DL RANKINGS 1-15
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............8
Weddle had been one of the most consistent IDP scorers of the last half decade, but 2015 was his first year falling out of the top 25 since 2009. Injuries were partly to blame, but after a disappointing campaign and a messy divorce from the Chargers, Weddle will be looking to win the breakup now that he's landed with the Baltimore Ravens. Weddle's lackluster 55 solo tackles would have been tops of any Baltimore defensive back, so his steady presence on the backend will be a welcome addition. While he's not a bet to bounce back into the elite tier, look for Weddle to post solid DB2 numbers in 2016.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............13
Johnson missed two games last season with an ankle injury, but still managed to post respectable numbers in the Cardinals defense. This offseason he signed a one-year "prove it" deal with the Tennessee Titans, and will have all kinds of motivation to produce on the field to earn one more sizeable payday. Johnson has proven capable of IDP stardom before, finishing as the DB6 in 2014 thanks to 75 solo tackles and two return touchdowns. The Titans defense isn't at the Cardinals level yet, but Johnson is worth a shot as a DB2 with plenty of upside.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............5
Thomas might have played in all 16 games in 2015, but he was far from 100 percent for the whole season. Making matters worse was the absence of Kam Chancellor for the first two weeks of the season, leaving Thomas to try and cover too much ground to make a real fantasy impact. He did tie a career high with five interceptions at least, but his tackle numbers were way down, which impact his fantasy output. However, the Seattle defense should be in top form again in 2016, and Thomas remains one of the most talented safeties in the NFL. When targeting high-upside DBs in the later rounds, it's tough to turn away from talent and opportunity like this.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............10
Adams has been one of the best stories in the NFL over the last two years, finally finding a home in Indianapolis and making his first two Pro Bowls in his age 33 and 34 seasons. However, while the veteran still produced at a high level in 2015 (career-high five interceptions in just 13 games), he's already 35 years old and the sad truth in the NFL is that veterans can hit the wall in the blink of an eye. Adams should be able to hold rookie T.J. Green at bay for this year, but his short stint as a nice IDP option could be coming to an end soon.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............8
Expectations were certainly high for Reid after the 49ers drafted him in the first round in 2013, and while he's played pretty well, from a fantasy perspective he's been a bit of a disappointment. He's battled through injuries though, and only missed one game in his three-year career. The 49ers believe enough in him that they exercised his fifth-year option, which could mean they're hoping to sign him to a long-term extension in the near future. That could be motivation for Reid to prove his worth in new defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil's system. Reid is a talented playmaker and if he puts it all together could push for DB1 numbers. However, for now he's best left being drafted as a DB2
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............5
Drafted with the fifth-overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ramsey was shouldered with sky-high expectations from the start, but an offseason minor meniscus tear in his knee has brought those down to reality. Ramsey isn't expected to miss much, if any, time in the regular season, which means the Jaguars will get their new defensive chess piece back on the field when it matters. Ramsey is a versatile playmaker, and while we don't fully know what his exact role will be in Jacksonville, his talent and upside in this emerging defense make him worthy of a late-round selection as a DB2.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
Iloka has never been even a name to target in IDP leagues, but with Reggie Nelson leaving the Bengals secondary for the Raiders and Iloka getting a fat new $30 million dollar contract, there's a chance he could be ticketed for a bigger role in 2016. The Bengals boast a strong front seven that is great at pressuring the quarterback, opening up opportunities in the secondary. If Iloka can take advantage of some of those, he could return some nice matchup-based value as a flier in the super late rounds of IDP drafts. Of course, he'll need to stay healthy as well, as he missed four games last season.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............5
From a fantasy standpoint, Chancellor's 2015 season was one to forget. He held out the first two games of the year in a contract dispute, then missed two more games with injury, which helped in him turning in his least effective campaign in years. The hope with Chancellor in IDP for 2016 is that sans holdout and fully healthy, he'll be a crucial cog in the Seahawks defense, which remains among the best in the league. Despite his holdout last year, Chancellor did not receive the pay raise he wanted from the Seahawks, so he could be hitting the field with a little something left to prove in 2016.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............5
Eric Berry battled through cancer to return to the football field in 2015, and was justly honored as the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award at NFL Honors back in February. With an additional year of recovery and strength training under his belt, there's a chance Berry is ready to jump back to the top of the fantasy defensive back heap. However, owners will want to draft with caution, as the Berry we saw last year might be who he is at this point in his career. Here's to hoping he proves this ranking wrong and turns in a monster season.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............11
Ward looked like an IDP superstar in the making during his first few years in Cleveland, as he posted 100-plus tackles twice from 2010-2013. However, his star has faded a little bit since joining the Broncos, as he's not relied upon as heavily with so much other talent surrounding him. Ward is still a playmaker in the secondary though, and can be an enforcer in the box, too. His upside, and the upside of the whole Denver defense for that matter, makes him worthy of a late-round flier as a DB2.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............10
With Charles Woodson finally hanging up the cleats, the Raiders needed a new leader in their secondary and hope they found that in first-round draft pick Karl Joseph. Joseph missed half of his senior season at West Virginia with a knee injury, but will be fully healed and ready to rock by the start of his rookie season. Jospesh plays with reckless abandon and has great range to track down passes (he had five interceptions after four weeks last season), and should be starting from Day 1 for the Raiders. Joseph is certainly worth a mid-to-late round look in IDP formats, and probably could be ranked a little higher here too.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............5
Marcus Peters was a sensation in his rookie season, tying for the league lead with eight interceptions while also defending 26 passes and scoring two return touchdowns. Those numbers could be hard to duplicate in his sophomore season, though, so he shouldn't be targeted too early in IDP formats. Peters proved he's a capable tackler with 53 solo tackles as a rookie, but that number isn't likely to rise much to mitigate a dip in interception or touchdown production because of Peters' position. Still, with talent as undeniable as Peters' it'll be hard to wait too long before scooping him up as a DB2 or flex player.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
After a career year in 2015, Josh Norman landed himself a lucrative new contract, but in Washington and not Carolina. Norman played exceptionally well last year, but he could face new challenges working in a defense that lacks the elite talent of Carolina's across the board. He'll also have his hands full covering Dez Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr. in four of his games. Even with the deck slightly stacked against Norman, he's a talented enough player to merit a shot as a DB2 in fantasy this season.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............8
DRC put together a solid all-around season in 2015 despite the Giants defense's struggles as a unit. His fantasy stock could be on the rise a bit with an influx of new talent through free agency, including Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison on the defensive line. However, at this point we know who DRC is as a player and what his ceiling is for fantasy. He's a solid option to target as a DB2 to fill out an IDP roster in the later rounds, but isn't likely to repeat as a top-25 finisher in 2016.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............13
While Antwon Blake put together a great fantasy season in 2015, his play on the field left quite a bit to be desired. That's why he joined the Titans on a one-year deal after four years in Pittsburgh. Blake has shown flashes before, but obviously carries some risk after he was beaten regularly a season ago. He's worth an extremely late-round flier in case the desire for a new, long-term deal motivates him to produce another solid fantasy season in 2016.
DL RANKINGS 1-15
