2008 Football Rankings - Defensive Linemen (IDP)
You have to be careful with the number of defensive linemen that you have on your team. A lot of these guys don’t register a lot of tackles, so if they don’t get sacks, you aren’t scoring many points with them. You will notice that most get between 40-50 tackles per season. Average that over 16 games, and that is just around three tackles a game. If there’s no sack or forced fumble in that game, three tackles basically sucks! So if you go the route of defensive line, I would try to get a top option or two, and then focus the rest of my defensive front players on linebackers. Here are your top 20 players on the DL.
- Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings
55 solo tackles, 9 assisted, 15.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles (14 games)
Even on a terrible defensive team like the Chiefs, Allen was basically unstoppable last season, as he led the league in sacks despite losing two games to suspension. He forced his way out of Kansas City this offseason, and landed in a great situation with the Vikings. He will enjoy the Williams tandem chewing up the middle of the offensive line, and should at worst repeat these numbers in 2008. In fact, he already has two sacks this preseason. If Allen isn’t the first lineman taken in your draft, he certainly should be among the first three. - Mario Williams, Houston Texans
43 solo tackles, 16 assisted, 14 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
Everybody made such a fuss when Mario was the first overall pick instead of Reggie Bush in 2006. Well, one guy has earned elite status at his position, while the other is still struggling to find his identity. Williams is the man on the defensive line, and he gives his opponents nightmares. He is an imposing figure at 6′7″ and 294 pounds, and gets around the corner among the fastest in the league. He really came on at the end of the season, recording ten of his 14 sacks in the last seven games of the year. He could easily surpass these numbers, and could be at the top of this list next season. - Aaron Kampman, Green Bay Packers
48 solo tackles, 16 assisted, 12 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Kampman is a real working man’s sack specialist. He has gotten to the QB 27 times in the past two seasons, and not only that, but he gets a pretty decent number of tackles as far as sack leaders go. He will once again be among the league leaders in sacks as he and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila give quarterbacks reason to soil their pants. - Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants
40 solo tackles, 12 assisted, 13 sacks, 5 forced fumbles
With the departure of Michael Strahan, Umenyiora will now take over the role as primary pass rusher for the New York Giants, and I expect him to flourish in that role. He gets plenty of help from his other pass rushing buddies, but Umenyiora is the most talented of the bunch. Not only does he get to the quarterback and get him to the ground, but he is one of the best at stripping the ball handler on the way to the ground, causing extra turnovers for his team. At just 26 years old, there is still room for improvement.
Editor’s note: Obviously Umenyiora is out for the season and will be replaced by Matthias Kiwuanuka, who is a natural defensive end, but isn’t going to be able to replace the production that Osi would have given. Alter these rankings accordingly. - Julius Peppers, Carolina Panthers
31 solo tackles, 9 assisted, 3 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
Was there a bigger defensive fantasy disappointment last season than Julius Peppers? He went from 13 sacks all the way down to three, and he only missed two games. Peppers is one of the biggest and the baddest dudes on defense, and can run like a wide receiver. He is not only great at getting the sack, but he can strip the ball and take it to the house. He is also perhaps the only defensive lineman who actually gets some interceptions as well. Peppers had recorded 53 sacks in his first five seasons before last year’s nightmare, so don’t be scared away by the low numbers, he is far too talented to not get back to form. - Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens
52 solo tackles, 28 assisted, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Suggs had a terrible year by his standards in 2007, as he only recorded five sacks. How did this happen? I don’t know. Suggs has freakish speed coming off the edge, and can run down even the fastest quarterbacks. His previous career low was eight sacks, so you can’t think that he will do so badly again. I expect a big turnaround for Suggs, at 25 years old, his best years should still be in front of him. - Jason Taylor, Washington Redskins
46 solo tackles, 9 assisted, 11 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
After “Dancing With The Stars” Taylor was inexplicably not wanted back with the Dolphins. I guess the 1-15 ‘Fins couldn’t find a spot for a guy who had nearly 25 sacks the past two seasons. Well, he will fit right in for the ‘Skins, as he has perhaps been the most consistent defensive lineman over the past eight seasons. not only has Taylor not missed a game since 1999, but he has always had between 8.5 and 18.5 sacks over that span. No other player can boast that type of production, and although he is getting to his mid-30s, Taylor should fall in that range again in 2008. - Trent Cole, Philadelphia Eagles
49 solo tackles, 21 assisted, 12.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles
Trent Cole made a nice step forward from his second to his third pro season with the Eagles. His tackles were very close tot eh same, but his sacks went from eight to 12.5, and his forced fumbles went from one to four. Can he take another step forward in his fourth season? That is a little more doubtful, but Cole has arrived as a great fantasy option on the defensive line, as his tackles, sacks, and forced fumbles are among the best at his position. He is also one of the younger guys on this list, making him all the more attractive a selection. - Leonard Little, St. Louis Rams
16 solo tackles, 3 assisted, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble (7 games)
Despite his injuries and off the field problems, Little has been perhaps the most feared pass rusher of the past five years. He is incredibly fast around the corner, and there is no quarterback he can’t run down. Little has a number of moves that he uses to leave the opposing tackle picking up his shorts, and as long as he is healthy, he is among the best at sacks, forcing fumbles, and is good at registering tackles as well. If you ever want to hear a good Leonard Little story, just email our friend Andy Houle at andy@fightingchancefantasy.com, he loves to tell it. Well, maybe it’s really my favorite story, but you can ask him anyway. - Patrick Kerney, Seattle Seahawks
49 solo tackles, 11 assisted, 14.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles
After spending his entire career in Atlanta, Kerney proved his worth to his new team in Seattle with a career high in sacks. Kerney is a bit inconsistent, as he has had seasons where he has 13 or more sacks, but he has also had some duds in his time in Atlanta where he would record around six. He is another guy who is getting into his 30s now, and I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw his numbers take somewhat of a dive after last year’s career best. - Will Smith, New Orleans Saints
46 solo tackles, 20 assisted, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
Not that his career to this point has been bad, but I have been waiting for Smith to have that breakout season his entire career. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not unhappy with averages of 40 tackles and 8.5 sacks over his five seasons, but I keep thinking that there is a 14 sack season just waiting to happen with Smith. Will it be 2008? I wouldn’t bet my house on it, but I feel it is coming. - Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills
45 solo tackles, 12 assisted, 6.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles
After being quite the QB nemesis over the past four seasons, Schobel had a serious off year by his standards. For only the second time since 2002, Schobel failed to record 10 sacks, and his 6.5 from 2007 was tied for his career low. He generally gets an average amount of tackles, but is very good at punching the ball away from the ball carrier and forcing fumbles. There is no reason to believe that Schobel won’t be back among the league leaders in sacks in 2008. - Gaines Adams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28 solo tackles, 10 assisted, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Adams was a high first round pick of the Buccaneers in 2007, and although he didn’t start a game until Week 11, he showed some signs of what made him such a high pick. five of his six sacks game in the final seven games, as he started to earn the status that comes with the fourth overall pick. It has been reported that Adams has committed to conditioning his body and work on his game. He has stopped eating three meals a day at McDonalds and other fast food joints, and also trained harder than ever before. Count on him having an even better second year in the league. - Robert Mathis, Indianapolis Colts
26 solo tackles, 8 assisted, 7 sacks, 4 forced fumbles
Mathis is another guy whose stats have been in decline for a couple of years, but like Burgess, I fully expect him to be back among the league leaders in 2008. Some of the decline in Mathis’ production has to be due to the general ineffectiveness of Dwight Freeney on the other side of the line. Since Freeney is no longer drawing double teams, they are free to focus more on Mathis. He should be back over 10 sacks, and in the mid 40s for solo tackles, in addition to another handful of forced fumbles. - Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs
46 solo tackles, 13 assisted, 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
Hali has been a nice consistent pass rusher in his two seasons in the NFL. However, this is his chance to really take a step towards being one of the league’s elite. He will now be the Chiefs main QB hunter with the trade of Jared Allen to Minnesota. Hali was the Chiefs first round pick before the 2006 season and they are counting on him in a big way to put plenty of pressure on the quarterback. He will now be the main guy the offensive line will be focused on, but I still expect him to thrive in this situation. - Elvis Dumervil, Denver Broncos
34 solo tackles, 5 assisted, 12.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles
Dumervil took a great step up in production in his second full season with the Broncos, as he improved from 8.5 to 12.5 sacks. He is really an all or nothing points guy, as his 34 solo tackles are the second lowest on this list. If he isn’t recording you a sack, he isn’t likely to score you many points at all. Dumervil is a small guy at just 5′11″ and 260 pounds, but he has a low center of gravity, and speed that some linemen have trouble dealing with. He is dealing with a finger injury right now, but it doesn’t sound like it is something that will cost him any regular season time. I wouldn’t be shocked to see his sack total dip a little bit to the 10-11 range, but he is still a viable option, although shouldn’t be your lead defender. - Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee Titans
48 solo tackles, 12 assisted, 12 sacks, 4 forced fumbles
He isn’t top tier at his position, but he gets pretty good tackle numbers, and his sack total was among the league leaders. The only problem with Vanden Bosch was the last two months of the season. He had eight sacks once the calendar turned to November, and that sounds great, but the only problem was in two games he had six of those eight sacks. Which means that five of the last nine weeks he had no sacks. He is still quite inconsistent, and didn’t start producing until late into his career. Chances are he will have another good season, but it isn’t a guarantee. - Derrick Burgess, Oakland Raiders
32 solo tackles, 8 assisted, 8 sacks, 0 forced fumbles
Burgess led the NFL in sacks in 2005, and his sack totals have fallen both years since then. The Raiders are slowly becoming a better defense, so perhaps he won’t be the entire focal point of the offensive line, but he needs to have a bounce back season in 2008. His tackle totals are pretty pedestrian, so if he isn’t getting the sacks, he isn’t scoring you many points. Look for him to get back into the double digits of sacks this year. - Justin Smith, San Francisco 49ers
49 solo tackles, 29 assisted, 2 sacks, 0 forced fumbles
The 49ers broke the bank in their attempt to get someone who is capable of rushing the QB. I’m not sure that they made the absolute best choice, but Smith is far better than anyone that they have had in quite a while. He has never had more than 8.5 sacks, which he got in his rookie year, but as the main option in San Francisco, he could make some sort of impact. The 49ers are in dire need of a pass rush, and hopefully Smith can get near his career numbers, and stay away from his disappointing 2007. - Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis Colts
18 solo tackles, 3 assisted, 3.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles (9 games)
After two horribly disappointing seasons in a row, the question needs to be asked/ Has Dwight Freeney lost his ability to rush the quarterback? After never having under 11 sacks his whole career, Freeney has just nine total in the past two seasons, not to mention he lost about half of last season to a foot injury that he is not back 100% from. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the entire league has figured out that he uses the same spin move on every single down, hell, even I figured that out and probably you did too. So, as soon as Freeney gets healthy and learns a new move to get past offensive linemen, he should be back in the upper echelon of pass rushers.
Others to consider: Adewale Ogunleye, Chicago Bears; Andre Carter, Washington Redskins; Justin Tuck, New York Giants; John Abraham, Atlanta Falcons; Shaun Ellis, New York Jets; Shaun Rogers, Detroit Lions; Amobi Okoye, Houston Texans; Kabeer Gbaja Biamila, Green Bay Packers.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.
