I thought I would introduce a new in-season article this year in which I discuss a few players whose fantasy value has either gone up or down depending on their performance, role changes, injury concerns, etc. from the previous week. I will try to get this article out every Thursday for your reading pleasure.
Stock Up
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RDE John Abraham (ATL) – Abraham’s value took quite a hit after his disappointing 2009 season in which he only had 6 sacks (down from 16.5 his previous season). This decrease in performance was likely due to prevailing season-long injuries and over usage of Abraham by the Falcons. Atlanta seems to have learned their lesson as they have reduced Abraham’s workload to about 30 snaps per game which has kept him more fresh and injury-free than last season and has directly resulted in his increase in sacks. He’s in the upper echelon of DL2s. |
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RDE/ROLB David Bowens (CLE) – With Scott Fujita out for the next few weeks, Bowens gets a chance to step into the lineup and make his presence known. He’s not going to set the world on fire in the tackle column, but he’s consistently been in the 4-6 sack range for the last several seasons. Bowens true value lies in that he’s classified as a defensive end in some scoring systems. He’s a decent DL3 option as long as Fujita is out. As a linebacker, he’s a LB5/6. |
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RILB Mario Haggan (DEN) – Haggan has been been a pleasant surprise for IDP owners this season. He’s posted 46 solo tackles and 11 assists and is coming off a three sack game. I wouldn’t expect the sacks to continue, but Haggan has been a respectable LB4 this season. He hasn’t had less than 6 total tackles since Week 4 and his numbers should only improve with DJ Williams likely to be suspended for a couple of games. |
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SS Patrick Chung (NE) – Chung is back and man does it feel good. Chung owners have been missing the young playmaker’s production the last few weeks as he was out with a knee injury. He looks to be mostly recovered from his injury and was flying around in Sunday’s game against the Steelers with the same physicality he possessed pre-injury. This talent, combined with his role in Belicheck’s defensive scheme, makes Chung a DB1 in most weeks. Go out and grab him if he’s on your waiver wire. |
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LCB Bryant McFadden (PIT) – McFadden has been one of the better tackle-producing fantasy cornerbacks over the last 5 weeks. During this span, he has averaged over 6 solo tackles per game. He’s a physical cornerback who isn’t afraid to come up and get his nose dirty in stopping the run. He had a decent year in the tackle column in 2009, so I don’t consider this production to be an aberration. By this point, it’s a trend.
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Stock Down
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LDE William Hayes (TEN) – Hayes was one of my bigger sleepers at the defensive end position coming into this season (along with many other IDP writers) and for a combination of reasons, he’s fallen flat on his face. He only has 13 tackles on the season and has yet to register a sack. The most disturbing part about this is that he plays on a defensive line that has sacked the quarterback more times than any other defensive front in the league. Granted, he’s been slowed by injuries and has been rotated out a decent amount, but it looks like we are going to have to wait until next year for any type of value to develop out of this player. |
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SLB Stephen Nicholas (ATL) – Nicholas filled in quite admirably for the injured rookie Sean Weatherspoon over the last five weeks. However, it looks like Weatherspoon is finally healthy enough to return to the starting lineup and, although the argument can be made that Nicholas has earned a starting spot, he likely heads back to the bench. If this is indeed the case, he becomes droppable in most formats as he won’t garner enough playing time to have much value. I would wait until we hear official word on his situation before dropping him, however.
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LILB D.J. Williams (DEN) – Williams had his worst fantasy game of the year following on the heals of his DUI arrest and consequently being stripped of his defensive captaincy. I wouldn’t read too heavily into this performance as the Broncos got ahead early and the Chiefs were forced to pass thereby greatly reducing Williams’ tackle opportunities. However, you have to be a bit concerned that Williams will lose some of his focus after this incident and with a possible suspension forthcoming. He’s still an every week starter, just make sure and keep your eye on this situation. |
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SS Charles Godfrey (CAR) – After a solid start to the season, Godfrey’s play his quickly tampered off. He’s only averaged 4 total tackles a game over this last 4 starts and hasn’t produced any turnovers. I warned readers earlier in the season that Godfrey was likely to run into a wall at some point during the year. Playing in a Cover-2 defensive scheme behind three solid linebackers is a recipe for inconsistency throughout the year. I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting Godfrey as anything more than a DB4. |
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SS William Moore (ATL) – Many IDP pundits had high hopes for Moore once he claimed the starting strong safety position from veteran Erik Coleman. Coleman had posted back-t0-back 80+ solo tackle seasons in the position and many expected Moore to continue that type of tackle production plus add in a few big plays throughout the season. The big plays were there earlier in the season, but have disappeared as of late. The most concerning part of this whole thing is that Moore has failed to put up respectable tackle numbers the last few weeks against strong tackle matchups. I wouldn’t trust him as a starter at this point until he shows us he can produce on a more consistent basis. |
As always thanks for reading and for your comments! You guys have been keeping me busy! I’m looking forward to your questions, comments, and derogatory remarks.
Last Updated: November 18, 2010
