Russ Lande of the Sporting News reports that South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram has enjoyed a very strong week of practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile Alabama, strengthening the odds that he will be a first round selection in April’s NFL Draft. The 6’2″, 276 pound All-American had 48 tackles, 10 sacks, and two interceptions for the Gamecocks last year. The Ball Says: Lande described Ingram as having a “rare combination of quickness, agility and power closing”, and [...]

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Eagles, who are in dire need of help at linebacker, will be keeping a very close eye on Audie Cole of North Carolina State at this weekend’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Cole, a 2011 All-ACC Honorable Mention, had 108 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles last year. The Ball Says: Cole’s a solid tackler that has shown a nose for the football during his collegiate career, and while he lacks blazing speed [...]

Numbers in parentheses denote Final Preseason Ranking/2011 Finish. Fantasy football stats based on Default IDP Manor Scoring. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER D’Qwell Jackson – MLB, Cleveland Browns (LB20/LB1) After losing most of the last two seasons to injuries Jackson returned in 2011 to the form he showed in 2008, when he led the NFL with 158 tackles. The sixth-year veteran once again posted 158 stops, good for second in the NFL, his 164.5 fantasy points led all players at his position, [...]

The Washington Post reports that University of Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who was projected as a top 10 pick in this April’s draft, was arrested this week and charged with possession of marijuana in Florida. The 6’3″, 192 pound junior had 25 tackles for the National Champions in 2011. The Ball Says: Kirkpatrick’s arrest may cause his stock to drop a bit, but it’s unlikely that he slips past the middle of the first round, especially given the number of [...]

According to a recent report in the Chicago Tribune one of the factors that motivated University of Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus, who led all FBS schools with 16 sacks, to enter the NFL Draft after his junior season was the chance to help out his family. Mercilus, who also ranked second nationally in tackles for loss and forced a school-record nine fumbles, said “My stock may not be as high coming into next season. This was probably the best [...]

Numbers in parentheses denote Final Preseason Ranking/2011 Finish. Fantasy football stats based on Default IDP Manor Scoring. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Jared Allen – DE, Minnesota Vikings (DL2/DL1) Allen put together yet another sterling statistical season in 2011, logging the second highest tackle total of his eight year career (66) while adding a career-high 22 sacks and chipping in an interception and four forced fumbles. Allen’s 174.5 fantasy points were more than a point per game better than the runner-up at [...]

According to a report in the Washington Post Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, who led the nation with 191 tackles in 2011, will forego his senior season and enter the 2012 NFL Draft. The 6’3″ 237 pound Kuechly was an All-Americam last season and the 2011 recipient of the Butkus and Lombardi awards. The Ball Says: Kuechly may not be the most athletic linebacker in this year’s draft class but he’s a solid tackler with excellent football instincts and likely [...]

With a huge game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday that could net the San Francisco 49ers the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs the playing status of star linebacker Patrick Willis is still very much in question for the game. The 26 year-old Willis, who has missed the past four games with a hamstring injury, practiced on a limited basis all three days this week and was reportedly running at full speed, and the San Jose Mercury News quoted [...]

With sincere apologies for the delay between this and my last post here at IDP Manor (Tis’ the Season to be Insanely Busy) here’s a look at some of the happenings around the National Football League that are of particular interest to fantasy football owners in IDP leagues. – Despite earlier reports that he might only miss one game it appears that San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis will miss his second straight contest when the Niners play host [...]

Week 13 of the 2011 NFL season certainly wasn’t kind to IDP owners on the injury front, so let’s take a look around the league at some of today’s defensive injuries that may have the biggest impact as we gear up for the fantasy playoffs. – Without question the injury that sent the biggest shockwaves across the IDP world Sunday was the hamstring pull that caused San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis to miss much of their victory over [...]