On the heels of acquiring safety Chris Harris from the Carolina Panthers the Chicago Bears have traded safety Kevin Payne to the St. Louis Rams for a Conditional 2011 draft pick, according to a report in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. The 4th-Year veteran had 46 tackles in 13 games for the Bears in 2009. The Ball Says: Payne started all 16 games for Chicago in 2008 and turned in an 88 tackle, DB25 in Default IDP Manor Scoring finish, but [...]

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Bears have traded reserve linebacker Jamar Williams to the Carolina Panthers for safety Chris Harris, who spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons in the Windy City. Harris, 27, had 60 tackles, 3 interceptions, and two forced fumbles for the Panthers in 2009. The Ball Says: Harris had a career year in 2007, notching 96 total tackles and 9 takeaways (including 8 forced fumbles) and finishing in the Top 10 among defensive backs in Default [...]

Now that the 2010 NFL Draft is in the rearview let’s conclude the 2010 IDP Draft Preview Series by taking a look back at the Players featured, where they were chosen, and how that impacts their fantasy football value. 3.) Derrick Morgan – DE, Georgia Tech (Tennesee Titans – Round One, Pick 16) Luckily for IDP owners everywhere Morgan was one of the DE prospects selected by a team employing a 4-3 defensive front, and as such will maintain DL [...]

Now that the 2010 NFL Draft is in the rearview let’s conclude the 2010 IDP Draft Preview Series by taking a look back at the Players featured, where they were chosen, and how that impacts their fantasy football value. 1.) Sean Weatherspoon – LB, Missouri (Atlanta Falcons – Round One, Pick 19) The likely week one starter at WLB in Atlanta’s 4-3, Weatherspoon’s IDP value (at least in the short-term) will in large measure depend on whether or not he [...]

The Oakland Raiders traded linebacker Kirk Morrison, their leading tackler the past five seasons, Saturday to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the Jags’ 4th Round (108th overall) pick in the 2010 NFL Draft according to a report in the New York Daily News. Jacksonville received Oakland’s 5th round pick in addition to the 6th year veteran, who had 133 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles for the Silver and Black in 2009. The Ball Says: Morrison had fallen from favor [...]

The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas Christian defensive end/linebacker Jerry Hughes believes that playing running back in high school has aided his pass rushing skills. The 6’3″, 257 lb. Senior, who had 58 tackles, 11 sacks, and a forced fumble in 2009, said “Being a running back, you always focus on your speed, so I felt like bringing that over to the defensive side of the ball really helped me.” The Ball Says: Hughes is an excellent speed rusher in [...]

The Palm Beach Post speculates that University of Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap may wait until the second day (and round) of the 2010 NFL Draft to hear his name selected. The 6’6″, 290 lb. Junior had 34 tackles and a team-leading 9 sacks for the Gators in 2009. The Ball Says: Dunlap’s size and speed are tantalizing, and he showed flashes of dominance in college, but there have long been questions about his consistency, and character concerns (including a [...]