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After week 9 ended we had a shift in our #1 spots all across the rankings. We had a couple injuries happen, a few byes, and some great play. Lets see where everyone ended up.

Linebacker

Rankings

Cory Littleton– 75 Tackles (53 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 8 pass deflections, 1 interception, 2 blocked kicks, 1 safety. (Last week at #2) Darius Leonard– 88 tackles (58 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 2 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries. (Last week at #1) Kiko Alonso– 83 Tackles (55 solo), 6 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at # 4) Avery Williamson– 68 Tackles (49 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at #8) Jordan Hicks– 71 Tackles (50 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at #3) Luke Kuechly– 64 Tackles (52 solo), 10 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 pass deflections, 1 interception. (Last week at #7) Blake Martinez– 70 Tackles (44 solo), 8 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 2 pass deflections. (Last week at #5) Todd Davis– 67 Tackles (48 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sack, 5 pass deflections, 1 interception, 1 Touchdown. (Last week not on the list) Tremaine Edmunds– 62 Tackles (45 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 7 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles. (Last week at #6) Fred Warner– 73 Tackles (56 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week not on the list)

A New King of the Castle

Darius Leonard has held the top spot in my Linebacker Rankings every week so far leading up to this week. Unfortunately for him, the Colts were on a BYE this week, enter Cory Littleton. Although Leonard was on a BYE, that is not the only reason his spot was overtaken. Here you can see Littleton’s amazing ability in coverage to fight through picks and prevent the touchdown:

This play by Cory Littleton was fun to watch. Fights through the designed picks to make the stop. pic.twitter.com/3cbN4NervQ — Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) November 5, 2018

Cory Littleton has had an amazing season so far and would be my vote for Most Improved Player. He is productive in every facet of the game and consistent as well. He finished this week with 9 more tackles (7 solo). Week 10 gives him another solid matchup (even though you start him whoever he plays) against the Seahawks who have given up the 4th most points to linebackers.

Newcomers

There are two newcomers to the top 10 Rankings this week. They are Todd Davis and Fred Warner. Both have been solid all year but with consistent play, and a little help from injuries (Reuben Foster), they have jolted themselves into the discussion for top 10 Fantasy Linebackers.

Todd Davis has been with the Broncos since 2014. His past two seasons haven’t been bad but they also haven’t been what the Broncos were looking for in him. This year with Brandon Marshall in and out of the lineup Davis has emerged as a dependable tackler and a capable linebacker in coverage.

His last three weeks have been especially good where he has racked up 26 tackles (19 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 4 pass deflections, and 1 interception which he returned for a touchdown. He is on a BYE week 10 so likely to drop out of the rankings next week, his remaining schedule is full of easy matchups giving him a chance to finish in the top 10.

Fred Warner is a rookie in which the 49ers tempered expectations. He was not projected a starter after the draft but after the preseason, he secured a spot in the starting rotation. Warner is a tackle machine, if he doesn’t do much else in the stat column he will get you tackles.

With Reuben Foster out often with injuries (the 49ers should really save him for next year and shut him down) Fred Warner has the opportunity to shine even more. In the 3 games Foster has missed this season Warner has 29 tackles (26 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass deflection and a forced fumble. If Foster misses more time expect Warner to stay on this list. Watch the big swat at the line here last week against the Raiders:

This is Fred Warner’s second pass deflection tonight! This is a big reason the 49ers love him so much! pic.twitter.com/lyWq6sdAiO — Cougs in the Pros (@BYUpros) November 2, 2018

Whose Rising and Whose Falling

We all know Leonard and Littleton swapped spots at the top . Kiko Alonso jumped his way back into the top 3 coming up with a couple pass deflections and a pick last week. Avery Williamson though shot himself way up the list from the #8 spot to the #4 spot. Last week Williamson amassed an impressive 12 tackles (7 solo), 1 for a loss and a sack. He gets another great matchup Week 10 against the Bills who have given up the most points to Linebackers.

Blake Martinez dropped two spots down to #7, partially because he was carted off the field in the 3rd Quarter against the Patriots only to return later in the 4th…phew. He did end with 7 tackles but only 3 of them solo.

Tremaine Edmunds dropped from 6th to 9th in the Rankings because he sat this week out with a concussion. Expect him to fully recover for week 10 going up against the Jets. Although a tough matchup for Linebackers, the Jets give up the 3rd least points to Linebackers, Edmunds has been one of the most consistent Fantasy Linebackers and should still be started.

Defensive Back

Rankings

Jamal Adams– 63 Tackles (47 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 8 pass deflections, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles. (Last week at #3) Kareem Jackson– 51 Tackles (41 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 10 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at #6) Harrison Smith– 47 Tackles (37 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at #2) Budda Baker– 72 Tackles (52 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass deflection, 1 fumble recovery, 1 Touchdown. (Last week at #1) Tyrann Mathieu– 52 Tackles (44 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at #8) Derwin James– 55 Tackles (38 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, 1 interception. (Last week at #9) Damarius Randall- 50 Tackles (45 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 7 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at #5) John Johnson III- 57 Tackles (35 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 8 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble. (Last week not on the list) Donte Jackson– 37 Tackles (34 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 7 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble. (Last week not on the list) Jessie Bates III- 60 Tackles (41 solo), 4 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, 1 Touchdown. (Last week at #4)

Mr. Adams the 2nd President

No not John Adams, Jamal Adams. He has finally taken over for Budda Baker as the leading Defensive Back fantasy scorer. To Budda’s defense he was on a bye but there have been a few DB’s nipping at his heels for a couple weeks. Baker is a tackle machine but does not produce much else. Jamal Adams on the other hand scores across the bored.

Last week Adams finished with 7 tackles (5 solo), 1 for a loss and 2 pass deflections. That was good enough to vault him to #1 in the Rankings this week. Watch this beautiful play Adams makes to force a loss of yardage:

Jamal Adams is as good as any box safety in the run game. This is 2 plays later pic.twitter.com/TvzzxcpE1F — Ryan K (@Roadkill823) November 5, 2018

Newcomers

There are two newcomers on this rankings list. John Johnson III has put his name back in the top 10 after a couple lackluster weeks. He left New Orleans coming up with 9 tackles (5 solo) which was good enough to get his name back into the mix.

Then we have Donte Jackson who is here for the first time. Opposite of Jackson is James Bradberry. He has shown to be a very good corner this past season and this season so far. This provides plenty of opportunity for Jackson to be targeted because teams avoid Bradberry.

Not a good idea at all. Donte Jackson is tied for the league lead in interceptions with 4 and has another 7 pass deflections. He is a sure tackler to, having 37 tackles and 34 of them solo. Watch Jackson here beat Desean Jackson with better position and then out muscle him for the interception:

Donte Jackson for NFL Defensive ROY pic.twitter.com/jcQc0ycVvo — Panthers 24/7 (@Panthers24_7) November 4, 2018

Whose Rising and Whose Falling

There were three main risers in the rankings. Jamal Adams who we already talked about, Kareem Jackson, and Tyrann Mathieu. Kareem Jackson’s tackle numbers have gone down slightly since he has shifted back to cornerback with all the injuries the Texans have faced.

What he has been doing however is coming up with plenty of pass deflections. Kareem Jackson is 3rd in the league with 10 pass deflections coming up with two more this past Sunday. He added 4 solo tackles to vault him from 6th to 2nd in the rankings. Look at this amazing play he makes to break up the pass:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1059499450681487366

Tyrann Mathieu has been solid all year and just keeps climbing the ladder of the rankings. He comes up with a lot of pass deflections normally but has shown this year to be a solid tackler. Last week from the safety position he came up with 6 solo tackles. Solid game, plus some of the other guys on the list did not fair to well allowing him to jump some spots.

There were two main players who fell in the rankings. Those two were Damarius Randall and Budda Baker. To no fault of there skill or playing….they simply just did not play. Randall was out with an injury and Baker was on a BYE. Better luck next week guys.

Defensive Line

Rankings

Danielle Hunter– 43 Tackles (30 solo), 13 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 Touchdown. (Last week at #5) J.J. Watt– 32 Tackles (25 solo), 11 tackles for a loss, 4 pass deflections, 9 sacks, 4 forced fumbles. (Last week at #2) Aaron Donald– 30 Tackles (20 solo), 13 tackles for a loss, 1 pass deflection, 10 sacks, 1 forced fumble. (Last week at #1) Myles Garrett– 27 Tackles (22 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 3 pass deflections, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles. (Last week at #3) Carlos Dunlap– 26 Tackles (19 solo), 6 tackles for a loss, 5 pass deflections, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles. (Last week at #4) Bradley Chubb– 30 Tackles (22 solo), 9 tackles for a loss, 1 pass deflection, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble. (Last week at #9) Chandler Jones– 26 Tackles (19 solo), 6 tackles for a loss, 4 pass deflections, 6.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week at #6) Jason Pierre-Paul– 26 Tackles (23 solo), 9 tackles for a loss, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble. (Last week at #7) Demarcus Lawrence– 34 Tackles (22 solo), 11 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week not on the list) Frank Clark– 16 Tackles (15 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 1 pass deflection, 7.5 sacks, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. (Last week not on the list)

Back On the Hunt

Danielle Hunter put himself back at the top of the D-Line Rankings list with a massive game in week 9. He amassed 9 tackles (6 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery for a Touchdown…WOW! That jumped him from the middle of the pack way back up to the top. Hunter leads the league in sacks again with 11.5 and has a whopping 13 tackles for a loss. Last week he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Watch here as he dominates the Lions line:

VIDEO: All 10 sacks from the Vikings defense in Week 9 on Matthew Stafford 1. Tom Johnson/Sheldon Richardson

2. Danielle Hunter/Everson Griffen

3. Hunter

4. Stephen Weatherly

5. Johnson

6. Hunter

7. Mackenzie Alexander

8. Griffen

9. Johnson

10. Hunter pic.twitter.com/Wn2r7GRbUy — Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) November 6, 2018

Newcomers

The two newcomers for this week have seen this rankings list before. Frank Clark was able to come up with another sack which was enough to push him up the list. Demarcus Lawrence reemerged as a presence this week after their week 8 BYE. He finished with 4 tackles (2 solo), 1 sack and a forced fumble. He will most likely be a mainstay for the rest of the season with a pretty easy remaining schedule. Watch his speed in this forced fumble:

Demarcus Lawrence comes FLYING IN off the edge to force the fumble! (Via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/5Tz6XaBRAk — PFF (@PFF) November 6, 2018

Whose Rising and Whose Falling

Danielle Hunter was mentioned already jumping from 5th to 1st with his monster game. There were a couple of spots that changed but nothing too major… Oh yeah there was Bradley Chubb. Chubb continued his ascension towards the top of the list with another great game going from 9th up to 6th.

Chubb came up with 6 tackles (5 solo), 3 tackles for a loss and another sack. He has been killer his last 4 games coming up with 18 tackles (14 solo), 8 tackles for a loss, and an amazing 6.5 sacks. Keep your eyes on this guy, he’s a stud. Chubb was good enough to grab Defensive Rookie of the Month.

"I'm nowhere near where I want to be. I’m happy for the achievement, but right now, I just have to keep working …”

– NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month Bradley Chubbhttps://t.co/v1PnJsvO8A pic.twitter.com/WwnDhT8wnX — CBSDenver (@CBSDenver) November 4, 2018

Those are my top 10 rankings at each position after Week 9. There are only a couple more weeks of BYES so the shifting shouldn’t be affected by missing games unless due to injury. This will show the real power players for the rest of the year. Lets see who finishes #1 at each spot.

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @josephhaggan and @IDPGuys. Tune in to the weekly podcast as well as we provide great knowledge and Fantasy advice for the coming games. If you aren’t playing IDP, you aren’t playing Fantasy Football.

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