DB RANKINGS 1-16
Auction...............$6
Bye Week.............10
After a couple of down seasons near the end of his tenure in Cleveland, Jackson returned to his previous form in his first campaign with the Colts. However, Jackson's personal success came in the context of a unit that ranked in the bottom half of the league in total defense. A large part of Jackson's success in 2014 stemmed from a career high in sacks combined with scoring his first career touchdown. His level of play in 2015 should confirm if last season was a fluke or an actual revival. If it's the latter, he could be a steal in IDP drafts.
Auction...............$6
Bye Week.............9
Smith had never really moved the needle in IDP leagues, but being paired with C.J. Mosley last season seemed to inject new life. The veteran linebacker just missed setting a career high in tackles, due in part to a larger role in Baltimore's pass coverage. However, big seasons from Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil took a bite out of his sack totals. Look for more of the same from Smith this season. It won't be good enough to make him a weekly starter in most leagues. But it should be good enough to earn attention on waivers for bye week purposes.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............8
The Jaguars defense certainly didn't do much to impress in 2014, but rookie Telvin Smith was one of the hightlights. The Florida State product was second on the team in tackles and third in passes defended -- though that last state might be a bigger indictment of Jacksonville's secondary. The next step in 2015 might be to see if Smith can become more of a force as a pass rusher. It's definitely something the Jags could use and something that fantasy enthusiasts would welcome. He's on the LB2 radar with potential to move up.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............9
A few seasons ago, Houston burst on the scene by posting 10 sacks as a second-year player. Last year he became an IDP darling with a league-leading 22 sacks. What does Year Five have in store for Houston? For the sake of fantasy owners, he would need to continue his torrid pace of getting to the quarterback to retain the same level of fantasy value. The bad news is that no one in NFL history has had back-to-back seasons with 20 or more sacks. The deck is stacked against Houston, although no one would sneeze at another double-digit campaign.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............4
Between 2010 and 2012, Mayo had made himself a defensive star both on the field and in fantasy football. However, in the two seasons since then, injuries have limited Mayo to 12 games out of a possible 32. When Mayo is healthy, he remains one of the best playmaking linebackers in the NFL. Yet, at this point, there is enough reason to be concerned that anyone taking a chance on Mayo as one of their primary linebackers would do well to consider backup options in the event that the injury bug bites once again.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............6
While Laurinaitis remains an integral part of one of the NFL's better defenses, he's not the same playmaker he was earlier in his career. The Ohio State product has seen his tackle numbers decrease in each of the past two seasons and 2014 was the first time in his career that he failed to grab an interception. However, the silver lining is that Laurinaitis has remained pretty consistent as a pass rusher with 3.5 sacks in both 2013 and 2014. What's more, the veteran linebacker has yet to miss a game in his first six NFL seasons. Even if he doesn't return to being the player who racked up 100 tackles per season, his consistency should draw plenty of interest from IDP managers on draft day.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............9
It was encouraging to see Cushing make it through the bulk of the season after playing a combined 12 games in 2012 and 2013. That was the good news. The bad news was that Cushing's numbers are down significantly from what they were earlier in his career. It remains to be seen whether Cushing can get back to being the star he was in his first few seasons. Hopefully having a healthy trio of J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Vince Wilfork occupying offensive linemen will help a little bit.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............11
Timmons put together another steady season patrolling the right side of the Steelers defense. The difference in 2014 was that the veteran failed to grab an interception for the first time since 2009. Considering his style of play, that would seem to be an aberration. It still wouldn't be wise to anticipate Timmons putting up enormous numbers -- especially in an aging defense that has been forced to replace a number of key contributors this offseason.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week..............5
Throughout his career, Davis has been a do-it-all player on defense even if he's never excelled in any one category. Such was the case in 2014 when Davis filled the stat sheet in nearly every way possible. That was despite playing in a Panthers defensive unit that was in the bottom half of the NFL overall. Anyone considering adding Davis to their roster should have a pretty good idea of what they're getting -- a steady, average contributor who has the most value as a matchup-based option.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............5
In just his second season (and first as a starter), Jenkins began to make his impact felt. While his numbers weren't eye-popping, the University of Florida product is one of the pieces around which the Dolphins can build their defense. Don't expect Jenkins to be on too many fantasy radars entering the 2015 season, but if his progress continues as expected, he could be a sleeper in plenty of IDP leagues this season.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............7
2014 was another typical Clay Matthews season. The pass-rushing terror logged yet another double-digit sack season while chipping in quality numbers in pass coverage. On the field, there's little denying that Matthews continues to be one of the NFL's top-tier linebackers. But from a fantasy perspective, he gets a boost by playing more downs at inside linebacker -- a position he ventured into for the first time last season. If Matthews slots in as the early-down starter, he could be an IDP sleeper who racks up tackles before sliding over as a pass-rusher on third downs.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............5
Entering his fourth season in the league, Davis is starting to earn a little extra attention. His numbers have improved in each of his first three seasons and now he'll get to play in a revamped defense under new head coach Todd Bowles. If Davis is given the chance to attack the quarterback more often in this new defensive scheme, he could have sleeper value. Even if things remain status quo, look for another season of improvement on the field and in the stat sheets.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............11
The Saints were in need of help at the inside linebacker spot and took a chance on Clemson's Stephone Anthony at the end of the first round. During his college career, Anthony proved to be a natural athlete and hard worker who excelled in nearly every situation he found himself in. With New Orleans lacking in the middle of the field, Anthony should have a chance to see the field right away and could be a playmaker for a defense that is sorely lacking in that department.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............5
During his career at UCLA, Eric Kendricks was a tackling machine and posted the most tackles in a single season in 25 years. While he could stand to improve as a blitzer, Kendricks does so many other things well that it would be an upset if he wasn't starting for the Vikings in Week 1. Considering the good luck Minnesota got with Anthony Barr, another UCLA product, it's not surprisng that the franchise would go back to the same well. Kendricks has sleeper potential for IDP managers this season.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
During his time in college, Benardrick McKinney showed the skill set to create havoc at the line of scrimmage. In the NFL, he'll have extra help playing in a defensive unit that also has Vince Wilfork, Jadeveon Clowney and, of course, J.J. Watt. As a player that can play both inside and outside, McKinney should be a versatile and valuable piece for the Texans defense. Likewise, he can be an asset for plenty of IDP fantasy teams.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............10
The Chargers were desperately in need of linebacker help (the team's four leading tacklers in 2014 all came from the secondary) and found their man in Denzel Perryman. While scouts knocked him for his lack of size and speed, Perryman earned comparisons to Jonathan Vilma and Jon Beason -- two guys from "The U" that found success in the NFL. If Perryman can provide that level of production, he'll be a steal in the later rounds of IDP drafts.
DB RANKINGS 1-16