IDP dynasty rankings - LB (1 Viewer)

[onionsack]

1. Patrick Willis SF

2. Jerod Mayo NE

3. Lawrence Timmons PIT

4. Curtis Lofton ATL

5. James Laurinaitis STL

6. Jon Beason CAR

7. Barrett Ruud TEN

8. Paul Posluszny JAX

9. Desmond Bishop GB

10. D.J. Williams DEN

11. Derrick Johnson KC

12. DeMeco Ryans HOU

13. Jonathan Vilma NO

14. David Harris NYJ

15. D’Qwell Jackson CLE

16. Daryl Washington ARI

17. Rey Maualuga CIN

18. Karlos Dansby MIA

19. James Harrison PIT

20. London Fletcher-Baker WAS

21. Chad Greenway MIN

22. Nick Barnett BUF

23. David Hawthorne SEA

24. Ray Lewis BAL

25. Demarcus Ware DAL

26. Rolando McClain OAK

27. Stephen Tulloch DET

28. Donald Butler SD

29. Kevin Burnett MIA

30. Clay Matthews GB

31. Sean Weatherspoon ATL

32. Mason Foster TB

33. Lance Briggs CHI

34. E.J. Henderson MIN

35. Gary Brackett IND

36. Nate Irving DEN

37. Brian Cushing HOU

38. Lamarr Woodley PIT

39. Brian Urlacher CHI

40. Mario Williams HOU

41. Geno Hayes TB

42. Navorro Bowman SF

43. Deandre Levy DET

44. Brian Orakpo WAS

45. A.J. Hawk GB

46. Thomas Davis CAR

47. Rocky McIntosh WAS

48. Bruce Carter DAL

49. Jamar Chaney PHI

50. Brandon Spikes NE

51. Sean Lee DAL

52. Von Miller DEN

53. Aaron Curry SEA

54. Quincy Black TB

55. Daryl Smith JAX

56. Michael Boley NYG

57. Aldon Smith SF

58. Jonathan Goff NYG

59. Clint Session JAX

60. Tamba Hali KC

61. Ryan Kerrigan WAS

62. Bradie James DAL

63. Casey Mathews PHI

64. James Anderson CAR

65. Stewart Bradley ARI

66. Justin Houston KC

67. Jonathan Casillas NO

68. Kirk Morrison BUF

69. Lofa Tatupu FA

70. Stephen Nicholas ATL

71. Cameron Wake MIA

72. Kelvin Sheppard BUF

73. Brooks Reed HOU

74. Will Witherspoon TEN

75. Takeo Spikes SD

76. Kamerion Wimbley OAK

77. Akeem Ayers TEN

78. Pat Angerer IND

79. Anthony Spencer DAL

80. Justin Durant DET

81. Jarrett Johnson BAL

82. James Farrior PIT

83. Mathias Kiwanuka NYG

84. Perry Riley WAS

85. Thomas Howard CIN

86. Shaun Phillips SD

87. Jonas Mouton SD

88. Connor Barwin HOU

89. Scott Fujita CLE

90. Keith Rivers CIN

91. Scott Shanle NO

92. Bart Scott NYJ

93. Jameel McClain BAL

94. Kavell Conner IND

95. Koa Misi MIA

96. Leroy Hill SEA

97. Ernie Sims IND

98. Gary Guyton NE

99. Larry English SD

100. O’Brien Schofield ARI

101. Greg Jones NYG

102. Shawne Merriman BUF

103. Martez Wilson NO

104. Chris Gocong CLE

105. Moise Fokou PHI

106. K.J. Wright SEA

107. Erin Henderson MIN

108. Andra Davis BUF

109. Dan Connor CAR

110. Darryl Sharpton HOU

111. Paris Lenon ARI

112. Jovan Belcher KC

113. Travis LaBoy SD

114. Calvin Pace NYJ

115. Dontay Moch CIN

116. Manny Lawson CIN

117. Stephen Cooper SD

118. Chris Kelsay BUF

119. Sergio Kindle BAL

120. Mike Peterson ATL

121. Brady Poppinga STL

122. Quentin Groves OAK

123. Gerald McRath TEN

124. Demorrio Williams KC

125. Brian Rolle PHI

126. Ahmad Brooks SF

127. Kaluka Maiava CLE

128. Frank Zombo GB

129. Keith Brooking DAL

130. Dannel Ellerbe BAL

131. AJ Edds NE

132. Dhani Jones FA

133. Clint Sintim NYG

134. Jason Worilds PIT

135. Joe Mays DEN

136. Parys Haralson SF

137. Ben Leber STL

138. Erik Walden GB

139. Keenan Clayton PHI

140. Will Herring NO

141. Na’il Diggs SD

142. Akeem Jordan PHI

143. Larry Grant SF

144. Keyaron Fox WAS

145. Philip Wheeler IND

146. Jason Williams CAR

147. Jabara Williams STL

148. Colin McCarthy TEN

149. Rob Ninkovich NE

150. Kyle Bosworth JAX

151. Wesley Woodyard DEN

152. Omar Gaither CAR

153. Victor Butler DAL

154. Joey Porter ARI

155. Clark Haggans ARI

156. Travis Goethel OAK

157. Andy Studebaker KC

158. Reggie Walker ARI

159. Jason Phillips BAL

160. Jo-Lonn Dunbar NO

161. Brad Jones GB

162. Jason Taylor MIA

163. Lorenzo Alexander WAS

164. Brian Iwuh CHI

165. Sam Acho ARI

166. Jasper Brinkley MIN

167. Mario Haggan DEN

168. Bryan Thomas NYJ

169. Spencer Larsen DEN

170. J.T. Thomas CHI

171. Tim Dobbins HOU

172. Akeem Dent ATL

173. Brandon Siler KC

174. Antwan Barnes SD

175. Jamal Westerman NYJ

176. Nick Roach CHI

177. Bryan Kehl STL

178. Russell Allen JAX

179. Ashlee Palmer DET

180. Vic So’Oto GB

181. Dane Fletcher NE

182. Niko Koutouvides NE

183. Thaddeus Gibson WAS

184. Jason Trusnik MIA

185. Spencer Adkins ATL

186. Brendon Ayanbadejo BAL

187. Cody Glenn IND

188. Arthur Moats BUF

189. Dekoda Watson TB

190. Xavier Adibi MIN

191. Jaicquian Williams NYG

192. Jordan Senn CAR

193. Stanford Keglar HOU

194. Jacob Cutrera JAX

195. Bobby Carpenter DET

196. Adam Hayward TB

197. Orie Lemon DAL

198. Matt McCoy SEA

199. Nick Bellore NYJ

200. Zach Diles TB

201. Leon Williams DAL

202. Isaiah Ekejiuba DET

203. Austin Spittler MIA

204. Stevenson Sylvester PIT

205. Darryl Gamble SD

206. Jesse Nading HOU

207. Bryan Braman HOU

208. Darryl Blackstock OAK

209. Spencer Paysinger NYG

210. Titus Brown CLE

211. Bruce Davis OAK

212. Dom DeCicco CHI

213. Chris Chamberlain STL

214. Jamar Williams CAR

215. Tyrone McKenzie FA

216. Tavares Gooden FA

217. Clint Ingram FA

218. Scott McKillop FA

219. H.B. Blades FA

220. Prescott Burgess FA

 

[JoeSteeler]

 

[Shane Falco]

really? Do you do this in every thread you read?

 

[JoeSteeler]

really? Do you do this in every thread you read?

oops didnt mean to double post. deleted one.

 

[Crippler]

Good read

I really think you got Sean Weatherspoon to low. I dont see much difference between him and Daryl Washington in the end.

Not sure why James Harrison i9 but Ray is 32. I think there NFL lives are about the same and you dont give credit to sack guys with a guy like Cameron Wake being 87. Or do you think he was a one year wonder. I own Connor Barwin in my home league with 4 pts per sack, 1 per tackle and dont see why he would be behind Brooks Reed when he is also young but the starter in Houston.

 

[FUBAR]

Good read

I really think you got Sean Weatherspoon to low. I dont see much difference between him and Daryl Washington in the end.

Not sure why James Harrison i9 but Ray is 32. I think there NFL lives are about the same and you dont give credit to sack guys with a guy like Cameron Wake being 87. Or do you think he was a one year wonder. I own Connor Barwin in my home league with 4 pts per sack, 1 per tackle and dont see why he would be behind Brooks Reed when he is also young but the starter in Houston.

Ray being 32 with Fletcher 20 doesn't make much sense to me either but I might be missing something.

 

[cr8f]

Good readI really think you got Sean Weatherspoon to low. I dont see much difference between him and Daryl Washington in the end. Not sure why James Harrison i9 but Ray is 32. I think there NFL lives are about the same and you dont give credit to sack guys with a guy like Cameron Wake being 87. Or do you think he was a one year wonder. I own Connor Barwin in my home league with 4 pts per sack, 1 per tackle and dont see why he would be behind Brooks Reed when he is also young but the starter in Houston.

I think Hawthorne is way too low too, but nice job.

 

[Crippler]

Good readI really think you got Sean Weatherspoon to low. I dont see much difference between him and Daryl Washington in the end. Not sure why James Harrison i9 but Ray is 32. I think there NFL lives are about the same and you dont give credit to sack guys with a guy like Cameron Wake being 87. Or do you think he was a one year wonder. I own Connor Barwin in my home league with 4 pts per sack, 1 per tackle and dont see why he would be behind Brooks Reed when he is also young but the starter in Houston.

I think Hawthorne is way too low too, but nice job.

In dynasty, I think Hawthorne is replaceable by Seattle in the future. I dont think he is an elite talent and more fantasy producer because of situation

 

[Tick]

207. Keaton Kistick SF209. Orie Lemon DAL

Okay, you're just making these names up.Seriously, I appreciate someone distinguishing between the players in the 50-to-80 range. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Mario Williams is a tough one to sort out. As an LB, he's overrated. If we expect him to end up back at 4-3 DE in the next couple of years, this ranking is probably about right, if not low.Some of the rankings on older players seem low to me. I think you just value youth more than I do in dynasty IDP.

 

[Qtip Callahan]

16. Rey Maualuga CIN

That one jumps out at me. If I owned #17-30 on your list, there aren't many I would trade to acquire him. Maybe this is the year, but I'm not buying until I see a little more. I would have him in the 30-40s..

 

[Jayrod]

You are honestly telling me that there are 67 better fanyasy dynasty LBs than a rookie who is already in his starting lineup as a MLB?

I know Matthews hasn't looked good, but come on.

 

[onionsack]

You are honestly telling me that there are 67 better fanyasy dynasty LBs than a rookie who is already in his starting lineup as a MLB?I know Matthews hasn't looked good, but come on.

Admittedly haven't seen much of him. From what I have seen he's utterly out of his depth, and won't be long for the job. I could easily be wrong on this one, but I'll let others take the chance.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

You are honestly telling me that there are 67 better fanyasy dynasty LBs than a rookie who is already in his starting lineup as a MLB?I know Matthews hasn't looked good, but come on.

Matthews is not very good, plain and simple. Chances are he loses his starting job midseason and never gets it back, simply because he's not a very talented LB, the Eagles just happen to have nothing else.

 

[onionsack]

Good read

I really think you got Sean Weatherspoon to low. I dont see much difference between him and Daryl Washington in the end.

Not sure why James Harrison i9 but Ray is 32. I think there NFL lives are about the same and you dont give credit to sack guys with a guy like Cameron Wake being 87. Or do you think he was a one year wonder. I own Connor Barwin in my home league with 4 pts per sack, 1 per tackle and dont see why he would be behind Brooks Reed when he is also young but the starter in Houston.

Ray being 32 with Fletcher 20 doesn't make much sense to me either but I might be missing something.

The older guys are hard to slot. Ray's probably still top 5 but eventually the slide will come. I've got Mason Foster ranked one spot behind him. Would you honestly trade Foster straight up for Lewis in a dynasty league? Where you rank him really depends on how far you are projecting into the future. If you're going for it all just this year, put your money on Ray. If you project further down the line, you probably want to take a chance on a rookie. The gap between Ray and Fletcher is a good question, as they are certainly in the exact same tier for me. And really, arguing between guys like Lewis and London Fletcher is just not that interesting to me. They're both studs, in the very upper echelon of IDPs.

 

[Jayrod]

You are honestly telling me that there are 67 better fanyasy dynasty LBs than a rookie who is already in his starting lineup as a MLB?I know Matthews hasn't looked good, but come on.

Matthews is not very good, plain and simple. Chances are he loses his starting job midseason and never gets it back, simply because he's not a very talented LB, the Eagles just happen to have nothing else.

He's a rookie. Usually they improve after a year or two.Also, he has an opportunity that at least 20 guys ranked above him will never see. I get he doesn't look good and you think he'll lose his job, but there is enough upside between potential improvement and opportunity in a dynasty ranking to put him higher than #68, that's all I'm saying.I don't think he's top 40 or maybe even top 50, but 68 seems very low for what is currently a starting MLB in his first year in the league.

 

[onionsack]

207. Keaton Kistick SF209. Orie Lemon DAL

Okay, you're just making these names up.Seriously, I appreciate someone distinguishing between the players in the 50-to-80 range. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Mario Williams is a tough one to sort out. As an LB, he's overrated. If we expect him to end up back at 4-3 DE in the next couple of years, this ranking is probably about right, if not low.Some of the rankings on older players seem low to me. I think you just value youth more than I do in dynasty IDP.

Mario Williams is indeed a tough one to rank. And Kiwanuka, too. Studs as DEs, but they really lose a lot of value playing in other roles. I'm carrying both in various leagues and they're simultaneously unstartable, untradable and undroppable.

 

[Crippler]

16. Rey Maualuga CINThat one jumps out at me. If I owned #17-30 on your list, there aren't many I would trade to acquire him. Maybe this is the year, but I'm not buying until I see a little more. I would have him in the 30-40s..

I agree on this. I prefer Washington, McClain, Clay, Carter(when he comes up PUP and starts), and Weatherspoon to name a few that are easy. More I look at it the more I think you have Weatherspoon about 40 spots to low. He even went LB43 in the IDP survivor ahead of Foster, Irving, Bowman and is only a 2nd year player.

 

[onionsack]

16. Rey Maualuga CINThat one jumps out at me. If I owned #17-30 on your list, there aren't many I would trade to acquire him. Maybe this is the year, but I'm not buying until I see a little more. I would have him in the 30-40s..

I agree on this. I prefer Washington, McClain, Clay, Carter(when he comes up PUP and starts), and Weatherspoon to name a few that are easy. More I look at it the more I think you have Weatherspoon about 40 spots to low. He even went LB43 in the IDP survivor ahead of Foster, Irving, Bowman and is only a 2nd year player.

Love Weatherspoon as an NFL player, but I just fear his fantasy prospects could be somewhat limited if he ends up playing at SAM. Maualuga was a guy who I never really liked all that much, but the light really seems to have gone on for him. He's in an absolutely fantastic situation and I could see him sniffing 100 solos in an every-down role. Risky pick, but the reward could be very high.

 

[treat88]

Very low on Goff. He's playing in sub packages this pre-season and is behind an excellent DL.

Jones is a threat, but similar from a talent level.

I'd slot him right in that 50-60 ish tier personally.

 

[onionsack]

Very low on Goff. He's playing in sub packages this pre-season and is behind an excellent DL.

Jones is a threat, but similar from a talent level.

I'd slot him right in that 50-60 ish tier personally.

Yeah, he's a guy who will likely soar up the updated rankings. I was stunned to read elsewhere on this forum that he was playing three downs. Must have vastly improved his coverage skills. He's got a degree in mechanical engineering so I don't doubt that he's picked up the nuances of the position. Not sure about his long-term prospects to hold the position, but he is certainly a very interesting prospect at this point. Hereis an excellent article about him from back in 2008. Seems like he was quiet and flying under the radar even back then.

 

[Hoss Style]

Nice list (for about the top 150). Thanks for posting.

 

[Patoons]

16. Rey Maualuga CINThat one jumps out at me. If I owned #17-30 on your list, there aren't many I would trade to acquire him. Maybe this is the year, but I'm not buying until I see a little more. I would have him in the 30-40s..

I agree on this. I prefer Washington, McClain, Clay, Carter(when he comes up PUP and starts), and Weatherspoon to name a few that are easy. More I look at it the more I think you have Weatherspoon about 40 spots to low. He even went LB43 in the IDP survivor ahead of Foster, Irving, Bowman and is only a 2nd year player.

Love Weatherspoon as an NFL player, but I just fear his fantasy prospects could be somewhat limited if he ends up playing at SAM.

I'm with Crippler on Weatherspoon. 3-down guy in his second year. You mention SAM, but everything I've seen has him at WLB.

 

[onionsack]

16. Rey Maualuga CIN

That one jumps out at me. If I owned #17-30 on your list, there aren't many I would trade to acquire him. Maybe this is the year, but I'm not buying until I see a little more. I would have him in the 30-40s..

I agree on this. I prefer Washington, McClain, Clay, Carter(when he comes up PUP and starts), and Weatherspoon to name a few that are easy. More I look at it the more I think you have Weatherspoon about 40 spots to low. He even went LB43 in the IDP survivor ahead of Foster, Irving, Bowman and is only a 2nd year player.

Love Weatherspoon as an NFL player, but I just fear his fantasy prospects could be somewhat limited if he ends up playing at SAM.

I'm with Crippler on Weatherspoon. 3-down guy in his second year. You mention SAM, but everything I've seen has him at WLB.

..and if he stays there, he should obviously be ranked higher. He's versatile and can play anywhere, so I only worry that he finds himself back at SAM at some point, if he's not there now. I'd love to hear Jene's thoughts on which position he thinks Weatherspoon will wind up spending the majority of his career at.

 

[Patoons]

Love Weatherspoon as an NFL player, but I just fear his fantasy prospects could be somewhat limited if he ends up playing at SAM.

I'm with Crippler on Weatherspoon. 3-down guy in his second year. You mention SAM, but everything I've seen has him at WLB.

..and if he stays there, he should obviously be ranked higher. He's versatile and can play anywhere, so I only worry that he finds himself back at SAM at some point, if he's not there now. I'd love to hear Jene's thoughts on which position he thinks Weatherspoon will wind up spending the majority of his career at.

I suppose that's fair on the concern given his versatility, but he's ranked behind guys with current questions, are super old, or have limited upside. It seems that question is bumping him down significantly, which is surprising as a 3DLB. Some to name are:

- Brandon Spikes with his issues in coverage that restrict him to a 2 down role

- Bruce Carter who I love as well but hasn't played a down in the NFL and is coming off a major injury

- Mario Williams who we don't even know will be able to make a successful conversion to LB and who hasn't looked good yet

- Several others who have underperformed to date (Aaron Curry -- maybe the position switch helps, Orakpo, etc.).

I can buy the concern about the move to SLB, but given that he's currently at WLB and there are MANY others with significant short-term question marks ranked above him, I would have expected him much higher than he is. He did, after all, come out of the gates flying last year as a rookie before the injury.

 

[DesmondBishop]

Love Weatherspoon as an NFL player, but I just fear his fantasy prospects could be somewhat limited if he ends up playing at SAM. Maualuga was a guy who I never really liked all that much, but the light really seems to have gone on for him. He's in an absolutely fantastic situation and I could see him sniffing 100 solos in an every-down role. Risky pick, but the reward could be very high.

Last year at the start of the season and Spoon was playing WLB (Which he will be again) the first 3 games of the season stat wise looked like this:Tackles/Assists/SacksSpoon 7/1/08/1/17/0/0Lofton8/3/13/0/06/2/0When he came back he played some SLB and some WLB, but he is healthy again and I do not think Lofton, who is good but not great will keep his numbers down. I was pimping Spoon as the best LB in his class and I still think he is and I think he and Lofton will have similar numbers this year. Lofton will probably have more tackles and Spoon will have more big plays, he is a very fast aggressive LB and I think he will be a beast.

 

[Tick]

Very low on Goff. He's playing in sub packages this pre-season and is behind an excellent DL.

Jones is a threat, but similar from a talent level.

I'd slot him right in that 50-60 ish tier personally.

Yeah, he's a guy who will likely soar up the updated rankings. I was stunned to read elsewhere on this forum that he was playing three downs. Must have vastly improved his coverage skills. He's got a degree in mechanical engineering so I don't doubt that he's picked up the nuances of the position. Not sure about his long-term prospects to hold the position, but he is certainly a very interesting prospect at this point. Hereis an excellent article about him from back in 2008. Seems like he was quiet and flying under the radar even back then.

I'm carrying Goff in a few leagues... he could be following the Tulloch career path, I hope. We'll see this year, I suppose. To this point he's been unstartable, but perhaps he makes a breakthrough. I saw that Jene had him a lot higher than I would have expected in the tier article.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

You are honestly telling me that there are 67 better fanyasy dynasty LBs than a rookie who is already in his starting lineup as a MLB?I know Matthews hasn't looked good, but come on.

Matthews is not very good, plain and simple. Chances are he loses his starting job midseason and never gets it back, simply because he's not a very talented LB, the Eagles just happen to have nothing else.

He's a rookie. Usually they improve after a year or two.Also, he has an opportunity that at least 20 guys ranked above him will never see. I get he doesn't look good and you think he'll lose his job, but there is enough upside between potential improvement and opportunity in a dynasty ranking to put him higher than #68, that's all I'm saying.I don't think he's top 40 or maybe even top 50, but 68 seems very low for what is currently a starting MLB in his first year in the league.

A lot of those guys ranked 20 or so spots ahead of him already have the exact same opportunity Matthews has right now, and that is being a starting non-every down LB. Whether they are in the middle or on the weak side isn't as big of a deal as I think you're making it to be. Also, I'd argue that the guys in those 20 or so spots ahead of him are all more athletic and have more upside than Matthews does. I think if Casey had a different last name, Andy Reid wouldn't be so comfortable in handing the job to Casey right away, and he'll realize his mistake once the games begin.

 

[ninerfanatic492000]

Love Weatherspoon as an NFL player, but I just fear his fantasy prospects could be somewhat limited if he ends up playing at SAM.

I'm with Crippler on Weatherspoon. 3-down guy in his second year. You mention SAM, but everything I've seen has him at WLB.

..and if he stays there, he should obviously be ranked higher. He's versatile and can play anywhere, so I only worry that he finds himself back at SAM at some point, if he's not there now. I'd love to hear Jene's thoughts on which position he thinks Weatherspoon will wind up spending the majority of his career at.

I suppose that's fair on the concern given his versatility, but he's ranked behind guys with current questions, are super old, or have limited upside. It seems that question is bumping him down significantly, which is surprising as a 3DLB. Some to name are:

- Brandon Spikes with his issues in coverage that restrict him to a 2 down role

- Bruce Carter who I love as well but hasn't played a down in the NFL and is coming off a major injury

- Mario Williams who we don't even know will be able to make a successful conversion to LB and who hasn't looked good yet

- Several others who have underperformed to date (Aaron Curry -- maybe the position switch helps, Orakpo, etc.).

I can buy the concern about the move to SLB, but given that he's currently at WLB and there are MANY others with significant short-term question marks ranked above him, I would have expected him much higher than he is. He did, after all, come out of the gates flying last year as a rookie before the injury.

has that been confirmed? i watched the hawks play and it still seemed like he was lining up on the strongside the majority of the times. whether its good or bad news(fantasy wise) he's covering more than rushing it seems. may help his tackle numbers a bit if he can catch up to the TE/RB/WR that have burned him and tackle them from behind.i've drafted him in my 20th round as a flier. he's a good enuff athlete to make a play or tackle right infront of him or catch up to his blown assignment but he just isn't a playmaker like the hawks were hoping for taking him that early

 

[onionsack]

Will have updated rankings once the cuts start coming in, but one glaring omission is Brian Rolle (PHI). That guy's had a terrific preseason and despite his size (5'10" 230) he's just a player. Fast, superb in coverage, blowing up plays behind the LOS...He'll get nickel snaps, and I can see him pushing Fokou hard for playing time at WILL. Or even Matthews, should he continue to struggle.

 

[Sup_Yo]

Will have updated rankings once the cuts start coming in, but one glaring omission is Brian Rolle (PHI). That guy's had a terrific preseason and despite his size (5'10" 230) he's just a player. Fast, superb in coverage, blowing up plays behind the LOS...He'll get nickel snaps, and I can see him pushing Fokou hard for playing time at WILL. Or even Matthews, should he continue to struggle.

Would you rank him over Chaney?

 

[onionsack]

Will have updated rankings once the cuts start coming in, but one glaring omission is Brian Rolle (PHI). That guy's had a terrific preseason and despite his size (5'10" 230) he's just a player. Fast, superb in coverage, blowing up plays behind the LOS...He'll get nickel snaps, and I can see him pushing Fokou hard for playing time at WILL. Or even Matthews, should he continue to struggle.

Would you rank him over Chaney?

No, but for dynasty purposes I'd bump him up pretty close to Fokou, if not past him. He fell in the draft because of his size, but he's shown that he can't be categorically dismissed because of it. Quite the contrary, his low center of gravity and smallish profile seems to work to his advantage. He's been holding his own on running plays and pushing 300lb linemen backwards on occasion. He's short, not small, and I seem to remember at the combine he put up something like 28 reps. Guys like Sam Mills, Dexter Coakley and Zach Thomas (not to put him at that lofty level!) managed just fine in the league at a similar size, and it's not beyond the realm of possibility that he ends up on the field more than Fokou (or Matthews)this year since they'll be playing nickel so much. You don't want to put too much weight on preseason performance, but he's a guy to keep on your radar because the Philly LB situation is hardly set in stone.

 

[Jayrod]

You are honestly telling me that there are 67 better fanyasy dynasty LBs than a rookie who is already in his starting lineup as a MLB?I know Matthews hasn't looked good, but come on.

Matthews is not very good, plain and simple. Chances are he loses his starting job midseason and never gets it back, simply because he's not a very talented LB, the Eagles just happen to have nothing else.

He's a rookie. Usually they improve after a year or two.Also, he has an opportunity that at least 20 guys ranked above him will never see. I get he doesn't look good and you think he'll lose his job, but there is enough upside between potential improvement and opportunity in a dynasty ranking to put him higher than #68, that's all I'm saying.I don't think he's top 40 or maybe even top 50, but 68 seems very low for what is currently a starting MLB in his first year in the league.

A lot of those guys ranked 20 or so spots ahead of him already have the exact same opportunity Matthews has right now, and that is being a starting non-every down LB. Whether they are in the middle or on the weak side isn't as big of a deal as I think you're making it to be. Also, I'd argue that the guys in those 20 or so spots ahead of him are all more athletic and have more upside than Matthews does. I think if Casey had a different last name, Andy Reid wouldn't be so comfortable in handing the job to Casey right away, and he'll realize his mistake once the games begin.

You guys have actually convinced me that Matthews wasn't all that valuable. I just traded him away in a packaged deal to a LB starved team and ended up with Jared Allen.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

You are honestly telling me that there are 67 better fanyasy dynasty LBs than a rookie who is already in his starting lineup as a MLB?I know Matthews hasn't looked good, but come on.

Matthews is not very good, plain and simple. Chances are he loses his starting job midseason and never gets it back, simply because he's not a very talented LB, the Eagles just happen to have nothing else.

He's a rookie. Usually they improve after a year or two.Also, he has an opportunity that at least 20 guys ranked above him will never see. I get he doesn't look good and you think he'll lose his job, but there is enough upside between potential improvement and opportunity in a dynasty ranking to put him higher than #68, that's all I'm saying.I don't think he's top 40 or maybe even top 50, but 68 seems very low for what is currently a starting MLB in his first year in the league.

A lot of those guys ranked 20 or so spots ahead of him already have the exact same opportunity Matthews has right now, and that is being a starting non-every down LB. Whether they are in the middle or on the weak side isn't as big of a deal as I think you're making it to be. Also, I'd argue that the guys in those 20 or so spots ahead of him are all more athletic and have more upside than Matthews does. I think if Casey had a different last name, Andy Reid wouldn't be so comfortable in handing the job to Casey right away, and he'll realize his mistake once the games begin.

You guys have actually convinced me that Matthews wasn't all that valuable. I just traded him away in a packaged deal to a LB starved team and ended up with Jared Allen.

Well done

 

[jimbodan]

Connor Barwin is still listed as a DE in my league, where would you rank him in your DE list?

 

[AmosMoses]

Hell of a list onionsack.

 

[cr8f]

Walden did pretty well this past week but pre season start Vic So'Oto was sidelined.

Curious to see what he does when he gets back.

 

[onionsack]

Hell of a list onionsack.

Cheers! My rankings are updated in the first post to reflect the final roster cuts and updated depth charts. As usual, thanks in advance for pointing out any errors or omissions.

 

[onionsack]

Walden did pretty well this past week but pre season start Vic So'Oto was sidelined.Curious to see what he does when he gets back.

I'm curious as well. There are at least 4 contenders for the position and it could pay nice dividends with all the attention on Matthews.

 

[Tick]

I see Erin Henderson at 107. He appears to be a starting 2-down WLB. I'd think he would be a bit higher.

 

[Multiple Scores]

Now that Sean Lee is starting I think 51 is very low, I have him as a LB1-LB2 already.

 

[onionsack]

I see Erin Henderson at 107. He appears to be a starting 2-down WLB. I'd think he would be a bit higher.

Indeed. This ranking was made before his breakout Week 1 performance and based on my thinking that (despite his solid pre-season) he'd be a two-down, easily-replaceable weak link in the defense. He's clearly more than that based on the early evidence and looks like he might be a longer-term fixture rather than a guy who merely delivers nice short-term production because he gets run at a lot. He was in Leber's shadow for a long time and plays like he doesn't want to slink back behind another one.

 

[onionsack]

Now that Sean Lee is starting I think 51 is very low, I have him as a LB1-LB2 already.

A bump is in order for the next update, but keep in mind there is another very talented young ILB in the mix and it's not clear yet how their roles will play out in the future. And of course Brooking is still there to suck away snaps in the short term. Delighted to see Brooking's role finally starting to diminish, though. He's been a rock-solid IDP stud for many years, but I look at him now as more of a speed-bump to Sean Lee's progress.

 

[southpawd]

What percentage of WW bucks would you use on LEE?

 

[AmosMoses]

What percentage of WW bucks would you use on LEE?

All of them. Potential stud ILB.I think James Harrison is too high. Dude is getting old and his back isn't going to be 100% for a while. Pittsburgh have guys already loaded to replace him. I think he is exactly a guy that will fall off a cliff.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Id have Bishop in the top 5, after Willis and Timmons, hes in that next group. Mayo didnt impress in the new defense imo. Beason is obvious now. Laurinitis is close. Lofton has always been overrated as far as scoring and now Weatherspoon is cutting into numbers. Ruud sucks even if he does put up numbers. Poz isnt that great either and now hes not in a gimme situation anymore.

 

[onionsack]

What percentage of WW bucks would you use on LEE?

All of them. Potential stud ILB.I think James Harrison is too high. Dude is getting old and his back isn't going to be 100% for a while. Pittsburgh have guys already loaded to replace him. I think he is exactly a guy that will fall off a cliff.

Harrison (33), Urlacher (33), Fletcher (36) and Lewis (36) are all long in the tooth, and it's really hard to rank them for dynasty purposes because they are all nearing the end of their fantastic careers. But they are still extremely productive (all 4 ranked in or near the top 10 in IDP scoring last season) and extremely reliable. I have guys ranked in the 50s that I wouldn't give up for them in a straight up trade, and yet if I was gunning for the title this year, I'd happily put my money on these guys to bring me the title. I've seen some pretty savvy managers successfully employ a strategy of annually cycling in productive, yet aging vets by getting them cheaply off managers who don't want to be around them when the inevitable decline comes. I tend to give a lot of weight to youth in my rankings, but at the end of the day, it's stats that count, not upside.

 

[chris_dub]

What do you guys see Quincy Black and Ryan Kerrigan doing this year & into the future?

 

[Jayrod]

What do you guys see Quincy Black and Ryan Kerrigan doing this year & into the future?

 

[chris_dub]

Meaning what exactly...?

 

[Jayrod]

Meaning what exactly...?

It means I'm interested in hearing about Quincy Black too (picked him up in a dynasty league and was happy with his week 1 production).It is like I'm sitting and excitedly eating my popcorn in anticipation of the beginning of a movie.