2011 IDP Game Notes: Week 8

Written By: Johnny Davis

Hello and welcome everyone to the 7th weekly installment of "IDP Game Notes" brought to you by IDP Guru staff writer, Johnny Davis. This column is quickly turning into one of the most comprehensive, all-encompassing IDP articles anywhere. And it's free!

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Colts @ Titans

- Tennessee CB Jason McCourty (6 solo tackles-2 assists, 1 pass defensed, recovered blocked punt in end zone) racks up the tackles and even scored a TD in this game. With starting SS Chris Hope still sidelined with an arm injury, his replacement Jordan Babineaux (3-4, PD) had his worst game as a starter. MLB Barrett Ruud (3-1, int, 2 PD) had a down game tackle-wise after three straight games with seven or more solo tackles. FS Michael Griffin (4-1, int, 2 PD) has shown a little more value the last couple of games.

- Indy MLB Pat Angerer (5-5) has cooled a bit since his hot start to the season, but he’s still in on a lot of plays. SS David Caldwell (7-2) had his best game of the season. FS Antoine Bethea (4-2, PD) has been a pretty consistent scorer. DE Dwight Freeney (0-2) and DE Robert Mathis (1-1) have fallen off the fantasy map.

Dolphins @ Giants

- New York DE Justin Tuck (1-0, .5 sack) finally returned to action, but his snaps were very limited. DE Jason Pierre-Paul (3-2, 1 sack) still put up the numbers, despite Tuck’s return. DE Osi Umenyiora (1-1, 1 sack) has gotten to the QB in all four games he’s played in. SLB Mathias Kiwanuka (5-2, 1.5 sacks) has had two straight outstanding games. FS Antrel Rolle (3-1) failed to notch at least six solo tackles for the first time this season. SS Kenny Phillips (3-0) had his worst game of the season. WLB Michael Boley (6-0) has been a pretty consistent tackler. CB Corey Webster (3-1, int, 3 PD) has earned a little fantasy attention.

- Miami ILB Karlos Dansby (6-1) has produced at least six solos in three straight games. ILB Kevin Burnett (7-3, PD) has been tackling better lately, too. SS Yeremiah Bell (5-2) is a consistent fantasy scorer. OLB Cameron Wake (2-0) failed to get to the QB. Tyrone Culver (4-2) started at FS with Reshad Jones nursing a knee injury.

Vikings @ Panthers

- If you have Minnesota DE Jared Allen (5-0, forced fumble, fumble recovery, 1 sack, PD) on your fantasy team, you should say an extra prayer of thanks to the fantasy gods tonight. FS Husain Abdullah (6-1, 1 sack, 2 PD) is quietly having a good season. SLB Chad Greenway (7-6, fumble recovery) has been outstanding in his last four games. CB Antoine Winfield missed his fourth straight game with a neck injury.

- Carolina’s Omar Gaither (7-0, 1 sack) returned from a knee injury and made the most of his start at WLB. DE Charles Johnson (3-2, 1 sack) is having a great season. SS Charles Godfrey (8-2) has been an inconsistent fantasy scorer this season. SLB James Anderson (4-3) had a down game by his standards. MLB Dan Connor (2-0) fell even flatter. DE Greg Hardy (1-0, 2 PD) hasn’t done much in his last few games.

Saints @ Rams

- St. Louis MLB James Laurinaitis (10-0, 1 sack, 2 PD) had a monster game. Was this the breakout for DE Chris Long (3-0, 3 sacks, PD) we’ve been patiently waiting for, or was it just a fluke? SS Darian Stewart (6-1, 2 PD, 27-yd int return TD) deserves a spot on your fantasy radar. Rookie DE Robert Quinn (2-0, 1 sack) made a little noise. FS Quintin Mikell (5-0) is having a decent season. CB Justin King missed the game with a groin injury.

- New Orleans DE Will Smith (5-0, 2 sacks) had his best game of the season. MLB Jonathan Vilma (3-0, FF, fumble recovery in end zone) may have scored a TD in this game, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s having a mediocre fantasy season. FS Malcolm Jenkins (6-0, FF, 1 sack, PD) will have a good game for you here and there. SS Roman Harper (5-0, 1 sack) has cooled a bit since a hot start to the season.

Cardinals @ Ravens

- Sometimes it just seems unfair that Baltimore DE/OLB Terrell Suggs (9-4, 1 sack) is as awesome as he is. CB Lardarius Webb (2-0, PD) has disappeared the last two games. FS Ed Reed (4-0) just isn’t getting it done fantasy-wise this season. ILB Ray Lewis (3-2, PD) left briefly with a shoulder injury. DT Haloti Ngata (4-0) broke his three-game sack streak but still had a decent game. OLB Jarret Johnson (6-0, FF, 1 sack) scores well every now and then. Tom Zbikowski (2-0) was active, but Bernard Pollard (4-1, 1 sack) remained the man at SS.

- Arizona FS Rashad Johnson (7-1) made the most of his start in place of the injured Kerry Rhodes. CB Richard Marshall (6-0, int, 3 PD) has had two straight outstanding games. ILB Daryl Washington (6-0, PD) is good but not great. DE Calais Campbell (4-2, .5 sack) got back on track. Rookie CB Patrick Peterson (0-0, 2 PD, 82-yd punt return TD) didn’t do much on D, but he took a punt to the house. OLB Joey Porter missed the game with a knee injury.

Jaguars @ Texans

- Houston ILB DeMeco Ryans (3-1) has fallen off the fantasy map. Rookie DE J.J. Watt (5-0) has made a little comeback after a lull in his fantasy production. OLB Brooks Reed (3-1, 1 sack) got to the QB again. ILB Brian Cushing (3-4, int, PD) just doesn’t post consistent tackle numbers.

- Jacksonville SS Dawan Landry (9-2, FF) had a huge day. After a three-game hot streak, MLB Paul Posluszny (5-2) has appeared human in the last two games. SLB Daryl Smith (6-1) continues to post good tackle numbers. DE Jeremy Mincey (2-1) lost a little steam.

Redskins @ Bills

- Nine out of 10 fans probably couldn’t pick Buffalo SS George Wilson (8-1, int, PD) out of a lineup, but he has established himself as one of the best DBs in the game. FS Jairus Byrd (3-1, int, sack, PD) had his second-straight disappointing tackle number, but picked up the slack in other areas. Third safety Bryan Scott (3-1) appears to have fallen off into oblivion. ILB Nick Barnett (5-5, .5 sack) is having a good season. With NT Kyle Williams out with a foot injury, rookie Marcell Dareus (2-2, 2.5 sacks) shined in his absence. You could do worse than DE Dwan Edwards (1-3, 1.5 sacks).

- Washington ILB London Fletcher (12-8, int, .5 sack, PD) has been on fire the last few games; it appears we buried him too early. OLB Ryan Kerrigan (5-0) has not been producing the big plays he was the first few games of the season. You’d have to say SS LaRon Landry (2-5) has been a disappointment so far this season. OLB Brian Orakpo (4-1, fumble recovery) is coming close to posting consistent fantasy numbers. FS O.J. Atogwe (2-1) returned from injury.

Lions @ Broncos

- After a four-game hot streak, Detroit WLB Deandre Levy (3-1) cooled off in this game. DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (1-0, 1 sack) has seen his tackle numbers nearly disappear. MLB Stephen Tulloch (6-2, 1 sack) had his best game in a while. DT Ndamukong Suh (1-0) cannot be trusted as a fantasy producer. SS Amari Spievey (6-0) has been posting decent tackle numbers lately. Big plays helped two Detroit IDPs: CB Chris Houston (4-2, 2 PD, 100-yd int return TD) and DE Cliff Avril (3-0, 2 FF, 2 sacks, 24-yd fumble return TD). Rookie DT Nick Fairley was back on the inactive list.

- This was an all-around forgettable day for Denver. Even the LBs couldn’t get much going: Wesley Woodyard (5-3), D.J. Williams (2-2), and Von Miller (3-0). 

Patriots @ Steelers

- Pittsburgh’s D was without two of its key players: OLB James Harrison (orbital) and ILB James Farrior (calf) were inactive with injuries. Then OLB LaMarr Woodley (2-0, 2 sacks) left with a hamstring injury but not before taking down Tom Brady twice. OLB Lawrence Timmons (1-3) continues to be worthless. SS Troy Polamalu (5-0) can be more of a stat monster than this. FS Ryan Clark (5-3) continues to post good tackle numbers.

- New England WLB Jerod Mayo (1-1) returned, but he played a limited number of snaps. Meanwhile, MLB Brandon Spikes (10-2, PD) had by far his best game of the season. SS Pat Chung (10-3, PD) had a huge day, as well. DE Andre Carter (3-2, FF, 2 sacks) has been producing some fantastic numbers lately. DT Vince Wilfork (6-1, 1 sack) had an out-of-the-ordinary tackling day.

Bengals @ Seahawks

- Cincy FS Reggie Nelson (5-0, 2 PD, 75-yd int return TD) benefitted from a garbage TD. A couple of D-linemen did pretty well: DE Carlos Dunlap (2-1, 1 sack, PD) and DT Domata Peko (4-1). MLB Rey Maualuga missed the game with an ankle injury.

- Seattle MLB David Hawthorne (4-2) cooled off a bit after a monster game the week before. SS Kam Chancellor (4-3, int, PD) continued his awesomeness. WLB Leroy Hill (5-0) has notched at least five solos in each of his last five games. FS Earl Thomas (4-6) was in on a lot of plays. DE Chris Clemons (1-0) broke his four-game sack streak.

Browns @ 49ers

- San Fran ILB Navorro Bowman (11-1, PD) put up more ridiculous numbers. ILB Patrick Willis (6-1, 1 sack) just can’t keep up with the upstart Bowman. Rookie OLB Aldon Smith (2-0, 1 sack) has a sack in four straight games. DE Justin Smith (4-0) failed to get to the QB.

- Cleveland MLB D’Qwell Jackson (10-0) continues to dominate. DT Ahtyba Rubin (8-0) put up a huge number for a DT. SS T.J. Ward (0-1) was nowhere to be found. Rookie DT Phil Taylor (2-0, FF, 1 sack) gets a sack every other game.

Cowboys @ Eagles

- Philly DE Trent Cole (1-0, 1 sack) returned from a calf injury. MLB Jamar Chaney (6-1, PD) had a good game. DE Jason Babin (3-0, 2 sacks) had his third multi-sack game of the season.

- Dallas ILB Sean Lee (0-0) dislocated his wrist and did not return. Keith Brooking (5-0) and Bradie James (6-0) will have to step up if Lee’s injury costs him time. That’s not a typo; OLB DeMarcus Ware (10-1, FF, 4 sacks) really had 10 solos and 4 sacks. FS Gerald Sensabaugh (9-0) had his best game of the season.

Chargers @ Chiefs

- Kansas City ILB Derrick Johnson (10-3, int, PD, 1 sack) has posted double-digit solo tackles in the last two games. SS Jon McGraw (5-0, FF) left the game with a shoulder injury. OLB Tamba Hali (3-0, FF, 2 sacks) continues to terrorize QBs. CB Brandon Flowers (4-1, 4 PD) is having a good season.

- San Diego FS Eric Weddle (7-0, 2 int, 2 PD) is the definition of a “ballhawk.” SS Steve Gregory (6-1) has been getting a lot of action lately. ILB Donald Butler (5-3) continues quietly having a good season. You could probably do worse than ILB Takeo Spikes (5-0). OLB Shaun Phillips was inactive with a foot injury.

If you have any questions for Johnny, feel free to email him at johnnydavis@idpguru.com or follow him on Twitter. Also, feel free to post any questions or comments for David in the comments section of this post.

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Last Updated: November 1, 2011

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