Senior Editor and Founder John T. Georgopoulos is a 15-year veteran of the fantasy sports industry. He has written for several national fantasy magazines and has appeared on sports talk stations around the country.
John has also been a six-time finalist for various Fantasy Sports Writer Association (FSWA) awards; his Fantasy Forecast column was awarded the 2006 Best Fantasy Football In-Season Series by the FSWA.
Colts' DE Robert Mathis has been solid for a long time.
Welcome
back to IDP Insights, the original fantasy football column dedicated
solely to the review and analysis of Individual Defensive Players (IDP). Along
with my trusted companion, Mighty Max (the SportsGrumblings.com
supercomputer), I’ll be breaking down the top IDP performances of the previous
week and then give the top strong plays for the upcoming week.
So
sit back and enjoy the security that a strong defense provides… secure in the
knowledge that Might Max and I stand ready to defend your fantasy team’s
performance.
Teams on bye this
week: Cardinals, Falcons, Jaguars and Eagles.
Top Performers from last week:
DL
Juqua Parker, Eagles (4-1-1, INT, TD):
Earlier this season, I referred to Parker as “lucky” and not someone that could
be counted on for consistent IDP production. I still stick by that statement,
but if he pulls this off again, it’ll be time to change my tune.
Kevin Williams,
Vikings(8-0-4): Monster game from Williams, but IDP owners are still a little bit
disappointed in his overall production—as they likely are by the entire Vikings
front four, who were expected to be one of the more dominant lines in the
league.
Robert Mathis, Colts (6-0-3, FF, FR): Ol’
Reliable, Mathis is one of those guys that never seems to get the credit he
deserves, because he’s overshadowed by Dwight
Freeney. But Mathis has been a steady DL3-type for the past several seasons
and should continue to be a steady IDP influence on your bench.
DeWayne White, Lions (6-1-1): You’d think
that as lousy as the Lions offense has been, White would have more impressive
stats. Still, he’s got some talent and is likely a spot starter in your league.
Aaron Kampman,
Packers(4-0-2): Kampman is one of the league’s best, and should be in your lineup
regardless of the match-up.
LB
Pisa Tinoisama, Rams (9-3-1, FF): “Hawaii
Five-Oh” has been identified by new head coach Jim Haslett as being someone
who should be making more impact plays for the defense… and we agree.
Hopefully, last week’s performance against a tough Redskins’ squad is
indicative of things to come.
Channing Crowder,
Dolphins (9-4-0): The Dolphins defense has been surprisingly
tough this season, as Crowder has been as steady as a rock for Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells.
Nate Webster, Broncos
(7-4-1,
FF):Like I said last week, the
Broncos defense stinks, the offense scores quickly—a formula for IDP points if
I’ve ever seen one! Webster and D.J.
Williams are the beneficiaries of the Broncos 30th-ranked
defense.
Stephen Cooper,
Chargers(7-3-1): Cooper had been suspended for four games to start the season, but he
hasn’t let that prevent him from making an immediate impact upon his return.
After an 8-tackle performance two weeks ago, he came back with an even better
performance last week. If he’s on your league’s waiver wire, pick him up now.
Lofa Tatupu, Seahawks(10-1-0): Tatupu
should be a starter for your team, and in most circumstance should be your LB1.
DB
Tim Jennings, Colts(10-0-0, FF, INT):
Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity.. Jennings started his first game
of the season last week, and delivered a huge game. Let’s see if he will
continue to get the minutes going forward.
Chinedum Ndukwe, Bengals(5-1-1, FR, TD): Made a nice
play on the corner blitz to sack and strip Brett
Favre for the TD, but I don’t think he’s ready to be on anyone’s IDP
roster.
Quintin Mikell,
Eagles(5-4-0, INT):
Eric Weddle, Chargers(11-0-0): The
Chargers secondary is a lot like the Broncos LB corps: it gets all of the
action, because opposing teams love to throw against ‘em. So having a San Diego
defensive back in your lineup, any of them, is probably good for your team’s
bottom line.
Gibril Wilson,
Raiders(10-1-0): Wilson continues to make the case that he should be playing
linebacker, not safety, for the Raiders. Seriously though, this is the type of
game that has become commonplace for Wilson this season.
Mighty
Max Says…
Mighty
Max is the Sports Grumblings supercomputer, running an
advanced, proprietary ranking system which takes several factors, both common
and unique, into consideration to identify the strong fantasy plays of the
week.
For Week Seven, here are the top strong plays identified
by Max:
