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Everyone loves a Monday Morning Quarterback, so why not a Monday Morning Linebacker? If you're like me, you tend to express your consternation when a player or players on your roster don't exactly perform as expected. Many expletive laden tirades have been directed at my computer or smart-phone as I scan the scoreboards. Occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised, but more often than not it's "WTF was that?!" In this weekly article we'll take a look at those players that performed as expected and those that didn't. This won't be a complete review of every player from every game; simply the outliers that deserve recognition, one way or the other. By the way, if you're looking for a great place to look at stats, compare players and do some research, check out www.fleaflicker.com. It's a fantastic resource and you should take advantage of it! Studs That Were Studs (* Notable players that lived up to or exceeded expectations ) J.J. Watt, DE, HOU vs. DET - This dude is unreal. He keeps wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks and Thanksgiving Day was no different. He tallied 5 solo tackles, 2 passes defensed, and sacked Matthew Stafford three times. He's at 15.5 sacks through 11 games and is an absolute must-start above and beyond any other defensive player in the league. Lawrence Timmons, LB, PIT vs. CLE - I've not mentioned Timmons much this season, but he's been having a solid, though not spectacular, season. In a surprising and disappointing loss to the Browns, Timmons racked up 6 solo tackles, 4 assists, a pass defensed, an interception and a defensive touchdown. He's easily an every-week start as a LB2 with upside. Jerod Mayo, LB, NEP vs. NYJ - Mayo is another guy that's been quietly flying under the radar this year. But if you look at his numbers, he certainly qualifies as an IDP stud. And against the Jets on Turkey Day, Mayo posted 8 solo tackles, 3 assists and a sack, equaling his best output to date. Continue playing him with confidence. Antoine Winfield, DB, MIN vs. CHI - Winfield had a couple of off weeks prior to the Vikings' bye, but he was nicked up and not playing up to par. But yesterday he returned to form in the loss to Chicago, totaling 7 solo tackles, a pass defensed and an interception. He continues to rank among the top of the DBs and should be in all lineups moving forward. Cortland Finnegan, DB, STL vs. ARI - Finnegan continues to post impressive numbers for a cornerback. Yesterday, he posted 10 solo tackles and 2... | Everyone loves a Monday Morning Quarterback, so why not a Monday Morning Linebacker? If you're like me, you tend to express your consternation when a player or players on your roster don't exactly perform as expected. Many expletive laden tirades have been directed at my computer or smart-phone as I scan the scoreboards. Occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised, but more often than not it's "WTF was that?!" In this weekly article we'll take a look at those players that performed as expected and those that didn't. This won't be a complete review of every player from every game; simply the outliers that deserve recognition, one way or the other. By the way, if you're looking for a great place to look at stats, compare players and do some research, checkout www.fleaflicker.com. It's a fantastic resource and you should take advantage of it! Studs That Were Studs (* Notable players that lived up to or exceeded expectations ) Robert Quinn, DE, STL vs. ARZ - And BOOM goes the dynamite. Quinn has been solid to date, posting double-digit stats in all but one game he's played; but nothing like what he did on Thursday night. Quinn was making plays all over the place, recording 4 solos, 2 assists, a forced fumble, a pass defensed, and 3 sacks. It seems like everyone was sacking Kevin Kolb in Week 5, and Quinn was no different, recording three of his own. He's worth starting every week, but just don't expect these kinds of numbers all the time. Von Miller, DE, DEN vs. NE - After two quiet weeks, Miller blew up in Week 5 against the Patriots. He tallied 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 forced fumble, a pass defensed and 2 sacks. Tom Brady isn't always the easiest to get to, making this all the more impressive. This was far and away his best performance on the season. Miller has big play potential every week and is too explosive to not play week in and week out. Lance Briggs, LB, CHI vs. JAX - For the 2nd week in a row, Briggs had an interception return for a touchdown; not what we've come to expect from Briggs (or any LB really). He also added 4 solos and a sack, building on his impressive season. Briggs may be benefitting from Urlacher's bum knee, but whatever the reason, Briggs is a must play every week. Jerod Mayo, LB, NE vs. DEN - Mayo has been flying relatively under the radar this season. I haven't heard or read his name very much, nor have I talked much about him. But looking at his numbers, he's been doing what he does: putting up numbers. And... | 2/6/2012 New England Patriots WLB Jerod Mayo admits the Patriots let Ahmad Bradshaw score on what proved to be the game-winning touchdown of Super Bowl XLVI. "That's situational football," Mayo said. "We needed Tommy (Brady) to get the ball and do his thing." Bradshaw attempted to go down at the one-yard line after the sea parted from the Patriots' six with 0:57 remaining, but his momentum carried him into the end zone. Eli Manning later said he was telling Bradshaw to fall down. Had Brady guided the Pats to a game-winning score, Bradshaw's mistake would have been remembered for a long time in New York. | 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 17 of the 2011 National Football League season, and while the majority of IDP leagues were wrapped up a week ago there's still one more game to go in some leagues, and it's for all the proverbial marbles. To help you prepare for this very important week's action here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week Seventeen 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.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG vs DAL 2.) Jared Allen - MIN vs CHI 3.) Terrell Suggs - BAL at CIN 4.) Jason Babin - PHI vs WAS 5.) Julius Peppers - CHI at MIN 6.) Elvis Dumervil - DEN vs KC 7.) Trent Cole - PHI vs WAS 8.) Justin Tuck - NYG vs DAL 9.) Chris Clemons - SEA at ARI 10.) Justin Smith - SF at STL 11.) Robert Mathis - IND at JAX 12.) Calais Campbell - ARI vs SEA 13.) Chris Long - STL vs SF 14.) Will Smith - NO vs CAR 15.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX vs IND 16.) Cliff Avril - DET at GB 17.) Greg Hardy - CAR at NO 18.) Haloti Ngata - BAL at CIN 19.) Jabaal Sheard - CLE vs PIT 20.) J.J. Watt - HOU vs TEN 21.) Darnell Dockett - ARI vs SEA 22.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET at GB 23.) Ndamukong Suh - DET at GB 24.) Brandon Deaderick - NE vs BUF 25.) Michael Johnson - CIN vs BAL 26.) Charles Johnson - CAR at NO 27.) Israel Idonije - CHI at MIN 28.) James Hall - STL vs SF 29.) John Abraham - ATL vs TB 30.) Geno Atkins - CIN vs BAL LINEBACKERS 1.) London Fletcher - WAS at PHI 2.) Derrick Johnson - KC at DEN 3.) Ray Lewis - BAL at CIN 4.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE vs PIT 5.) Navorro Bowman - SF at STL 6.) James Laurinaitis - STL vs SF 7.) Curtis Lofton - ATL vs TB 8.) Nick Barnett - BUF at NE 9.) Pat Angerer - IND at JAX 10.) Colin McCarthy - TEN at HOU 11.) Daryl Washington - ARI vs SEA 12.) Jerod Mayo - NE vs BUF 13.) Karlos Dansby - MIA vs NYJ 14.) Desmond Bishop - GB vs DET 15.) David Hawthorne - SEA at ARI 16.) Sean Lee - DAL at NYG 17.) Paul Posluszny - JAX vs IND 18.) Chad Greenway - MIN vs CHI 19.) DeMarcus Ware - DAL at NYG 20.) Brian Urlacher - CHI at MIN 21.) Sean Weatherspoon - ATL vs TB 22.) David Harris - NYJ at MIA 23.) James... | undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefined IDP CHEATSHEET: Week Sixteen Week 16 of the 2011 fantasy football season has arrived, which means that in the majority of IDP leagues one more game remains to determine who is crowned king of the league...it's Championship Week. To help you prepare for this most important week's action here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week 16 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.) Terrell Suggs - BAL vs CLE 2.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG at NYJ 3.) Jared Allen - MIN at WAS 4.) Jason Babin - PHI at DAL 5.) Chris Clemons - SEA vs SF 6.) Trent Cole - PHI at DAL 7.) Julius Peppers - CHI at GB 8.) Justin Smith - SF at SEA 9.) Chris Long - STL at PIT 10.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET vs SD 11.) Justin Tuck - NYG at NYJ 12.) Elvis Dumervil - DEN at BUF 13.) Haloti Ngata - BAL vs CLE 14.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX at TEN 15.) Cliff Avril - DET vs SD 16.) Will Smith - NO vs ATL 17.) Greg Hardy - CAR vs TB 18.) Dave Ball - TEN vs JAX 19.) J.J. Watt - HOU at IND 20.) Charles Johnson - CAR vs TB 21.) Jabaal Sheard - CLE at BAL 22.) Calais Campbell - ARI at CIN 23.) Mark Anderson - NE vs MIA 24.) Robert Mathis - IND vs HOU 25.) Israel Idonije - CHI at GB 26.) Ndamukong Suh - DET vs SD 27.) John Abraham - ATL at NO 28.) Marcell Dareus - BUF vs DEN 29.) Lamarr Houston - OAK at KC 30.) Ahtyba Rubin - CLE at BAL LINEBACKERS 1.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE at BAL 2.) Nick Barnett - BUF vs DEN 3.) Navorro Bowman - SF at SEA 4.) London Fletcher - WAS vs MIN 5.) Derrick Johnson - KC vs OAK 6.) David Hawthorne - SEA vs SF 7.) James Laurinaitis - STL at PIT 8.) Pat Angerer - IND vs HOU 9.) Sean Lee - DAL vs PHI 10.) Curtis Lofton - ATL at NO 11.) Paul Posluszny - JAX at TEN 12.) Ray Lewis - BAL vs CLE 13.) Daryl Washington - ARI at CIN 14.) Brian Urlacher - CHI at GB 15.) Colin McCarthy - TEN vs JAX 16.) Chad Greenway - MIN at WAS 17.) Karlos Dansby - MIA at NE 18.) Jerod Mayo - NE vs... | |
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