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.
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.
All IDP leagues are created differently. I have one that starts five defense guys from any position each week. I have one that starts two DLs, two LBs, two DBs, and two flex defenders each week. I have another with different settings than those two, but you get the picture. As such, it makes it extremely difficult to figure out who's going to be available in your league on a weekly basis.
Desperate to upgrade their struggling and banged-up secondary, the Lions acquired safety Ko Simpson from the Bills on Friday for an undisclosed draft pick.
By all accounts, Simpson will start at safety opposite rookie Louis Delmas, assuming Simpson passes his physical and settles in before Week 1. Simpson started 15 games for Buffalo last season, intercepting two balls and making 76 tackles.
Detroit likely coughed up a mid-round pick in this deal -- a move that would be extremely worthwhile for the Lions. Before the trade, Kelvin Pearson was penciled in, hesitantly, at Detroit's second starting safety spot. Pearson has had a miserable preseason and Detroit's been actively looking to upgrade.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews." We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
Without playing a game, the Detroit Lions have matched their 2008 regular season win total. Naturally, this is an embarrassing fact, and one that Lions fans are probably sick of hearing. However, it also serves to show how easy it will be for head coach Jim Schwartz to be hailed as a genius this season. The Lions will win a game (or more!) in 2009, and Schwartz has done some things in the offseason to point this franchise in a positive direction. It's time now for the players to see the benefits of their hard work during the spring and summer.
As expected, the Steelers finally got around to releasing linebacker Larry Foote today. The team's 2002 fifth-round pick hadn't missed a start since 2004, but with the emergence of Lawrence Timmons, Foote became expendable. In fact, last season, Foote was a two-down player, coming off the field in passing situations. And that, along with Timmons' progress and Foote's $2.9 million salary for next season, was enough for the Steelers to make a change.
Foote never made the Pro Bowl during his seven-year career, but he was an integral part of the defense, particularly after Dick LeBeau returned as coordinator in 2004. He was one of the team's most consistent players, and that, along with his age (28), means he won't be out of a job for long.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
Let's face reality. The Detroit Lions could have had ten picks in the first round and still not addressed every hole they had on their team. Instead, they had to make due with two first-rounders, then do the best they could to fill holes over the course of the draft.
There used to be a time when teams would use a first-round pick on a quarterback with the understanding that he would sit on the bench for two or three years, learn the offense, and then assume the full-time gig. Recently, with the proliferation of the pro-style offense in college, and the out-of-control salaries top-of-the-draft quarterbacks now command, more is expected sooner.
The Detroit Lions took all the suspense out of the first pick in Saturday's NFL draft by signing quarterback Matthew Stafford to a six-year contract Friday night. But the Lions made a couple of surprising picks later in the day, drafting Brandon Pettigrew with the 20th pick and Louis Delmas with the 33rd.
Pettigrew is a talented tight end from Oklahoma State who will be a good target for Stafford, but I'm not convnced he was the right pick at 20. I would have preferred a player like Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin or Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis.
To get ready for this weekend's draft, we're looking position-by-position at who could go in the first round. Click here for the rest of the breakdowns.
Probable First-Round Picks
CB/S Malcolm Jenkins (mid first round), CB Vontae Davis (mid-to-late first round). This isn't a good year if you're looking for a shutdown corner. The top cornerback in this draft, Jenkins, is thought by some experts to be a free safety in the NFL because of his questionable man-to-man coverage skills. Davis is the best athlete among the corners, but he's shown lackadasical effort during his college career, which leads one to wonder, what will he do when he has millions in the bank? Neither are slam dunk picks, but with the constant need for cornerbacks, both are first-round picks this year.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
To say the 2008 Dallas Cowboys season was tumultuous wouldn't really be giving credit to the word. The team had suspensions, Jessica Simpsons and the incredible absence of TD-ing. Dallas missed the playoffs after being a favored team going into the season and now has gone through a total redesign.
With Terrell Owens shipped to Buffalo, the passing game will go through Roy Williams, who has never been the player to take control of an offense. Balking on Ray Lewis and sticking with Tony Romo, this crew has a long way to go to be the best in their division, which is the toughest in the NFL. Along with all their obvious holes, the offensive line is a tad thin and the safety position could be improve drastically.
Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then 
Desperate to upgrade their struggling and banged-up secondary, the 
Training camps have wrapped up, the 
As 
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 
There used to be a time when teams would use a first-round pick on a quarterback with the understanding that he would sit on the bench for two or three years, learn the offense, and then assume the full-time gig. Recently, with the proliferation of the pro-style offense in college, and the out-of-control salaries top-of-the-draft quarterbacks now command, more is expected sooner. 
The Detroit Lions took all the suspense out of the first pick in Saturday's NFL draft by signing quarterback 
To get ready for this weekend's draft, we're looking position-by-position at who could go in the first round. 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
