I thought I would introduce a new in-season article this year in which I discuss a few players who’s 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 Kyle Vanden Bosch – I have a love/hate relationship with KVB. I thought he was an overrated piece of dog poop when he played with the Titans. I still don’t think he’s capable of being a DL1 without other great lineman to protect him (e.g. Albert Haynesworth). However, he actually does have the luxury of playing on an above-average defensive line in Detroit where he receives plenty of protection and he was all over the field last Sunday against the Bears (10-1-0). As long as Detroit’s line stays healthy, Vanden Bosch will be a low-end fantasy DL1. |
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LDT Sedrick Ellis – Ellis is someone that I had my eye on entering the season. He’s one of the most talented defensive tackles in the game and if he can stay healthy he could be a very nice pickup for those owners in DT-required leagues. He had a nice game against the Vikings with 5 total tackles and a sack. |
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MLB E.J. Henderson – T.J. Henderson E.J. Henderson has been an IDP that has managed to fall off most fantasy owners radars due to freak injuries keeping him out for for a large part of the last two seasons. When healthy, Henderson is fully capable of putting up low LB1 numbers. He’s a sound tackler with two great defensive tackles who free him up to have clear shots at the ballcarrier. He also blitzes quite a bit and is capable of 4 or 5 sacks in a season. He looked pretty darn good in the season opener and posted 9 total tackles (8 solos). He’s available on the waiver wire right now and can be had for LB3 cost. |
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MLB Brian Urlacher (CHI) – Urlacher looked great in the teams controversial game against the Lions. He was all over the field and seems to have regained the tenaciousness he had at the beginning of his career. Briggs is still the linebacker to own here, but Urlacher’s stock is rising. |
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FS Michael Griffin (TEN) – Griffin was a sleeper of mine during the off-season and he started the season with a bang by posting 10 solo tackles and 2 assists. People forget Griffin was a top 10 DB in 2008 when he posted 7 INTS and 75 total tackles. I wouldn’t expect anything more than average tackle numbers out of Griffin, but he has a knack for finding the ball and could be a solid play in big-play leagues. |
Stock Down
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NT Randy Starks (MIA) – Starks was on my bust list this year and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be coming off it anytime soon. He posted just 1 tackle against the Bills and the fantasy blackhole that is nose tackle has seemed to consume most of his fantasy value. He’s fairly safe to drop in most formats. |
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MLB Gary Brackett (IND) – Gary Brackett and Union Gap looked unimpressive in the Colts opener against the Texans. Considering Arian Foster ran the ball 33 times, Brackett should have put up more than 4 tackles. He looked sluggish and slow to the ball and wasn’t diagnosing plays efficiently. I have to wonder if that big contract he signed has him a bit complacent. He’s been too reliable over the past few seasons to drop, but keep an eye on his performance this week as there are a lot of good linebackers on the waiver wire. |
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WLB Michael Boley – I was really high on Boley entering into the season. He was a three-down linebacker playing on the weak side in a cover-2 based system. However, Boley now seems like the odd linebacker out in New York. The Giants had 13 plays with their “big base” and five plays with Kiwanuka playing linebacker behind the normal line. That meant Boley was on the sideline for 18 more plays than usual which limited his overall snaps to 48. I don’t expect the Giants to use their big base package every game, just against teams that run the ball a lot like Carolina. But, it’s still a big blow to Boley’s overall value. I see him as an LB4 with LB3 upside. |
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WLB David Hawthorne (SEA) – I wasn’t quite as high on Hawthorne as some of my fellow IDP writers. The fact remains he had one good season and he wasn’t highly touted coming out of college. But I still expected Hawthorne to put up more than 3 tackles in Seattle’s blowout of the 49ers. Granted he got hurt during the game and that limited his play count to a certain degree, but what is most concerning to me is that he wasn’t playing in the teams nickel packages. He only played in 33 of the team’s 66 defensive snaps. Hawthorne is a guy I would sell high on if you can. |
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SS Brian Dawkins (DEN) – This guy is older than dirt and I’m afraid it’s finally beginning to show. He’s never been a top level tackle DB (outside of last season) and he only managed 3 tackles last week against Jacksonville. Dawkins always seems to come up with points whether it be through tackles, sacks, INTs, FFs, etc., but I wouldn’t hold onto him if guys like Patrick Chung or LaRon Landry are on your waiver wire. |
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: September 16, 2010
