2011 IDP Game Notes: Week 9
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!
Jets @ Bills
– As we all expected, New York DT Sione Pouha (4 solo tackles-3 assists, forced fumble) was the IDP standout. No, of course, I’m kidding, but he was very active. Nobody else did a whole lot of tackling: ILB David Harris (3-2, int, PD), ILB Bart Scott (2-1), FS Eric Smith (4-0), and SS Jim Leonhard (2-1, fumble recovery, pass defensed).
– With Buffalo DT Kyle Williams expected to miss the rest of the season, rookie Marcell Dareus (4-1, fumble recovery) is thriving in his spot. ILB Nick Barnett (7-2) has been tackling well lately. FS Jairus Byrd (3-3, int, PD) had his second straight game with an interception. SS George Wilson (3-2) had his worst game of the season. CB Terrence McGee (7-1) has had outstanding tackle numbers in two of the three games he’s played.
Falcons @ Colts
– Atlanta MLB Curtis Lofton (8-4, FF) and WLB Sean Weatherspoon (4-6, 2 PD) kept on truckin’ despite Indy’s pathetic attempt at offense. DT Corey Peters (1-0, 1 sack) has a sack in three of his last four games. SS William Moore (1-0) left the game with a thigh injury.
– Indy FS Antoine Bethea (8-3, PD) is having an outstanding season. MLB Pat Angerer (2-6) has cooled off and is letting SLB Phillip Wheeler (7-5, 1 sack) outshine him. DE Robert Mathis (3-1) isn’t getting to the QB anymore after recording 3.5 sacks in his first four games.
Dolphins @ Chiefs
– Don’t look now, but Miami’s ILBs are getting it done in a big way: Kevin Burnett (10-2, 1.5 sacks) and Karlos Dansby (11-0, FF). SS Yeremiah Bell (5-0) is capable of better games. OLB Cameron Wake (2-1, .5 sack) got half a little piece a sack.
– Kansas City ILB Derrick Johnson (3-2) plummeted back down to Earth after two straight double-digit solo tackle games. With SS Jon McGraw inactive with a shoulder injury, Kendrick Lewis (3-0, PD) and Sab Piscitelli (1-0) failed to step up. OLB Tamba Hali (2-0) was quiet, as well.
Seahawks @ Cowboys
– Dallas ILBs Keith Brooking (3-2) and Bradie James (2-2) are clearly not on the same level as Sean Lee, who missed the game with a wrist injury. OLB Demarcus Ware (3-0) cooled off after an eye-popping 7 sacks and 17 solo tackles in his last three games combined. You could probably do worse than FS Gerald Sensabaugh (2-1, int, 2 PD).
– Seattle’s MLB David Hawthorne (6-2) and WLB Leroy Hill (6-0) keep on producing. SS Kam Chancellor (5-0, PD) is usually a little more active on the stat sheet. FS Earl Thomas (8-0) racked up the tackles.
49ers @ Redskins
– San Fran’s ILBs are about as studly as they come: Patrick Willis (9-4, 2 FF, PD) and Navorro Bowman (7-1, fumble recovery, 2 PD). DE Justin Smith (2-1, PD) has been up and down this season. FS Dashon Goldson (5-1, int, PD) had a good game.
– With Washington FS O.J. Atogwe inactive with a knee injury, Reed Doughty (6-5) stepped up. SS LaRon Landry (5-3, fumble recovery) had one of his better games of the season. ILB London Fletcher (7-3, PD) must have spent the bye week consulting with Ponce de Leon about his fountain of youth. Rookie OLB Ryan Kerrigan (3-3, 1 sack) is about as reliable as you could hope for a rookie OLB. OLB Brian Orakpo (3-2, 1 sack) is scoring with some consistency.
Bucs @ Saints
– New Orleans SS Roman Harper (8-1, FF, 1 sack) will disappear every now and then, but when he shows up, he can really help your fantasy team. With MLB Jonathan Vilma inactive with a knee injury, Jo-Lonn Dunbar (6-2) and Jonathan Casillas (4-6) put up good numbers. FS Malcolm Jenkins (2-1) and DE Will Smith (0-1, PD) are very inconsistent fantasy scorers.
– Tampa rookie MLB Mason Foster (7-2) and WLB Quincy Black (7-2) have been banged up, but it looks like the bye week came just in time. CB Ronde Barber (3-3, int, PD) is an ageless wonder. Nobody else did that well: SS Sean Jones (3-1), FS Tanard Jackson (4-1), DE Michael Bennett (1-1), and rookie DE Adrian Clayborn (1-1).
Browns @ Texans
– Houston OLB Brooks Reed (4-1, 2 sacks) has been terrorizing QBs since replacing the injured Mario Williams. Rookie DE J.J. Watt (2-1, fumble recovery) will do a little something every week. ILB Brian Cushing (4-3, 1 sack) puts up respectable numbers every now and then. ILB DeMeco Ryans (1-1, FF) has completely fallen off.
– Cleveland SS T.J. Ward (3-2) left the game with a foot injury. MLB D’Qwell Jackson (8-0, int, PD) has been on the warpath this season. Is this what a healthy SLB Scott Fujita (7-2, PD) can do? Cleveland’s D-linemen are inconsistent, but a few are viable options: DT Ahtyba Rubin (3-1), rookie DE Jabaal Sheard (3-0), and rookie DT Phil Taylor (1-0).
Bengals @ Titans
– Cincy DE Carlos Dunlap (2-1, 2 sacks, PD) recorded 2 sacks before leaving with a hamstring injury. FS Reggie Nelson (4-1) is capable of better stats. With MLB Rey Maualuga still out with an ankle injury, Thomas Howard (8-1, FF) stepped up.
– Tennessee SS Jordan Babineaux (11-1, PD) and CB Jason McCourty (6-2) continue to be tackling machines. MLB Barrett Ruud (2-2, PD) usually does better than this.
Broncos @ Raiders
– Maybe we should keep an eye on Denver rookie CB Chris Harris (9-2, int, PD). Dude is seeing the ball come his way. DE Elvis Dumervil (2-1, 1.5 sacks, PD) had his best game of the season. I guess SS Brian Dawkins’ (3-3, PD) days as an elite IDP are over. WLB D.J. Williams (3-1, PD) and fourth LB Wesley Woodyard (3-2) didn’t do a whole lot. Quinton Carter (7-2) shined at FS with rookie Rahim Moore suffering a concussion. Rookie SLB Von Miller (4-1, .5 sack) keeps getting it done. CB Champ Bailey (2-0, FF, 2 int, 2 PD) reminded us how awesome he used to be.
– With Oakland MLB Rolando McClain nursing an ankle injury, the LBs did OK: MLB Daryl Blackstock (3-1, 1 sack), SLB Kamerion Wimbley (6-0, 1 sack), and WLB Aaron Curry (4-2). SS Tyvon Branch (5-2) is going to get you a handful of tackles every game. DE Lamarr Houston (6-1) had by far his best tackling game of the season.
Giants @ Patriots
– New York DE Jason Pierre-Paul (1-2, 1 sack) played through a concussion. The other DEs failed to blow anybody away: Justin Tuck (2-1, PD) and Osi Umenyiora (1-4). A couple of LBs blew up the stats: SLB Mathias Kiwanuka (6-6, int, PD) and WLB Michael Boley (7-3, FF, 1 sack, PD). The safeties got in on the action, too: FS Antrel Rolle (6-0) and SS Kenny Phillips (6-2).
– New England MLB Brandon Spikes (4-1) went down with a knee injury. WLB Jerod Mayo (0-6) must not be back to full strength. SS Pat Chung (4-1, PD) can do better. DE Andre Carter (0-4) cooled off after four sacks in the last two games.
Packers @ Chargers
– Green Bay SS Charlie Peprah (3-2, 2 int, 2 PD, 40-yd int return TD) is putting up much better numbers than FS Morgan Burnett (2-0, PD). ILB Desmond Bishop (8-3, 1 sack) is a beast. ILB A.J. Hawk (6-1) has scored better lately. OLB Clay Matthews (1-0) was extremely quiet. CB Charles Woodson (6-1, FF) had his best tackling game of the season.
– San Diego FS Eric Weddle (2-1) is feast or famine. He starved his owners this week. ILB Takeo Spikes (4-3) is good for a handful of tackles per week but nothing else. ILB Donald Butler (4-1) had a down game. OLB Antwan Barnes (6-1, 2 sacks) injured his leg. Back-up LB Bront Bird (0-2) has a funny name.
Rams @ Cardinals
– Arizona was a fantasy goldmine: DE Calais Campbell (5-1, 1.5 sacks), ILB Daryl Washington (8-2, 2 PD), rookie CB Patrick Peterson (3-0, int, 3 PD, 99-yd punt return TD), ILB Paris Lenon (7-1), CB Richard Marshall (5-0, 1 sack), and SS Adrian Wilson (5-1). Rookie OLB Sam Acho (3-1, 1 sack) has a sack in three straight games while filling in for the injured Joey Porter.
– St. Louis DE James Hall (4-0, 1 sack, safety, PD) wreaked havoc. WLB Chris Chamberlain (5-1) did OK. MLB James Laurinaitis (3-1) took a big step backward after a dominant game last week. DE Chris Long (3-0, FF, 1 sack) may have found his stride. Rookie DE Robert Quinn (3-0, 1 sack) made some noise.
Ravens @ Steelers
– Baltimore DE/OLB Terrell Suggs (0-1, int, PD) has a Ph.D. from Ball So Hard University, but he had a Ball So Soft fantasy day, kind of like some of his cohorts: ILB Ray Lewis (2-3, PD), FS Ed Reed (4-0), and DT Haloti Ngata (1-1). CB Lardarius Webb (6-0) and SS Bernard Pollard (4-3, PD) were balling kind of hard.
– Pittsburgh OLB James Harrison (8-0, FF, 3 sacks) returned with a vengeance. Even with Harrison back, LB Lawrence Timmons (1-3) couldn’t get it going. It should be noted that LBs Lamarr Woodley and James Farrior were out due to injury. ILB Larry Foote (6-4, PD) had his best game of the season. SS Troy Polamalu (4-4) hasn’t been all that spectacular.
Bears @ Eagles
– Chicago MLB Brian Urlacher (10-1, 2 PD), of course, had a huge game on Monday night. DE Julius Peppers (2-0, 1 sack, 2 PD) got to the QB. WLB Lance Briggs (5-0, PD) did OK, while CB Charles Tillman (2-0, PD) underwhelmed.
– Philly SS Kurt Coleman (10-2) had a huge game, and MLB Jamar Chaney (7-3) held his own. DE Trent Cole (2-0, FF) wasn’t as studly as he’s capable of being. FS Nate Allen (1-1) went down with a concussion, but rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett (3-0) failed to impress in his place. DE Brandon Graham (4-0) saw his first action of the season. CB Asante Samuel (2-0, 2 PD) suffered a lacerated groin, easily the most painful-sounding injury possible.
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.
Last Updated: November 8, 2011