|
11. Gaines Adams, Tampa Bay
Buccaneers (Bye Week: 8)
27 solo tackles, 11 assisted;
6.5 sacks, 2 INT, 1 TD
Adams was a top five pick when he
came out of college and hasn't
quite broken out the way the
Buccaneers had wanted when they
drafted him, but he is a fast
rusher. He's only 260 pounds, so
he isn't a bull rusher, but Adams
has the ability to get around the
corner and improve his sack
numbers greatly.
12. Mathias Kiwanuka, New York
Giants (Bye Week: 10)
35 solo tackles, 16 assisted;
8.5 sacks, 2 FF, 2 FR, 1 SA
Kiwaunka was one of the major
beneficiaries of the injury to
Umenyiora and but up great
numbers. He does fall down the
depth chart with everyone healthy,
but the way that New York rotates
their lineman he will see plenty
of snaps and will be in the
opposing team's backfield all year
long. He could also see time at
outside linebacker.
13. Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee
Titans (Bye Week: 7)
12 solo tackles, 12 assisted;
4.5 sacks, 2 FR, 3 FF (10 gms)
A
groin injury not only cost him six
games, but likely limited his
effectiveness in some others. The
loss of Haynesworth might hurt his
value, but Vanden Bosch is a
non-stop pass rusher. He never
gives up on a play, and should
also get back over ten sacks in
2009.
14. Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills
(Bye Week: 9)
18 solo tackles, 1 assisted; 1
sack (5 games)
Schobel suffered a Lisfranc foot
injury in 2008, which cost him
more than half the year. He
hadn't gotten off to a good start,
but if you look back at the past
few seasons, there are plenty of
reasons to still like Schobel. He
is among the league leaders in
tackles among defensive linemen,
so even if he doesn't record a
sack, he still helps score you
points.
15. Kevin Williams, Minnesota
Vikings (Bye Week: 9)
47 solo tackles, 15 assisted;
8.5 sacks, 1 FF
There aren't too many defensive
tackles worth owning, but Williams
certainly is. The Vikings line is
so good that even the tackles are
playmakers. He moves surprisingly
well for a man over 300 pounds,
and Williams looks poised for
another great year in 2009. He is
still battling a possible four
game suspension to start the
season, but hopefully he will be
ok. He might fall back some for
his numbers last season, but he is
still worth having on your roster.
16. Albert Haynesworth,
Washington Redskins (Bye Week:
8)
41 solo tackles, 10 assisted;
8.5 sacks, 1 FR, 3 FF
Perhaps the most sought after
defensive free agent, Haynesworth
goes to Washington where so many
free agents before him have gone.
Honestly, I really can't think of
too many FA's that have actually
lived up to their history after
going to the Redskins, but
hopefully Haynesworth will break
that trend. Like K. Williams, he
is a rare playmaker at the
defensive tackle position and
holds good fantasy value. He will
probably take a step back in '09,
but it shouldn't be a substantial
one.
17. Shaun Rogers, Cleveland
Browns (Bye Week: 9)
61 solo tackles, 15 assisted;
4.5 sacks
At
6'4" and 350 pounds, I think
Rogers makes some tackles because
he is impossible to get around and
he swallows up the ball carrier.
His 61 solo tackles was a career
high.....by a mile. He likely
will be back into the 40s, but he
has a good chance of getting more
sacks. He is one of the few
defensive tackles worth owning.
18. Jay Ratliff, Dallas Cowboys
(Bye Week: 6)
33 solo tackles, 18 assisted;
7.5 sacks, 1 FR
Ratliff is a guy who just
continues to improve. Two years
ago he had 11 solo tackles and
four sacks. In 2008 he had 33
solo tackles and 7.5 sacks. I'm
not sure how much better he will
get, but he is about to turn 28,
so he should be entering the prime
of his career. Even at these
numbers he is worth having on a
roster.
19. Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis
Colts (Bye Week: 6)
24 solo tackles, 4 assisted;
10.5 sacks, 4 FF
He
isn't the feared pass rusher that
he once was, hell, he isn't even
the best sack guy on his team.
Part of that has to be attributed
to the fact that offensive linemen
have figured out that he is going
to use his spin move basically on
every down. Freeney records very
few tackles, so if he doesn't get
a sack he likely hurts your team
for the week. Lucky for him and
you, he still gets his fair share
of sacks.
20. Richard Seymour, New England
Patriots (Bye Week: 8)
34 solo tackles, 17 assisted; 8
sacks, 1 FR
Seymour has been consistently
under the radar for some time. He
almost always is between 25-35
tackles, and is generally around
five sacks. Last year was an
exceptional one for him chasing
down the QB, but you can likely
expect him to at least get very
close to those numbers again. He
has incredibly long arms, is quick
for a man his size, and is a
handful for an offensive lineman
to handle one on one.
| 
