13. Champ Bailey, Denver
Broncos (Bye Week: 7)
39 solo tackles, 5 assisted;
1 sack, 1 INT, 2 FF (9 games)
You won't find too many guys
that are considered "shut down
corners" on this list, but
Bailey would make it every
single season. Most guys who are
as good as Champ in coverage
don't record as many tackles,
and outside of the last two
seasons he usually gets a decent
number of interceptions as
well. If he is your best
defensive back you aren't in bad
shape, but you would be much
better off if he was your
second.
14. Bob Sanders,
Indianapolis Colts (Bye
Week: 6)
25 solo tackles, 14 assisted;
1 INT (6 games)
If this man could only stay
healthy, Sanders would be at the
top of this list every season.
On the rare occasion he has
avoided injury for an entire
year, Sanders has put up great
statistics. He doesn't put up a
ton of interceptions, but he is
great at finding the right time
to rush the quarterback when the
offense isn't expecting him.
Sanders can't be counted on to
stay on the field for 16 games
anymore, and you can't take him
among the top IDP players even
though he might play like one.
15. Charles Woodson, Green
Bay Packers (Bye Week: 5)
51 solo tackles, 21 assisted;
3 sacks, 7 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 TD
Since going over to Green Bay
from Oakland, Woodson has
averaged 51 solo tackles, nearly
seven interceptions, and a
sack. You will often hear me
say that the number of
interceptions a guy will get is
very tough to predict, but
Woodson is one of the few
players who is consistently
taking the ball the other way.
He has also scored four
touchdowns in the last three
years too, adding to his value.
Expect more of the same from
Woodson in 2009, he is a great
second defensive back.
16. Antrel Rolle, Arizona
Cardinals (Bye Week: 4)
78 solo tackles, 11 assisted;
1 INT, 1 TD
Rolle has had a bit of a roller
coaster career as far as tackles
are concerned, but the one year
that he was down in tackles he
had five interceptions. He
really took a big step forward
as far as being recognized for
his talent, and he should
continue to be a very solid IDP
player this season. He has
easily become a number two
defensive back in fantasy
leagues this season, and while I
expect his tackle numbers to
increase slightly I'd be
surprised if the interceptions
and sacks didn't go up by a
decent amount.
17. Michael Lewis, San
Francisco 49ers (Bye Week:
6)
76 solo tackles, 20 assisted;
2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR
Between his time in Philadelphia
and San Francisco, Lewis has
approached or has been over100
combined tackles in three of the
last four seasons. He isn't
going to rack up the sack or the
interception numbesr, but there
aren't too many defensive backs
who will give you the consistent
tackle numbers that Lewis
provides. There is no reason
not to expect similar stast in
2009, and Lewis is a good option
as your second or third
defensive back.
18. Bernard Pollard, Kansas
City Chiefs (Bye Week: 8)
78 solo tackles, 20 assisted;
1 INT, 3 FF, 3 FR
Pollard has approached 100
combined tackles in each of the
past two seasons, and this year
he might break that. There is
really nothing exciting to say
about Pollard, but he certainly
will get your fantasy team
points. He needs an increase in
sacks and picks to climb the
charts of IDP rankings. He is a
mid range number three defensive
back.
19. DeAngelo Hall, Washington
Redskins (Bye Week: 8)
63 solo tackles, 11 assisted;
.5 sacks, 5 INT, 2 FR
After being cut by the Raiders
part way through the season,
Hall was invigorated and played
very well for the Redskins.
While he has a reputation of
being somewhat of a malcontent
and has been accused of taking
plays off. Hall has averaged
well over 50 solo tackles and
five interceptions throughout
his career, and there's no
reason to think he won't do that
again in 2009.
20. Troy Polamalu,
Pittsburgh Steelers (Bye
Week: 8)
54 solo tackles, 19 assisted;
7 INT
Polamalu is probably one of the
more famous defensive backs in
the NFL, and while he carries
great value for IDP leagues, he
isn't among the top five like
you might think. He has been
dealing with nagging injuries
over the past couple of seasons,
and his stats have suffered
because of it. As long as
Polamalu stays healthy, he
should be able to repeat his
statistics from 2008.
21. Cedric Griffin,
Minnesota Vikings (Bye
Week: 9)
80 solo tackles, 11 assisted;
1 INT, 4 FF, BLK KCK
Griffin is a very rare
cornerback. He has accumulated
at least 80 solo tackles in each
season, but only has one
interception total in the two
seasons. Those numbers are
usually associated with
safeties, while corners don't
get as many tackles, but
generally get more
interceptions. Griffin is very
reliable for points on a weekly
basis, yet he is unspectacular.
There is certainly room on
rosters for a guy who racks up
the tackles, and Griffin is a
good third defensive back to
have on your team.
22. Roman Harper, New
Orleans Saints (Bye Week:
5)
82 solo tackles, 7 assisted;
1 FF
After not playing much his
rookie season, Harper has come
back to put up two great years
in a row. 2008 was a bit of a
disappointment because he didn't
have any sacks or interceptions,
but in 2007 he did have four
sacks and three interceptions.
The Saints' defense isn't
anything to write home about at
all, so Harper is one of the few
options they have to be a
playmaker.
23. Richard Marshall,
Carolina Panthers (Bye
Week: 4)
68 solo tackles, 7 assisted;
2 sacks, 1 INT
With Ken Lucas out of town,
Marshall is a no doubter to be
the starter in Carolina, and you
can expect his numbers to
increase. Not sure how much
more his tackles will increase,
but his sacks and interceptions
should do more. Marshall has
also gotten into the fumble mix,
even though he hasn't been a
full time player throughout his
career.
24. Erik Coleman, Atlanta
Falcons (Bye Week: 4)
80 solo tackles, 15 assisted;
3 INT, 2 FF
Outside of one season on the
Jets (with IDP killer Eric
Mangini as his coach), Coleman
has been a very consistent
fantasy contributor. He has
often been among the leaders in
tackles among defensive backs,
and he is generally able to
collect a few interceptions to
go with them. Coleman is a
great number three defensive
back to have on your roster, and
could even perform like a number
two. You should be able to wait
until the later rounds of your
drafts to pick him, adding to
his value.
25. Antonio Cromartie, San
Diego Chargers (Bye Week:
5)
60 solo tackles, 4 assisted;
2 INT, 1 TD
Further proof that interceptions
are not something that you can
count on repeating necessarily
year after year, Cromartie
picked off 10 passes in 2007,
then dropped down to just two in
2008. This guy has the chance
to be great fantasy wise
though. He gets good tackle
numbers for a cornerback, not to
mention that he is the kind of
guy who has a knack for finding
the endzone when he gets the
ball in his hands. Going into
just his fourth year, Cromartie
is the kind of defender with a
lot of upside and would be a
steal as your third defensive
back.
Not only will I be writing an
injury blog, but also check
out the draft kit and Season
Pass War Room with Jeff Mans,
Todd Farino, and myself among
others. For just $10 you get
both the draft kit and the
season pass. Go to
fantasyfootballsearch.com
for details. Any questions or
comments are welcome, you can
email me at
fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.
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