Being a fantasy football player for going on 12 years now has done something strange to me; it has jaded me to the point where I no longer find myself supporting just one team. I’m much more interested in following my fantasy teams and tracking how my players perform from week to week. As such, I usually end up “rooting” for two or three different teams over the course of a season as I give a player or players from those teams tiny slivers of heart. It’s lame, I know.

One such team that I’ve attached myself to over the past year is none other than the Seattle Seahawks. And how could one not get wrapped up in what the Hawks were doing unless of course you’re a St. Louis, San Francisco, or Arizona fan? Everything from those stellar jerseys (I’m all about aesthetics), Russell Wilson’s meteoric rise to starter and team leader, to the nail-biting loss to Atlanta in the playoffs. It was definitely a magical season for a team that wasn’t supposed to be that good–at least not yet.

But one aspect of the team that was supposed to be good (and lived up to that billing) was the defense. Head coach, Pete Carroll had his aggressive defense flying all over field, and the unit finished the regular season as the #1 scoring defense in the NFL.

Most of the cast who played on that defense return for 2013, and that is where we start our Team IDP previews…

Seattle Seahawks (Base: 4-3)

The Hawks boast an aggressive defense that work extremely well as an overall unit, but there are really only a few players worth rostering in IDP leagues.

Defensive Line

Cliff Avril: Avril brings his 39.5 career sacks in 5 seasons with Detroit to the Great Northwest in hopes of providing a much needed pass rush while the team awaits the return of Chris Clemons from a torn ACL. Avril can get to the quarterback, but he provides little else in the way of IDP points. He’s still a good bet to post double digit sacks and should settle in as solid DE2

Michael Bennett: Also a new-comer to the team, Bennett may not have generated the splash that Avril did, but he’ll likely have more of an impact going forward. Not only is he more adept at rushing the passer, but he also grades out better against the run. He’ll chip in more in the tackle department and will probably post his first double digit sack year of his career. He too should be a DE2.

Chris Clemons: There’s a chance Clemons could wind up on the PUP list after tearing his ACL in the playoff game against Washington, but he’s still worth rostering due to his ability to get to the QB. He probably won’t get it this year, but he can put up 10+ sacks each year and is normally a high end DE2.

Bruce Irvin: Drafted in the 1st round of last year’s draft, Irvin was thought to have tremendous upside due to his freak athletic ability, but was still very raw as a prospect. As such, he was relegated to mostly 3rd down duty last year because of his inabilites against the run. He was promised more responsibilities this year, but we’ll have to wait and see if that holds true because he’s going to miss the frist 4 games of the year due to testing positive for PED’s. He’s a late round option at best right now, but he’s still worthy of rostering and stashing–especially in keeper or dynasty leagues– for a matchup play(i.e. when they play Arizona) after returning from suspension

Linebackers

Bobby Wagner: The second round pick last year certainly didn’t take long asserting himself as one of the top middle linebackers in the game. Wagner led the team in tackles with 140 despite not being given 3rd down responsibilities until week 5. He’s also a stat sheet filler as he contributed nicely in other categories with 2 sacks and 3 INT’s. He finished the year as PFF’s #2 inside linebacker.

The aggressive nature of the defense will allow Wagner to always be in position to make plays. He flys to the ball, and should always have great tackle numbers. He should be among the first 5-10 defensive players selected in drafts.

K.J. Wright: As the SAM linebacker in Seattle’s 4-3 defense, Wright may not get the tackles or have the overall chances to make plays as Wagner will in the middle, but he’s still considered an elite defender. He’s very good in pass coverage, and as such is a 3-down player. He will chip in with several passes defended while having blitzing opportunities and still posting solid tackle numbers himself. If you end up with him as your LB2 you should feel quite fortunate.

Defensive Backs (Legion of Boom)

Richard Sherman: The “Sherminator” is quite simply one of the best cornerbacks in football. True to the defense he plays in, he uses his large frame(for a CB) to jam receivers at the line, and is always making plays on the ball. He hauled in 8 INT’s to go along with 24 passes defended. If your league separates cornerbacks and safeties, he should be the 1st or 2nd corner off the board. Otherwise, he’s still a top 10-15 defensive back.

Earl Thomas: If you’re in a league that rewards more points for extracurricular activities(i.e. sacks, int’s, forced fumbles) then Thomas is an excellent selection. His role in the defense is more of “center field” one in which he uses his ball-hawking instincts to prey on opposing QB’s. He doesn’t get the tackles that his teammates will, which limits his value in a lot of leagues, but he can still be a top 10 safety.

Kam Chancellor:

…..nuff said.

In all seriousness, Chancellor is one of the finest defensive back options in fantasy football. He acts more like a 4th linebacker on the field than safety, and will be able to fill up your stat sheet. Tackles, INT’s, sacks, fumbles, you name it-he does it. It’s just too bad they don’t reward points for bone-chilling hits. Take him as your DB1 and then “set it and forget it”.

Antoine Winfield: The ageless wonder joins the ferocious secondary after a long tenured career with Minnesota. Winfield graded out as PFF’s #1 rated cornerback in 2012 and played over 1,000 snaps, but his services will not be needed as much with the talent already at the positon for the Hawks. The team will use him strictly as a nickel back, and thus his time on the field will be drastically lowered. However, if either of the two starting corners go down with an injury his value will skyrocket. He’s one of the best–if not THE best–tackling corners in the game and always has high tackle numbers. The Hawks will also likely have leads in most of their games so he should get his fair share of playing time. He has DB1 upside if something goes awry, but otherwise he’s a DB2.

P.S. Our FakePigskin 2013 Draft Guide will be released on August 1st in PDF form for FREE! Simply go to our home page and sign up to receive it and our newsletter in the upper right corner right under our banner.

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