London Fletcher-Baker always plays big for IDP owners.

Shawn Merriman, SD
All looks to be well for the San Diego Chargers as they have taken their third category. They topped our list with the top running back (LaDainian Tomlinson), tight end (Antonio Gates), and now Shawn Merriman. Merriman is still new to the league but is a freak of nature that the Chargers feel no guilt in sending at the opposing quarterback. It is not very often that a linebacker breaks into the backfield enough to lead the league in sacks, and especially not after missing six games.

Merriman was suspended for using “performance enhancing drugs,” in the middle of last season. In his final six games, Merriman recorded an absurd 8.5 sacks. When it comes time to pick defensive players Merriman is heads and shoulders above the rest of the pack because he will provide points from recording tackles and sacks. Merriman can and will do it all and the Chargers have been pretty creative in using him in blitz packages. Look for another huge year from Merriman and possibly a defensive player of the year award.

DeMarcus Ware, DAL
Much like Merriman, DeMarcus Ware is a very physical, down hill, linebacker that will influence every play. It does not matter if he is shut down by two blockers or breaks through to rush the quarterback, Ware will find a way to get involved. What makes him so special is that he has the mind and speed to be a linebacker and the strength to be a down lineman. This combination provides many headaches for offensive coordinators around the league as they attempt to create a scheme to keep him out of the backfield.

Ware is another guy that is almost a shoe in for ten or more sacks and very well could rack up as many as a hundred tackles. It all depends on how the Cowboys want to use Ware, but he can and will do it all. Last season Ware got around four tackles and a sack per game, and broke out for three sacks in his final game of the regular season. If it was any indication of things to come it seems that Ware and Merriman will be the top two backers in the league for years to come.  

London Fletcher-Baker, WAS
Unlike the first two guys on my list, London Fletcher-Baker has been around the league for sometime, ten years to be exact, and knows how to play the game. He is not much of a blitzer, but will break through the line every once in a while, and most likely it will be when he sees a weakness, meaning a sack is very likely. Fletcher-Baker has switched locations and put his days in Buffalo behind him, and looks to take the Nation’s Capital by storm. He will never give in on a play, which is only one of the reasons that he racks up over a hundred tackles per year.

With the change in location his physicality will be in question, and his age may slow him down a step or two however his instincts will go nowhere and his determination and pursuit will not falter. Washington has been known to keep the pressure on quarterbacks which leads one to believe that Fletcher-Baker may bring in around five sacks this season, up from a mere two last year. He will not rack up as many points as a down hill backer but will be more consistent.

Keith Bulluck, TEN
The Titans have really only had one constant over the past few years. The team has seamlessly dismantled itself over the off-season and a winning record may be out of the question. One person that has always been there for Jeff Fisher through thick and thin, has been Keith Bulluck. Although the Titans had the leagues worst defense last season, Bulluck was as solid as ever and provided the veteran experience that may start to show as the young talent matures.

In every game last season Bulluck had at least five tackles, meaning production will be there every game. It also shows that he will find a way to get involved in plays, even when they are not headed his direction. Five times last season Bulluck recorded ten or more tackles, and finished the year with two sacks. Because the Titans will again sport a sub-par defensive squad, it means that Bulluck will be left to provide the pressure and backbone of the team.       

Ray Lewis, BAL
Although he is getting older, Ray Lewis still has the swagger and ferocity that leads him and motivates his team. Just last season his was questioning his future in Baltimore, with no line help he felt alone. To shut him up and, and possibly throw him a bone, the Ravens selected one of the biggest and strongest tackles, Haloti Ngata. After plugging holes and taking linemen out of plays, Ngata left Lewis to do the dirty work in brining down the runners. This season he will reignite his inner fire and blaze through offenses the way he once did.

Although he totaled under a hundred tackles, he did record 5.5 sacks and pressured the quarterback. One thing that the Ravens have always been able to do is keep pressure on the QB, leading him to make errant throws into one of the leagues top secondaries. It has been brought to Lewis’ attention that he is no longer the top backer in the league, and it will make him almost as livid as the Madden Curse once did. Offenses be ware, Lewis is back and breathing fire once again.