The Detroit Lions announced on Monday that they signed free-agent defensive end Robert Ayers. The 33-year-old defensive lineman spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2017, he started 10 games and registered 31 total tackles, including two sacks and two forced fumbles. Detroit has been attempting to bolster their pass rush throughout the preseason. Last Thursday, they also traded for linebacker Eli Harold from the San Francisco 49ers. Ayers does not make the unit any younge[...]

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 ...

It's the most wonderful time of the year. OK yeah, it's Christmas. That's great. Time spent withthe people you love is time well spent, and if you get a new PlayStation 4 anda copy of "Madden" along with it (hint, hint) then so much the better. However, I was talking about the fantasy playoffs. If you'replaying this week, then your IDP team advanced to the postseason, andcongratulations are in order. All right, all right. Get over yourself already. Odds are, if you've made it this far, you aren't hittingthe waiver wire in search of a Week 15 starter. This isn't to say you haven'tsurvived an injury or two (or six, especially at linebacker), but you weatheredthe storm enough to advance to the postseason. However, every IDP team should constantly be trying toimprove, and in dynasty and keeper leagues there's always next year to beginpreparing for. With that in mind, we're going to change things up alittle bit with this abbreviated version of the Department of Defense. Yes,each of these young defenders has at least a puncher's chance of helping IDPsquads in Week 15, but in many cases we may not see the best they have to offeruntil 2015. IDPPICKUP OF THE WEEK DevonKennard -- OLB, New York Giants If you say the word "linebacker" to a fan of the New YorkGiants, you'll probably receive a steely-eyed glare followed by a whole bunchof stuff I can't print in this article. The Giants have been "trying" toupgrade their group at the position for years, and for the most part they'vehad exactly zero luck doing it. It looks like Big Blue may have found a keeper inKennard, however. After posting six tackles and two sacks in the Giants winover the Tennessee Titans, Head coach Tom Coughlin told DanSalomone of the team's website that the former USC star has the coachingstaff's attention. "He is maintaining his own at the line of scrimmage," Coughlinsaid. "He plays with power. He can shock you on contact, which we all observed.He is a guy that is not prone to missed assignments or anything of that nature.[He] loves to play. He is physical, so he has been the kind of things you arelooking for." Kennard should have the attention of IDP owners as well.Not only does Kennard have a favorable IDP matchup coming up with theWashington Redskins, but at this rate Kennard is playing himself into asignificant defensive role in New York in 2015. WEEK15 IDP WAIVER WIRE TARGETS DamontreMoore -- DE, New York Giants With both Mathias Kiwanuka and Robert Ayers both ...

Well, it happened again. In a season that's been defined in IDP leagues by injuryafter injury eviscerating the linebacker position, yet another top-20 fantasyoption has been lost for the season. This time it's DeMeco Ryans of thePhiladelphia Eagles, who tore his Achilles' tendon in Sunday's win over the HoustonTexans. Between those injuries and a second straight six-team byeweek in Week 10, more than a few IDP owners have numerous holes to fill,especially at that linebacker spot. Unfortunately, Week 9's biggest IDPbreakout is going to be of minimal help in that regard. Many fantasy owners have probably already put in waiver claimsfor San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, who erupted for 18 totaltackles (including 15 solos) in the Niners' stunning loss to the St. LouisRams. As the highest-scoring linebacker in all of fantasy football in Week 9,it's only natural that IDP owners should make Borland priority numero uno thisweek, right? Wrong. As well as Borland played, it's more likely than not he'llbe headed back to the bench in Week 10. Patrick Willis, who Borland replacedagainst the Rams, was a game-time decision last week, and with the 4-4 49ers infull-on wagon-circling mode there's an excellent likelihood that the Pro Bowlerwill be back in action against the New Orleans Saints. This isn't to say that Borland isn't worth a speculativeadd, especially in deeper IDP leagues. Just know going in that there's a verygood chance he won't be of much use to fantasy teams this week. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's hit this week'spickups, beginning with a rarity in this year of the banged-up ‘backers -- one thatactually made it back on the playing field. IDPPICKUP OF THE WEEK MychalKendricks -- ILB, Philadelphia Eagles Before anyone starts griping, yes, I'm aware that in manyIDP leagues Mychal Kendricks isn't available. The third-year pro was takenamong the first 20 or so players at his position in most IDP drafts this summer.However, in shallower formats you just might find Kendricks on the waiver wire,courtesy of a calf injury that cost the 24-year-old over a month. Kendricks racked up 12 tackles against the Texans lastweek, adding a sack and a forced fumble. Now, with Ryans lost for the season,Kendricks will see even more tackle opportunities, but defensive coordinatorBill Davis told BoWulf of the team's website he thinks Kendricks is up to the task. "I think he's ready," Davis said. "When Mychal's the onlylinebacker on the field...

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 --...

While it seems like the season just kicked off, week eleven is actually upon us and the bye weeks are coming to an end. Fantasy owners will have their full complement of players to choose from when setting line-ups for the stretch run and drive for the championship. As the fantasy regular season draws to an end every week is vitally important and being able to find that sleeper who blows up for a stellar week can be the difference between making the playoffs and just playing for pride. Examining the match-ups and deciphering the trends is what it's all about this time of year. Seeing who has just been missing sacks but getting consistent pressure on the quarterback or who is being thrown at the most and is poised for that two interception game. I smile like the butcher's dog the whole time that I research and write this column because of the ups and downs that fantasy football brings us on a weekly basis. Trying to stay ahead of the crowd in locating the next big thing on the defensive side of the ball from deep down NFL rosters isn't always easy, but it sure is always fun. That being said, let's get to the week eleven sleeper options. DEFENSIVE LINEMAN Tyson Alualu, DT, JACKSONVILLE, at HOUSTON: Alualu has had a very nice season on a very bad team. He's posted 27 total tackles and two sacks this season, including ten solo stops and a sack over his last four games. The Texans have been a fantasy friendly match-up for defensive lineman and Alualu registered six solo tackles in their first meeting back in week two. Look for similar numbers in week eleven from the Jaguars big defensive tackle. Henry Melton, DT, CHICAGO, at SAN FRANCISCO: While he has not posted a sack since week four, Melton has been stellar against the run for Chicago and has 31 total tackles and a forced fumble. This match-up with the 49ers looks to be a slugfest dominated by rushing attacks and Melton will benefit from that type of game. He does have four sacks and has been credited with 14 QB hurries so the possibility of a sack is always there. Phil Taylor, DT, CLEVELAND, at DALLAS: Taylor finally made his season debut in week nine and logged 34 snaps, registering a single solo tackle. He will have a much better second game back against a Cowboy team that is allowing just less than nine solo tackles a week to defensive lineman. Taylor may not be in total game shape for a couple weeks but he plays on an underrated defensive front that brings plenty of pressure up the middle where ...

It's Week 11 of the 2012 NFL season, which means two things. First, this week brings with it the last of the bye weeks, which means that soon an expanded pool of talent will once again be available to Individual Defensive Player (IDP) owners. Second, we're smack in the middle of the stretch run for the playoffs, which means that for many fantasy teams every week has become a do-or-die proposition. Another sad fact of this point in the season is that in many IDP leagues there just isn't a whole lot left on the waiver wire, making it very difficult to find impact players. However, that doesn't mean that there's nothing out there, and here's a look at some players that are available in the majority of IDP leagues that have enough fantasy value to at least be worth a look. PICKUP OF THE WEEK Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, New York Jets: Not a whole lot went right for the New York Jets in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson was one of them, tallying seven total tackles and forcing a fumble that he returned for New York's only touchdown. The second-year pro hasn't made much of a dent in the big-play column this season, but, after averaging six stops a game over the past few weeks, Wilkerson can provide a nice boost up front for IDP owners in tackle-heavy formats. Robert Ayers, DE, Denver: All the news wasn't good for the Denver Broncos after their blowout win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 10, as star defensive end Elvis Dumervil underwent an MRI on Monday after being forced from the game with a shoulder injury. If Dumervil misses significant playing time, that means that fourth-year pro Robert Ayers will see increased snaps, and as Ayers showed with five tackles and a sack against the Panthers, he is capable of producing when afforded the opportunity. Ahtyba Rubin, DT, Cleveland: The Cleveland Browns have had more than their fair share of injuries up front on defense, but it appears that coming out of their bye they finally are getting healthy. Defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin has returned to practice after missing three of the past four games with a calf injury, and, given the fifth-year veteran's penchant for racking up tackles, Rubin could be a very welcome stretch run addition, especially in IDP leagues that require defensive tackles. Mychal Kendricks, OLB, Philadelphia: Given all the injuries that have hit the linebacker position this season, the pickings on the waiver wire in many leagues is very thin. With that...

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 ...

Musical Defenses - Week 1 Audible is Denver "D" Draft day has passed and the question looms as to how well you did. Every year I have a celebratory moment where the right guy falls to me or my draft strategy pays off. This year was to grab the skill players and wait until the last pick to grab the Broncos "D" to start. All we can do is speculate at this point. I love evaluating speculators grades of team defenses. I have not agreed with one grade to this point on the Denver Broncos Defense. While I am not a Bronco fan, I know talent when I see it. Let's look at some of the things that I saw with the first team and why you should consider rolling with them versus a mediocre Raider team. Front Four Robert Ayers- DE (6'3", 274lbs) A 1st round pick in 2009, 18th overall out of Tennessee, he is really coming on. This year he finally gets the spark he needs to be a very good player. Elvis Dumervil- DE (5'11", 260lbs) A torn pectoral muscle sidelined Dumervil for the 2010 season. He is back and with a vengeance. The 2009 pro-bowler registered 17 sacks that year and is truly an elite player. He has a motor that doesn't quit. Broderick Bunkley- NT (6'2", 306lbs) Was part of an Eagles team that allowed 108 rushing yards per game. He is a force in the middle. The Florida State product was selected in the first round (14th overall) of the 2006 draft. He is a monster at the leverage game. Kevin Vickerson- DT (6'5", 290lbs) A true journeyman, Vickerson earned a starting spot with the Titans in 2009. He is a late bloomer and started 12 games for the Broncos last year. I suspect with the return of Dumervil, the pressure from the outside will result in a greater number of sacks for Vickerson inside. Linebackers Von Miller- Strong side LB (6'3", 237 lbs) The second overall pick out of Texas A&M is unbelievable. His awareness on the field is that of a journeyman. When you see this big cat play you will realize he is exactly who you need to stop the run and put pressure on the opposing team's QB. Can you say this defense is better because of one player? Rather he is the missing piece that makes this defense better. DJ Williams- Weak side LB (6'1", 242lbs) 119 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season make me believe this guy can play at the highest level. His 475 tackles in the last four seasons is 7th in the NFL. I could go on and on including his joining Ray Lewis and James Farrior as as the only three players with at least 700 tackles and 15 sacks since he entered the ...