Written By: Eric Olinger
This year has been one of the most frustrating years that I can remember for IDP linebackers. Guys that are usually the no-brainer, team centerpiece guys are just not performing as well as we are used to seeing (guys like Lawrence Timmons, Barrett Ruud, London Fletcher, Jerod Mayo, and to a lesser extent, Patrick Willis). Whether it is scheme changes, injuries, opportunities, or competition, the level of weekly consistency has really dropped. Some of these IDP staples are even on some waiver wires. As the league shifts to more of a pass heavy game, I think the weekly stud LB will continue to diminish and DBs will continue to benefit. It’s a very frustrating weekly chess game but with knowledge comes power. If you haven’t looked at some of our weekly pieces done by Ryan and Bill, like our Points Allowed by Position, Tackles Issued by Home Scorekeepers, and Weekly IDP Rankings, you’re really missing out. Also, if you haven’t heard, we are doing a Weekly IDP Chat on Wednesdays at 7pm EST where I and some of the other Gurus are available to answer any questions you might have.
BUY
This year has been one of the most frustrating years that I can remember for IDP linebackers. Guys that are usually the no-brainer, team centerpiece guys are just not performing as well as we are used to seeing (guys like Lawrence Timmons, Barrett Ruud, London Fletcher, Jerod Mayo, and to a lesser extent, Patrick Willis). Whether it is scheme changes, injuries, opportunities, or competition, the level of weekly consistency has really dropped. Some of these IDP staples are even on some waiver wires. As the league shifts to more of a pass heavy game, I think the weekly stud LB will continue to diminish and DBs will continue to benefit. It’s a very frustrating weekly chess game but with knowledge comes power. If you haven’t looked at some of our weekly pieces done by Ryan and Bill, like our Points Allowed by Position, Tackles Issued by Home Scorekeepers, and Weekly IDP Rankings, you’re really missing out. Also, if you haven’t heard, we are doing a Weekly IDP Chat on Wednesdays at 7pm EST where I and some of the other Gurus are available to answer any questions you might have.
BUY
Aldon Smith- OLB- San Francisco 49ers
This is probably the last time
I’ll mention him simply because you won’t have the chance to get him. In
Dynasty leagues specifically, Smith is a true gem. The 49ers LB core is flat
out nasty. With Bowman and Willis both playing on all 3 downs, the ability to
disguise coverages and blitzes is allowing Smith to wreak havoc on QBs. If you
watched him in the Lions game this past weekend, you saw what he can do. He was
the disrupting force that caused the safety, racked up 2 more sacks, and was
playing at an elite speed level. I love this guy. In leagues that reward big
for sacks and turnovers, he’s a true player. In leagues that are tackle heavy,
he is more of a boom or bust guy because his production is linked directly to
the big plays.
Lawrence Timmons- LB- Pittsburgh Steelers
This is the
exact definition of “buying low.” Timmons owners are frustrated. They drafted
him for LB1 numbers and he hasn’t produced…yet. But in Dynasty Leagues above
all else, talent prevails. Timmons’ year last year was not a fluke, this year
is. If you can move a lesser talent that’s playing above his ability, like a
Kavell Conner, and land a guy with Timmons’ huge upside, you do it. The
Pittsburgh D all runs through Polamalu and as he gets healthier, it frees up
Timmons and Woodley to do their thing. It’s going to happen.
Aaron Curry- WLB- Oakland Raiders
I missed it by THAT much! In
this article last week I told readers I had a feeling he would be moved.
Unfortunately, I didn’t consider the Raiders a possibility. It was mentioned on
Tuesday that Curry was sought after as part of the Palmer trade but Oakland wouldn’t include
him. That should tell you what
kind of hopes and expectations the Raiders have for Curry. He played last week
but didn’t make too much of an impact. I expect a little more from him this
week, but with a week 8 BYE looming, his real impact will be after that. Solid
LB4+ with nice upside.
Kyle Arrington- CB-
New England Patriots
When it comes to DBs in
Fantasy, you don’t always want the most talented guy. You want the guy that’s
good enough to start in the NFL, but not good enough to scare offenses. Guys
like Revis and Asomugha don’t get a ton of opportunities (outside of Matt
Moore’s ignorance). In New England, the defense
is bad and the offense is LEGEN-wait for it…DARY! Opposing teams are forced to
play catch up and throw, producing plenty of tackle opportunities. The 3 leading
tacklers on NE are all DBs. That should tell you enough right there.
Sell
Shawn Merriman- OLB- Buffalo Bills
This guy is a shell of his
former self. He lacks any explosion and brings little to no pressure on
opposing QBs. And now his Achilles is acting up AGAIN! As Jon Beason owners
know, anyone coming back from an Achilles injury too soon usually ends up in
worse shape. For a guy that relies solely on big plays for his IDP production,
there is nobody on the IDP side who’s name so outweighs his production. If you
have him on your roster still pray there is someone crazy enough in your league
to still want him. He has pretty much no value moving forward.
Kurt Coleman- FS- Philadelphia Eagles
Coleman had
a very impressive game against the Redskins and Rex Grossman picking off 3
passes. He said through game film he had such a great feel for what Rex would
do and it was just instincts. Unlucky for Coleman, and luckily for everyone
else, there aren’t anymore Rex Grossmans. Hell, there isn’t even a Rex Grossman
playing in Washington
now thanks to Coleman. This HUGE game was a fluke and I personally do not trust
anyone in the back seven of Philadelphia’s
D. New DC Juan Castillo
(former O-Line coach) is CLUELESS and is in so far over his head that it’s sad.
They’ve tried Matthews everywhere, Chaney has been in and out, Brian Rolle has
been in and out, the safeties have been benched. So even if “Bad Juan”
keeps Coleman in the lineup, this was most likely his peak performance. I
wouldn’t chase the stats.
Kavell Conner- WLB- Indianapolis Colts
As a Kavell Conner owner myself,
I’m not excited about having him by any means. He’s nothing more than a very
low end LB3/flex play. But he’s good enough to use for BYE week fill ins.
Outside of his huge 14 solo tackle game, he hasn’t been spectacular or horrible.
But he lacks sizzle. Once I get passed my BYE weeks I plan on dropping him for
more of a high upside stash for my Dynasty leagues. Thanks to that huge week his
season stats look pretty nice so you might be able to move him for some decent
value.
Michael Bennett- DE-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The only thing that keeps
Bennett afloat is for a DL he gets a decent amount of tackles. In 4 of 6 games
he’s had 4+ solo tackles. He only has 2 sacks on the season and both of them
came against the horrible O-line of the Colts. Everyone gets 2 sacks against
the Colts. Bennett’s Dynasty outlook isn’t the greatest simply because Da’Quan
Bowers and Adrian Clayborn were drafted to play next to Brian Price and Gerald
McCoy. Bennett is serviceable through BYE weeks but lacks any real potential of
longevity. This is the kind of guy in a Dynasty League that I would drop after
BYE weeks to pick up a guy like a Robert Quinn (STL) who has much better value
in 2012 and beyond.
Last Updated: October 20, 2011
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