Linebackers
It seems like experts have been writing off Ray Lewis as a player to watchout for a decline in production for about six years now. At the end of the day, Lewis continues to rack-up solid tackle numbers, and I believe he will do so until the day he retires. If you look at our rankings below, you will notice that I actually have Lewis ranked over Paul Posluszny in our rankings and that is because of health.
Posluszny would be a clear top three linebacker for IDP fantasy football if he could play a full schedule of games each season. In his first four years in the league, Posluszny has played one full season (three years ago) and has missed nineteen games due to injury in that time. If you’re willing to go with the health risks, POZ is probably worth taking as the fourth linebacker off the board, but make sure you understand what you’re getting into.
To provide a balanced scoring system between tackle heavy leagues and big play leagues I have a kept solo tackles and assists at two and one but bumped up big play scoring by a point or two for each category. Make sure you check with your scoring rules before you draft to adjust for your league.
Last Updated – August 27th
Note – check bottom of page for players with a star(s) next to their name for eligibility concerns.
Scoring Base
Solo Tackles: 2, Assists: 1, Sacks: 5, Interceptions: 7, Forced Fumbles: 5, Fumble Recoveries: 3, Pass Deflections: 3
2011 LB Player Rankings
1 |
Patrick Willis |
2 |
Jerod Mayo |
3 |
Lawrence Timmons |
4 |
Jon Beason |
5 |
Derrick Johnson |
6 |
Chad Greenway |
7 |
Ray Lewis |
8 |
London Fletcher |
9 |
Curtis Lofton |
10 |
David Hawthorne |
11 |
Desmond Bishop |
12 |
Paul Posluszny |
13 |
Barrett Ruud |
14 |
James Laurinaitis |
15 |
D.J. Williams |
16 |
James Harrison |
17 |
Jonathan Vilma |
18 |
Brian Urlacher |
19 |
Brian Cushing |
20 |
Stephen Tulloch |
21 |
James Anderson |
22 |
Nick Barnett |
23 |
Rey Maualuga |
24 |
DeMeco Ryans |
25 |
DeMarcus Ware |
26 |
Bradie James |
27 |
Clay Matthews |
28 |
D’Qwell Jackson |
29 |
Terrell Suggs |
30 |
Rolando McClain |
31 |
LaMarr Woodley |
32 |
Mason Foster |
33 |
Lance Briggs |
34 |
Karlos Dansby |
35 |
David Harris |
36 |
Cameron Wake |
37 |
Tamba Hali |
38 |
E.J. Henderson |
39 |
A.J. Hawk |
40 |
James Farrior |
41 |
Kevin Burnett |
42 |
Daryl Washington |
43 |
Brian Orakpo |
44 |
Clint Session |
Best Of The Rest
Aaron Curry, Akeem Ayers, Bart Scott, Brooks Reed, Pat Angerer, Ernie Sims, Jovan Blecher, Takeo Spikes, Keith Rivers, Rob Ninkovich, Ryan Kerrigan, Shaun Phillips, Stephen Cooper, , Michael Boley, Jonas Mouton, Paris Lenon, Will Witherspoon, Von Miller, Lofa Tatupu, Rocky McIntosh, DeAndre Levy, Sean Weatherspoon, Justin Durant, Geno Hayes, Stewart Bradley, Dhani Jones, Andra Davis, Kirk Morrison, Gary Brackett, Elvis Dumervil*, Mario Williams**
Please Note
*** – Many standard IDP leagues like ESPN, Yahoo etc, have Terrell Suggs only eligible as a linebacker. Make sure he is eligible in your league before selecting him as a top lineman.
** – Elvis Dumervil is set to return to defensive end as the Broncos are switching back to a 4-3 scheme. Check your eligibility rules in your league, to find out if/when he will can line status.
* – Mario Williams is moving to linebacker but should keep his defensive line eligibility for this season as he played on the line all last year.
