The Top Ten Defenders of Week 3

Takeo Spikes: out for the season. Rodney Harrison: ditto. Week 3 saw several key defenders suffer serious injuries, and many fantasy owners are busy reshuffling their rosters and searching for replacements. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t stellar performances, however – here’s a look at this week’s top ten.

1. Tony Parrish – S, SF
Playing at home against Dallas, Parrish posted his second seven-tackles game of the season, but his owners were more excited to see his two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He’s a bit banged up (hip), but is expected to be ready to go in Mexico City on Sunday.

2. Zach Thomas – LB, Mia
Ho hum. Another week, another solid performance by Thomas, including his first sack of the season. Thomas is averaging nine solo tackles per contest, and has been a huge factor in the Dolphins’ 2-1 start. Many owners who passed on him in favor of other top linebackers are already kicking themselves.

3. Paul Spicer – DE, Jax
After recording just two tackles in the first two games, Spicer broke out with a huge week 3 effort. When the dust settled at the end of last Sunday’s tilt with the Jets, the sixth-year pro had six tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass defense on his stat line. One week wonder? Maybe, but his performance this week is worth keeping an eye on.

4. Clark Haggans – LB, Pit
Haggans picked up a sack for the third week in a row, and also added two forced fumbles, nine tackles, and two assists. Unfortunately, he’s not a fantasy option for the time being: Haggans is expected to miss more than a month following surgery. Understudy James Harrison will start in Haggans’ absence.

5. Dwight Freeney – DE, Ind
Freeney led the NFL in sacks last year, and performances like this are the reason why. Freeney got through to Cleveland quarterback Trent Dilfer, who hadn’t been sacked in the first two games, three times as the Colts held the Browns to just two Phil Dawson field goals. The Indianapolis offense may be sputtering, but the defense has looked superb.

6. Donnie Edwards – LB, SD
A sack, a forced fumble, nine tackles, four assists … all in a day’s work for perennial fantasy All Pro Edwards. We’ll be seeing his name on this list often.

7. James Farrior – LB, Pit
Farrior joins teammate Haggans in this week’s top ten with a season-best nine-tackle effort against the Patriots. He also picked up his first sack of the year, downing Tom Brady for an 11-yard loss. He’s on a bye this week, so if you’ve been starting him at linebacker, don’t forget to send in a sub.

8. Jeremiah Trotter – LB, Phi
Now that’s more like it. After missing the opener and finishing with just two tackles in week 2, Trotter reached double figures in tackles against Oakland with 10. He was credited with three passes defended after finishing the 2004 season with just one, and added a forced fumble for good measure. Following his slow start, he may still be available in many leagues. Just make sure his knee injury doesn’t turn out to bother him more than is currently expected.

9. Adam Archuleta – S, StL
Archuleta set the tone for the second quarter of last Sunday’s game by picking off a Steve McNair pass and motoring 85 yards for the score. The Rams went on to score 17 more unanswered points and turned a 10-0 deficit into a 24-10 lead, and went on to win by four points.

10. John Abraham – DE, NYJ
Like Clark Haggans, Abraham made it three straight weeks with a sack on Sunday. He also contributed eight tackles and a forced fumble in a losing effort as the Jets fell to the Jaguars, 26-20. If you need to start a defensive lineman, he’s an excellent option.

Just missed: Ike Taylor (CB, Pit), Kyle Vanden Bosch (DE, Ten), Rod Coleman (DT, Atl), James Reed (DT, NYJ), Darren Howard (DE, NO), Nick Barnett (LB, GB), Daylon McCutcheon (CB, Cle), Dat Nguyen (LB, Dal)

Top Defenders of the Season to Date

1. Zach Thomas – LB, Mia
2. Mike Brown – S, Chi
3. Tony Parrish – S, SF
4. Clark Haggans – LB, Pit
5. Shelton Quarles – LB, TB
6. Karlos Dansby – LB, Ari
7. Brian Urlacher – LB, Chi
8. Donnie Edwards – LB, SD
9. Andra Davis – LB, Cle
10. Gary Brackett – LB, Ind
11. Ike Taylor – CB, Pit
12. Kyle Vanden Bosch – DE, Ten
13. Deltha O’Neal – CB, Cin
14. Leonard Little DE, StL
15. Terrence Kiel – S, SD
16. Dat Nguyen – LB, Dal
17. James Farrior – LB, Pit
18. Derrick Johnson – LB, KC
19. Champ Bailey – CB, Den
20. John Abraham – DE, NYJ