IDP Rankings

[darin3]

Linebackers

 

Nick Barnett (BUF): At the time the rankings were first completed, Barnett had not signed with Buffalo. He was ranked based on him potentially landing somewhere else. With the departure of Poz, there was obviously a huge hole to be filled and it will be taken by Barnett. Now, we're still not 100% sure he can produce like Poz did there, hence the ranking in the 30s as a solid LB3. He could easily put up LB2 numbers.

 

Defensive Linemen

 

James Hall (DE - STL): We were curious as to the severity of rookie Robert Quinn's knee injury. Quinn was cleared to practice and could steal some of Hall's thunder as a pass rusher in Spag's scheme.

 

Ahtyba Rubin (DT - CLE): : Made some changes to his projections based on Cleveland's move to the 3-4. He'll see fewer snaps this season but could still be a viable start in leagues that start DT separately.

 

Michael Johnson (DE - CIN): With the release of Antwan Odom, Johnson becomes the new starting DE opposite Carlos Dunlap. The Bengal defense should be on the field plenty, so both Dunlap and Johnson could put up good numbers.

 

Defensive Backs

 

Quintin Mikell / Craig Dahl (S - STL): Minor snafu thinking he would lose time to sorta-incumbent James Butler, in which case Craig Dahl could continue to rack up stats as the FS. Mikell, actually, is a perfect fit for Spagnuolo's defense and will be the SS starter from day one. He'll get the majority of the stats you want out of the STL backfield.

 

Danieal Manning (S - HOU): He was signed by Houston after our initial rankings were complete. He'll be an upgrade in terms of pass coverage for the Texans. Don't expect as many "big plays" and perhaps tackles, too, as compared to Bernard Pollard. But he'll be very, very startable. The low-ish ranking is likely temporary, as we see how he fits into the new defense here in preseason.

 

Dashon Goldson (S - SFO): Got re-signed, but Donte Whitner is the Niner safety that should accrue the most fantasy points.

 

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Hope this helps... we'll update as we continue to make changes to the rankings based on what we see in camp and preseason games.

[darin3]

For our August 24th update...

 

Linebackers

 

Desmond Bishop (GB): He's off to a slow start in the preseason. But it's the preseason. We just re-evaluated his games started in 2010 and are comfortable extrapolating them out for 2011; making him a tackle machine in the Packer scheme.

 

Takeo Spikes (SDC): We're liking what we're seeing out of the Bolt defense thus far. We like Spikes as the veteran along the back line of the 3-4, and the fact that Spikes and DC Greg Manusky have a history.

 

Donald Butler (SDC): It's supposedly still between Butler and James Mouton for the second ILB spot, but we like Butler here. A whole lot. He may even eat into Spikes' production as the season wears on.

 

Defensive Line

 

Jason Pierre-Paul (DE - NYG): We're being cautiously optimistic here, but it's helped out by Osi Umenyiora already getting injured. JPP is a freak and could excel in the Giants' scheme. For now he has wicked upside, but for some reason the Giants could rely on Mathias Kiwanuka to do a lot of the things Pierre-Paul would excel at. If he continues to blow up in the preseason, he'll inch up the board.

 

Osi Umenyiora (DE - NYG): For every yin, there's a yang. The yang, in this case, is Osi's knee. The knee will require surgery and could keep him out a month, perhaps even longer. He was already bitter about his contract, now he's hurt again. We bumped him down based on lost production, but we'd have a hard time drafting him, period... especially if Pierre-Paul continues to improve. Osi may come back as a situational player. Ouch.

 

Defensive Backs

 

LaRon Landry (S - WAS): Small adjustment here just based on the fact that Landry may not be 100% Week 1. He was already dealing with an Achilles problem, and then tweaked his hammy. Not the kind of injuries you want your starting SS to enter the season with.

 

Kam Chancellor (S - SEA): The starting SS spot for the Seahawks was a muddled mess two weeks ago, but has started to look a bit more clear. Chancellor is built like a LB and will have plenty of opportunities with the Seattle offense likely to struggle, keeping the defense on the field more often than not.

 

Brent Grimes (CB - ATL): Already has a pair of picks this preseason and we like his 2-year progression in terms of tackle production. Also, he signed a one-year deal a few weeks ago and will want to perform well this season to get bigger money next summer.

 

Adrian Wilson (S - ARI): Simply put, we're worried about the bicep injury. He's practicing, albeit somewhat limited. If 100% healthy he could be a monster for the Cards' D. But an injury like this can become much worse very easily. We'd proceed with caution.