Why does my stud LB suck so bad?

Or, why I hate IDP

Sometimes fantasy football can be a bitch. If you are an IDP nut like myself, you have no offseason. As soon as the season wraps up and you finish your 2-3 week full-scale football depressed mope, or the drunken binge, you start looking back at the previous season’s statistics and breaking down those IDP stats. After all, it’s just eight months before the new season kicks off! Ouch – now that’s a depressing thought even in week four.
But I digress. After months of work, multiple mock drafts, reading just about everything written in the IDP world, and coming to your own conclusions about who the studs are in the IDP world, you feel ready and able to take on your first real-life draft. You leave feeling great that you have selected a team of studs, almost-studs, and could-be studs. That great and wonderful feeling lasts until week one, when those could-bes are still on the bench, those almosts aren’t, and the studs couldn’t fall on a pile to save their sorry butts.
This article is devoted to those top few studs that have started slowly and have their owners ready to start dismembering their starting lineup figures. Ok, this can be gory and scary, so read with caution.
Player, team (preseason rank) (current standing) All based on 2 points per solo, 1 assist and 4 sack or interception.

Brian Urlacher Chicago (13th) (na); Lofa Tatupu Seattle (19th),
These two get a pass here. Yeah, Urlacher cost you big time, but it was just one game, and you don’t have to worry about his aching back or declining production anymore. Let’s face it, when you drafted the guy you KNEW you were taking a chance, and you were probably crossing your fingers and burning some incense to the fantasy injury gods.
Tatupu missed almost a game and a half, so through three games it’s way too early to throw him under the bus. At least right now anyway, but in his limited time he has not looked to impressive.

Jonathan Vilma New Orleans (6th) (46th)
Saying I’m shocked that right now Vilma is a LB4 is a shocker, but seeing that his teammate Scott Shanle is easily the better fantasy option is stunning. I know it’s just week four, but if Vilma doesn’t somehow pull some tackles out of his a$$ against the Jets on Sunday, it’s time to panic. By the numbers, it’s not a terrific matchup, but Vilma needs to start racking up some points in a hurry. He hasn’t collected more than five solos yet this season, and going into the year we figured a 5-0 was his low-end production. With a vastly improved Saints defense, (allowing under 100 rushing yards per game), and teams rushing just 21 times per game, there just aren’t many tackles to go around. If this continues, his value will continue to slide.

DeMeco Ryans Houston (4th) (32nd)
DeMeco, DeMeco, we knew ye so well. You were a stud among studs, a man among men, and we delighted in your double-digit tackle totals and the way you led us to wins on any given Sunday. But in ’09, where’s the beef? Looking at the stat lines it’s hard to say what’s wrong. You are leading all Texan LBs in solo tackles with 16, and you have collected at least 4 solos. The problem here (like Vilma), is that you aren’t the best LB on the team right now. Rookie SLB Brian Cushing is leading you in not only total tackles (26-23) but also in fantasy points (43-39). This is very disturbing, as every IDP head knows that in ’08 SLB Zach Diles also outshined Ryans. Now you really have to wonder if that’s just a massive coincidence, or the scheme is favoring the SLB. If it were me, I’d try to trade Ryans now before his value falls further. I’m not at all comfortable with this situation.

Jon Beason Carolina (3rd) (16th)
I only list Beason here since at the current writing he is a LB2, and he was on the short list of preseason LBs that were in the mix for title of best IDP player on the planet. But of course, after a horrendous week one with just 3-1 (saved with an interception), and a ho-hum week two with 6-0, he came back full blast with a week three 10-1-1. He’ll be fine, he’s quickly making his way back into the top ten. But on paper he looks scary.

DJ Williams Denver (5th) (29th)
I told you so. Ok, I said it. Hey, I like Williams, I just did not agree with the preseason pundits that had him as high as third. I just did not like the new defense or the personnel changes, so I considered him a upper-range LB2. He has not been bad, with 15-7 through three games, but his lack of big plays is pulling down his ranking. I’d be surprised if he ended ’08 where he is now, but I don’t see him getting into the top ten. The Broncos defense is stout, and his opportunities will be limited.

James Harrison Pittsburgh (7th) (37th)
This seventh ranking is low if you were in a big-play league, he could have been one of the top three. This one’s easy to figure out. Mr. Harrison, where are the big plays? Without sacks (he has one), you are basically waiver wire worthless fodder. Only two sacks from Steeler LBs this season could be an issue. Harrison needs some help from the line to create opportunities. Maybe the return of Lawrence Timmons this week will do the trick. But again, if you drafted this guy as your LB1 in a tackle based league, you were smoking crack anyway.

Karlos Dansby Arizona (8th) (21st)
Hey, Karlos is doing ok. As a 3-4 OLB his 18-3 is outstanding. Of course the lack of anything other than a ½ sack is what’s killing you. Like any 3-4 OLB, you HAVE to have big plays.

DeMarcus Ware Dallas (16th) (72nd)
I’m a big Dallas fan. Huge. Ware is one of THE, if not THE best pass-rushers in the NFL. But in the preseason I said I did not care one bit that the Cowboys lost Greg Ellis to Oakland, and were going to depend on Bobby (Barbie) Carpenter and Anthony Spencer in that defense. I projected that Ware would not only lead the NFL in sacks, but he would not even lead the division. But even I in my negativity could not have forseen three games and no sacks for Ware. No sacks for Dallas in the first two games, and all Ware has been able to do is breathe hard on opposing QBs. Sorry folks, unless Victor Butler can figure out a way to create mismatches for Ware, he’s going to see double and triple teams every play, and there’s no way in hell he’s going to finish in the top-fifity. Yes, 5-0 fifty. Sorry, don’t throw up on the screen.

Ray Lewis Baltimore (12th) (24th)
You drafted Ray-Ray as your LB1, or were thrilled to death to nab him as your 2. But now after one terrific game (10-2) sandwiched between two mediocre ones, Lewis is simply a low-end LB2 with upside. As usual, nobody can run on the Ravens, and his value is making plays from sideline to sideline. I’m just not sure he has the same speed he once had, and he’s just a tad later than usual hitting the play. He’s still useable and valuable, but not a LB1.

Others just missing the cut of shame:
D’Qwell Jackson Cleveland (15th)(29th), Lance Briggs (14th)(28th), Nick Barnett (22nd) (86th)

So what do you do now? Nothing, of course. Three weeks does not make a season, and all these players are extremely talented. But unless you are in a big play league, those 3-4 OLBs should make you more than a little nervous. Ware, Harrison, Dansby, Merriman and the like are just risky plays.

Tags: brian cushing, Brian Urlacher, D'Qwell jackson, d.j. williams, demarcus ware, DeMeco Ryans, IDP, james harrison, Jon Beason, Jonathan Vilma, Karlos dansby, Lance Briggs, lofa tatupu, Nick Barnettt, ray lewis, Scott Shanle, shawne merriman, Zach Diles