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Chicago Bears IDP Team Report

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Entering the 2014 season, there was optimism galore regarding the Chicago Bears defense. The team spent big on improving the pass rush, adding defensive ends Jared Allen, LaMarr Houston and Willie Young. Well, Young was the only member of the trio who showed up, the Bears defense was a dumpster fire, and 2015 brings with it more (and even bigger) changes.

Defensive Linemen

Let’s see, how shall I put this?

From an IDP perspective, there isn’t a damn thing to see on the Bears’ revamped defensive line.

The reason isn’t hard to pinpoint. New Chicago head coach John Fox decided on Vic Fangio (formerly of the San Francisco 49ers) as his new defensive coordinator, and that means a scheme switch to a three-man front, which in turn means that Allen, Houston and Young have all been re-classified as linebackers by many IDP providers.

Want to know why the talent pool up front in IDP leagues is so shallow? Changes like this.

Linebackers

Well, at least things get better at the linebacker spot, right?

Um, well…

After 11 seasons in the Windy City, Lance Briggs is gone. The Bears brought in free agent Mason Foster, who tallied 62 tackles in 10 games last year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as a potential replacement. Now Foster will battle youngsters Jon Bostic, Christian Jones, and Shea McClellin for the two inside linebacker spots in Fangio’s defense.

As Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune wrote, who will slot where remains very much up for debate. “The competition at inside linebacker will be wide open heading into training camp,” Wiederer said. “And while Christian Jones and Shea McClellin may have an inside track on winning starting jobs, Foster will arrive in Bourbonnais aiming to change that conversation.”

The conversation for IDP owners isn’t just about who will start. It’s also about which (if any) of these linebackers will earn the subpackage snaps that should equate to consistent IDP production. Of the group, Jones impresses us as the best upside dart-throw, but the fact is none of the Bears linebackers are much more than that as things stand today.

Defensive Backs

Veteran safety Ryan Mundy paced the Bears with 103 tackles last year, a sure sign of a bad defense. However, Mundy told ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson that his priority this season is having new batterymate Antrel Rolle’s back.

“Chemistry at safety is really important because we have to have each other’s back,” Mundy said. “That’s one of the things I learned in Pittsburgh playing with Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu. Ryan also had Troy’s back. At safety you need to be a playmaker and if you look at the history of the coaches we have now and the safeties they have coached, the players have always been highly successful, Pro Bowl-type guys. They’ve always had each other’s back and made a lot of plays. We’re looking forward to having that in Chicago this year.”

It’s Rolle who IDP owners should be more interested in, provided that his asking price in drafts doesn’t climb too high. Mundy, on the other hand, is a prime candidate to regress in 2015 to little more than a late flier.

In fact, before considering Mundy it’s advisable to look at second-year cornerback Kyle Fuller, who displayed the three things IDP owners want in the position as a rookie – a nose for big plays, the willingness to get dirty against the run and the capacity to get burned with some regularity.

New York Giants IDP Team Report

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It may be J.J. Watt’s world where IDP defensive linemen are concerned, but a strong argument can be made that New York Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul is the number 2 fantasy option at his position.

It may be J.J. Watt’s world where IDP defensive linemen are concerned, but a strong argument can be made that New York Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul is the number 2 fantasy option at his position.

For many years, the New York Giants had one of the most feared front fours in football, a defensive line that helped propel the team to a huge upset win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. That line has fallen off a bit in the last couple seasons, but a rebound could be in store in 2015.

Defensive Linemen

The Giants’ front four is anchored by Jason Pierre-Paul, who was the runner-up to J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans in Draft Buddy’s default fantasy points scoring in 2014. Like Watt, Pierre-Paul has the ability to mix double-digit sacks with 70+ tackles, affording IDP owners both upside and consistency. It may be Watt’s world where IDP defensive linemen are concerned, but a strong argument can be made that Pierre-Paul is the No. 2 fantasy option at his position.

Opposite Pierre-Paul, the picture is much less clear. Veterans George Selvie and Robert Ayers, youngster Damontre Moore and rookie Owamagbe Odighizuwa will battle for snaps in camp. If one of those players emerges as the clear “winner” of that battle there could be some IDP value to be had, but an upside-draining rotation is a very real possibility.

If you happen to play in an IDP league that separates defensive ends and defensive tackles and miss out on the likes of Ndamukong Suh of the Miami Dolphins and Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, don’t sleep on Johnathan Hankins. The third-year pro quietly finished fifth among defensive tackles last year, and his relative anonymity means Hankins can often be had at a discount.

Linebackers

There’s a new defensive scheme coming to New York in 2015 with the return of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and middle linebacker Jon Beason told SiriusXM Radio that he can’t wait to get after it. “It’s a great system,” Beason said. “We’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to be ready for whatever an offense does.” Beason isn’t carrying a high price tag in 2015 after an injury-marred 2014 season, but those durability concerns add more than a bit of risk to trusting the 30-year-old.

Outside Beason, there are more questions than answers where Big Blue’s ‘Backers are concerned. Free-agent acquisition J.T. Thomas was a pleasant IDP surprise filling in for Paul Posluszny in Jacksonville last year, but until we see how the subpackage snaps shake out Thomas is a speculative addition at best.

Defensive Backs

After losing both Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown in free agency, safety was an area of need for the Giants, a need the team addressed by moving up in the second round to select Alabama’s Landon Collins. The pick met with the approval of Mike Mayock of the NFL Network. “Collins runs a sub-4.5 40,” Mayock said. “He plays every game with his best effort. He is the best in-the-box safety in this draft. If you’re a defensive back for (Alabama coach) Nick Saban, you’re well coached. Collins finishes in the run game and he finishes in the pass game.” A likely every-down player out of the gate, Collins is worthy of consideration as a DB2.

Over the first seven weeks of last season, only Antoine Cason scored more fantasy points than Prince Amukamara. Of course, as has been the case for much of the former first-round pick’s career, Amukamara then got hurt. Heading into a contract year, the 26-year-old has plenty of motivation to produce for the Giants – and IDP owners – in 2015.