Here we are, the week most leagues feature their championship matchups. Unless you play in a league where Week 17 is your championship round, and if so, I must suggest that you and the rest of the league reassign your priorities. I can get behind a two-week (Weeks 16 and 17) championship test, but the possibility, perhaps even probability that your star players may sit in the final week of the NFL season is too dicey to pin the championship on, in my humble opinion.

I will be back next week, just in case you have a Week 17 championship, but this is essentially the final article that will showcase those players you should consider dropping, and there are not that many of those. Injuries will always hit defensive players, and adjusting to changing depth charts is what leads to championships, so stay tuned.

Elevator Going Up

Linebackers

Melvin Ingram SD

John Timu CHI

Ingram picked up a pair of sacks in Week 15, and now has eight on the season. The Chargers do not want to go gently into the end of the season, and their defense, while not worth using as D/ST in a non-IDP league, does feature some decent playmakers. Ingram had six total tackles (four solos), two sacks, a forced fumble and pass deflection against the Dolphins in Week 15, and has been picking up steam, as he is finally rewarding his first round draft status in 2012. Timu started against the Vikings at inside linebacker, and put up eight solo tackles as part of his nine combined tackles. The Bears should afford him more playing time based on his performance. Just be aware that while you should be able to find him on Yahoo (owned in 0 percent of leagues), he is nowhere to be found on the player pages on ESPN as of Tuesday.

Defensive Linemen

Willie Young DE CHI

Geno Atkins DT CIN

I have been rostering and starting Young for the past couple of weeks, and the stat projections on Yahoo and to a lesser extent on ESPN have been mocking me. I make my decisions based on what I see, and Young has something else I like: dual eligibility at LB and DL. He is playing as a LB but when you slot him in at DL, his value rises. He has 5.5 sacks in the past five games and 16 total tackles over that span, too (13 solos). He is a sneaky DL play in IDP leagues, but is not a bad start at LB in deeper leagues. Atkins, after a two-sack performance against the 49ers in Week 15, now has 10 sacks on the season. He also tossed in four solo tackles, three for loss of yards (behind the line of scrimmage). He seems recovered from the ACL tear he suffered in 2013, and should continue to be a dominant defensive tackle going forward, health permitting.

Defensive Backs

Will Allen S PIT

Deone Bucannon S ARI

Maurice Alexander S Stl

Marcus Peters CB KC

DeAngelo Hall CB WAS

David Amerson CB OAK

Darius Slay CB DET

I know there was a relative dearth of options up above this section, but defensive backs are where the action is this week. Not that I generally suggest loading up on DBs, unless they play safety. Speaking of which, Will Allen is available in a whole lot of leagues (better than 95 percent in both ESPN and Yahoo), likely a result of his limited performance in Weeks 12 and 13 (although he did get a sack against the Colts in Week 13, ameliorating his underwhelming tackle numbers). He is not just a tackling safety, but also puts up big plays on a regular basis. If you lost a DB this week to injury (think “Honey Badger” Tyrann Mathieu), then he is ripe for plucking off the wire. Deone Buchanon, speaking of Matieu, will probably not see a huge uptick in production due to the injury of his teammate, but he managed to look pretty spectacular against Philly nonetheless: 11 combined tackles (nine solo), an interception and a pass deflection. He also managed to turn that INT into a pick-six. It cannot hurt his potential that Mathieu is out for the season.

Maurice Alexander played all the defensive snaps in Week 15, and put up a nice line consisting of seven tackles (six solo) and a pass deflection. With T.J. McDonald now on the IR, he looks to be locked in for starting duties at strong safety, and will likely put up good tackle numbers going forward. Marcus Peters has been playing better than expected, hanging around the defensive rookie of the year discussion all season. In Week 15 against the Ravens, he had three total tackles, two interceptions, four (FOUR!) pass deflections and also scored a TD. Not a bad day at work for a cornerback. DeAngelo Hall may be listed on fantasy sites as a CB, but make no mistake, he is now playing safety in the Washington defense and that makes his so much more desirable in IDP leagues, especially those that favor tackles over big plays. He is coming off a week with nine combined tackles (eight solos) and a pass deflection. So long as he stays at safety, you should plug him in at cornerback in CB-mandatory leagues and reap the rewards.

David Amerson is one of those corners that offenses target, which is just peachy keen in IDP leagues. He puts up big plays and tackles, making him valuable in all sorts of IDP leagues. In Week 15, he collected six solo tackles, and interception and three pass deflections (told you he was targeted frequently). Never avoid a CB because his coverage skills are bad, if he gets the playing time. Slay was being raved about by Jon Gruden on the Monday night game against the Saints, and I have to say I agree with him totally. The Lions are too erratic to trust week to week, but Darius Slay has emerged as a great cover corner. This is resulting in pass deflections (13 on the season) although I have to wonder about his hands as the interceptions are few and far between. Still, he is the No. 1 CB in the Detroit scheme, and will provide tackles and big plays, although I would rely on him more in big play leagues as his tackle numbers are inconsistent.

Escalator Going Down

Linebackers

Clay Matthews GB

Matthews has been a shell of his former dominant self, mostly having to do with his move to inside linebacker. He is no longer getting to the QB on a regular basis, although he does provide the occasional sack. The tackles are not anything to get overly excited about, either, as he is just averaging 4.5 per game this season. There are more effective LBs out there on the wire, and it is not time to dwell on his past success but rather accept that he is no longer a LB1, and maybe not even a LB3 except in deep leagues.

Defensive Linemen

J.J. Watt DE HOU

Cliff Avril DE SEA

Watt’s broken hand has limited his production drastically. He is unable to fight off double teams or get to the QB, which makes him extremely questionable to rely on if you are fighting to win your league. He is benchable if you can replace him with a healthier option. Avril plays on an excellent defense, and being paired with Michael Bennett should be able to produce, but has been held sackless the past three games with just three total tackles in those contests. If he is not getting to the passer, he is without fantasy value in your IDP leagues.

Defensive Backs

Marcus Roberson CB StL

Roberson was relegated to special teams duty in Week 15, which severely limits his usefulness for fantasy purposes, unless you have a wild scoring system in your league. He was a fixture on the defense the prior two weeks, however, so there is hope he will redeem himself. But, not to beat a dead horse, he is not who you want to pin your championship hopes on right now.

Ouch (My Aching Roster)

All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff.  Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.

Linebackers

Dont'a Hightower NE (knee)

Will Compton WAS (stinger)

Chris McCain MIA (knee)

Koa Misi MIA (back)

Derrick Morgan TEN (shoulder-out for the season)

Shea McClellin CHI (concussion)

David Bruton DEN (broken leg)

David Harris NYJ (back)

Defensive Linemen

Scott Crichton DE MIN (concussion/neck injury-out for the season)

Defensive Backs

Patrick Chung S NE (hip)

Dashon Goldson S WAS (bruised/broken ribs)

David Bruton S DEN (broken leg)

Tyrann Mathieu S ARI (torn ACL-out for the season)

Chris Conte S TB (knee)

Glover Quin S DET (concussion)

Byron Maxwell CB PHI (shoulder)

Eric Rowe CB PHI (concussion)

Jimmy Smith CB BAL (thigh)

As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy matchups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, I can be reached at ia@fantasyalarm.com.