1. Oshiomogho Atogwe, St.
Louis Rams (Bye Week: 9)
77 solo tackles, 8 assisted;
5 INT, 6 FF, 3 FR, 1 TD
Atogwe led the NFL in
interceptions in 2007 with
eight, and then came back in
2008 with five more to go with
85 total tackles. In three
seasons as a starter, Atogwe has
gone from a good fantasy player
to the top defensive back. He
gives you great statistics at
every category except for sacks,
and he is elite at his position
at everything else. Atogwe is
certainly the kind of guy who
can lead your defense.
2. Gibril Wilson, Miami
Dolphins (Bye Week: 6)
98 solo tackles, 36 assisted;
1.5 sacks, 2 INT, 1 FF, 3 FR,
SAFETY
Ever since his rookie year with
the Giants, Wilson has been a
playmaker. He is always around
the ball, whether it is making a
tackle, sacking the quarterback,
picking off a pass, or jarring
the ball loose, Wilson always
seems to make things happen. I
am impressed at the numbers he
put up on an atrocious Raiders
team last season, but now he
goes to Miami. He will likely
loose a bit on the tackle
numbers as he moves to free
safety, but Wilson does enough
of everthing else to keep his
owners more than happy.
Consider him a guy to be one of
the first handful of DBs off the
board.
3. Antoine Winfield,
Minnesota Vikings (Bye
Week: 9)
81 solo tackles, 14 assisted;
2 sacks, 2 INT, 4 FF, 2 FR, 2 TD
No one gets more tackles from
the cornerback position than
Antoine Winfield. In five of
his last six healthy seasons, he
has accumulated more than 80
solo tackles, with a high of
92. He doesn't get to the
quarterback very often, but you
can pretty much count on him for
two to five interceptions per
year. Throw in a few forced
fumbles, and you have one of the
more valuable defensive backs if
you league plays with IDPs. He
is without a doubt a number one
defensive back.
4. Yeremiah Bell, Miami
Dolphins (Bye Week: 6)
100 solo tackles, 20
assisted; 1 sack, 3 FF, 1 FR
With Gibril Wilson and Channing
Crowder getting tackles, you
wouldn't think there were enough
for anyone else to score
points. Bell was their number
one tackle guy, and one of two
defensive backs to break 100
solo tackles. I don't think
there is any doubt that Bell's
tackle numbers will decrease,
but even if they drop by 20% he
still has 80 solo tackles. With
a handful of sacks and a couple
interceptions, Bell still should
be an elite defensive back in
2009.
5. Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens
(Bye Week: 7)
34 solo tackles, 7 assisted;
1 sack, 9 INT, 1 FF, 2 FR, 1 TD
Fantasy or not, there might not
be anyone more feared than Ed
Reed in the defensive
backfield. Reed is a candidate
to intercept any pass that comes
near him, and when he has the
ball he definitely has the
mentality of a wide receiver
rather than a safety. He may
not get as many tackles as some
of these other guys on the list,
but his ability to score points
for you in other ways is
unmatched in fantasy. Consider
Reed an excellent choice to lead
your defensive backfield.
6. Adrian Wilson, Arizona
Cardinals (Bye Week: 4)
60 solo tackles, 15 assisted;
2.5 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF
Wilson has long been one of my
favorite guys to own in IDP
leagues. He has had a season of
93 solo tackles and eight sacks,
and another one where he had
five interceptions. He truly
does fill up all the stat
categories, and has been
incredibly consistent with the
tackles. Expect him to get at
least 75 solo stops, 4 sacks,
and four picks.
7. Kerry Rhodes, New York
Jets (Bye Week: 9)
60 solo tackles, 24 assisted;
1 sack, 2 INT, 2 FR
Rhodes has been one of the
better IDP players to own over
his career. However, the past
two seasons his numbers have
been down, but that was largely
due to the fact that then Head
Coach Eric Mangini was changing
his role. New coach Rex Ryan
wants him to be for the Jets
what Ed Reed was for the Ravens
under Ryan. If that doesn't get
you excited, nothing will.
8. Eric Weddle, San Diego
Chargers (Bye Week: 5)
105 solo tackles, 22
assisted; 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FR
In just his second season,
Weddle established himself as
one of the more reliable
tacklers in the league. Weddle
had ten games in which he
totaled seven solo tackles or
more, and although he didn't do
a ton as far as the other
categories were concerned, a
defensive back getting over 100
solo tackles is nearly unheard
of. I would expect him to take
a step back, but even if it is
20%, Weddle is still one of the
best defensive backs to own.
9. Chris Gamble, Carolina
Panthers (Bye Week: 4)
83 solo tackles, 10 assited;
3 INT, 1 FF, 2 FR, 1 TD
Gamble is a rare cornerback to
be this high in the rankings,
and even though he doesn't get
to the quarterback much, you can
count on Gamble to have between
three and six interceptions. He
also has a knack for knocking
the football loose, and has a
nose for the endzone. Gamble
should be a guy who can be a top
defensive back on a championship
roster.
10. Ronde Barber, Tampa Bay
Buccaneers (Bye Week: 8)
67 solo tackles, 8 assisted;
2 sacks, 4 INT, 1 FR, 1 TD
Barber's numbers have fallen off
bit over the last two years, but
he is still an impressive IDP
player. Before the last two
seasons, Barber had three
straight years of over 80 solo
tackles, with a few sacks and a
few interceptions. Even though
his tackle numbers have taken a
bit of a dive, Barber is still
among the best cornerbacks to
own in IDP leagues, and will
have at least a few sacks, and a
few interceptions as well. He
is a low end number one
defensive back, but an
incredible number two if you can
get him at that spot.
11. Charles Tillman, Chicago
Bears (Bye Week: 5)
81 solo tackles, 12 assisted;
3 INT, 4 FF, 1 TD
Tillman has been one of the more
consistent defensive backs,
averaging over 70 solo tackles
and four interceptions over the
past four seasons. He has also
proven very adept at forcing
fumbles when he tackles the ball
carrier, which adds to his
value. He did have back surgery
in the offseason, but he says
that he will be ready before the
season starts. Tillman is a low
level first DB, or an amazing
number two.
12. Brandon Meriweather, New
England Patriots (Bye Week:
8)
61 solo tackles, 22 assisted;
2 sacks, 4 INT, 2 FF
Meriweather took a huge step
forward from his first to his
second season, and I could see
another big step being taken in
2o09. He will be the starting
strong safety for one of the
better defenses in football, and
his ability to not only rack up
the tackles, but his knack for
sacks and picks make him a
player that can vault up these
rankings next year. He is just
25 and entering the prime of his
career, and Meriweather should
top 70 tackles with at least
three interceptions and three
sacks.
Not only will I be writing an
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