The Hive – Week 7 edition

Welcome back to The Hive! This is another interesting week in the world of IDP, as a lot of big names are on a bye. We will hopefully uncover some gems for you this week that are available on your wire. Let’s get to the action!

How we rank `em!

Giddyup! – YEEEHAW!!

SINS! – solid if not spectacular

Hellno! – Get it? Got it? Good.

Baltimore @ Buffalo Sunday 10am PST

Baltimore

Giddyup! - Ray Ray, Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs

SINS! - Ed Reed, Dawan Landry

Hellno! - Samari Rolle, Chris McCallister

Buffalo

Giddyup! - Angelo Crowell, John DiGiorgio, Keith Ellison, Terrance McGee

SINS! - Chris Kelsay, Aaron Schobel

Hellno! - Kiwaukee Thomas, Anthony Hargrove

Game notes - The defense might be the only interesting thing about this game from a fantasy perspective, though the Matt Stover owners out there may disagree. Hot Sauce has been pretty mild thus far, but i think he can get it going vs a rookie RB and QB. I like all the Bills LB's this week, especially the returning Keith Ellison, who was a hot preseason sleeper prior to his high ankle injury. He is good to go now, and it may be wise to swoop him off your wire before this game.

Minnesota @ Dallas Sunday 10am PST

Minny

Giddyup! – E.J. Henderson, Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin

SINS! – Darren Sharper, Ray Edwards

Hellno! – Chad Greenway

Dallas

Giddyup! – Roy Williams, Ken Hamlin, Demarcus Ware

SINS! – Bradie James, Terrance Newman

Hellno! – Jason Hatcher

Game notes – For Minny you have to like the DB’s against Romo and the Cowboys passing attack. I expect Dallas to come out with the guns blazing to get the taste of last week out of their mouths. I also like Henderson vs Barber III and JJ. Greenway is about to go into a time share with Ben Leber, who the Vikes like better on passing downs. Ugly situation for the preseason sleeper. For Dallas I am impressed thus far with Demarcus Ware, who is showing the kind of week to week production that Shawne Merriman owners can only dream of. The Dallas safeties should get plenty of chances to try and bring Adrian Peterson to the turf. I like Jason Hatcher as a player, but as an IDP option I wouldn’t let that TD last week sway you into starting/acquiring him.

Tampa Bay @ Detroit Sunday 10am PST

Tampa Bay

Giddyup! – Barrett Ruud, Ronde Barber, Jermaine Phillips, Phillip Buchanon, Cato June, Derrick Brooks

SINS! – Tanard Jackson

Hellno! – Gaines Adams, Brian Kelly

Detroit

Giddyup! – Ernie Sims, Paris Lenon

SINS! – Gerald Alexander, Fernando Bryant, Stanley Wilson, Lions DL’s

Hellno! – Kenoy Kennedy, Boss Bailey

Game notes – This is an interesting contest. The Tampa DB’s should be busy, and I like Ronde Barber to put up some Ronde Barber-like numbers this week, which would be a rarity for this season so far. Phillip Buchanon has been putting up some great IDP stats, and he has always been a Gruden favorite so I wouldn’t expect him to go anywhere barring injury. Cato June is a sneaky start this week due to his great pass coverage skills. I’d probably start him over Brooks, though the stats thus far in 2007 would lead one to think that was insane. For Detroit I like the two reliable LB’s and not much else. Although Bryant could have a nice game if he is matched up on Galloway .

Tennessee @ Houston   Sunday 10am PST

Tennessee

Giddyup! – Keith Bulluck, Kyle Vanden Bosch

SINS! – David Thornton, Chris Hope

Hellno! – Michael Griffin

Houston

Giddyup! – Demeco Ryans, Dunta Robinson, Mario Williams

SINS! – CC Brown, Von Hutchins, Amobi Okoye, Morlon Greenwood

Hellno! – Danny Clark

Game notes – I may be one of the few left who believe in Keith Bulluck after his atrocious start to 2007, but that’s how I roll. Now if you play in a league where you start 3 or 4 IDP’s total, you have likely moved on to a Barrett Ruud or a Thomas Howard weeks ago, but for those of us in IDP only leagues Bulluck presents quite the dilemma. Continue to roll with him, or sit him for what is likely a far inferior player. I think Bulluck will turn it up, and it’s a fine time to buy low in certain formats. For Houston I think Mario Williams could be scary good this week if Collins starts for the Titans. I think Collins will eat the turf many times, and Williams or Okoye could easily get some forced fumble action.

New England @ Miami Sunday 10am PST

New England

Giddyup! -  Adalius Thomas, Ty Warren

SINS! – Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Rodney Harrison, Vince Wilfork

Hellno! – Tedi Bruschi

Miami

Giddyup! – Zach Thomas

SINS! – Renaldo Hill, Jason Taylor

Hellno! – Vonnie Holliday, Joey Porter

Game notes – This should be a slaughter, and I am praying this isn’t the nationally televised game in my area. Bump your Pats DB’s, as the Fins will obviously be playing from behind. Not too excited about Jason Taylor vs the five layers of Visa protection, but its real hard to sit a guy like him.

Atlanta @ New Orleans Sunday 10am PST

Atlanta

Giddyup! – John Abraham, Deangelo Hall, Keith Brooking

SINS! – Demorrio Williams, Lawyer Milloy

Hellno! – Rod Coleman, Stephen Nicholas

New Orleans

Giddyup! – Will Smith, Charles Grant, Roman Harper

SINS! – Scott Fujita, Josh Bullocks, Scott Shanle

Hellno! – Mike McKenzie

Game notes – For the Falcons Deangelo Hall vs Colston should be a productive start, and John Abraham is starting to awaken. Demorrio Williams didn’t show a whole lot in his 1^st start without sharing snaps with Stephen Nicholas, so I wouldn’t rely on him until he shows you something. For the Saints this is a good week to start Will Smith and Charles Grant, though many of you Smith owners may be gun shy after his zero last week. Such is the life of a DL, don’t pass up this matchup because of last week. The Falcons OL is a joke, and Leftwich will be out there for the first time as a starter with his new team.

San Francisco @ New York Giants Sunday 10am PST

SF

Giddyup! -  Pat Willis, Marques Douglas, Nate Clements

SINS! – Derek Smith, Walt Harris, Michael Lewis

Hellno! – Bryant Young

NY

Giddyup! – Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Antonio Pierce, Gibril Wilson

SINS! – Kawick Mitchell, Michael Strahan, Aaron Ross, Matthias Kiwanuka

Hellno! – Sam Madison

Game notes – For the Niners, who are coming off a bye, I like Willis to make some plays vs the Giants running game, and I am liking Marques Douglas to get plenty of garbage tackles. The Giants have another excellent matchup for their D, as Trent Dilfer will be starting again for the Niners. I like Osi and Tuck to wreck shop yet again, and old man Strahan should get in on the fun as well. Aaron Ross has been hot lately, he could snag another pick off Dilfer.

Arizona @ Washington Sunday 10am PST

Arizona

Giddyup! – Adrian Wilson, Gerald Hayes, Darnell Dockett

SINS! – Rod Hood, Terrance Holt

Hellno! – Karlos Dansby

Washington

Giddyup! – London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh, Sean Taylor, Andre Carter

SINS! – Carlos Rogers, Laron Landry, Marcus Washington

Hellno! – Fred Smoot

Game notes –  Bad luck for the Cards, LB and team leader Karlos Dansby is out for at least a month with a bad knee. Monty Beisel will likely take over, but he shouldn’t be on your IDP radar. Adrian Wilson is a little gimpy, but he says he will play for sure. Keep your eyes on the injury report if you own him. For the Skins you have to like the resurgent Andre Carter to get to Warner and/or Rattay. Sean Taylor could keep up his smokin’ hot play of late vs the vertical attack of Arizona .

New York Jets @ Cincinnati Sunday 1:05pm PST

NY

Giddyup! – Kerry Rhodes, David Barrett

SINS! – Andre Dyson, Kenyon Coleman, Jonathan Vilma, Darrelle Revis

Hellno! – Eric Barton, David Harris

Cincy

Giddyup! – Madieu Williams, Landon Johnson

SINS! – Justin Smith , Leon Hall, Robert Geathers

Hellno! – Jonathan Joseph

Game notes – Both teams are hating it right now, and the Jets have a full blown QB controversy going on to boot. As an Oregon Duck, you already know my thoughts on that! As far as the Jets IDP’s go I like the DB’s vs the Cincy passing game. Revis is a must start if you are getting return points as well, and Barrett, Rhodes, Dyson, and whoever starts out of Eric Smith and Erik Coleman all make fine starts in most IDP formats. Vilma has been surprisingly solid, but against the recently invisible running game of the Bengals, not so much. For Cincy I like Madieu and Landon, and not a whole lot else. FREE ODELL THURMAN!! Oh, sorry about that... my bad.

Kansas City @ Oakland Sunday 1:05pm PST

Kansas City

Giddyup! – Jared Allen, Derrick Johnson, Donnie Edwards, Napoleon Harris

SINS! – Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard, Tamba Hali

Hellno! – Pat Surtain, Ty Law

Oakland

Giddyup! – Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard

SINS! – Michael Huff, Tommy Kelly, Stuart Schweigart

Hellno! – Derrick Burgess

Game notes – Big game for both teams, though the winner is just prolonging their eventual irrelevance. Jared Allen was huge last week, and should be again. The Raiders OL is far from the sieve it used to be, but Jared is one of the best in the game, and he shouldn’t have many problems. It was an off week last week for the Chiefs LB’s, but the Raiders actually run the ball, so they should all bounce back. For Oakland I am not too excited about anyone outside of Morrison and Howard, who should both be quite productive vs LJ and Gonzo. Derrick Burgess needs to get healthy to help make the line effective again.

Chicago @ Philadelphia Sunday 1:15pm PST

Chicago

Giddyup! – Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman

SINS! – Adam Archuleta, Tommie Harris, Mark Anderson

Hellno! – Nathan Vasher

Philly

Giddyup! – Quintin Mikell, Omar Gaither, Trent Cole

SINS! – Takeo Spikes, Lito Sheppard, Jevon Kearse

Hellno! – Brian Dawkins

Game notes – This is one of the games I am really looking forward to this week. Don’t know why, but I am. For the Bears play the usual suspects. For Philly it looks like Mikell gets another start in place of Dawkins, and he should put up nice numbers yet again.

St Louis @ Seattle Sunday 1:15pm PST

St Louis

Giddyup! – Will Witherspoon, O.J. Atogwe

SINS! – James Hall, Tye Hill,

Hellno! – Leonard Little

Seattle

Giddyup! – Julian Peterson, Lofa Tatupu

SINS! – Leroy Hill, Marcus Trufant, Deon Grant, Pat Kerney, Darryl Tapp

Hellno! – Chuck Darby

Game notes – This is a game I have no interest in whatsoever. Leonard Little has to take “a lot of painkillers” at halftime just to make it through the game last week. Way to set an example yet again Leonard! For Seattle rookie Brandon Mebane takes over at nose tackle, which should further weaken the Hawks run D. Outside of that, start the Hawks LB’s and let’s all move on with our lives.

Pittsburgh @ Denver Sunday 5:15pm PST

Pittsburgh

Giddyup! – James Farrior, Ike Taylor

SINS! – Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, Ryan Clark

Hellno! – Casey Hampton, Lawrence Timmons

Denver

Giddyup! – D.J. Williams, Champ Bailey (check the injury reports)

SINS! – Ian Gold, Nate Webster, John Lynch, Elvis Dumervil, Nick Ferguson

Hellno! – Dre Bly, Simeon Rice

Game notes – Denver will be reeling from the loss of Javon Walker coming after the Travis Henry drama, which is far from over. Ike Taylor should be an IDP demon this week, as he will likely be matched up with the only pass catcher left in Denver worth squat, Brandon Marshall. Ryan Clark and Polamalu should be solid this week as well, as I fully expect Denver to be playing in a deficit all day and thus having to pass. For Denver ’s D I like all the LB’s vs FWP and as long as Champ’s injured quad cooperates, I like him as well. Ferguson and Lynch should get plenty of garbage tackles, making them slightly more relevant than on an average week.

Indianapolis @ Jacksonville Monday 5:30pm PST

Indianapolis

Giddyup! – Marlin Jackson, Gary Brackett, Freddy Keiaho, Bob Sanders (check the injury reports on Keiaho and Sanders prior to starting them)

SINS! – Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney

Hellno! – Raheem Brock

Jacksonville

Giddyup! – Mike Peterson, Sammy Knight, Rashean Mathis

SINS! – Daryl Smith, Reggie Nelson

Hellno! – Reggie Hayward, John Henderson

Game notes – Man I hope this is a good game. I don’t particularly care who wins, it would just be nice to have a MNF game that was halfway interesting. Looks like Bob Sanders is a go for Indy, but I would be hesitant to start him coming off injury, give him a week unless your other options are highly unpleasant. Marlin Jackson is looking like the type of corner that will produce even if the opposing team doesn’t throw much, due to his tackling ability, so this week will be a good test of that theory. Not too excited about Mathis or Freeney this week. For the Jags you can no longer ignore the numbers of old man Sammy Knight. I used to start this guy at DB in my 1^st ever IDP league back in 2000/2001 when Knight was on the Saints. He is producing right now, and has no competition for the job. Mathis has been bad, but a matchup with Wayne and maybe Harrison is just what the IDP doctor ordered. Not excited at all about the Jags line against a stellar Colts OL.

Well, that’s about it for this week. Also for those of you who have been following my 3 part series on IDP surprises and disappointments, the final installment will be posted on Saturday. This article will cover who has excelled and who has stunk up the joint at the linebacker position. Good luck to all in your IDP matchups this week!