowing opposing WLBs 7.6 tackles a week.
Ali Highsmith got a rare start in place of Gerald Hayes, but only coughed up a 2-1.
Buffalo’s Bryan Scott slid down to WLB, and showed some real spunk with a 7-2.
Brandon Johnson (Cincy) filled in for Keith Rivers. 4-0. Sounds bad, but that’s about what Rivers was doing.
It’s week twelve, and the Cowboys are still waiting for OLB Anthony Spencer to register a sack, or an interception, or a big play….
Phily’s Moise Fokou filled in for Akeem Jordan. (Actually, he came in at SLB, Witherspoon slid out to WLB and SLB Gogong handled the middle. How did it work out? “Spoon” 2-1, Gogong 2-2, Fokou and whopping 7-3. Too early to tell if that was an aberration or not. Jordan may be back this week, so we may never know. One things for sure, Gogong did NOT have a good day in the middle, look for Joe Mays to fill that role, assuming Jordan’s not back this week.
The Chargers Kevin Burnett may not have started Sunday, but he sure finished. 8-1 off the bench kind of seals the deal.
For all who faithfully hung onto the Seahawks Leroy Hill waiting for him to get healthy, I feel for you. In three weeks he has managed 14-1. MLB David Hawthorne had 10-1 last week alone.
Cincinnati DE Jonathan Fanene has played well since returning from injury, In his last three full games, Fanene has 6-7-3.5.
Oakland rookie DE Matt Shaughnessy has made a solid impression with 9-0-2 in his last two games filling in for Greg Ellis. Ellis has managed just one sack since game two.

In case anybody was looking for Seattle’s Ken Lucas, you might want to look in the doghouse. Over his last two games he has come in off the bench and has managed one solo. He’s done, stick a fork in him, it’s now Josh Wilsons’ party, and Wilson has collected 11-1 and an interception the last two.
Got Williams or Mays? D.J. or Corey I mean? They face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been very giving to opposing 3-4 ILBs this year. To the tune of 11 tackles per week, per linebacker.
If you are looking for a deep play, AND you can figure out who the heck is starting at MLB this week in place of Justin Durant, (Brian Iwuh is best bet) you could hit it big. The Bills have allowed an average of 11.0 tackles to MLBs this season. In the same vein, if you are considering a Bill LB against the Jags, it’s pretty sad. MLBs have averaged just 5.8 tackles and WLBs just 4.2. IT’s hard to sit Poslunszy, but I wouldn’t touch Bryan Scott, the converted SS. But on the positive side, the Bills have been extremely generous to SLBs, so Chris Draft is looking at 7.83 tackles. (Give or tackle a decimal)
Youza! Own you some Curtis Lofton of the Falcons? The Giants allow a whopping 12 tackles a game to MLBs, and seeing how Lofton is a cut above the rest…the math says….14. Oh yeah, start your safeties too, Coleman and DeCoud.
I know you can’t sit London Fletcher, but Dallas has been a pathetic place for opposing LBs. They average just 17 total tackles a game.
Speaking of the Cowboys and Linebackers, about the only spot worse for one is against the Packers. They allow an average of just 4.8 to MLBs and 4.6 to WLBs. Yuck. Of course, as I say that, last week the Dallas ILBs racked up tackles buy the dozens. (2 dozen)
I like James Laurinaitis in St Louis. And this week I like him even better. The Cardinals have allowed 12,10,11,11 and 11 tackles to MLBs in the last 5 games.
I always sound like a broken record, but in a tackle-based league, if you have defensive players with a pulse starting against the Patriots, get them in the lineup. Across the board, the Patriots give up a ton of tackle opportunities.
And believe it or not, the Bengals have been a great team to face with your defenders.
Hard up, and planning on using Chicago’s SLB Nick Roach? Think again, the Iggles have allowed more than two total tackles to a SLB only once this season. Officially, SLBs facing Phily average 2.0 tackles per week.
If you own a Titan or Texan LB, this would be a good week to plug them in. Both teams allow opposing LBs over 23 tackles a week.

I liked Crowder’s stat line from last year: 92 solos and 21 assists.  These numbers were perfect for the tackle-heavy league I have him in. Greenway had a good season in 2008 as well. However, they both had red flags that made kept them from being safe bets.

The Dolphins signed Gibril Wilson to play free safety alongside Yeremiah Bell who was going to remain at strong safety. Both Wilson and Bell are tackle machines and would undoubtedly take opportunities from Crowder. Meanwhile, although Greenway had a career season in 2008, part of the surge in his numbers was due the season-ending injury to middle linebacker E.J. Henderson in Week 5. Greenway moved from the SAM to the MIKE and was able to post 86 solos and 29 assists. I was concerned that, with Henderson healthy again, Greenway would move back to the SAM and his tackle numbers would drop.

In the end, I traded away Greenway because I was more certain that Crowder would be the safer choice to keep. Was I wrong? No. Was I catastrophically wrong? Absolutely. Through the first six games, Crowder only had 17 solos and 6 assists. That’s not a typo, unfortunately. I knew that Wilson and Bell could affect Crowder’s statistics but he was on pace for 45 solos and 14 assists. That’s horrible for any 4-3 middle linebacker. He was dropped in most of my IDP leagues – and justifiably so.

The Dolphins had a bye in Week 7 and Crowder missed Weeks 8 and 9 due to a shoulder problem. Reportedly fully healthy, he came back with a vengeance last week against Tampa Bay with 9 assists and a sack. Rumors have been running around that Crowder had been bothered by his shoulder ailment all season and that the three-week rest gave him an opportunity to heal and come back strong. Of course, it’s only a rumor since the Dolphins and Crowder won’t confirm that he’s been hurt the entire time.

This whole development is starting to give me some foolish hope that he can still be a weekly starter going forward. Believe it or not, my optimism actually comes from an unlikely source: Will Witherspoon. What? How does ‘Spoon become a part of the Crowder saga? Last season, Witherspoon had a terrible year finishing with 57 solos and 15 assists in 16 games with the Rams. In fact, he wasn’t even a starter by the last few games of the season. A lot of people predicted that it was the end of the line for him. As it turns out, Witherspoon was suffering from two shoulder injuries that hampered him all season. The Rams and ‘Spoon kept it quiet and the news didn’t come out until the offseason. Fully healthy, he’s looked a lot like the old ‘Spoon in 2009.

Was Week 10 simply an anomaly? Is Crowder finally fully healthy and ready to be a fantasy force in the home stretch now that he can tackle without pain? It remains to be seen.

Hyperbole? Perhaps but consider these numbers in the four starts he’s made this season:

Week 3 (against Chicago): 15 solos, 1 assist, 1 interception, 1 pass defended

Week 8 (against Dallas): 5 solos, 3 assists, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defended

Week 9 (against Detroit): 8 solos, 1 assist, 2 interceptions, 3 passes defended

Week 10 (against Arizona): 10 solos, 1 assist

My dear readers, those are numbers that only the great Patrick Willis can register on a weekly basis. In fact, throughout the past 10 weeks in my oldest tackle-heavy IDP league, Willis has averaged an astronomical 20.133 points per start. Hawthorne, in comparison, has averaged 26.225 points per start. He’s that good.

Who is Hawthorne? He’s a training camp legend who’s been rumored to show incredible skills in the Seattle Seahawks’ training camp and has flashed his enormous potential in preseason. However, Hawthorne’s natural position is middle linebacker and the Seahawks already had their defensive leader at that position in Lofa Tatupu. In addition, the Seahawks had a very talented player at the weakside linebacker position in Leroy Hill who received the franchise tag during the offseason. Finally, the team couldn’t pass up the opportunity to draft the best linebacker coming out of college in Aaron Curry to replace the aging Julian Peterson on the strongside. There was simply no place to put Hawthorne.

The former Horned Frog kept impressing the coaching staff in training camp and in practice during the season. As I’ve always written, IDP stardom is as much about opportunity as it is about talent. Tatupu’s history of injury was bound to catch up to him sooner than later . . . and it did. Hawthorne eventually received his chance. In Week 3, against my beloved hometown Bears, Hawthorne had one of the best games I’ve ever seen an IDP play. Tatupu came back from his hamstring injury early to start again in Week 4. Personally, I think Tatupu watched Hawthorne’s impersonation of Patrick Willis and came back earlier than he should’ve in case Hawthorne started putting up numbers like that on a weekly basis.

Tatupu didn’t last, of course. A torn pectoral muscle in Week 6 sidelined Tatupu for good. Hawthorne came back to the starting lineup and he’s been IDP’s best fantasy force since Week 8. He’s been so good that the Seattle front office has stated that the team is considering going to a 3-4 alignment next season to put Hawthorne and Tatupu on the field together and make certain that Hawthorne is assured of playing time. That’s the first time in all of my years of following IDP that I’ve read of a team changing its entire defensive philosophy to accomodate one player. It tells me all I need to know about whether the team considers Hawthorne a legitimate football talent.

I’m a believer. If you’re in a redraft league, trade for him at whatever cost since he can put you over the top. Think of it this way: What would you pay to get Willis on your roster right now in a redraft league? If you’re in a keeper/dynasty format, Hawthorne can still help win the big one for you this season but he could be a gem for years to come. He’s only 24 and he’s going to be “The Man” long-term somewhere if not in Seattle.