With the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine wrapping up in Indianapolis, the eyes of most Individual Defensive Player (IDP) enthusiasts have been on Lucas Oil Stadium, where young defensive stalwarts such as South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack displayed their skills for NFL scouts. However, before we find out where those youngsters will ply their trade in May's NFL draft, there's another matter to attend to. Free agency. We've already taken a look at the defensive linemen and the linebackers , so let's wrap up this year's guns for hire by examining the top free agent defensive backs in 2014. Before we get rolling, two notes. The first domino has already fallen (or didn't fall, as the case may be). Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall re-upped with the Redskins for four more years, so Hall's DB2 (and elite CB1) value in IDP leagues appears stable, at least where 2014 is concerned. Also, I could write about 47,000 words on free agent defensive backs that might have an IDP impact this year and still leave guys out. Just because names like Roman Harper and Jairus Byrd (a much better NFL player than IDP, at least in Buffalo) aren't mentioned here doesn't mean they won't have fantasy value in the upcoming season, especially should they land in a favorable spot. T.J. Ward, SS, Cleveland Ever since Ward's 123-tackle rookie season in 2010, IDP owners have been waiting (with growing impatience each successive year) for Ward to backup his top 5 finish among defensive backs. Well, Ward came pretty close in 2013. For the first time since his rookie season, Ward topped the century mark, notching 112 stops. Toss in the two interceptions and 1½ sacks and the 27-year-old finished the year third among all defensive backs in Fantasy Sharks Default IDP Scoring . Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland reports that despite the recent regime change (again) in Cleveland, the Browns still intend to make bringing Ward back to Northern Ohio a priority. With the franchise tag for safeties a relatively palatable $8 million in 2014 and Ward a key piece of the Cleveland defense, it's pretty unlikely he's going anywhere. That leaves Ward a solid (if a bit risky) DB1 in 2014, although it's possible we'll be right back in this same spot a year from now. Antoine Bethea, FS, Indianapolis With LaRon Landry joining the Colts in 2013, many IDP pundits (myself included) thought Bethea was in for a dip in stats. Yeah, about that. For the fourth straight ...

As voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) turn into mandatory mini-camps and training camps right around the corner, it is time to kick fantasy draft preparation up a notch or two. With that in mind, I decided to compile a quick hitting list of Individual Defensive Players (IDP) that hold excellent value and should be targeted in all formats. For the most part I am avoiding the ‘no-brainer' elite names such as defensive end J.J. Watt or linebacker studs such as Luke Kuechly, James Laurinaitis and the like. While there are some top-level names listed here, it is because I believe they are poised to join the elite tier and can be drafted as such. Some of the players mentioned have already been covered to some extent in my previous articles and rankings but deserve mentioning again as I am that high on them. These are players that I have targeted and will continue to target in IDP drafts as lynchpin options to lead a squad to a successful season. There are not a lot of ‘so and so posted X amount of tackles last season' to be found in this particular article as I wanted to sprinkle it with my thoughts as to why I feel they are viable options. As the season approaches and position battles are won and lost, there will be plenty of time for the hard hitting stat and scheme based analysis that I love to do, but for now I wanted to just toss out these names to keep high on draft lists. What can I say? I am a visual guy, and the more times I see a name the more likely that player sticks in my mind, so I figured there must be some folks like me out there (that is a scary thought). Why 12 names at each position? Umm ... why not? Let's get to it! DEFENSIVE BACKS Dawan Landry, SS, N.Y. Jets: Takes his little brother's former spot in the Jets secondary and will post similar totals in a prime fantasy scoring position. Casey Hayward, CB, Green Bay : Ball hawking cornerback in a pass-happy division with quarterbacks that combined for 45 picks in 2012. Ascending fantasy talent. Eric Berry, SS, Kansas City: Not everyone is Adrian Peterson, and it took Berry until November to resemble the player he was as a rookie as he returned from his knee injury. He's back! Stevie Brown, FS, N.Y. Giants: No, last season was not a fluke. Look for Brown to post another season of above-average fantasy totals. Antoine Bethea, FS, Indianapolis: Don't fall asleep on this perennial tackling machine just because the Colts signed LaRon Landry. Bethea still represents excellent ...

IDP CHEATSHEET: Super Bowl XLVII Round The 2012 NFL season has just about wrapped up. Thirty-two teams started the year with aspirations of playing this week in the Superdome, but only two squads accomplished that goal, and on Sunday night the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will do battle with the Lombardi trophy on the line. Super Bowl XLVII features a number of prominent Individual Defensive Players (IDP), from the 49ers' dominant linebacker group to Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who is closing out his Hall of Fame career this week amid accusations that he used a banned substance while recovering from an arm injury earlier this season. This week also brings with it the end of the line for fantasy football playoff leagues, which means there's one more chance for IDP owners to rack up some points and lay claim to the title of champions before another long, dark offseason begins. Playoff fantasy football leagues are a different animal, so I'm using the scoring and rules for the BTR Listeners League sponsored by Fantasy Sharks and run by FSWA Hall of Famer Greg Kellogg, who I have the distinct pleasure of co-hosting Kellogg's Komments with twice a week on Fantasy Sharks Radio. If you haven't given a listen, you absolutely should, as Greg, Mike Pisani, and Chris Nunes are damned near capable of drowning my drivel out. Well, almost. These rankings are based on the scoring for that contest, which awards one point for solos, 1/2 points for assists, two points each for fumbles forced and recovered, three points for interceptions and sacks, six points for defensive touchdowns, four points for safeties, and one point for passes defensed, as well as return yardage for picks and fumbles, but those are fluke points best not chased. It's also a "one and done" format, which means that once you use a guy he's through. That's not really a concern anymore since this is it, but depending on how well you predicted how the postseason progressed you could be very hard pressed to field anything resembling a full lineup this week. With that said, get someone in your lineup, even if it's a desperation play. Sure, Baltimore linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo probably isn't going to make a huge dent in the box score, but if your league awards points for special teams tackles he should at least get you a few points, and you never know which little-known player might come up with a huge turnover in the NFL's biggest game. No need to go more than six or so ...

Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard isn't too thrilled with the New England Patriots.

Only four teams remain standing in the 2012 NFL playoffs, so the pool of available Individual Defensive Player (IDP) talent is getting pretty shallow, and last week's upset of the Green Bay Packers by the New York Giants likely cost many fantasy owners quite a few players they were hoping to save for this week's lineup. However, upsets or no, we have to keep on keeping on, so let's get down to the business of getting down to business and take a look at this week's IDP rankings. That said, we're still playing in a different format than "usual" here, using the scoring and rules for the BTR Listeners League sponsored by Fantasy Sharks and run by FSWA Hall of Famer Greg Kellogg, who I have the distinct pleasure of co-hosting Kellogg's Komments with twice a week on Fantasy Sharks Radio. If you haven't given a listen, you absolutely should, as Greg, Mike Pisani and Chris Nunes are damned near capable of drowning my drivel out. Well, almost. These rankings are based on the scoring for that contest, which awards one point for solo tackles, ½ point for assisted tackles, two points each for fumbles forced and recovered, three points for interceptions and sacks, six points for defensive touchdowns, four points for safeties, and one point for passes defensed, as well as return yardage for picks and fumbles, but those are fluke points best not chased. It's also a "one and done" format, which means that once you use a guy he's through, so what may look like a great play this week may also involve a player you want to save for the Super Bowl. That makes it more important that you try to balance scoring and who you think will advance, so keep in mind that my rankings may reflect biases you may not share, and a bit of "bet-hedging." No need to go more than 10 deep, so without further ado ... DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 1.) Jason Pierre-Paul -- New York Giants at San Francisco 2.) Terrell Suggs -- Baltimore at New England 3.) Justin Tuck -- New York Giants at San Francisco 4.) Justin Smith -- San Francisco vs. New York Giants 5.) Haloti Ngata -- Baltimore at New England 6.) Osi Umenyiora -- New York Giants at San Francisco 7.) Brandon Deaderick -- New England at Baltimore 8.) Mark Anderson -- New England at Baltimore 9.) Chris Canty -- New York Giants at San Francisco 10.) Ray MacDonald -- San Francisco vs. New York Giants LINEBACKERS 1.) Ray Lewis -- Baltimore at New England 2.) Patrick Willis -- San Francisco vs. New York Giants 3.) NaVarro Bowman -- ...

undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefined IDP CHEATSHEET: Divisional Round Well, maybe we'd all have been best served if I hadn't kept the Cheatsheet going into the playoffs, as on the heels of going 1-3 picking last week's games my recommendations may have left many folks with a thinned pool of talent. Either that, or you've read my stuff long enough to know me, did the opposite of what I suggested, and you're eating high off the hog right now. Either way, unlike the Bengals and Falcons crapping the proverbial bed doesn't end my season, so like it or not I have to shake it off, slap the damn horse upside its' stubborn head, and climb back on (quite possibly backwards). That said, we're still playing in a different format here, using the scoring and rules for the BTR Listeners League sponsored by Fantasy Sharks and run by FSWA Hall of Famer Greg Kellogg, who I have the distinct pleasure of co-hosting Kellogg's Komments with twice a week on Fantasy Sharks Radio. If you haven't given a listen, you absolutely should, as Greg, Mike Pisani, and Chris Nunes are damned near capable of drowning my drivel out. Well, almost. These rankings are based on the scoring for that contest, which awards 1 point for solos, .5 points for assists, 2 points each for fumbles forced and recovered, 3 points for interceptions, and sacks, 6 points for defensive touchdowns, 4 points for safeties, and 1 point for passes defensed, as well as return yardage for picks and fumbles, but those are fluke points best not chased. It's also a "one and done" format, which means that once you use a guy he's through, so what may look like a great play this week may also involve a player you want to save for next. That makes it more important, especially early on, that you try to balance scoring and who you think will advance, so keep in mind that my rankings may reflect biases you may not share, and a bit of "bet-hedging". (EXAMPLE: The Giants' DE are both solid, so regardless of whether I think they'll win or lose I may burn one this week. They lose I got good production from one (hopefully). They win I still have one to use next week.) No need to go more than 10 deep, so without further adieu... DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 1.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG at GB 2.) J.J. Watt -- HOU at BAL 3.) Justin Tuck -- NYG at GB 4.) Elvis Dumervil -- DEN at NE 5.) Justin Smith -- SF vs NO 6.) Osi Umenyiora -- NYG at GB 7.) Terrell Suggs -- BAL vs HOU 8.) Will Smith -- NO vs DET 9.) ...

It's Week 13 of the 2011 fantasy football campaign, and this week brings with it the conclusion of the regular season in many leagues, making this a do-or-die game for many an IDP owner across the land. To help you prepare for another week's action here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week Eleven of the 2011 season in IDP leagues. These rankings are based on Default IDP Manor Scoring, which awards 1 point for solos, .5 points for assists, 2 points each for fumbles forced and recovered, 4 points for interceptions, sacks, and safeties, 6 points for defensive touchdowns, and 1 point for passes defensed. It's a balanced scoring system, so if your IDP league is especially tackle-heavy or big play-heavy some players may move up (or down) a few spots. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 1.) Jared Allen - MIN vs DEN 2.) Terrell Suggs - BAL at CLE 3.) Julius Peppers - CHI vs KC 4.) Trent Cole - PHI at SEA 5.) Andre Carter - NE vs IND 6.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG vs GB 7.) Justin Smith - SF vs STL 8.) Chris Long - STL at SF 9.) Elvis Dumervil - DEN at MIN 10.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET at NO 11.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX vs SD 12.) Haloti Ngata - BAL at CLE 13.) Chris Clemons - SEA vs PHI 14.) Jason Babin - PHI at SEA 15.) Will Smith - NO vs DET 16.) J.J. Watt - HOU vs ATL 17.) Robert Mathis - IND at NE 18.) Greg Hardy - CAR at TB 19.) Calais Campbell - ARI vs DAL 20.) James Hall - STL at SF 21.) Charles Johnson - CAR at TB 22.) Cliff Avril - DET at NO 23.) Ahtyba Rubin - CLE vs BAL 24.) Ray Edwards - ATL at HOU 25.) Darnell Dockett - ARI vs DAL 26.) Justin Tuck - NYG vs GB 27.) Israel Idonije - CHI vs KC 28.) Lamarr Houston - OAK at MIA 29.) Brian Robison - MIN vs DEN 30.) Robert Geathers - CIN at PIT LINEBACKERS 1.) Patrick Willis - SF vs STL 2.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE vs BAL 3.) Derrick Johnson - KC at CHI 4.) James Laurinaitis - STL at SF 5.) Curtis Lofton - ATL at HOU 6.) Paul Posluszny - JAX vs SD 7.) London Fletcher - WAS vs NYJ 8.) Nick Barnett - BUF vs TEN 9.) Daryl Washington - ARI vs DAL 10.) Chad Greenway - MIN vs DEN 11.) Ray Lewis - BAL at CLE 12.) Navorro Bowman - SF vs STL 13.) Sean Weatherspoon - ATL at HOU 14.) Pat Angerer - IND at NE 15.) Karlos Dansby - MIA vs OAK 16.) Brian Urlacher - CHI vs KC 17.) Sean Lee - DAL at ARI 18.) Brian Cushing - HOU vs ATL 19.) D.J. Williams - DEN at MIN 20.) DeMarcus Ware - DAL at ARI 21.) David Hawthorne - SEA vs PHI 22.) Kevin Burnett - MIA vs OAK 23.) Perry Riley - WAS vs NYJ 24.) James...

undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefined IDP CHEATSHEET: Week Twelve It's Week Twelve of the 2011 fantasy football season, which means the bye weeks are in the rearview mirror, there are a trio of games to enjoy on Thanksgiving Day, and the fantasy playoffs are just around the corner. To help you prepare for another week's action here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week Eleven of the 2011 season in IDP leagues. These rankings are based on Default IDP Manor Scoring, which awards 1 point for solos, .5 points for assists, 2 points each for fumbles forced and recovered, 4 points for interceptions, sacks, and safeties, 6 points for defensive touchdowns, and 1 point for passes defensed. It's a balanced scoring system, so if your IDP league is especially tackle-heavy or big play-heavy some players may move up (or down) a few spots. Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 1.) Jared Allen - MIN at ATL 2.) Terrell Suggs - BAL vs SF 3.) Trent Cole - PHI vs NE 4.) Chris Clemons - SEA vs WAS 5.) Julius Peppers - CHI at OAK 6.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG at NO 7.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX vs HOU 8.) Andre Carter - NE at PHI 9.) Justin Smith - SF at BAL 10.) Osi Umenyiora - NYG at NO 11.) Chris Long - STL vs ARI 12.) Calais Campbell - ARI at STL 13.) Haloti Ngata - BAL vs SF 14.) Greg Hardy - CAR at IND 15.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET vs GB 16.) Charles Johnson -- CAR at IND 17.) Jason Babin - PHI vs NE 18.) Ndamukong Suh - DET vs GB 19.) Will Smith - NO vs NYG 20.) Cliff Avril - DET vs GB 21.) Robert Mathis - IND vs CAR 22.) James Hall - STL vs ARI 23.) Ahtyba Rubin - CLE at CIN 24.) Darnell Dockett - ARI at STL 25.) Ray Edwards - ATL vs MIN 26.) Israel Idonije - CHI at OAK 27.) Justin Tuck - NYG at NO 28.) Michael Bennett - TB at TEN 29.) Desmond Bryant - OAK vs CHI 30.) Brian Robison - MIN at ATL LINEBACKERS 1.) Patrick Willis - SF at BAL 2.) Desmond Bishop - GB at DET 3.) Paul Posluszny - JAX vs HOU 4.) London Fletcher - WAS at SEA 5.) Nick Barnett - BUF at NYJ 6.) Brian Urlacher - CHI at OAK 7.) Derrick Johnson - KC vs PIT 8.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE at CIN 9.) Navorro Bowman - SF at BAL 10.) David Hawthorne - SEA vs WAS 11.) D.J. Williams - DEN at SD 12.) Curtis Lofton - ATL vs MIN 13.) Pat Angerer - IND vs CAR 14.) Daryl Washington - ARI at STL 15.) Karlos Dansby - MIA at DAL 16.) James Laurinaitis - STL vs ARI 17.) Donald Butler - SD vs DEN 18.) Sean Weatherspoon - ...

There's much to be thankful for as we enter the twelfth week of the fantasy football season. The bye weeks are behind us, the playoffs lie just ahead, and for once we'll get a couple of games on Turkey Day (Packers-Lions and 49ers-Ravens) that are less likely to give us heartburn than Aunt Claire's oyster stuffing. (Seriously, who the hell puts oysters in stuffing?) Most importantly, to all who have taken the time to read this column this year, may your Thanksgiving table be filled not nearly as much with turkey and mashed potatoes as it is with the chatter and laughter of those we love, as it's that we should truly give thanks for. That said here are some players that should be available on many IDP waiver wires that are worth targeting as we head into Week 12. PICKUP OF THE WEEK Bernard Pollard -- SS, Baltimore Ravens: Well, look what the cat dragged in. It took a while, but it appears that everyone's favorite hard-hitting, can't cover a wall with paint strong safety is back to being an every down player. Pollard's shown throughout his career that he can be not only be a fantasy asset but a stud at his position, and at this point his 17 total tackles over the past two games look to be more trend than aberration. Mark Anderson -- DE, New England Patriots: At this point in the season the IDP waiver wire gets wafer-thin on the defensive line, so fantasy owners with a need at the position might want to take a look at Anderson, who has joined Andre Carter in swilling from the New England DE fountain of youth. The sixth-year pro is inconsistent and reliant on big plays for production, but with six sacks on the season he can provide a nice injury fill-in if the matchup's right. Tommy Kelly -- DT, Oakland Raiders: The Raiders' front four is among the best in the NFL, not so much because of the pressure they bring off the edge but because Kelly and Richard Seymour just charge up the middle and jam the ball up your....The big man from Mississippi has six tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble over his past two games and is a quality pickup, especially in IDP leagues that require DTs. Von Miller -- SLB, Denver Broncos: In researching this week's article I was blown away by how many leagues the soon-to-be Defensive Rookie of the Year is still available in, and I'm here to put a stop to it. My super-convincing Mason-esque argument? He has 22 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble over his past three games and has become another exception to the 4-3 SLB "rule"...

Well, Week 5 wasn't my best week ever recommendation-wise, but it certainly wasn't my worst either, so after a few hits and a few misses (it happens with IDPs...no matter how educated the guess at the end of the day it's still just that) it's back into the basement to consult my trusty Krystal Ball. (I have to keep it there, the last time I left it upstairs it killed every plant in the house, and never mind the titanium suit I have to wear...long story, but thankfully the antidote for Krystal Ball poisoning just so happens to be cold beer.) Remember, this is the second of the bye weeks, so don't go starting any players from the Chiefs, Chargers, Titans, Broncos, Seahawks, or Cardinals. No huge losses there anyway, so no tears this week. In the spirit of onward and upward here's a look at some players you should give serious consideration to getting into your lineups or who could outperform expectations (Studs) and some that, for whatever reason, you may want to consider leaving alone, or at least take into account that they may be a relative disappointment this week. (Duds) STUDS Cliff Avril -- DE, Detroit Lions (vs. SF): Avril responded in a favorable matchup last week, logging four total tackles and a sack (and having another nullified by penalty), and with another solid pass rush matchup on tap there's no reason not to keep riding the hot hand. Chris Long -- DE, St. Louis Rams (at GB): Howie's kid is off to a strong start this year, and while the Packers aren't a great pass rush matchup they have allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing defensive linemen to this point in the season. Brian Robison -- DE, Minnesota Vikings (at CHI): The fifth year pro has notched a pair of sacks in two of his past three games, and just in case you missed last Monday night's game (or any Bears game from the past two seasons) the Chicago offensive line kind of, um, sucks at pass protection. Jamar Chaney -- MLB, Philadelphia Eagles (at WAS): No one is going to confuse Chaney with Patrick Willis any time soon, but he's the closest thing the Eagles have to a competent linebacker and should see ample tackle opportunities against the run-first Redskins, who have allowed the fifth most in the NFL so far this year. James Farrior -- ILB, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. JAX): The grizzled vet stepped up in a big way with James Harrison sidelined last week, tallying 13 total stops against Tennessee, and so long as he's playing every down in the heart of the Steelers defense ...