FanHouse David Harris

Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then Ballhawkin' is for you. Here, we pick out a few Individual Defensive Players that could have huge weeks and are possibly sitting in your free-agent pool.

Those of you that picked up Stephen Cooper heading into Week 1 were treated to a pleasant surprise, as the San Diego linebacker notched 13 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two passes defended. In my league, he earned me 19 points, which was good enough for the top defensive performance of the week. Other great calls were Louis Delmas with 15 points, James Laurinaitis with 14 points, and E.J. Henderson with 9.5 points. I wasn't so lucky with Kerry Rhodes and Jason Taylor, although Taylor did get a sack in his game.

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

If it feels like we talk about Brandon Marshall a lot in this space, that's because we do. There's good reason though, since Marshall is one of the most asked about players in fantasy football due to his fluctuating draft value. In our recent FanHouse league draft, Marshall fell to the fifth round and the chat feedback ranged from "nice pick" to "lol, good luck with that one."

Now the Marshall-to-Jets angle is circulating again, two weeks after the first report that New York was interested.

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Every Play Counts is Michael David Smith's weekly look at one specific player or one aspect of a team on every single play of the previous game.

In an installment of Every Play Counts last month, I wrote about how the New York Jets' defense had dominated the Buffalo Bills' offense, and specifically how defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was a practically unstoppable presence in the middle of the line. The Bills finished that November game with just 30 rushing yards on 17 carries, and the Jets' defense looked like it could lead them deep into the postseason.

And then in Sunday's Jets-Bills rematch, Buffalo ran 32 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns, and the Jets' defense looked like it had no business playing in the postseason at all. Although Bills quarterback J.P. Losman ended up giving the game to the Jets with five turnovers, including three in the final 2:06 of the fourth quarter, the Jets' run defense was a mess.

So what's gone wrong? And can the Jets count on their run defense to lead them in the playoffs? We explore in this week's installment of Every Play Counts.

As we get ready for the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, FanHouse is looking back at each team's 2007 first-round pick. Here's a look at the 14th pick in the draft, cornerback Darrelle Revis.

When you're 1-8, success becomes a relative thing. Nothing is going to save your season so you just want to see enough signs of growth down the stretch to make you believe the entire year isn't a waste. The Jets found themselves in just that position and the last three weeks have discovered that there might be a few diamonds in the rough on their defense.

Sandwiched around a disaster in Dallas have been the team's two strongest defensive games of the year. That's a positive sign as the season plays out, especially since the improvement has coincided with increased playing time for several new players. David Harris and Darrelle Revis, the first two draft picks, have gotten much of the notice but others have contributed as well. On the defensive line, C.J. Mosley has 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles since the bye week while Sione Pouha has recorded 10 tackles in the same period. That's more production than Dewayne Robertson was giving for about 10 times the price.

Throw in resurgent play from Bryan Thomas, Shaun Ellis and Victor Hobson and you've got a defensive revival. All of those guys play in the front seven and when they do their job the ripples can be felt all over the field. Kerry Rhodes spent the first half of the year unable to be the playmaker who opened eyes in 2006 but has been back in that role because the guys in front of him are doing their jobs. Corners are helped when the pass rush is working and the entire unit can show its teeth.

There are two caveats to this improved play. The first is that last week's game was against Miami, a gaping chasm of awfulness and the second is that the same thing happened in 2006. The Jets entered the bye as a subpar defensive club and played the second half as one of the best units in the league. Then they fell flat on their face to start this season so it's much too soon to start counting any chickens. They've stopped laying eggs, though, and that's a start.

With Al Wilson out in Denver, the job turns to finding his replacement. Wilson was unusually popular, so much so that owner Pat Bowlen, on a personal level, was sad to see him go:

"I was pretty close to Al, personally ... I don't really get that close to a lot of players but I had a good relationship with Al... I don't think there was any option for us, or maybe Al, until he gets his neck straightened out. I don't know if wants to play this year. Maybe next year. But he was a very important part of our team for eight years. You don't get a better leader than Al."

But as we're constantly reminded, the NFL is a business, and the Broncos must get down to the business of finding Wilson's replacement. The Denver Post's Mike Klis says the team has three options: (1) Draft Michigan MLB David Harris, (2) Move D.J. Williams from outside to inside linebacker, (3) Sign a free agent like former Falcons Ed Hartwell.

Each of these options comes with risks -- Harris would be a rookie trying to adjust to the NFL on the fly; Williams has never played MLB; Hartwell, though 28, has an injury history -- and none are as appealing as keeping a healthy Al Wilson.