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IDP TUTORIAL: Lesson 5 -- Defensive Backs (fantasysharks.com)
16 Days George Wilson DB TEN, Roman Harper DB NO, Charles Tillman DB CHI Comment

So far in the Individual Defensive Player (IDP) Tutorial Series here at Fantasy Sharks, we've covered basic concepts such as knowing your scoring and general draft strategies. We've also examined the positional scarcity that gives defensive linemen much of their IDP value, as well as taking a look at why linebackers are the foundation of building a winning IDP roster.

Now, it's time to discuss the last of the "major" IDP positions, a group of players deeper than Lake Superior and about as reliable as that satellite TV installer that insures you he'll be there to hook up your Sunday Ticket sometime between 8 a.m. and never. They're a delightful bunch, a motley crew who are as likely to make your fantasy squad a joke as they are apt to turn it into a juggernaut.

They are the defensive backs.

So, what is it about defensive backs that make them such a pain in the ass?

That can be summed up in one tidy word. Inconsistency.

Defensive backs are maddeningly inconsistent from year to year, and even from week to week. Part of that is due to the fact that many of them (especially cornerbacks) depend on big plays for a significant part of their production. Part of it is due to the fact that anything that affects the front seven, from scheme switches to personnel changes, can have a big impact on how many tackle opportunities a defensive back sees. Same goes if they change teams. Or their underwear.

Defensive backs are streakier than Christina Aguilera's hairdo, and it can make it nearly impossible to rank them with any sort of accuracy.

To show just how difficult, let's take a look at one site's Top 10 defensive backs entering the 2012 season compared to where they finished the year in Fantasy Sharks Default IDP Scoring.

(NOTE: These aren't my rankings, and while I may not completely agree with them, they're certainly reasonable enough to demonstrate my point.)

Player Name

Finish

1.

Kam Chancellor, SS, Seattle

54th

2.

Tyvon Branch, SS, Oakland

57th

3.

George Wilson, SS, Buffalo

41st

4.

Charles Tillman, CB, Chicago

1st

5.

Eric Berry, SS, Kansas City

49th

6.

Roman Harper, SS, New Orleans

9th

7.

Eric Weddle, FS, San Diego

6th

8.

Mark Barron, SS, Tampa Bay

38th

9.

Charles Woodson, SS, Green Bay

142nd

10.

Jason McCourty, CB, Tennessee

15th

As you can see, only three of the Top 10 ranked defensive backs to start the year ended it that way, with one other coming close. Not only is that not an anomaly, but, if...

The IDP Dating Game - Ideal Landing Spots for FA LBs (fantasysharks.com)
3 Months Tahir Whitehead LB DET, Travis Lewis LB DET, Calvin Pace LB NYJ, Bart Scott LB NYJ, DeAndre Levy LB DET Comment

Since this is an article geared towards the best fantasy landing spot for a particular player we will forego the pleasantries of whether or not a team can actually afford to sign a certain player and focus on why he would be an ideal fit. Let's leave the financial situations to the real general managers and enjoy an unencumbered look at Individual Defensive Player (IDP) fantasy fits for teams while not being bothered by such trivial matters as a salary cap. Hey, it's called fantasy football for a reason.

Nick Barnett, OLB, Buffalo: The Detroit Lions recently brought in former Buffalo strong safety George Wilson for a free agent visit and would be wise to keep that Buffalo pipeline open and get on the phone with another cap casualty in Barnett.

Both DeAndre Levy and Justin Durant are free agents heading into 2013, and, rather than dance with the devil, you know the Lions would be well served to bring in Barnett and his versatile skill set.

After suffering a wrist injury that would limit him to only playing four games back in 2010 (his last season in Green Bay) Barnett has racked up 150 solos and 242 total tackles over the past two seasons in Buffalo. He's also added five sacks; four forced fumbles while intercepting three passes and returning one for a touchdown.

In that same two-year time frame Levy and Durant have combined for only 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles on a Detroit defense that has struggled mightily against the run.

While the obvious choice for Barnett to replace would be Levy as both have manned the WLB over the past couple of years, Barnett is capable of adjusting to any scheme and manned an inside linebacker position for years in Green Bay.

Barnett will be 32 in May but still has some tread on his tires and actually finished as a Top 10 4-3 outside linebacker in Pro Football Focus' 2012 rankings. He would be a perfect stopgap signing for the Lions as youngsters Travis Lewis and Tahir Whitehead continue to develop.

Lining up next to Stephen Tulloch in 2013 would give the Lions a pair of solid, proven linebackers to mentor the youngsters while racking up very nice tackle numbers. Barnett would have the real possibility of finishing as a Top 20 fantasy linebacker in 2013 if he should sign in Detroit.

Anthony Spencer, OLB, Dallas: Spencer finally emerged from the shadow of DeMarcus Ware and posted a career-high 11 sacks last season while playing with a pectoral strain that limited him to 14 games. He would...

George Wilson DB TEN
3 Months Tennessee Titans Comment

Titans agreed to terms with SS George Wilson on a multi-year contract.

Wilson's signing comes 11 days after he was released by the Bills. The eight-year veteran also visited the Lions, but was otherwise greeted by a soft market. 32-year-old Wilson's best days are behind him, but he remained an above-average run stopper in 2012, and held his own in coverage. His signing signals the end of Tennessee's Jordan Babineaux experiment.

George Wilson DB TEN
3 Months Tennessee Titans Comment

Free agent SS George Wilson has visits with the Lions and Titans set up for this week.

George Wilson DB TEN
3 Months Tennessee Titans Comment

Bills released SS George Wilson.

The move clears $2.9 million in base salary off the books, bringing Buffalo's total Monday savings to $6.4 million when combined with WLB Nick Barnett's release. Pro Football Focus graded Wilson as the No. 8 safety in the entire league in 2012, but the new Bills coaching staff obviously didn't regard him as highly. Wilson turns 32 this offseason. He can still cover and fills hard in run support, so he should have a good chance to land on his feet.

George Wilson DB TEN
4 Months Tennessee Titans Comment

Bills SS George Wilson triggered an escalator in his deal, raising his 2013 salary from $2.45 million to $2.9 million.

Wilson recorded 104 tackles, finishing second on the team behind WLB Nick Barnett. 2012 was Wilson's first season that saw him start all 16 games. He and impending free agent FS Jairus Byrd were the strengths of the defense, excelling against the run and in pass coverage. Wilson enters the final year of his contract.

George Wilson DB TEN
7 Months Tennessee Titans Comment

Bills SS George Wilson is now playing in a rotation with Da'Norris Searcy.

Wilson finished with five tackles in Sunday's loss to the Texans while Searcy had three. "I wasn't banged up at all," the captain said. "You have to talk to the coaching staff on the rotation." Wilson had 48 tackles in the first seven games of the year, but his IDP value is decimated as a part-time player.

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