[TUESDAY'S EDITION]
Bringin’ the Heat
When you are looking for a good fantasy D-linemen, there usually only one thing to ask, “who can bring the heat?” Over the past couple of seasons in New York there has emerged a football factory producing some of the leagues best pass rushers. If you are looking to draft a defensive lineman for your fantasy team, there’s no better place to start than the Big Apple.
Before you make the trip to the east coast, perhaps Minnesota might make a better stopping ground if you are looking for the best sack-master. Since 2007 the Vikings defensive end Jared Allen could be considered the very best at the position with 30 sacks and over 100 total tackles. His production is among the very best and he’ll be in high demand in fantasy drafts.
The Giants boast one of the leagues fiercest pass rush and it should be no surprise that some of the leagues better sack leaders will come from the Giants. Coming back from injury Osi Umneyiora (13 sacks in 2007) figures to be a productive fantasy option as well as his teammates Justin Tuck (12 sacks and 67 tackles in 2008) and Mathias Kiwanuka (8 sacks last year).
In Houston, the Texans Mario Williams has become a superstar on the defensive side recording 26 sacks over the past two seasons. With Dwight Freeney grabbing a lot of the attention in Indy, quietly Robert Mathis has become a pass rush specialist turning in 11.5 sacks a year ago.
The Eagles have been noted for have solid defenses year in and year out and defensive end Trent Cole has been a big reason providing the pressure. In his last two seasons Coles has combined for nearly 22 sacks. In Atlanta, the Falcon’s defensive end John Abraham emerged as one of the leagues very best leading all D-linemen with 16 sacks in 2008.
These are just a few of the sack-masters to eye for your coming fantasy draft, but so we don’t miss any notable names, here are the top 25 defensive lineman sack leaders from 2008;
1. John Abraham (ATL)
2. Jared Allen (MIN)
3. Julius Peppers (CAR)
4. Justin Tuck (NYG)
5. Mario Williams (HOU)
6. Robert Mathis (IND)
7. Dwight Freeney (IND)
8. Darren Howard (PHI)
9. Aaron Kampman (GB)
10.Trent Cole (PHI)
11. Albert Haynesworth (TEN)
12. Kevin Williams (MIN)
13. Shaun Ellis (NYJ)
14. Mathias Kiwanuka (NYG)
15. Richard Seymour (NE)
16. Jay Ratliff (DAL)
17. Jacob Ford (TEN)
18. Justin Smith (SF)
19. Gaines Adams (TB)
20. James Hall (STL)
21. Dewayne WhiteDET)
22. Alex Brown (CHI)
23. Charles Johnson (CAR)
24. Leonard Little (STL)
25. Bobby McCray (NO)
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