Now that the franchise tags have been handed out and the list of remaining free agents is clear, it's a fine time to see just what's available out there. Individual Defensive Player (IDP) owners will be waiting anxiously for players to ink new deals and settle into their new (or old) roles on NFL teams in order to begin draft preparations in earnest. NFL teams continue to trim numbers off of their salary cap by restructuring contracts or releasing players in anticipation of going after the big fish on the market. Landing the perfect free agent fit for an NFL team is one thing and determining whether or not it is a fit for IDP fantasy purposes is another. Here is a look at an 11-man defensive unit made up of some of the best possible IDP fantasy players that are unrestricted free agents. For the purposes of this article we will assume (I know ... a very bad word) a 4-3-4 base defensive alignment. There may be a player or two listed that has yet to have his position set for the 2013 season as some outside linebacker/defensive end designations may be changing later in the summer. DEFENSIVE TACKLES Richard Seymour, Oakland: I'm torn on this guy for 2013 fantasy purposes as he was pretty productive in the eight games he played last season with 15 total tackles and three sacks. However, he is 33 years old and coming off a season in which he was shut down in December due to a hamstring injury. That being said, he was playing very well up until suffering the injury and is perhaps the most talented defensive tackle left on the free agent market. Seymour isn't going to produce above-average tackle numbers at this stage of his career but he can still be a disruptive force from the interior of a defensive front. A one or two year deal is the best Seymour can hope for in 2013 which will bring a ‘prove yourself' type of edge to his game and that could mean a very productive fantasy season, providing he is 100 percent recovered from the hamstring injury and can remain healthy for the majority of the year. Dwan Edwards, Carolina: Edwards signed last September with the Panthers and had a productive fantasy campaign that saw him finish the season with 52 total tackles and a career best six sacks. In his previous seven seasons he had amassed a total of 5� 1/2 sacks while lining up for the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. He has averaged just more than 35 combined tackles a season for his career and added three forced fumbles and an interception. Those are very...

If you look at several sets of Individual Defensive Player (IDP) rankings compiled by fantasy "experts," one of the first things that leaps out at you is the significant variation from one list to the next, much more so than you'll usually find in rankings for offensive players. This can reflect differences in the scoring used as a default in generating the rankings (which hammers home the all-important IDP draft rule of knowing the scoring in your league and how it affects player values), a difference in philosophy from ranker to ranker, or even the personal preferences or biases of a particular ranker. For example, I hate Quintin Mikell, as he has been conspiring to destroy my IDP teams since I started playing in this format. I'm on to you Quintin, and you will not succeed. Rankings also change a great deal as they're updated and injuries, depth chart changes, and schematic changes or tweaks wreak havoc on individual defensive player values. Nowhere was this more evident than in this truncated NFL offseason, as the rankings that were cranked out before the lockout ended have been eviscerated by the innumerable player moves that have occurred since the NFL light bulb finally came on. With the help of FantasySharks' resident IDP mastermind, the honored and esteemed James Elvins (figured it might be nice to involve one person who had an idea what he was talking about), let's take a deeper look at a few players whose IDP values seem to be up for debate, whether it's due to a change in role, health or just the fact that fantasy football pundits can be a contrary bunch. With that, let's start the IDP Showdown! Paul Posluszny, LB, Jacksonville James Elvins: You know what, I'm actually liking Posluszny to challenge for No. 2 overall IDP this year (Carolina's Jon Beason at No. 1 for me -- that defensive line is gosh awful. I know some people don't like him for moving away from the Buffalo Bills value wise, but I don't think his value is affected in this change. I think it's improved as you have two franchises at different stages of their rebuilding. Buffalo have been consistently working on their defensive line for the past three years. Look at their draft picks. Jacksonville has only just come into the light in that respect. They will be starting two rookie defensive tackles. Their big offseason free eagent acquisition on the line (Ron Edwards from Kansas City) has already gone on Injured Reserve. Their former first-round defensive end (Derrick Harvey) has ...