I’m sure you’ve been told time and time again that you can draft defensive backs late and you don’t have to reach for a stud.  You’ve probably heard the saying from twitter when fantasy football enthusiasts tell you to stream team defenses and even test your luck and stream quarterbacks (depending on league size of course).  Well folks, I’m here to tell you that you can also stream your defensive backs in your IDP leagues, and it doesn’t matter whether or not you start one DB to three DBs, you’re bound to find a viable option on waivers.  Yes, it’s nice to own the TJ Ward’s and Earl Thomas’s of the IDP world, but what if I told you neither of them finished number one overall in any week from weeks one to 17? What if I told you that seven of the 17 weeks a cornerback led the DB’s in scoring that week? Allow me to break it down for you. Before I get started, this is the league scoring that I’ve used for this research.

Let’s take a look at each week’s top two finishers and how their points fared amongst one another. Was there any big difference? You’ll ask yourself where did this DB come from? I could’ve picked him up off waivers (majority of the time you can!).  

Just look at this list, then look at your roster from 2013. How many of these DB’s did you actually roster or knew existed? You’d have to win the luck of the draw if you started Darius Butler (IND) in week four or Leonard Johnson (TBB) in Week 12.  A lot of these DB’s mainly score their big points off interceptions and if they had a pick-six, then you get a handful that get points from racking up a bunch of tackles.  When deciding on which DB to start weekly as you pick your weekly streamers, you’re as good as a blind man throwing darts and hitting the bulls eye.

You can  kind of forecast certain games ahead of time. If you imagine one game being a shootout for example, then you’d want to target some DB’s in that game.  Or if you know the opposing team loves to run the football, then you’d want to look for a DB (preferably a safety) who’ll play more in the box, so there is some strategy to it, but don’t think too hard.  Another thing is interceptions. It’s hard to project who will get an interception and how many so I advise you don’t get upset with yourself when you start a DB then you project him to get an interception then he disappoints you. Instead, try and project a certain amount of tackles your DB will get or even add in pass deflections as anywhere between 4-8 tackles and 1-2 pass deflections are solid for a DB.

One week caught my attention for sure. First thing I said to myself was what’s the percentage of managers who actually started any of these DB’s during Week Nine because, other than a couple well known DB’s, it was filled with a bunch of waiver wire pick-ups (if that).

1. Brent Grimes (MIA)
2. Sean Smith (KCC)
3. Mark Barron (TBB)
4. Christopher Owen (MIA)
5. Eric Weddle (SDC)
6. Dimitri Patterson (NYJ)
7. Orlando Scandrick (DAL)
8. Drayton Florence (CAR)
9. Kendrick Lewis (KCC)
10. Bradley Fletcher (PHI)

Look at that weekly top 10 and you can tell yourself, maybe I should stream Defensive Backs in my league.  Now, I’m going to take a look at the Top 10 at mid-season (week 8) and the end of season Top 10 along with a few DB’s I chose to show you how many times each finished in the Top 10 in 2013. TOP 10 THRU 08 WEEKS OF 2013

END OF SEASON TOP 10 OF 2013

If you take a look at both ranks, there’s a handful that kept their rank amongst the top 10 at seasons end.  Guys like Barry Church (waiver wire pick-up of the year by the way), TJ Ward (CLE), Deangelo Hall (WAS), Earl Thomas (SEA) all remained in the top 10 when the season was over.  Others like Antrel Rolle (NYG), caught fire in the second half of the season which is why he moved up into the 4th overall at seasons end; Rolle was so dominant (avg 13.9 points per week from week 8 on). Let’s take a look at how many Top 10 Weekly Finishes some DB’s had in 2013:

• Barry Church (DAL): 4
• Deangelo Hall (WAS): 4
• Eric Weddle (SDC): 4
• TJ Ward (CLE): 4
• Da’Norris Searcy (BUF): 3
• Johnathan Cyprien (JAC): 3
• Antrel Rolle (NYG): 3

These DB’s can pretty much make a case that they’re worth taking as your DB1, but guys like Deangelo Hall and Da’Norris Searcy are guys that people bypass on draft day then regret not taking in the beginning of the season.  Another thing to consider is trading the hot commodity. Searcy started off hot then kind of died down as he was getting exposed in coverage and the return of Jarius Byrd, therefore the time to have traded Searcy was in the beginning and some owners panned out.

If you want consistency, one guy comes to mind and that’s Chargers Eric Weddle.  In 2012 he finished as the 8th overall DB and last year he was the 3rd overall. This season I have him ranked as my #1 DB and if I’m not streaming I’m gunning for Weddle. Another valid point in wanting to stream DB’s is you find guys like Barry Church, who went undrafted in majority of the leagues and was one of the top waiver wire acquisitions in Week One (I was one of many who picked him up without hesitation).  Back in 2012, there was a NYG DB by the name of Stevie Brown that finished the season as the 5th overall DB and was waiver material in the beginning, yet he produced 183 points with an 11.4 points per game average.

Put streaming on the side for a minute and I’m going to tell you who I predict will finish #1 at seasons end. That’ll be Jaguars DB Johnathan Cyprien.

Before I go, streaming DB’s is just another option for you. It helps your drafting strategy somewhat if you know you’re just going to stream DB’s week in and week out. You’d normally just grab a few DB’s towards the end of your draft and it’ll give you wiggle room to build quality depth at other positions (like LB).  You can also take one of the stud DB1’s; I have no problem with that unless you reach for one, because more times than not the Top DB will have outscored the 15th overall LB or 10th overall DL so you’re losing value.  Let’s take a look at my Top 10 DB’s entering 2014-2015 season and I’ll tell you who I’m targeting and if I don’t land either of them then streaming I go.

1. Eric Weddle (SDC)
2. Harrison Smith (MIN)
3. Eric Berry (KCC)
4. Johnathan Cyprien (JAC)
5. TJ Ward (DEN)
6. Bernard Pollard (TEN)
7. Tyvon Branch (OAK)
8. Kam Chancellor (SEA)
9. Kenny Vaccaro (NOS)
10. Barry Church (DAL)

Of this bunch, ones I’m heavily targeting are Johnathan Cyprien, Tyvon Branch, Kam Chancellor and Kenny Vaccaro.  If I can land just one at a solid price; I’m buying.  To see my full DB rankings and start familiarizing yourself with some late round gems, you can take a look on my other page. Happy Drafting Everyone, Cheers to another Fantasy Football Season upon us and as always, feel free to follow me on twitter and I’ll answer any questions you have in a timely manner (@IDPwithBEE_DSE). Aloha.