Welcome to The Lowdown for Week 1. This is my little corner of the fantasy football universe -- feel free to pull up a chair and stay a while! Fine Whine San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh continues to play the part of the perpetually offended feminist. This week he complained to the league office that he was worried that the Green Bay Packers (and linebacker Clay Matthews specifically) were "targeting a specific player" -- 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Of course, Matthews is targeting a specific player: the opposing QB. Last I checked, that's his job. I refuse to believe that Harbaugh truly thinks that the Packers have some sort of Bountygate going on; rather, he is acting like a hyper-sensitive host on MSNBC, taking offense at every utterance. His ultimate goal is to put some bias in the minds of the referees that are officiating the game this week, so that when Matthews separates Kaepernick's head from his shoulders after the fifth-consecutive read-option, it'll be Matthews who gets ejected. I really hope Harbaugh gets some sort of horribly uncomfortable jock itch that lasts throughout the entire season. New York State of Mind Not only are the Jets destined for a horrible season, they seem destined to lead the league in drama. Thanks to their blowhard of a head coach, Rex Ryan, every action and reaction becomes a subplot to some as yet undefined TV "Movie of the Week:" Did Ryan set up the lovable yet comically inept Mark Sanchez to fail by putting him back into a meaningless preseason game in the fourth quarter surrounded by third-stringers? Because no head coach would do that with his starting quarterback, right? Is talented bad boy wide receiver Santonio Holmes still recovering from last season's foot injury? Or is he making a "business decision" to stay off the field while rookie quarterback Geno Smith gets a few games under his belt? Speaking of Smith, why is he refusing to watch film of Darrelle Revis? Is it confidence, cowardice or lack of higher brain function? In a league where every team can seemingly sign or draft at least one player to sell jerseys, the Jets have managed to avoid doing so. Thankfully, it's not like New York is a big media town, so Ryan can probably just keep a low profile until he gets fired at the end of the season and then gets hired to be the new defensive coordinator for whichever team is stupid enough to make his twin brother Rob Ryan its head coach. Shocking Truths and Revelations Former ...

Preseason football is well underway, and redraft fantasy draft season is upon us. The Individual Defensive Player (IDP) landscape will be taking shape over the next few weeks as rookies look to make their mark in actual game action. Veterans will battle to keep their roster spots and it all makes for must-see TV for IDP owners. Is there anything better than having NFL games being replayed at 3 a.m.? OK, regular season games being replayed at 3 a.m. I suppose, but you get the point. We continue our look at the IDP prospects division by division with an examination of the AFC West. Denver is the heavy favorite to repeat as division champs while the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers play catch up. LINEBACKERS 1. Derrick Johnson, ILB, Kansas City: Johnson is the anchor in the middle of the Chiefs defense and has totaled 255 tackles the past two seasons. He's also averaged two sacks per season while adding two interceptions and four forced fumbles. Johnson is a three down player and a top 10 overall linebacker in 2013 that is the best the division offers. 2. Von Miller, OLB, Denver: Miller has racked up 132 total tackles, eight forced fumbles, one interception (returned for a score) and an amazing 30 sacks in his first two seasons. He is already arguably the best edge rusher in the NFL. The loss of Elvis Dumervil may impact his sack totals a bit in 2013 but the kid is a wrecking ball off the edge. Miller is appealing his four-game suspension for violating NFL policy. The Broncos are confident that Miller will be successful in this appeal (scheduled for Aug. 15), so monitor the situation closely and alter draft boards accordingly. I am leaving him here for the time being. 3. Wesley Woodyard, WLB, Denver: The Broncos finally gave Woodyard a shot at an every down role at the weakside linebacker position and he stepped up posting 117 total tackles (73 solo). He also added 5½ sacks and is an above-average linebacker in coverage that hauled in three interceptions. Forget about Woodyard being undersized at 6-foot, 229 pounds because the kid has a nose for the ball and a non-stop motor. 4. Nick Roach, MLB, Oakland: I am high on Roach this season as he appears to be set up in the perfect spot to produce excellent fantasy totals. Once he took over for the injured Brian Urlacher last year in Chicago down the stretch, he averaged 7.1 tackles per game and was solid in coverage. Manning the middle on a less-than-stellar Raiders defense, he...

Ah, the linebacker position. Despite the lofty numbers that J.J. Watt produced from the defensive end spot, linebackers are still the glamor boys of the Individual Defensive Player (IDP) format. They are the quarterbacks of IDP lineups, if you will. Even the most casual football fan would recognize names such as Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher. The same can't be said for Jared Allen, Roman Harper or any other high producing defensive lineman or defensive backs in the league. A solid linebacker corps is essential in having a successful IDP fantasy season and the position generally runs deep with fantasy point producers but precious few reach the lofty level of top-tier elite players. The league wide shift to a more RBBC (running back by committee) approach has altered the way running backs are looked at and drafted in today's fantasy realm. And the IDP side of the ball has also seen a shift in how often and when certain positions should be targeted in fantasy drafts. The specialization of the linebacker position has made it a smart strategy to draft as many high point producers at the position as early as possible. Distinguishing three down players from those that leave the field on passing downs is vital when examining and then ranking linebackers. Some situational players may be poised to take that next step to an every down role and being ahead of that curve can exponentially help an IDP owner to dominate their league. So, let's take a look at a few linebackers that are ready to step into fantasy stardom and lead IDP teams to 2013 glory. Perry Riley, ILB, Washington: Riley has been rock solid since replacing Rocky McIntosh at inside linebacker prior to Week 10 of the 2011 season. In the 25 games that Riley has appeared as a full-time player, he has amassed more than 200 combined tackles. Due to injuries suffered by Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker, Riley was also utilized in quite a few blitz packages last season, as Washington had to get creative with ways to generate pressure on the quarterback. He responded with 3½ sacks while also holding his own in coverage and was credited with seven passes defended. Riley is the heir apparent to London Fletcher, if and when, he does finally decide to retire (I'm not holding my breath while waiting for that) and is due for a big bump in fantasy value once that does occur. At 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds, he is a slightly bigger version of Fletcher, and, once he takes over as the lead man in the middle, he can ...

Here we go! Week fourteen kicked off Thursday night and so do the fantasy football playoffs. There can be only one and this week begins the thinning of the herd. Lineups are being tweaked and re-tweaked as fantasy owners everywhere are wringing their hands in anticipation of this week's action. Paralysis by over-analysis runs rampant this time of year and has cost many a fantasy owner an opening round victory. Start your studs, they are studs for a reason and unless an injury is going to prevent them from playing they belong in the lineup. Don't get cute and start trying to outmaneuver talent with ‘gut feelings.' If your usual starters are nicked up, game time decisions or have already been declared out for this week then let '53 Deep' offer up some solutions to that dilemma with this weeks dose of sleepers. LINEBACKERS David Hawthorne, SLB, NEW ORLEANS, at NEW YORK GIANTS: Hawthorne is still a part-time player on the Saints defense and logged only 31 snaps in the week twelve loss at Atlanta. A hamstring injury has really limited him this season (he has 24 total tackles in seven games) but he did manage three solo tackles last week and the Giants are an above average matchup for linebackers from a fantasy standpoint. If they are going to get their moneys worth out of Hawthorne then the Saints are going to play him more down the stretch and that will start this week against New York. Nick Roach, MLB, CHICAGO, at MINNESOTA: Roach is expected to move into the middle of the Bears defense with the news that Brian Urlacher could miss three weeks or so with a hamstring injury. Roach will be sliding over from the strong-side position, where he has amassed 35 total tackles, one forced fumble and a sack and a half. He's averaged 36 snaps a game to date in 2012 and that number will increase dramatically as he fills in for Urlacher. The Vikings are a decent matchup from a fantasy perspective as they will be feeding running back Adrian Peterson the ball plenty this week. Roach has excellent value as a fantasy sleeper while manning the middle for Chicago. Don't'a Hightower, SLB, NEW ENGLAND, vs. HOUSTON: Hightower managed two solo tackles last week against the Dolphins while playing the highest number of snaps (42) that he had played in a game since week three. The Texans allowed 17 combined tackles to Tennessee linebackers Tim Shaw, Zach Brown and Will Witherspoon in week thirteen. Hightower still struggles in coverage but does have three sacks on the season and ...

This week's lines are from USAToday.com (as of Thursday night). ATS - Against the Spread; SU - Straight Up; O/U - Over/Under Locks Chicago at Minnesota (+3) Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin has been placed on the IR this week due to an ankle injury. With Harvin out, quarterback Christian Ponder has no real weapons to throw to. Expect the Vikings to give running back Adrian Peterson 25+ touches Sunday. Peterson is the team's only real threat on offense, he leads the league in rushing with 1,446 yards. The Bears will look to rebound after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week. The defense takes a hit without linebacker Brian Urlacher who is expected to miss their next three games. Cornerback Tim Jennings is expected to miss the game also. The teams just played each other two weeks ago with the Bears winning 28-10 at home. Even with the injuries piling up for the Bears, I expect the Bears to win this game rather easily. The Vikings simply don't have enough firepower on offense to stick around. The Bears are 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings. Gimme the Bears minus the points. Atlanta at Carolina (O/U 48) Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has struggled for a majority of the season but has been on fire lately. In his last three games, Newton has averaged 263 yards passing and 57 yards rushing per game, with seven touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. Expect him to put up good numbers again this week against the Falcons defense, which is giving up 121 rushing yards per game, 20th in the NFL. The Falcons have been average against the pass, giving up 231 yards per game, 15th in the NFL. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has struggled recently, throwing for only two touchdowns in his last three games while throwing six interceptions, including five in Week 11 against Arizona. Look for Ryan to bounce back this week against a Panthers defense which is giving up 24.3 points per game, 20th in the league. The teams played each other back in Week 4 with the Falcons winning at home, 30-28. Ryan threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns. The Over/Under for that game was 48. In their last eight meetings, the Over is 5-1-2. Gimme the Over. Games Arizona at Seattle (-10) The Cardinals are making another switch at quarterback this week, benching struggling rookie Ryan Lindley and going back to John Skelton. This change is good news for fantasy owners of Larry Fitzgerald who has just five receptions ...

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher admitted his longtime use of the painkiller Toradol and also detailed that he would hide a concussion to remain on the field.

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Sunday's season finale against Minnesota.

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...

Week 15 of the 2011 fantasy football season is here, which means while some have called it a year after a disappointing season while others have either begun or are continuing a playoff run that they hope will conclude with an Individual Defensive Players (IDP) Championship. 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 15 of the 2011 season in IDP leagues. These rankings are based on Default IDP Manor Scoring, which awards one point for solo tackles, ½ point for assisted tackles; two points each for fumbles forced and recovered; four points for interceptions, sacks and safeties; six points for defensive touchdowns; and one 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, New York Giants vs. Washington 2.) Terrell Suggs, Baltimore at San Diego 3.) Jared Allen, Minnesota vs. New Orleans 4.) Trent Cole, Philadelphia vs. New York Jets 5.) Julius Peppers, Chicago vs. Seattle 6.) Andre Carter, New England at Denver 7.) Chris Clemons, Seattle at Chicago 8.) Justin Smith, San Francisco vs. Pittsburgh 9.) Kyle Vanden Bosch, Detroit at Oakland 10.) Elvis Dumervil, Denver vs. New England 11.) Jason Babin, Philadelphia vs. New York Jets 12.) Will Smith, New Orleans at Minnesota 13.) Charles Johnson, Carolina at Houston 14.) Cliff Avril, Detroit at Oakland 15.) Robert Mathis, Indianapolis vs. Tennessee 16.) Darnell Dockett, Arizona vs. Cleveland 17.) Jeremy Mincey, Jacksonville at Atlanta 18.) Haloti Ngata, Baltimore at San Diego 19.) Chris Long, St. Louis vs. Cincinnati 20.) Israel Idonije, Chicago vs. Seattle 21.) Jabaal Sheard, Cleveland at Arizona 22.) Ndamukong Suh, Detroit at Oakland 23.) Calais Campbell, Arizona vs. Cleveland 24.) J.J. Watt, Houston vs. Carolina 25.) Greg Hardy, Carolina at Houston 26.) Justin Tuck, New York Giants vs. Washington 27.) Ray Edwards, Atlanta vs. Jacksonville 28.) Lamarr Houston, Oakland vs. Detroit 29.) Michael Johnson, Cincinnati at St. Louis 30.) Desmond Bryant, Oakland vs. Detroit LINEBACKERS 1.) D'Qwell Jackson, Cleveland at Arizona 2.) Paul Posluszny, Jacksonville at Atlanta 3.) London Fletcher, Washington at New York Giants 4.) Ray Lewis, Baltimore at San Diego 5.) Curtis Lofton, Atlanta vs. Jacksonville 6.) James Laurinaitis, St. ...