For the past five weeks, I've offered a list of several IDPs at each position that deserved consideration as pickups off of your waiver wire. While savvy work within the free agent pool is a large factor to any owner's success, you must also be able to gauge the value of your studs and act accordingly.
The following are names of leaders at the top of each defensive category, one that will continue his production and another whose production is likely to dip, making him someone you should think about selling.
Tackles
HOLD TIGHT: Freddy Keiaho, OLB, Colts -- It's not easy to fly under the radar on a high-profile team such as the Colts, but Keiaho has somehow managed to do just that. After seeing sparce playing time in his rookie season, Keiaho emerged last year and likely would have approached 115 tackles had he not missed a chunk of the season with post-concussion syndrome; he finished with 81 tackles in just 11 games. Expect him to reach that number this year, as he's currently the only player in the top 10 on the leaderboard for tackles that has already had his bye week. His numbers will be helped by the fact that the Colts aren't as good as they've been for the past several seasons, as opposing offenses can stick with their running game throughout the length of each contest and allow Keiaho to continue to increase his tackle numbers
SELL HIGH: Lawyer Milloy, SS, Falcons -- Right behind Keiaho on the tackle leaderboard is Milloy, although you can expect that discrepancy to widen in Keiaho's favor throughout the season. Milloy, 34, is not getting any younger and has already had a few minor injury concerns this season. He's currently on pace to approach 120 tackles despite failing to surpass 100 over the past two seasons. Expect the numbers to begin to dip, meaning it'd be smart to sell high on Milloy before his Week 7 bye.
Sacks
HOLD TIGHT: James Harrison, OLB, Steelers -- Harrison emerged onto the IDP scene last year with his 3.5-sack performance against Baltimore in Week 9. He finished the year with 8.5 sacks to go along with 98 tackles. He's been even better this year, just a half-sack off league-leader John Abraham's seven while maintaining nice tackle totals for a blitzing linebacker. He and teammate LaMarr Woodley have been absolute terrors to opposing quarterbacks, and each could threaten for the league lead in sacks by season's end. Given that offensive lines can never be sure when they will or won't blitz, you can't double team these guys like you can a premier defensive end.
SELL HIGH: Albert Haynesworth, DT, Titans -- While Haynesworth's name will continue to be thrown around in early Defensive Player of the Year talk, this banter will do nothing but further inflate his IDP value. Haynesworth is currently tied for fifth in the league with five sacks, just one short of the season-high six he compiled last season. Though Haynesworth's value to the Titans will remain high as one of the league's best run-stuffing tackles, that doesn't translate to fantasy value. In fact, the high sack totals thus far are somewhat of a fluke. Don't expect much more than two or three sacks the rest of the season, given that he'll see constant double teams. He's also not incredibly skilled as a pass rusher. Attempt to get good value now for a guy who'll produce minimal fantasy numbers the rest of the way.
Interceptions
HOLD TIGHT: Michael Griffin, FS, Titans -- While Haynesworth and the defensive line have gotten most of the praise for the Titans' No. 1 defense (in terms of points/game), the secondary has been just as good. Educated NFL fans know by now that Cortland Finnegan is one of the league's best young defensive backs, while Griffin is quickly joining him. In fact, the two are currently tied with a league-leading four interceptions. The Texas product finished his rookie campaign with three interceptions in the final five games and has maintained the same production this season. Given that you can't really avoid him with Finnegan's presence at the other end of the field, Griffin will continue to capitalize on his opportunities.
SELL HIGH: Charles Woodson, CB, Packers -- Woodson has certainly been an IDP monster so far, as he's behind only the aforementioned Griffin and Finnegan with three interceptions. He's also one of just two defensive players to have already found the end zone twice, along with Jacksonville's Rashean Mathis. Unfortunately, Al Harris' ruptured spleen is expected to keep him out for at least a month, resulting in serious negative implications for Woodson's value. With Harris out and the inexperienced Tramon Williams in his place, opposing quarterbacks will pick on Williams and be able to frequently avoid throwing to whichever wideout Woodson has covered. With the number of opportunities he'll have to make plays surely to diminish, now is the time to deal Woodson away. You'll still be able to get another highly-rated IDP player in return, but that window could close in the coming weeks.
Danny Goldin is a fantasy writer for Rotowire.com. For more information, please visit Rotowire.com
