LB Patrick Lewis continues to keep IDP owners happy with his play.

IDP owners have to love this guy.  Willis is providing 4-3 MLB production from a 3-4 ILB slot and has not skipped a beat all season.  His season low is eight tackles, this was against the pass-happy St. Louis Cardinals.  This week brings the run-first offense of the Baltimore Ravens..  Opposing ILBs have averaged over eight tackles per game against the Ravens, with the three-headed ILBs of Cleveland totaling 16 solos and two assists.  This is all a recipe that should have Willis in the top-10 in tackles

Jon Beason, Carolina Panthers
Season Stats: 21 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks, 0 INT, 0 FF, 0 Pass Def.
Last Week: 8 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks, 0 INT, 0 FF, 0 Pass Def.

Last week, I mentioned the health of Dan Morgan having an impact on Beason’s statistics.  Morgan was out during week four against Tampa Bay and the rookie linebacker recorded 10 total tackles.  A word of caution will be on Beason’s lack of big-plays as well as his inconsistencies.  Regarding solo tackles, Beason’s totals have gone 3, 8, 2, and 8 providing quite a roller coaster.  The New Orleans Saints will look to use Reggie Bush as much as possible this week, giving Beason plenty of opportunities to register numbers.  Of course, monitor the situation of Dan Morgan as this will have an impact as well.

Defensive Linemen

Amobi Okoye, Houston Texans
Season Stats: 10 solos, 0 assists, 4 sacks, 0 INT, 1 FF, 0 Pass Def.
Last Week: 2 solos, 0 assists, 1 sack, 0 INT, 0 FF, 0 Pass Def.

Okoye got his first mention in the rookie report last week and went on to record his fourth sack in three games.  This week, the Texans face the Miami Dolphins; a team with more offensive line woes than the majority of teams in the NFL.  In tackle-based leagues, you’ll likely have better options given the amount of tackles that the Dolphins allow to defensive tackles, but Okoye will be in a prime position to record his fifth sack of the season this Sunday afternoon.

Defensive Backs

LaRon Landry, Washington Redskins
Season Stats: 13 solos, 9 assists, 0.5 sacks, 0 INT, 0 FF, 1 Pass Def.
Last Week: Bye

Landry is coming off of a stellar week three that saw him record 12 tackles (six solo) against the New York Giants.  This week, the ‘Skins get a taste of the Detroit Lions; a team that has surrendered over nine tackles a game against opposing strong safeties thus far.  The Lions may pass a lot, but week three saw Eli Manning throw the ball 36 times and this was the week that Landry recorded his season high in takedowns.  He’s a solid DB1 going into this week, and if you drafted him at good value, you’ll likely be starting him as a DB2 which makes things that much better.

Eric Wright, Cleveland Browns
Season Stats: 27 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks, 0 INT, 0 FF, 2 Pass Def.
Last Week: 9 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks, 0 INT, 0 FF, 0 Pass Def.

Last week, I hinted towards a possible demotion of Eric Wright as he had given up a touchdown pass in each of the first three games.  The week four game against the Ravens not only saw Wright keep Derrick Mason out of the end zone, but it also saw the rookie lead the team in solo tackles on the day, bringing his total to 27 – third among all NFL defensive backs.  While this is quite an anomaly for 3-4 cornerbacks, ride the success until it ends.  New England brings quite a challenge for Wright, but the Browns defense should see a lot of time on the field making him a very interesting play.