IDP Spotlight: James Harrison (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Rudnicki]

2009 IDP Spotlight Series

One of Footballguys best assets is our message board community. The IDP Forum here has grown quickly over the past few years and is probably the best place on the internet to discuss, debate and analyze all things related to IDPs. In what we hope to make an annual tradition, the IDP Spotlight series will be a key part of our preseason effort this year. As many of you know from what has been done with offensive players over the years, we consider the Player Spotlight threads the permanent record for analyzing the fantasy prospects of the player in question. This year, we hope to publish IDP Spotlights for approximately 20-30 players, which should account for many of the most interesting IDP starters for this year and possibly years to come.

Each week we will post a list of players to be discussed. Those threads will remain open for the entire preseason, and should be a central point to discuss expectations for the player in question. Importantly, analysis done in the first week (or possibly longer) of posting will be part of the permanent record in two ways.

1) At the end of the week (or longer when necessary), we will tally the projections into a consensus.

2) We will select a number of pull quotes from forum contributors who make a compelling statement or observation. Both the projections and pull quotes will be part of a published article on the main website.

Thread Topic: James Harrison, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers

James Harrison Player Page

Each published article will include:

Detailed viewpoint from a Footballguys staff member
Highlighted member commentary from the message board threads
FBG Projections
Consensus Member ProjectionsThe Rules

In order for this thread to provide maximum value, we ask that you follow a few simple guidelines:

Focus commentary on the player or players in question, and your expectations for said player(s)
Back up your expectations in whatever manner you deem appropriate; avoid posts that simply say "I hate him" or "He's the best"
To be included in the final synopsis and consensus outlook, we request that you provide projections for the playerProjections should include the following categories at minimum:

For DLs: Solos, Assists, Sacks, PD
For LBs: Solos, Assists, Sacks, INT, PD
For DBs: Solos, Assists, Sacks, INT, PDNow let's get on with the conversation! We look forward to your contributions and let me offer a personal thanks in anticipation of the great debate and analysis.

 

[Larry Thomas]

I have to admit I wasn’t on the Harrison bandwagon coming into last year. Though Harrison is only entering his 6th season, he is 31 years old. He’s a great fit in LeBeau’s defense and has proved to be one of the best pass-rushing LBs in the game today. I see no reason he won’t continue to be a strong presence for the Steelers for several more years, however, I doubt he'll see more than 3-4 years of his six year contract extension he signed last April.

It was a long road to stardom for the Kent State product, was cut by Steelers several times, signed by Baltimore and sent to NFL Europe before landing a permanent spot in Pittsburgh. Had it not been for a Clark Haggans injury in 2004, Harrison may have retired at the ripe age of 26 to become a veterinarian.

 

[kethnaab]

James Harrison, yee-haw!

the Steelers have improved their pass rush with Timmons playing every down now. Evander Hood will help in various pass rushing formations, and Lamarr Woodley is only going to get better. Teams are going to be hard-pressed to focus their pass-rush blocking efforts solely on Harrison. This is going to be a good year

I think his solo tackles will go down a bit because he won't be on special teams coverage as much anymore.

Steelers face a much easier schedule this season. they'll be ahead more often, and the Steelers D will face more passing situations, so Deebo will get more glory stats as a result

62 solos, 25 assists, 18 sacks, 9 FF/FR, 2 picks, 2 PD, 210~220 FBG fantasy points

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Even though 3-4 OLBs tend to be inconsistent from week to week and year to year, Harrison has proven to be the exception by putting up two incredible seasons in a row. He still has some games with low tackle numbers (7 games with 3 or fewer solo tackles in 2008), but the sacks and big plays he’s capable of make the risk well worth the reward. I don’t think we’ll see another 16 sack season from him this year, but he’s clearly established himself as one of the most dominant defensive players in the league and he plays in a scheme that is perfectly designed for him. Another season with 60+ solo tackles and double digit sacks should keep him just outside the range of the truly elite fantasy LBs in most scoring systems.

66 solos, 26 assists, 12.0 sacks, 1 INT, 3 PDs, 5 FF, 2 FR