As OTAs are in full swing it’s time to go ahead and finish off our look at rookie IDP prospects from the 2015 NFL Draft. I have never lied to you folks and I will not start now (unless it involved money I owe you and then it’s a gray area). It gets thin quick for IDP players that have a reasonable shot at contributing right out of the gate. For the most part, we have mentioned when players have more dynasty than redraft value and which names to watch on the waiver wire. Obviously, in rookie only drafts there will be players drafted that I have chosen not to mention here due to the depth of rosters. What we have tried to do for the most part in this series is to highlight names that are the most likely to contribute sooner rather than later. Without further ado…   Owa Odighizuwa, (UCLA), DE, NEW YORK GIANTS, ( 3rd round ) : The Giants fill a position of need with the powerful Odighizuwa joining the defensive front. While “Owa” is already an edge rushing threat using sheer athleticism, his pass rushing technique can use a little work. The kid is strong as a horse in setting the edge and will more than hold his own against the run. Odighizuwa should challenge Robert Ayers (coming off of an injury), George Selvie and Damontre Moore for playing time earlier rather than later. He is an excellent early round dynasty draft pick that can be had later in redraft leagues bringing excellent upside potential as he carves out a role in the defense. Eli Harold, (Virginia), OLB, SAN FRANCISCO 49ers, ( 3rd round ) : Harold may take a little time to develop into a fantasy force but the talent is there. The 49ers defense is in a rebuilding mode and Harold’s ability to play the run should help him garner playing time early as he gets coached up to be an NFL pass rushing threat. He has the potential to replace Ahmad Brooks down the line and is a quality mid-round dynasty draft selection. Jordan Hicks, (Texas), ILB, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, ( 3rd round ): Hicks had struggles with injuries in 2012 and 2013 for the Longhorns before having a very nice senior season. He isn’t a particularly hard-hitting player but does play well enough in all facets of the game that he could eventually secure a three-down role in the NFL. The Eagles have been shopping ...

The NFL is down to its "Final Four." With last week's Divisional Round in the books, only the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks remain standing. By the end of this week, we will know the participants for Super Bowl XLVIII in New York on Feb. 2. With only four teams remaining, the pool of Individual Defensive Player (IDP) talent available to fantasy owners in IDP playoff leagues is getting pretty shallow. Not only that, but the format of many of these leagues has left fantasy owners in something of a bind this week. You see, most of those leagues are "survivor"-type affairs. The entire pool of players are available, but you can only use each player once (or sometimes twice). That means that as important it is to find players who will put up a solid score, it's equally crucial that you take into account how you expect the postseason to play out. An easy rule of thumb is this. If you're at or near the top of the leaderboard in your IDP playoff league, then the Super Bowl (and its projected participants) is a significant strategic concern. If you're back in the pack, just shoot for maximum points, and worry about February when it gets here. So, with that in mind here's a look at the top-10 players at each of the "main" IDP positions for the Divisional Round in Fantasy Sharks Default IDP Scoring . DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 1.) Chandler Jones -- New England at Denver 2.) Rob Ninkovich -- New England at Denver 3.) Justin Smith -- San Francisco at Seattle 4.) Michael Bennett -- Seattle vs. San Francisco 5.) Cliff Avril -- Seattle vs. San Francisco 6.) Chris Jones -- New England at Denver 7.) Robert Ayers -- Denver vs. New England 8.) Ray McDonald -- San Francisco at Seattle 9.) Malik Jackson -- Denver vs. New England 10.) Joe Vellano -- New England at Denver LINEBACKERS 1.) NaVorro Bowman -- San Francisco at Seattle 2.) Bobby Wagner -- Seattle vs. San Francisco 3.) Patrick Willis -- San Francisco at Seattle 4.) Danny Trevathan -- Denver vs. New England 5.) Ahmad Brooks -- San Francisco at Seattle 6.) Aldon Smith -- San Francisco at Seattle 7.) Jamie Collins -- New England at Denver 8.) Shaun Phillips -- Denver vs. New England 9.) Dont'a Hightower -- New England at Denver 10.) Malcolm Smith -- Seattle vs. San Francisco DEFENSIVE BACKS 1.) Kam Chancellor -- Seattle vs. San Francisco 2.) Earl Thomas -- Seattle vs. San Francisco 3.) Eric Reid -- San Francisco at Seattle 4.) Richard Sherman --...

Welcome to The Lowdown for Week 12. This is my little corner of the fantasy football universe-- feel free to pull up a chair and stay a while! Unreserved Apologies I wanted to start off this week's column by apologizing for my absence last week. Sometimes life conspires to throw a few surprises at us, and last week I found myself chasing down obligations beyond those here at Fantasy Sharks. Rest assured, it upset me that I was unable to throw together this hodgepodge of a column and deprive all of you of my "wisdom." If it's any consolation, the players I had researched and was planning to recommend to you were Ben Roethlisberger, Harry Douglas, Donald Brown, Rashad Jennings and Michael Floyd. No, really. You can take my word for it, because I'm an expert, and experts never lie about their own predictions. Business Decisions There were two widely discussed referee calls in Week 11, both in nationally televised games. The first occurred in the 49ers-Saints game, when a late turnover by Drew Brees was negated by a personal foul on Ahmad Brooks. The penalty allowed the Saints to keep the ball, and they eventually went on to win the game 23-20. The second controversial call occurred Monday Night when a pass interference flag in the end zone on the final play of the game was picked up, allowing the Panthers to hold off the Patriots 24-20. Here's my take: the Brees call was the correct call. I understand the argument that Brooks initially hit him high in the chest, but the bottom line is that Brooks essentially ended up clotheslining Brees, which clearly caused the fumble. I'm usually on the side of defenders (given the speed of the game and the ever-changing rules on what constitutes a "good" hit) in these cases, but I think the zebras got this one 100% right. On the other hand, I think the Patriots were robbed. First of all, the easy call would've been defensive holding, since Luke Kuechly was clearly bear-hugging Rob Gronkowski in the end zone prior to the pass getting there. There shouldn't even be any question about whether the pass was "catchable." Look, I'm the furthest thing from a Patriots' fan but I think the refs just wanted to get out of Carolina in one piece. Eastbound and Down (but Stayed Too Long) If you're like me, you probably think that HBO's Eastbound and Down is one of the best comedies of the past 25 years--a well-written and well-acted show that revolved around the efforts of a crude ex-MLB reliever (perhaps ...

One month of the NFL season is in the books and approximately one third of the fantasy football season is over. As usual the IDP landscape is a wild and crazy one with as many twists and turns as the ending of a M. Night Shyamalan movie. Or at least "The Sixth Sense" because it was a good movie...the other ones were...umm...OK, it is his only good movie. You get the point folks. Let's keep riding the hummingbird that is the 2013 season and look at the IDP sleeper candidates for Week 5. LINEBACKERS Ahmad Brooks , OLB, SAN FRANCISCO vs. Houston: Brooks can often be overlooked as All Pro LBs Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman grab the headlines for the 49ers. What can't be overlooked is the solid production Brooks has brought this season as he has put up 25 total tackles (20 solo) as well as 2½ sacks with two passes defended. The Texans are an excellent matchup for fantasy LBs and Brooks will continue to get his share of the tackles and big plays despite lining up alongside Bowman and Willis. Nick Roach , MLB, OAKLAND vs. San Diego: The Chargers are a top ten matchup in allowing fantasy points to the LB position. Roach mans the middle of the Raiders defense and has played every snap through four weeks. Last week he posted seven total tackles (six solo stops) and forced a fumble. Look for the Chargers to attack a weak Oakland run defense and for Roach to post very nice tackle numbers. Spencer Paysinger , MLB, NEW YORK GIANTS vs. Philadelphia: Paysinger is coming off a seven solo tackle and one sack game against Kansas City. The Eagles allow the most points to the LB position and Paysinger is the only three down LB on the Giants' roster. He's put up 23 total tackles (22 solo) through four weeks and is primed to have a monster game this week. Paysinger should be starting in all IDP formats this week. Joplo Bartu , SLB, ATLANTA vs. New York Jets: With Akeem Dent out and Paul Worrilow nursing a knee injury Bartu will be the healthiest Falcons LB on the field this week. The Jets will look to pound the rock with RB Bilal Powell and limit QB Geno Smith 's opportunities to turn the ball over. Bartu is coming off a six total tackle performance against the Patriots last week and could hit double digit stops this week. K.J. Wright , WLB, SEATTLE at Indianapolis: Wright has started the season a bit slowly with only 18 total tackles through four games. He has put up one sack and still carries some big play potential when used in blitz packages. The...

It's Week 8 of the 2012 NFL season, and as we head into the second half of fantasy football's regular season some IDP teams are sitting pretty, others are struggling mightily, and some are just trying to figure out where to find three healthy linebackers to put in their starting lineup. Last week was actually pretty kind to me so far as my recommendations went, as while Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain let fantasy owners down, defensive end Brian Robison of the Minnesota Vikings made me look like Nostradamus by single-handedly winning many IDP squads their games with his three sack explosion against the Arizona Cardinals. However, just as I shake off my losses I don't waste time basking in my wins, and with both eyes squarely focused towards the future 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). Don't forget that we're still smack in the middle of the bye weeks, so IDPs from the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Texans will all be taking the week off. 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 Jeremy Mincey -- DE, Jacksonville Jaguars (at GB): After racking up eight sacks last year the fifth-year pro didn't get his first of 2012 until last week. Mincey should make it two weeks in a row with a sack against a Green Bay Packers team giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to defensive linemen this year. Jabaal Sheard -- DE, Cleveland Browns (vs. SD): Sheard is experiencing the dreaded sophomore slump, with only one sack in seven games. The youngster could be in for a rebound game against a San Diego Chargers club that has been a top-five fantasy matchup for defensive linemen this season. Justin Smith -- DE, San Francisco 49ers (at AZ): Smith has tallied an impressive 17 tackles over his past two games but still hasn't recorded a sack this year...

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks signed a six-year contract extension to remain in the Bay Area on Tuesday.