Gotta chime in once again per Browns IDP report to contest a point or two.First an FYI on DT Shaun Rogers as he probably is facing a suspension for attempting to carry a loaded weapon onto an airplane. He immediately came out with a mea culpa as soon as he was released from prison but it is widely speculated that he will face some sort of suspension at the begining of the year and rumor is that he won't contest it so jes a heads-up for anyone who has or who may be eyeing Rogers because he 'probably' is looking at missing a few games at the start of the season.
I have to reiterate a point about the LBers with the Browns, this is your IDP report:
Fantasy Outlook
•ILB D'Qwell Jackson - Quality LB1 or excellent LB2
(Agree but check out the stats of D'Qwell and you will find a troubling injury history that nearly always happens at the tail end of the season. So take him and reap the benefit early in the season but prop him up for a trade by mid-season if he holds up that long because inevitably he ends on IR sometime during the last month of the year)
•ILB Chris Gocong - Sleeper with LB3 potential at best
(Gocong is an unknown so labeling as a sleeper is fine as long as people understand that he will be sharing time at any LB position that he plays and Gocong has the frame to play in or outside LB however both inside positions are taken and he simply has not proven his pass rush in the past so I think he splits time on the weakside with Bernard who showcased pass rush ability last year in limited PT)
•ILB Eric Barton - Deep sleeper with limited potential
(I'm not confident that Barton will even make the final cut on the team this year)
•ILB/OLB David Bowens - No value at this point
(correct on one count that Bowens isn't a sure fantasy start but he proved very valuable to the team last year. He's bigger, stronger, and proved his pass rush ability from the inside LB spot and no other player on the roster had a better inside pass rush ability than Bowens. He was easily one of the top three LBers on the Browns last year so if one of the inside starters goes down then Bowens would be a key IDP fill-in and he probably will see the field more than anticipated.)
•ILB Kaluka Maiava - No value
(Agree but he is probably the best cover LB on the team and he will see PT but not with IDP results so for IDP purposes basically no value.)
•OLB Matt Roth - Minimal value at best in big play heave scoring
(Absolutely WRONG! Matt Roth was signed in mid-season and he was fantastic! He is the best pass rusher on the team and he is moved all over the field. He is assured to be the strong side starter but he'll be moved all over including up on the LOS at NT. HUGE IDP sleeper here and well under the radar. This is the reason I responded, you take a big swing and a miss completely wiffing on Matt Roth.)
•OLB Scott Fujita - Sleeper with limited upside in big play scoring systems
(Agree to the point that I don't think he's going to get lots of IDP points but he is assured as one of the inside LBers next to D'Qwell Jackson.)
•OLB Jason Trusnik - Injury sleeper at best
(Yep)
•OLB Marcus Bernard - No value
(Bernard is one of the reasons why Kamerion Wimbley became expendable. Bernard showed pass rush ability in limited PT after being called up later in the season. He most likely will be the second bananna to Gocong but he will get PT in pass rush situations this year on the weakside.)
•OLB David Veikune - Injury sleeper if he can earn the backup job at ILB
(Rumor is that he appeared to have a light come on during miini camp and he showed up 20 lbs lighter which should put in the 250 lb range. Both the talk of things slowing down for him and showing up in fantastic shape are positive signs but he'll have to fight for scraps of PT)
My fantasy bottom line for Browns LB IDPs worth having:
LB Matt Roth - if he's listed as a DE in your league then POUNCE on him with both feet. HUGE IDP sleeper flying under radar esp if Gene is sleeping on him.
LB D'Qwell Jackson - just as Gene said, a solid #2 IDP LB starter but note my take that he starts red hot and then crashes and burns due to injury by the end of the year so take him early if you can dish him by mid-season but don't count on him for fantasy playoffs.
I wouldn't consider any other Browns LB and the only major sleeper is Matt Roth IF he's listed as a DE or a DE/OLB in your league and he is listed that way in many leagues so head's up with him and expect a likely suspension of DT Shaun Rogers early at the start of the season.
He'll probably be inside when the dust settles but the Phillip Merling injury may be a factor. I think Starks will still be productive as a nose tackle but not so much as he was at end. Hopefully they will put him back.
