Undrafted rookie WLB Vontaze Burfict finished the regular season as the Bengals' leading tackler.

After being credited with 18 tackles in the regular-season finale, Burfict will finish with 127. The coaches will end up with a figure closer to 170. It's an impressive tally for a player who didn't appear for a single snap in the season opener and changed positions a couple of weeks later.

It's the 11th week of the 2012 fantasy football campaign, and as Thanksgiving draws near so does the fantasy playoffs. For some IDP squads there's no margin of error at this point in the year, as one more defeat could well spell the end for any hopes they had of advancing to fantasy football's second season.

Rather than talk about how well I did (or didn't do) with last week's recommendations this week I have a word of advice for IDP owners. Even if you've been eliminated from the playoffs make every effort to field the most competitive lineup you can the rest of the way. Whether it's tanking for a draft pick or just giving up on a lost season taking a dive not only makes you look like an ass but it throws the competitive balance of the league out of whack, and that's bad juju.

Now that I've climbed down off my soapbox it's time for another week of IDP Studs and Duds, where I'll point out some Individual Defensive Players who could be set to exceed expectations this week (Studs) and some that for whatever reason are riskier plays than usual (Duds).

That isn't necessarily to say that every "Stud" is a must-start (it depends on your other options) or that every "Dud" should be glued to your bench (just that the odds of a letdown week are greater than usual).

This week brings with it the last of the byes, so IDPs from the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and Seattle Seahawks will all be taking the week off. That makes for a much shallower pool of IDP talent up front, since Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings, Jason Pierre-Paul of the Minnesota Vikings, and Chris Clemons of the Seattle Seahawks are all on siesta.

Finally, before we get on with the show, if you have a specific IDP Start/Sit question you'd like my take on you can e-mail me at askgary@fantasysharks.com or post the question in the "Kilroy Krystal Ball" thread in the Fantasy Sharks IDP Forum. I can't promise I'll get to every question, but I'll do the best I can.

STUDS

John Abraham -- DE, Atlanta Falcons (vs. ARI): As I predicted, old man Abraham pulled a disappearing act in last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints, but this week Abraham goes from the worst fantasy match-up in the NFL for defensive linemen to the best when the Falcons host an Arizona Cardinals team that has allowed the most sacks in the league this year.

Trent Cole -- DE, Philadelphia Eagles (at WAS): After reaching double digits in sacks each of the last three seasons 2012 has been an absolute disaster...

We're four weeks into the 2012 NFL season, which means the bye weeks are kicking into high gear and injuries are mounting by the week. For every stud that's exceeded expectations such as defensive end J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans, there's one such as Justin Tuck of the New York Giants that's failed to meet them. And with the fantasy season at the quarter-post wins are becoming more precious each week, especially for Individual Defensive Player (IDP) squads that are struggling.

PICKUP OF THE WEEK

Pat Angerer, ILB, Indianapolis: After racking up a ridiculous 148 total tackles in 2011, the third-year pro was drafted as an IDP LB2 in many leagues over the summer, but a broken foot sustained in the preseason led to the third-year pro being cut loose in many shallower fantasy leagues. Angerer's back at practice and looks set to make his 2012 debut in Week 5 when the Colts host the Green Bay Packers, and while he may be eased in a bit at first, Angerer's IDP upside easily makes him priority No. 1 when submitting waiver claims this week.

Jurrell Casey, DT, Tennessee: After a solid rookie season that saw him top 50 total tackles, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey was looked at as a potential upside play in IDP leagues that require his position, but a slow start got Casey the boot from many fantasy squads. However, Casey has turned it on over the past two weeks, with 13 total stops and 10 solos over the past two games, and with a favorable matchup upcoming with the Minnesota Vikings, Casey is worth a look from IDP owners looking to improve at the defensive tackle spot.

Cameron Wake, DE, Miami: Given that Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake was drafted as a Top 10 player at his position in many IDP leagues, it may seem weird to see him included on this list. However, the 30-year-old failed to record a sack in his first three games, leading some panicky team owners to cut bait on Wake in lieu of a defensive lineman who was off to a hot start. Those same owners were no doubt kicking themselves while watching Wake explode for 4.5 sacks against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, and they'll be kicking themselves even harder if you swoop in and grab the 30-year-old before they can get him back.

Vontaze Burfict, OLB, Cincinnati: The season-ending ACL injury suffered by Thomas Howard left the Cincinnati Bengals with a hole on the weak side at linebacker, and the team may just have found a plug for that hole in mercurial rookie Vontaze Burfict....