The Buffalo Bills hosted free-agent linebacker Karlos Dansby on a visit, according to a source. Dansby will be entering his 15th season in 2018, but he's recorded at least 100 tackles in seven of his last 10 seasons and had 95 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one interception in 2017, showing that he can still make a difference at his age. In Buffalo, he'd help replace Preston Brown, who left to play for the Bengals in free agency.

This article references and more! The Cleveland Browns D/ST is expected to be a bottom-five unit again this season and should not be drafted. They lost several key pieces in the offseason including Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby, while questions remain about Joe Haden's full return to health. The Browns may have a few weeks where they are a useful streaming option, but for now leave them on the waiver wire.Keep on reading: Cleveland Browns D/ST a Stay Away for this Season

This article references and more! The Bengals D/ST unit was solid for fantasy purposes last season, allowing the second-fewest points and snagging 21 interceptions, good enough for third in the league. They should be a strong fantasy defense again in 2016 as they didn't lose many key pieces and added Karlos Dansby to their linebacker corps. Dansby is getting up there in years but is still a productive defender and should be a leader on the defense. Cincinnati scored just one defensive touchdown last season, which kept their over[...]Keep on reading: Cincinnati Bengals D/ST Should be Solid Yet Again This Season

So, I told myself a couple weeks ago that I would wait until after the NFL Draft to do my initial Individual Defensive Player (IDP) rankings. And then about three days later, I started working on my initial IDP rankings and finished them today. Yes, I also lie to myself. So to all those bill collectors out there, I say, take heart and remain in line. Is it too early for a really comprehensive set of rankings to be finished? You betcha!! Will the rankings be adjusted at least 100 times before the season due to the draft, injury updates and the remainder of free agency? You know they will! Are we going to take a quick look at my top 10 players at linebacker, defensive backs and defensive linemen? Of course, we are!! LINEBACKERS 1. Luke Kuechly, Carolina: Kuechly hasn’t missed a game in his first three years and averages 158 total tackles per season. He aso brings big play potential and has racked up six sacks, seven interceptions and has recovered four fumbles to-date. 2. Lavonte David, ILB, Tampa Bay: Not far behind Kuechly and I am perfectly happy with landing either guy as my top linebacker. David has put up more big plays than Kuechly and will be on the field a lot this season. 3. DeAndre Levy, Detroit: Has seen a career resurgence over the last two seasons, putting up an average of 100 solo tackles. In the prior four seasons, he averaged 60 solo tackles. Levy has also been a big play factor with 2½ sacks along with seven interceptions the past two years. Plus, he has an awesome beard. 4. C.J. Mosley, Baltimore: The kid is the real deal and will surpass the 128 total stops he amassed last season. Mosley also brings big play potential to the table and amassed three sacks and a pair of interceptions as a rookie. 5. Bobby Wagner, Seattle: Wagner missed five games last year and still hit triple-digit tackles. He could push Kuechly and David for the top spot but the home stat crew he deals with in Seattle may keep that from happening (they hand out too many assists). 6. Paul Posluszny, Jacksonville: Posluszny may be coming off an injury and on the wrong side of 30 but I love him this year. He’s the three-down middle inside linebacker on a defense that will be on the field plenty. 7. Jamie Collins, New England: Collins is an ascending talent who is in for a huge season even with the...

Injured IDP? Sean Kirby helps you decide to start, sit, buy, sell, or simply cut. This week he'll take an in-depth look at Karlos Dansby as well as league-wide injuries.

With there being three games on Thanksgiving and thisarticle being posted Friday morning, the pickings are a bit thin this week. Nonetheless, we here at 53-Deep worked tirelessly to findsome deep sleeper options to help secure that coveted playoff spot for IDPowners. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Cory Redding, DE,IDIANAPOLIS vs. Washington (44): Redding has been credited with nine QBhurries and one hit over his past five games and has the perfect matchup to seehis efforts come to fruition. Washington allows pressure on 15.5% of their dropbacks and has given up 15 sacks to defensive linemen over the last four games.Newly named starter Colt McCoy is in for a long day. Clinton McDonald, DT,TAMPA BAY vs. Cincinnati (53): Ride the hot hand here as McDonald hasracked up a sack in three consecutive games. He's also put up six solo tacklesin that time frame with a fumble recovery as well. The Bengals have struggledat times to handle interior pressure and have allowed 3 ½ sacks to the tackleposition. Mike Daniels, DE,GREEN BAY vs. New England (45): Daniels is averaging 43 snaps per game andhas been credited with seven QB hurries and three hits in the last three games.He did rack up a sack last week against Minnesota and stands a good chance at gettingto Tom Brady this week. New England has allowed 11 sacks to defensive linementhis season with 10 of the 11 going to defensive ends. Damontre Moore, DE,NEW YORK GIANTS at Jacksonville (60): Moore snagged his third sack of theseason last week while playing merely six snaps. Look for an increase in hisworkload this week against a Jaguars offense that has given up 43 sacks on theseason. This is a confidence building game for Moore as he gets to BlakeBortles at least once. LINEBACKERS David Hawthorne, WLB,NEW ORLEANS at Pittsburgh (62): The Steelers run the ball an average of 27times per game and that has Hawthorne written all over it. Always a solidtackle producer, Hawthorne has played 119-of-122 possible snaps since returningfrom injury and is primed for a big week. In their last two games, Pittsburghhas given up 28 total stops to inside linebackers along with 2 ½ sacks. Craig Robertson, ILB,CLEVELAND at Buffalo (52): Since Karlos Dansby went down, Robertson hasassumed a full-time role on the defense and racked up 20 total tackles in thelast two games. Buffalo runs the ball 50% of the time and has given up 34tackles to linebackers in the last two games. Teams are averaging 49.6 tacklechances per game against the ...

Injured IDP? Sean Kirby helps you decide to start, sit, buy, sell, or simply cut. This week he'll take an in-depth look at Karlos Dansby as well as league-wide injuries.

On Tuesday, March 11th, the NFL's equivalent of "Black Friday" kicks off, as NFL teams scratch and claw to have their pick of this year's free agent crop. Well, actually, with the "legal tampering" period that begins on March 8, teams have already had the weekend to woo free agents. Still, it reads better if it happens that way, so screw it...mad scramble it is. Of course, some of the dominoes have already fallen (or not, as the case may be). Inside linebacker Donald Butler re-upped with the San Diego Chargers, where he'll stay an LB2. Defensive end Greg Hardy got the franchise tag from the Carolina Panthers, which leaves him making $13 million as a DL1 this season. D'Qwell Jackson, on the other hand, is moving on. Released after eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Jackson visited several teams before signing a four-year, $22 million deal to start along side Jerrell Freeman in Indianapolis. As the floodgates prepare to open, Fantasy Sharks' Staffers Gary Davenport, Walton Spurlin and Mike Woellert gathered together to discuss the IDP impact of this year's free agent class. First Down: Of all the individual defensive players set to hit free agency on Tuesday, which veteran most has your attention and why? Gary Davenport: Since I think a fairly large percentage of the names of interest to IDP owners (Karlos Dansby, Daryl Smith) will stay put (and relatively stable) in 2014, I'll touch on a few guys who could wind up in new homes. Defensive end Jared Allen and the Vikings appear headed for a split, and the Denver Broncos reportedly had interest in him at last year's trade deadline. If Allen gets a nice deal and a boost in morale from a change in scenery, there might just be a top-five season left in his tank. Similarly, Charles Tillman was a mess for the Chicago Bears last year, but if he travels south and rejoins Lovie Smith with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers there could be some real upside for the aging cornerback. With Butler wrapped up, Washington's Perry Riley is likely the top young inside linebacker among free agents this year, so the demand for his services could be high. It will interesting to see where he lands. Walton Spurlin: I may be going for the easy 'low hanging fruit' answer here, but I feel the veteran IDP free agent with the most upside and value is ILB Karlos Dansby. Dansby is coming off of back-to-back 100 solo tackle seasons, and has put up at least 95 or more total tackles for seven straight years. Dansby is a three down ...

In Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues, linebackers are kings of the fantasy mountain, the steady tackle producers that form the backbone of most IDP squads. The same doesn't necessarily hold true in the NFL, however. Sure, pass-rushing outside linebackers like Green Bay's Clay Matthews have hit the proverbial jackpot, but the Packers' standout is more exception than rule. In fact, many inside linebackers can find free agency more grind than gravy. Take Arizona's Karlos Dansby, for instance. After being cut loose by the Miami Dolphins last year, Dansby twisted in the wind for weeks without any real offers before signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals late in free agency. Now Dansby prepares to do it all over again, and he off this year's look at the biggest free agents at the most important position in IDP, and how their job search could affect their fantasy value for the upcoming season and beyond. Karlos Dansby, ILB, Arizona This past season was just filled with surprises for Karlos Dansby . First, despite tallying a career-high 134 tackles in 2012 (including 101 solos, the first time in his career Dansby hit that mark), Dansby was surprisingly let go by the Miami Dolphins after three years with the team. Then came that twisting that I alluded to earlier, before Dansby made his way back to the desert on a one-year deal. All the 11th-year pro did there was lead the entire NFL with 114 solos, chip in 6½ sacks and finish the year as the most valuable linebacker in all of fantasy football. The 31-year-old has made it clear he would like to return to the Cardinals, telling SiriusXM Radio (via Darren Urban of the team's website), "I definitely expect to be an Arizona Cardinal next year. We don't have long here (before free agency) so we'll get to talking and try and hammer something out." If the Cardinals are serious about last year's 10-6 campaign not being a fluke, they'll keep Dansby around. Predicting another top 5 season may be wishful thinking, but after posting more than 100 solos each of the past two years, the veteran is at the very least a high-floor IDP LB2 for 2014. Daryl Smith, ILB, Baltimore If Dansby's success in 2013 was surprising, then Smith's season was a jaw-dropper. After all, Smith was only supposed to be a bargain-basement "bridge" player who would ease 2013 second-round pick Arthur Brown's transition to the NFL. Well, apparently no one told Smith. The 31-year-old slid into Ray Lewis' old spot in the middle of ...

The next division we are looking at is the AFC East, and things are very interesting indeed as the kickoff to the 2013 season is dead ahead. The New England Patriots figure to dominate the division (yawn) again but may have a surprise rival from down south. The Miami Dolphins have made a bevy of moves this offseason in order to challenge New England and the gap may be getting smaller. Buffalo and New York have some work to do (cough ... fire Rex Ryan ... cough) to get back to respectability. LINEBACKERS 1. Jerod Mayo, WLB, New England: As the Patriots defense morphed into more of a base 4-3 scheme, Mayo has made the transition from 3-4 inside linebacker to weakside linebacker in the new scheme seamlessly. He racked up 147 total tackles along with three sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception in 2012. Only 27 years old, Mayo has years and years of productivity ahead of him and excellent dynasty, as well as redraft format, potential. He is a three down, top 10 overall linebacker for fantasy purposes and should be drafted early on as a high-end LB1 to anchor IDP teams. 2. Dannell Ellerbe, MLB, Miami: Ellerbe signed with the Dolphins in March and immediately inherited the middle linebacker job formerly held by Karlos Dansby. Ellerbe stepped up once the Baltimore Ravens lost Ray Lewis for an extended period in 2012, amassing 69 solo tackles and 4½ sacks in 13 games. As the three down middle linebacker in Miami, Ellerbe can be expected to post numbers similar to those of Dansby last season, which was a very fantasy-friendly 134 total tackles (101 solo) along with a sack, forced fumble and nine passes defended. Ellerbe has flashed more big play potential than Dansby of late and could even surpass those totals as the man in the middle for the Dolphins. He is a solid LB2 fantasy prospect for 2013 and beyond. 3. Demario Davis, RILB, New York Jets: Davis has assumed a three down role in his second season and figures to be on the field plenty as the Jets have no offense to speak of. New York is playing Davis and David Harris as ‘left and right' inside linebackers as opposed to the weakside linebacker and strongside linebacker designation. Davis is strong in coverage and will more than likely lead the Jets in total tackles this season as long as he stays healthy. Look for very solid high-end LB3 numbers with the upside to possibly reach high-end LB2 numbers if the Jets offense proves as ineffective as I believe it will be. 4. Kiko Alonso, ILB, ...