This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISERS
Earl Thomas, S, SEA - Thomas was fully expected to be a ballhawk at the NFL level, so his two interceptions against San Diego last week are hardly surprising. But the 21 tackles (17 solo) Thomas has through three weeks are a bit more than most expected. It doesn't seem likely that he'll keep up that pace, but he looks like he's already among the upper tier of defensive back IDP options.
Charles Godfrey, S, CAR - Godfrey leads the league with three interceptions so far this year. He also has an impressive 18 tackles (15 solo), including 11 in last week's game against the Bengals alone. The former Iowa cornerback is proving to be a productive IDP at strong safety for the Panthers.
Nate Allen, S, PHI - Allen was always in the right place at the right time during his remarkable career at South Florida, and he's showing the same uncanny ability so far in his rookie season with the Eagles. He has two interceptions already, and it does not appear he will be giving away his starting spot anytime soon.
James Harrison, LB, PIT - It's hard to imagine that a player as great as Harrison is raising his fantasy stock even further, but it's happening. Through three games he has 23 tackles (17 solo), three sacks, and two forced fumbles. Harrison is demonstrating that (1) he isn't even close to slowing down at age 32 and (2) his 79-tackle, 10-sack year
RISERS
Earl Thomas, S, SEA - Thomas was fully expected to be a ballhawk at the NFL level, so his two interceptions against San Diego last week are hardly surprising. But the 21 tackles (17 solo) Thomas has through three weeks are a bit more than most expected. It doesn't seem likely that he'll keep up that pace, but he looks like he's already among the upper tier of defensive back IDP options.
Charles Godfrey, S, CAR - Godfrey leads the league with three interceptions so far this year. He also has an impressive 18 tackles (15 solo), including 11 in last week's game against the Bengals alone. The former Iowa cornerback is proving to be a productive IDP at strong safety for the Panthers.
Nate Allen, S, PHI - Allen was always in the right place at the right time during his remarkable career at South Florida, and he's showing the same uncanny ability so far in his rookie season with the Eagles. He has two interceptions already, and it does not appear he will be giving away his starting spot anytime soon.
James Harrison, LB, PIT - It's hard to imagine that a player as great as Harrison is raising his fantasy stock even further, but it's happening. Through three games he has 23 tackles (17 solo), three sacks, and two forced fumbles. Harrison is demonstrating that (1) he isn't even close to slowing down at age 32 and (2) his 79-tackle, 10-sack year from 2009 was a fluke, not the 101-tackle, 16-sack season before it.
Cullen Jenkins, DE, GB - Clay Matthews deservedly gets the vast majority of attention in Green Bay's front seven, but Jenkins has quietly been a powerful pass rusher so far this year. He has one sack in each of his three games, and the presence of fellow standouts in the front seven like Matthews and B.J. Raji will ensure that Jenkins doesn't keyed on too much.
FALLERS
Aaron Kampman, DE, JAC - Kampman started fast this year, posting 1.5 sacks against Denver in the opener. Since then, however, he has just four tackles (three solo). It's very possible that Jacksonville's lack of a good counterpart to Kampman is leaving offenses free to focus solely on him during passing downs.
Eric Berry, S, KC - Berry was one of the biggest difference makers on defense during his college career, but his pro career is off to a slow start. He has a respectable tackle total of 17 (14 solo), but he's not showing up in coverage like he did at Tennessee. It's way too early to suggest Berry is going through anything more than the typical rookie learning curve, but he still isn't quite meeting the expectations.
Joey Porter, LB, ARI - Porter isn't making the Dolphins look foolish for sending him out of town. The notoriously one-dimensional Porter isn't getting to the quarterback like his team needs him to – he just picked up his only sack of the season against the lowly Raiders offensive line in Week 3. Porter never made many tackles, and his lack of sacks makes him basically useless for IDP purposes.
Aaron Curry, LB, SEA - Besides dealing with a hamstring injury recently, Curry just hasn't played anywhere near the expectations. He left last week's game early due to the injury, and he only totaled nine tackles (eight solo) in the two games prior to that. Moreover, the impact plays still aren't there. At the moment, it doesn't seem like there's much reason to expect improvement from Curry.
Jared Allen, DE, MIN - Allen is actually doing okay so far this year, as his 10 tackles (eight solo) through three games are on par with his previous totals in Minnesota; but with just one sack so far, Allen's owners are probably becoming impatient. He was probably no later than the third defensive linemen drafted in IDP leagues, and the high pick is not paying off thus far.
