By Shawn McKeown
October 15, 2009 7:35pm CDT

If you're still playing in leagues that use a team defense and special teams unit (DST), you're a sissy. There, we said it. You haven't stepped up to the challenge of using individual defensive players (IDP), and therefore, you're missing out on the other half of what fantasy football has to offer. That's like dating a hot chick, but only looking at her from one side. You could be missing out . . . big-time. There is more to fantasy football than just offensive players. Kickers? Hmmf. We'd rather have a hard hitting linebacker or ball hawking defensive back than root for a particular jersey in hopes that they make a play. If you're reading this article, you likely know what we mean. In that case, congratulations for being hard core, and a true fantasy football enthusiast. With that being said, we continue to bring you the latest and greatest IDP news and notes in this week's edition of the IDP Report.


Linebackers - Steve Sheiner

1. A Slaughter of Buffalo
There's 'injury bug' and then there's a 'plague of locusts'. The Buffalo Bills are clearly being infected by some seriously negative mojo. As if it wasn't bad enough that they lost MLB Paul Posluszny to a broken arm, now both Kawika Mitchell and Marcus Buggs are done for the year with knee injuries. It's only been four weeks and yet, despite an initial timetable of six weeks, Pos took reps with the first-team defense Wednesday. It appears likely he'll be on the field against the Jets this week. Rushing him back, however, seems like a risky and desperate move. And speaking of desperate: they signed LB Chris Draft this week. He's a decent depth player, but he couldn't stop anyone last year for the Rams, and it's unlikely he'll be a difference maker in Buffalo. The Bills also brought in free agent LB Matt Wilhelm for a workout on Tuesday. There was no signing at the time of this writing, but it's just further evidence that Buffalo is looking at anyone with a pulse. The biggest question: Why isn't Derrick Brooks already there? Who cares that he's not a MLB? You're telling me he wouldn't be an upgrade over any of these other stiffs? Stick him in there until Pos is 100 percent healthy then slide him over to the weakside. Do I have to think of everything?!

2. Doubtful, Probable . . . Same Thing
Despite being listed as "doubtful" with a hamstring injury, Browns ILB D'Qwell Jackson started Sunday's Week 5 contest at Buffalo and led the team in tackles. He racked up 12 total tackles, including nine solo, against the Bills. That's pretty impressive healing for someone with a doubtful tag. I guess he wasn't as hurt as some would have us believe. Browns HC Eric Mangini has been, shall we say, less than truthful with injury reports, but this one could come back and bite him in the butt. As for DQ, he continues to reward his owners that believed last year wasn't a fluke. He's currently a top-five linebacker and has averaged 13 tackles per game over the last three weeks. Make sure you have him in your lineup Sunday against the Steelers.

3. Sims Getting Shafted?
Lions WLB Ernie Sims aggravated his shoulder injury in a Week 2 loss to the Bears. He was forced to sit out, opening the door for rookie DeAndre Levy to make his NFL debut. Lions DC Gunther Cunningham was so impressed with Levy that he decided to keep him in Week 5's starting lineup, despite the return of Sims. Cunningham doesn't want him to come off the field at any time. With MLB Larry Foote playing well, it stood to reason that either Sims or Julian Peterson would be the odd man out. If you had asked me, I would have most certainly said Peterson would be riding the pine, but it in a shocking turn of events, it was Sims that was demoted. However, Lions HC Jim Schwartz insisted that Sims is one of his starting linebackers when "100 percent healthy." That statement, of course, begs the question: Who decides when Sims is 100 percent healthy? If you ask Sims, he was good to go two weeks ago. Either there's something going on here that we don't know about, or Levy is just that good. But why Sims? Why not Peterson? Not enough plays to be made on the strong side? This one bears further monitoring, but Sims owners must getting downright antsy by now.

4. There's a Buffet at Morrison's
Oakland Raiders MLB Kirk Morrison has been rather quiet this season. Apart from his 13 solo outburst in Week 2 against the Chiefs, he's been averaging less than 5 solos and 1 assist in the three others. But in Week 5 against the Giants, Morrison rewarded his owners nicely for their patience. The GMen continue to provide stellar tackle opportunities for their opponents, and Captain Kirk capitalized with 13 solos, 3 assists, and a forced fumble. Through five weeks, Morrison is now the No. 5 ranked linebacker in balanced scoring IDP leagues. And as bad as the Raiders are offensively, you can expect him to continue to post solid to stellar numbers week in and week out as Oakland's defense struggles to get off, and stay off, the field.

5. There are No Words
Demorrio Williams is now starting over Derrick Johnson at inside linebacker for the Chiefs. Why, you ask? An excellent question. The answer: no idea. For some reason, Derrick Johnson has in the doghouse since the pre-season, even being demoted to the third team prior to Week 1. Johnson was someone we had high hopes for heading into this season, but we're baffled as to the cause of the demotion as well as the boot that's still pressed firmly on his neck, holding him down. New HC Todd Haley did something similar with WR Dwayne Bowe, but he eventually realized Bowe was his best offensive playmaker. When will he realize the same is true for DJ on the defense? When he actually sees the field, it's obvious to just about everyone that he's the one always around the ball making plays. Demorrio Williams, on the other hand, has struggled just to see the field since getting handed a big, fat $16 million deal prior to the '08 season. No one is convinced he's an upgrade over Johnson, so what gives? We're still holding out hope the situation rights itself, but after five weeks of the same nonsense, we're beginning to lose faith.

6. 40 is the new 20
The New England Patriots have re-signed LB Junior Seau. Sure, he knows the scheme, but the dude is 40 years old! Who does he think he is? Brett Favre?! It's not clear what kind of shape he's in, and he was even quoted recently as saying he only has six games left in him. My math may be a little fuzzy, but if you take 16 (excluding playoff games, of course) and subtract 5, you're left with 11. Uh oh. I wonder if he has a little expiration label somewhere on his jersey. This will mark Seau's 20th season in the NFL and before you get too excited and race off to the waivers, know this: Jerod Mayo back from his knee injury and looks healthy. Seau will likely only be used for depth as no more than a third or fourth inside linebacker. He had a decent 2007 season, but really hasn't had a significant fantasy impact since 2003, when he racked up 96 total tackles and had 3 sacks.

7. Grin and Bear it
Let's recap, shall we? MLB Brian Urlacher was placed on injured reserve last month thanks to a dislocated wrist that required surgery to repair. Rather than sliding WLB Lance Briggs to the middle, the Bears opted to go with Hunter Hillenmeyer as his replacement in the middle. Hillenmeyer then proceeded to suffer a rib injury in Week 3's tilt against the Seahawks. Nick Roach then stepped in to the MLB role while Briggs and Jamar Williams manned the outside linebacker spots. Coming off a Week 5 bye, Hillenmeyer is still not practicing and his status for the Falcons game is up in the air. And to muddy the waters even further, there is now speculation that even if Hillenmeyer can go Sunday, he may not unseat Nick Roach as the starting MLB. Roach has been terrific since Hillenmeyer went down, racking up 14 total tackles and a sack in his last two games. Hillenmeyer now likely returns to the bench with Pisa Tinoisamoa also expected to step back into the starting lineup this week. So to sum up for what it will probably look like for this week at least: MLB Nick Roach, WLB Lance Briggs, SLB Pisa Tinoisamoa.

8. Patience is a Virtue
Raise your hand if you were freaking out after James Harrison started the season with no sacks in his first two games? Don't be shy, you know you were. How's he looking now? Big play leaguers should be doing cartwheels after his three-sack performance in Week 5. In fact, Harrison now has at least one sack in his last three games and his season total is up to six. He also has 29 total tackles as well as four forced fumbles. This is why you do not panic after just two or three weeks. Similarly, Dallas Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware finally got off the schnide this week, tallying two sacks against the Chiefs on Sunday. Kudos to fellow Fanball staffer Rick Hawes for predicting this one in advance. If you don't believe me, we recorded it: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/departmentofdefense/2009/10/10/Department-of-Defense--IDP-Fantasy-Football

9. Goodbye Value
We warned you. Last week's signing of Jeremiah Trotter virtually assured all value at MLB would be sucked into a vacuum. Trotter started on Sunday against the Bucs, playing mostly on running downs. He played about 20 snaps, making just two tackles. It was his first game since December of 2007. Trotter is 32 and is expected to be the a run-stopping specialist while Omar Gaither will come in on passing downs. And true to form of what can be expected moving forward: Trotter - 2 solos, 1 assist; Gaither - 4 solos, 1 assist. Neither can be started with this rotation going on.

10. Bye Week Warning
The following teams have a bye week this week, so make your lineup adjustments accordingly if you own any of these players: Cowboys, Colts, Dolphins, 49ers
Cowboys - DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, Keith Brooking, Anthony Spencer Colts - Gary Brackett, Freddie Keiaho, Clint Session, Tyjuan Hagler, Philip Wheeler Dolphins - Channing Crowder, Akin Ayodele, Joey Porter, Jason Taylor 49ers - Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Manny Lawson, Parys Haralson


Defensive Backs - Shawn McKeown

1. Harper Nicked Up
Tennessee Titans cornerback Nick Harper will miss the next four to six weeks with a broken right forearm. Harper has been a top-ten fantasy defensive back through the first five weeks of the season, and will be very tough to replace. Rookie Jason McCourty, who started last week in place of Cortland Finnegan, has been seeing a lot of playing so far this year. With Finnegan slated to return this week, expect McCourty to slide over and replace Harper. In the Titans scheme, McCourty could be a quality DB2 until Harper returns.

2. Lewis Gets his Bell Rung.... Again.
After suffering his third concussion in the span of 3 months, there is a chance that 49er's strong safety Michael Lewis may be placed on injured reserve. Even if Lewis avoids injured reserve, he may be limited for the rest of the season, and is a very risky play on any given week. Concussions need time to heal, and seem to be a reoccurring injury once the first one happens. Lewis was a top-25 DB in the fantasy world through the first five weeks of the season, so his loss is significant. The Niners have a bye this week, so we won't hear much until we get closer to the Week 7 games, but if you own him, keep a close eye on the news. If Lewis misses any time, look for Mark Roman to take over the job, but his upside is very limited.

3. Chargers Have No Hart
On Wednesday, the San Diego Chargers cut starting strong safety Clinton Hart. The underperforming Chargers defense was due for some changes, but this move was totally unexpected. Hart was already losing snaps to veteran Steve Gregory throughout the beginning of the season, but rookie Kevin Ellison may also be in the mix for playing time. Hart only recorded 16 total tackles through 4 games this year, so don't expect either Gregory or Ellison to become every week fantasy starters unless one of them can keep the job full time and not be rotated off the field in substitution packages.

4. (Defensive) Back in Action.
Bills' safety Donte Whitner and Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu are looking likely to return to action in Week 6 after recovering from injuries. Whitner has missed the last two weeks after getting surgery on his injured thumb. With the loss of linebacker Kawika Mitchell and free safety Bryan Scott, Whitner will have little competition for tackles, even when middle linebacker Paul Posluszny returns to action. Polamalu has been out of action since suffering a knee injury in Week 1, and should be a weekly IDP start once he's back on the field.

5. Detroit in Disarray
At the beginning of the NFL season, there are always some lineup questions that cannot be answered, and you need to take the "wait and see" approach to determine which players will have fantasy value. Outside of rookie free safety Louis Delmas, the other three starting spots in the Lions' secondary were up for grabs heading into Week 1 and those fantasy owners looking to find some IDP value in Detroit were going to have to pick a name out of the hat and take risk. Well, after five regular season games, the situation is just as clear as it was prior to Week 1. Delmas is the only starter who has stayed entrenched in his role. Marquand Manuel started as the strong safety, but was then benched in favor of Ko Simpson. This past week, Manuel was back in the starting lineup and finished with eight solo tackles. At cornerback, Anthony Henry and Eric King were the opening week starters. Since then, journeyman William James has replaced King, and now there is word that Phillip Buchanon will replace Henry in the starting lineup. At this point, it's still a guessing game, but I'd expect James to continue to start at cornerback, and Manuel to re-establish himself as the every-week starter at strong safety.

6. Welcome Back Chris Harris.
Shhhhhh.... please, don't tell Chris Harris that it's 2009, because he returned to the field last week and had a flashback to his dominating 2007 season. Harris returned to the Panther's starting lineup after missing the first four games of the season with a knee injury. Harris is a huge weapon in the Carolina rush defense, and despite having a slow year in 2008, he could easily find himself in the DB2 tier of players on a weekly basis for the rest of the season. If Harris is still on your waiver wire, he's a great gamble as a DB3 for the rest of the year, and has plenty of upside.

7. The Black Hole of IDP
Throughout the pre-season and the first five weeks of the regular season, I've been pimping any and all IDP players on the Oakland Raiders. Let's face it... They are on the field for a ton of snaps, due to the absolute horrible talent that exists on the offensive side of their team. Well, this week I want to take a quick look at the other side of this story. If you own any defensive backs that are facing the Raiders, you might want to look elsewhere for that week. Oakland's offense is averaging just under 53 offensive snaps per game, 10 snaps less than the average across the NFL. JaMarcus Russell has a 47% completion rating on only 121 passing attempts through five games. The conventional wisdom is to play your defensive backs against bad quarterbacks, as those QBs will likely give up a good amount of points. And for the most part, that is true, but when the quarterback rarely throws the ball, there are no plays to be made in the secondary. In Week 1, San Diego's Eric Weddle recorded 5 solo tackles (his low mark for the season so far), and he has been the only defensive back to hit that five solo mark. Players such as Brian Dawkins and Bernard Pollard were both held under that mark in their respective games against Oakland. Defensive backs are possibly the fantasy position that is most affected by weekly matchup, so you need to have a good understanding of their opponents. Every week, Mark Hooper analyzes every IDP matchup in his "IDP Statistical Analysis" article. If you're not looking at the matchup, then you're not playing hardcore IDP!

8. The Return of Atari
Green Bay strong safety Atari Bigby practiced in full on Wednesday, and is slated to make his return to the starting lineup this week. Bigby went down in the Week 1 matchup against the Eagles with a right knee sprain, and has been out ever since, so he may be sitting at the bottom of your waiver wire. The Packers have not had any success in finding a replacement for him, so barring any setbacks to his health; he should be a serviceable DB2 for the remainder of the year.

9. Bye Week Warnings
The following teams have a bye week this week, so make your lineup adjustments accordingly if you own any of these players:

Dallas - Ken Hamlin, Pat Watkins, Terance Newman, Mike Jenkins Indianapolis - Antoine Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Jerraud Powers, Marlin Jackson Miami - Yeremiah Bell, Gibril Wilson, Will Allen, Shawn Smith
San Francisco - Michael Lewis, Dashon Goldson, Nate Clements, Shawntae Spencer

10. Digging Deep
Every week I will be looking to the waiver wire, trying to pinpoint a player who will be a hot pickup due to situation, scheme, or talent. This week I'm targeting Josh Wilson, cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson returned to the field last week after recovering from an injury, and finished the game with four solo tackles and a sack. This week, Wilson gets to face the Arizona combination of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. While Wilson has not been returning punts or kickoffs like he has in the past, he could post solid numbers as a bye-week fill in player.


Defensive Linemen - Shawn McKeown and Steve Sheiner

1. Mr. Smith Goes to the IR
The Pittsburgh Steelers placed veteran defensive end Aaron Smith on injured reserve this week, after he suffered a partial tear of his rotator cuff last week. Smith was not having a huge fantasy impact so far this year, but he's a solid contributor on that defense. Travis Kirshke will fill in as the starter for the rest of the year, and could be a good pickup in deeper IDP leagues, but he may also be in a rotation with rookie Ziggy Hood. Don't rush out to your waiver wire for either of these guys until we see how the playing time is distributed.

2. Gaines Who?
Ok, time for another version of the IDP quiz. Raise your hand if you, like me, thought that this was going to be the huge breakout year for Gaines Adams. Look at it this way, if our "preseason darlings" lived up to the hype every year, we'd never need to hit the waiver wire for our fantasy teams. But, and I'm always cautious with this word, it's about time to start throwing the "bust" word around when Adams' name is mentioned. With Jim Bates as the defensive coordinator in Tampa, he's in the perfect scheme to match his skill set, but he just can't get it done. Now on to part two of the quiz. Is there anyone on the Tampa defensive line that is worthy of a roster spot? Absolutely, and his name is Jimmy Wilkerson. Wilkerson is currently in the top five of all linemen in balanced tackle scoring leagues, and is turning into the waiver wire wonder of 2009. His tackle numbers are consistent, and he has big play ability, as witnessed by his three sack game last week against the Eagles. He won't put up those numbers every week, but if you're still holding out hope for a guy like Gaines Adams, it's time to cut bait and roll with the hot hand.

3. Ellis Showing His Age?
I've been very high on Greg Ellis ever since he went to the Raiders this offseason and was switched from his linebacker position back to his more natural defensive end position. Ellis is currently in the top 15 of all defensive lineman, which is even above my own expectations, despite my pre-season man-crush on the guy. The only worry about his production is his health, as Ellis is now 34 years old and seeing a ton of playing time on the Oakland defense. News broke this week that he is suffering from an arthritic knee condition, but for now, it should only limit him in practice, keeping him fresh for the games. As is always with older players who are on the field this much playing in the trenches, keep an eye on the injury reports each week, but if he's starting, he needs to be in your lineup.

4. Groves Running From the Law?
After a lengthy holdout in his rookie season of 2008, many fantasy owners had high hopes for Jaguars' defensive end Quentin Groves in 2009. Five weeks into the regular season, Groves is about as far removed from fantasy relevance as a player can be. (Unless your name starts with "P" and ends with "acman Jones") Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio has demoted Groves to third string, sitting behind two undrafted rookies. To make matters worse, apparently Groves was involved in a hit and run accident on his way to the airport last week, although he was later caught by the police, who decided it was better to site him for an improper lane change, and then drove him to the airport once he played the "do you know who I am?" card. Well, just in case the Police decide they would like to question Mr. Groves any further, I'll make it easy for them to find him: He's sitting at the bottom of my waiver wire, they can have him.

5. Thank You Jon Beason!
I know, I know... Jon Beason is a linebacker, so what's he doing in the defensive linemen article? Easy. Last week, Beason went public with the fact that he had a "talk" with fellow Panther Julius Peppers, basically calling him out for his poor play in the first part of the season. Let's put some perspective on this... The second-year player (Beason) called out the eight-year veteran who has been to four pro bowls, is the team's all-time sack leader, and the designated "franchise" player. Now that's leadership. And the best part? It apparently worked, as Peppers produced four solo tackles and two sacks against Washington this past week. Hopefully Beason will continue to inspire Peppers on a weekly basis. (And when I say "inspire", I mean stick a foot in his rear end any time Peppers starts to slack off and count his millions of dollars)

6. Kerney Sits Out; Nick Reed Stands Out!
Your first word might be "who?", and that's understandable. Nick Reed, Seattle's backup defensive end doesn't get much face time, or playing time for that matter, on Sundays. But the groin injury suffered by Patrick Kerney opened the door for Reed and he responded with 3 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a touchdown. But the party might be over. Kerney returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. The injury forced him to miss week 5, but his return to practice, even on a limited basis, could bode well for this week.

7. Glen Dorsey on the Trade Block?
The Chiefs are reportedly down on DL Glenn Dorsey and, according to NFL.com's Jason La Canfora, there are rumors circulating that Kansas City may be willing to trade him. Dorsey, the No. 5 overall pick in 2008, has lost favor with the new coaching staff and immediately landed in coach Todd Haley's doghouse when he showed up to camp out of shape and flunked a conditioning test. It would be a surprise if the team gave up on him just 21 games into his NFL career. His contract, including $22.5 million guaranteed, would also be a sticking point in any potential deal.

8. Justin Tuck Returns
Giants DE Justin Tuck racked up six solo tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble in Week 5. Clearly he's over the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 3. Tuck has now tallied 4 Ð…, 17 total tackles (15 solo), and two forced fumbles this season. As the Giants defensive line gets healthy, Tuck and company will continue to wreak havoc and reward their owners on a weekly basis. Make sure you have Tuck in your lineup this week against the Saints.

9. Bye Week Warnings
The following teams have a bye week this week, so make your lineup adjustments accordingly if you own any of these players:

Cowboys - Marcus Spears, Jay Ratliff, Igor Olshansky, Jason Hatcher
Colts - Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Raheem Brock, Keyunta Dawson
Dolphins - Kendall Langford, Jason Ferguson, Randy Starks, Philip Merling
49ers - Ray McDonald, Justin Smith, Kentwan Balmer, Demetric Evans, Aubrayo Franklin

10. Digging Deep
The Buffalo Bills are widely regarded as having the one of the, if not THE, worst offensive lines in the NFL. And to that end, they've given up 18 sacks through five games, 2nd most in the NFL. The Jets have just four sacks all season, the lowest in the league. But this week they should tally several against Trent Edwards. Calvin Pace returned from suspension last week against the Dolphins, recording five tackles but was unable to get to Chad Henne. This week, he'll register at least one. If he's not available, look for Marques Douglas; a potential deep sleeper this week against the Bills.