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 - ...

Well, I decided that rather than go back and critique myself over last week's recommendations I'd just brain myself with a bat (which accomplishes roughly the same thing), and now that I've regained consciousness it's time for a one-eyed look at Week 8. Remember, this is the fourth of the bye weeks, so if you roll out any players from the Falcons, Bears, Packers, Jets, Raiders, or Buccaneers I'm guessing you'll probably be pretty disappointed by the results. That said 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 Andre Carter -- DE, New England Patriots (at PIT): The 11th year veteran is coming off his best game of the season and gets a matchup with a Pittsburgh Steelers squad that has allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing defensive linemen. Ahtyba Rubin -- DT, Cleveland Browns (at SF): Rubin has nine tackles and half a sack over his past three games and gets a favorable matchup with a San Francisco team that's been kind to opposing fantasy DL this season. Will Smith -- DE, New Orleans Saints (at STL): The Rams will almost certainly be forced to play catch up and have allowed the second most sacks and third most fantasy points to opposing defensive linemen. Need I say more? Thomas Howard -- OLB, Cincinnati Bengals (at SEA): If bye weeks have bitten you on the butt consider Howard this week, who has been pretty solid so far this year and has a Top 10 fantasy matchup with the Seahawks Sunday. Derrick Johnson -- ILB, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. SD): Johnson racked up 12 solos last week in the blowout win over the Raiders, and the seventh-year veteran has a frightfully good matchup with the Chargers on Halloween. Jonathan Vilma -- MLB, New Orleans Saints (at STL): Vilma's been a disappointment to this point in the season but could be in for a bounceback game against the Rams, who are surprisingly kind to opposing fantasy LB. Asher Allen -- CB, Minnesota Vikings (at CAR): This week's waiver wire matchup corner du jour will be filling in for Chris Cook, who spent this past week in jail after trying to see how far up his ass he could fit his head. Turns out he can get it up there quite a ways. Abram Elam -- FS, Dallas Cowboys (at PHI): Elam is coming off an eight tackle, forced ...

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Brian Robison apologized via his Twitter account for kicking Green Bay Packers offensive lineman T.J. Lang in the groin during Sunday's game.

As I was putting together this week's Cheatsheet the enormity of Week Seven's IDP bye-week bitchslap finally registered it's full force. This week's fantasy talent pool is noticeably thinner, and that coupled with the general madness that is any week in an IDP league (don't fight it, embrace it, and then kill it while it's sleeping) has led to quite a few new faces being mentioned this week. Gonna be a wild one kiddies. To help you be one of the inmates that run the asylum here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week Seven 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 GB 2.) Terrell Suggs - BAL at JAX 3.) Calais Campbell - ARI vs PIT 4.) Charles Johnson - CAR vs WAS 5.) Chris Clemons - SEA at CLE 6.) Will Smith - NO vs IND 7.) Chris Long - STL at DAL 8.) Julius Peppers - CHI at TB 9.) Cliff Avril - DET vs ATL 10.) Ray Edwards - ATL at DET 11.) Michael Bennett - TB vs CHI 12.) Ndamukong Suh - DET vs ATL 13.) Greg Hardy - CAR vs WAS 14.) Elvis Dumervil - DEN at MIA 15.) Haloti Ngata - BAL at JAX 16.) Darnell Dockett - ARI vs PIT 17.) Robert Mathis - IND at NO 18.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET vs ATL 19.) Brian Robison - MIN vs GB 20.) Richard Seymour - OAK vs KC 21.) Jabaal Sheard - CLE vs SEA 22.) Israel Idonije - CHI at TB 23.) James Hall - STL at DAL 24.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX vs BAL 25.) John Abraham - ATL at DET 26.) Derrick Morgan - TEN vs HOU 27.) Ahtyba Rubin - CLE vs SEA 28.) Dwight Freeney - IND at NO 29.) J.J. Watt - HOU at TEN 30.) Robert Ayers - DEN at MIA LINEBACKERS 1.) Pat Angerer - IND at NO 2.) Desmond Bishop - GB at MIN 3.) Ray Lewis - BAL at JAX 4.) Paul Posluszny - JAX vs BAL 5.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE vs SEA 6.) James Laurinaitis - STL at DAL 7.) Sean Weatherspoon - ATL at DET 8.) Daryl Washington - ARI vs PIT 9.) Barrett Ruud - TEN vs HOU 10.) David Hawthorne - SEA at CLE 11.) Sean Lee - DAL vs STL 12.) Curtis Lofton - ATL at DET 13.) Derrick Johnson - KC at OAK 14.) DeAndre Levy - DET vs ATL 15.) Brian Urlacher - CHI at TB 16.) D.J. Williams - DEN ...

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 ...

Let's review how accurate Vinnie has been against the spread, five weeks in: 14-9-1 On to Week 6! New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+4.5): Tampa Bay's defensive struggles have had at least as much to do with the team's disappointing start as those of quarterback Josh Freeman. Things appeared to be getting a little better, especially in regard to the defensive line, but you just about have to throw stats out the window when this year's Colts are the opponent. We're talking about a run defense that yielded over 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns in San Francisco, a week ago. Look for the Saints' offense to achieve some balance, Sunday, on the way to putting 30+ on the scoreboard. Freeman has played some really good football versus New Orleans recently, by the way, but so has Drew Brees (versus Tampa Bay). It doesn't help matters that LeGarrette Blount will likely be inactive. Gimme the Saints minus the points. Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins (Even): Sounds like Philly is a popular road team to pick this week, based on how the talking heads are assessing this NFC East match up and based on the line. Guess we're to believe Washington's win/loss record through four games is a fluke? Guess we're to believe Michael Vick and the Eagles will reverse their slump, on the road and against a team coming out of its bye week, a team that plays 'em at least twice a year? Yeah, well Vinnie doesn't think so. LeSean McCoy runs into the brick wall that is Washington's run defense this week, while Vick fails to get much going in the passing game. Count on whomever runs the ball for Washington to put up some numbers while looking good in the process. The nay sayers aren't going away, Andy Reid. Gimme the Redskins. Cleveland Browns @ Oakland Raiders (-5.5): Going strictly by the numbers, Colt McCoy and his supporting cast are in for a big game. Oakland's is not a quality pass defense by any stretch. The Raiders' run defense has been stout in some games but very, very generous in others. Jason Campbell is connecting with at least one of his wide receivers for a score on a weekly basis, but has his work cut out for him against a respectable Browns secondary. Call it a gut feeling, if you will, but Vinnie isn't focused so much on any of that as he is that this represents Oakland's first home game since the passing of Al Davis. Cleveland is going to lose by plenty in the Black Hole, Sunday. Gimme the Raiders minus the points. Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago ...

undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefined We're five weeks into the 2011 season, and as is often the case with IDPs there's as much down that is up and as much up that is down. Injuries keep piling up, journeymen are playing like studs (fantasy-wise anyway), studs are barely showing up, and sometimes when setting your IDP lineups it's hard to know whether to scratch your watch or wind your butt. (Double points if you know that movie reference, as it's not one that our crowd would generally get) To assist you in doing so here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week Six of the 2011 season. 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 at CHI 2.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG vs BUF 3.) Terrell Suggs - BAL vs HOU 4.) Osi Umenyiora - NYG vs BUF 5.) Brian Robison - MIN at CHI 6.) Greg Hardy - CAR at ATL 7.) Robert Mathis - IND at CIN 8.) Jason Babin - PHI at WAS 9.) Julius Peppers - CHI vs MIN 10.) Charles Johnson - CAR at ATL 11.) Ndamukong Suh - DET vs SF 12.) Will Smith - NO at TB 13.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET vs SF 14.) Richard Seymour - OAK vs CLE 15.) Justin Smith - SF at DET 16.) Haloti Ngata - BAL vs HOU 17.) Cliff Avril - DET vs SF 18.) Chris Long - STL at GB 19.) Michael Bennett - TB vs NO 20.) Ray Edwards - ATL vs CAR 21.) Michael Johnson - CIN vs IND 22.) Israel Idonije - CHI vs MIN 23.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX at PIT 24.) Ahtyba Rubin - CLE at OAK 25.) Dwight Freeney - IND at CIN 26.) Darryl Tapp - PHI at WAS 27.) Andre Carter - NE vs DAL 28.) J.J. Watt - HOU at BAL 29.) Jabaal Sheard - CLE at OAK 30.) John Abraham - ATL vs CAR LINEBACKERS 1.) Ray Lewis - BAL vs HOU 2.) Pat Angerer - IND at CIN 3.) Patrick Willis - SF at DET 4.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE at OAK 5.) Sean Lee - DAL at NE 6.) Desmond Bishop - GB vs STL 7.) James Laurinaitis - STL at GB 8.) Nick Barnett - BUF at NYG 9.) Sean Weatherspoon - ATL vs CAR 10.) Brian Urlacher - CHI vs MIN 11.) Paul Posluszny - JAX at PIT 12.) James Anderson - CAR at ATL 13.) Navorro Bowman - SF at DET 14.) Stephen Tulloch - DET vs SF 15...