Will Witherspoon

The Titans have a ton of prospects at linebacker, and so Witherspoon isn’t guaranteed to emerge as a starter, but he should hold off the youngsters for at least this year. And with last year’s leading tackler Stephen Tulloch off to Detroit, there should be more opportunities for Witherspoon in 2011. Witherspoon has shown a well-rounded skill set against the run, in coverage and as a blitzer, so he’s someone who could move up the IDP list as long as he gets snaps in Tennessee.

With the arrival of James Lauriniatis to man the MLB spot Witherspoon now gets to move back to the weakside spot he is better suited for. He registed over 110 tackles from the weakside just two years ago and with improvements along the club's interior line we don't see any reason why Witherspoon can't get back to posting those types of numbers and becoming a legit IDP option in all league formats.

Witherspoon turned in his third triple-digit tackle season over the last four campaigns in 2007. He finished with 110 stops (three shy of his career high) and seven sacks. Those sacks were more than double his previous career high of three, which was set in 2004 and matched in 2006. The Rams' defense was bad last season, which meant that Witherspoon had to carry a heavy load and received a lot of attention from opposing teams. The unit should be better this season, especially on the defensive line, where a lot is expected from first-round draft pick Chris Long and Leonard Little will return from an injury-shortened 2007 campaign. That might cut down Witherspoon’s sack opportunities, but conversely, it could allow him to focus more on making tackles as a linebacker. Witherspoon is 28 this season and should be at or near his physical peak.

Witherspoon returns for his second full season in St. Louis after an impressive 2006 which saw him register 102 solo tackles, three sacks, and nine passes defensed. If the defensive tackle situation improves in St. Louis Witherspoon could improve on those numbers in 2007.

Forget last year’s down year for Witherspoon. As a small linebacker (6-1, 231), he relies on scampering through traffic and his great range and motor to get the job done. He strained his LCL early last year, and while he missed just one game, his mobility and performance were clearly affected. He’ll get to start 2006 healthy, however. Even better, he’s moved to St. Louis to become the Rams middle linebacker. Witherspoon was long an unsung hero for Carolina, since he could slide from the weak side to the middle whenever Dan Morgan got hurt, which was quite often. Witherspoon excelled in those games. Despite this defense’s deficiencies, it has a solid pair of tackles in LaRoi Glover and Jimmy Kennedy. They’ll need to keep blockers off Witherspoon for him to be successful. He’ll also benefit if this defense continues to have trouble getting off the field. Now permanently in the middle, he should return to averaging more than five solo tackles per game. He ranked fifth in overall fantasy points in 2004 with 85 solos, three sacks and four picks. With the nice tackle base from playing in the middle and a tradition of prolific playmaking (he’s missed having both a sack and an interception only once in his career, as a rookie) we’re looking for a return to prominence from Witherspoon.

Witherspoon led the Panthers in tackles in 2004 with 103. He also forced three fumbles and picked four interceptions and led a strong linebacking crew in a makeshift defense. The Panthers have added secondary help in the offseason, so Witherspoon's numbers might come down just a bit this season.

Witherspoon's a bit of a trivia question answer: Who starts alongside the more notable Dan Morgan and Mark Fields? Witherspoon deserves some attention for a rookie campaign of 50 solo tackles, a forced fumble and five passes defended in 15 games (eight starts). A full season of starting could see those numbers grow to fantasy-viable levels, although a healthy Dan Morgan could impinge somewhat.