Where there’s smoke there’s fire
Welcome to “The Monster”. Those of you who aren’t new here skip down to the “Week ( ) Questions” section for the start of the article, this preamble is for any new people. There are always a few.
The vast majority of you are already familiar with this article but if you aren’t this is where we come every Thursday morning to read a bible length article about every IDP relevant player and their performance, playing time, etc from the previous week of games. We look at things like snaps, role, production, opportunity, injuries, replacements for those injuries (waivers) and real football performance since that can lead to huge changes in all of those factors listed above (see Jaylon Smith).
If things didn’t go how we thought they would we’ll try and figure out why that was, if someone we’ve never heard of went off for a massive week we’ll find out if they’re worth picking up on waivers or if they’re just barely playing and just lucked into a sack or splash play and it likely won’t happen again any time soon. We’ll follow up on weird or iffy situations with information from beat writers and whatever else I can find to connect the dots. The idea behind this article is that the “why” is just as important as the “what”.
I am most certainly not an analyst, this isn’t my job, and while our site does pay it’s writers this is just another hobby for me. So I won’t be following the standard fantasy football article rules and I will keep this fun.
I’m just another degenerate like you are. I’ve been playing IDP fantasy football for the better part of two decades and am working on crossing the 30 championship threshold this season so while I don’t call myself a professional I surely do know how to win these leagues and will mix in some of the things I’ve learned over those years in an effort to further make this article a key piece of your weekly information that helps you take home your titles this season. More qualifications and credentials are available in the author bio at the bottom.
You’ll understand by the end of the article if your bathroom break at work is long enough to get through it. And if you decide this article isn’t for you that’s cool too, thank you for giving it a try and we hope you’ll be able to find what you need elsewhere on the site or with our team.
We all have the freedom to choose who we trust and follow for our information and really all I can say is the team we have here and the people we work with in the community are the best of the best and our trophy cases back that up. Regardless thanks for giving this article a shot today. Alright let’s get into it.
The Week Two Questions
We got things started early this week with a Thursday night showdown between division rivals, the Giants came close but were edged out by the Washington Football Team in the end. Was it still Jon Bostic and Cole Holcomb at linebacker for Washington? Did Gerbil Peppers see more playing time in week two? Is Ojulari going to be a consistent thing or just smoke and mirrors? How did Landon Collins do this go around? Plenty of relevant IDP questions to answer in this one, and answer them we shall.
From there we’ll head over to find out if Logan Wilson continues to see much better playing time and therefore opportunity for production in Cincy where a last minute comeback fell short. We also got a monster game from Roquan Smith in that one and will check in on the other IDP relevant options in that one as well.
The Browns were paid a visit by the injury grim reaper this week but were able to escape with the win, we’ll find out what happened with Zach Cunningham in that one, early reports are that he missed the entire first quarter with Kamu Grugier Hill (LB) as his replacement, that would be wild indeed considering we talked about the dangers involved in playing Cunningham in detail last week (and basically all of last season if you were a reader back then). We also got a Grant Delpit (S) sighting in this one and found out who the Anthony Walker (LB) replacement is as well. Plenty to break down in that game.
The Rams continue to look like an early Super Bowl favorite from the NFC and with the help of Jalen Ramsey were able to get past the Colts this week. Was Darius Leonard able to bounce back? How did the president of the UMCCTTC do (Donald)? And did Bobby Okereke continue to see every snap like we saw last week? Looks like that Al Quadin Muhammed (DE) recommendation worked out well, step one play enough to score IDP points, step two score IDP points, step three profit. Steal underpants is in there somewhere too.
The Bills massacred the Tua-less Dolphins and got the ship back on course, were the excellent corner options in Buffalo able to produce despite the Dolphins getting shut out and putting up almost no effective offense all game long? Where did Jerome Baker disappear to and did any of the rookies see significant playing time here? Phillips, Holland and Rousseau? We’ll find out.
The Patriots annihilated the Jets as expected, should we be worried about Kyle Dugger coming back to earth in terms of production or was this more due to the Jets being incapable of putting up enough offense for everyone in New England to eat this week? My bet is number two. Was CJ Mosley able to bounce back so we can cancel the early season panic in regards to him? How did Quinnen Williams do this week and did Shaq Lawson get his season started yet? Much question here, many question, much wow.
Out in Philly, HEY I’M WALKING HERE, the Eagles were edged out by the most beautiful man in America, Jimmy G. Was Azeez Al Shaair everything we wanted him to be? Is Jaquiski Tartt still in one piece still? Is Nick Bosa back to causing havoc and who the hell is Deommodore Lenoir? How did Alex Singleton rack up eleven combined tackles? Is that a trap based off ideal gamescript playing against a run happy team like the Niners or did his playing time increase significantly from last week? Tons of important answers to come out of this one.
Over in Pittsburgh apparently a guy crapped his pants at the game, unfortunately he doesn’t play for any team so we won’t be getting the Big Dump Premium bonus, exciting new format that BDP, as the Raiders continue to impress and the Steelers deal with the fallout from their introduction to the injury grim reaper. Was it still Denzel Perryman as the linebacker to start in Las Vegas and is Melvin Ingram still a better option than Alex Highsmith? Who will fill in for Devin Bush for however long he’s out and same question different answer for TJ Watt? Lot’s to (hopefully successfully, one pants pooping in Pittsburgh is enough) digest here in this one.
The Saints left us all feeling confused as the Panthers got the better of them and offense was difficult to find for New Orleans this week. Was this lack of offense the reason behind Shaq Thompson and Jermaine Carter having down weeks or was it something else? Were DeMario Davis and Malcolm Jenkins able to bounce back from their slow start in week one? Is Paulson Adebo the best cornerback option for the Saints? How did Brian Burns do this week in a game many expected him to take a step back in? Strange one this was, will be interesting to dive into.
Down in Jacksonville we got a blood bath, as many expected, between the Broncos and Jags. Were the Broncos IDP options able to give us what we needed with the Jags offense producing so little? How did Patrick Surtain look in his first start and is Von Miller having a second half of his career resurgence? Was it still Rayshawn (Reshape) Jenkins and Andrew Wingard as the safety options in Jacksonville and how did Myles Jack and Damien Wilson do in this one? Is Josh Allen, the IDP one, back on track after a disappointing season last year? Plenty to look at in this one.
The Vikings and Cardinals went right down to the wire and we got a massive performance from Mr. Hunter, did the other usual suspects show up for Minnesota? For the Cardinals was it still Jordan Hicks as the other inside linebacker with Isaiah Simmons or did Zaven Collins get into the act this week? What’s going on with Dalvin Tomlinson? He was a monster on the Giants but has been relatively quiet so far with the Vikings, was he able to get it going this week and is he playing enough going forward?
Of course the Bucs destroyed Atlanta but the many people who grabbed them as a DST in DFS were left a bit disappointed as the Falcons put up a ton of points and were able to move the ball pretty well overall. Not much to see in this one, these defenses are pretty well set in stone but we will look at the Tampa Bay corner situation and the Falcons safety situation and check in on Grady Jarret and some of the other “known” producers to see how they’re doing so far this season.
The Cowboys beat the Chargers with a little help from Legatron and Trevon Diggs (Good to see you! Hi Patrick Mahomes! I hope you get Dak Prescott‘s phone number, Aiden. Do your best!) How did things shake out at defensive end with DeMarcus Lawrence on IR? Did Micah Parsons really just rush the passer? And if so who stepped into his shoes at inside linebacker? What happened to Kenneth Murray and will he be OK going into week three? Many relevant issues to look at in this one.
Over in Seattle we got an excellent game with the Titans roaring back on the legs of Derrick Henry, how did Jordyn Brooks look in week two? Was the most over hyped IDP safety on the planet able to bounce back this week? Who replaced Jayon Brown, who was a late scratch after a hamstring injury at practice on Friday and is that someone we want to try and get off waivers? Did the Seattle pass rush settle down or is that still a confusing mess like last week?
The Sunday night game was an excellent matchup that always meets expectations, how did the Chiefs linebacker situation shake out this week and were Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu able to go and produce as expected? For the Ravens we got a second look at the cornerback corps sans Marcus Peters in literally the perfect matchup with the Chiefs in town. We also got another look at who will actually rush the passer for the Ravens and will find out if Patrick Queen was able to replicate his week one success in terms of actual football performance, which we’ve seen can have huge effects on our IDP defenses if we ignore with the likes of Cunningham and Jaylon Smith, maybe Rashaan Evans too.
To round out the week we got a divisional showdown between the Lions and the Packers, did Dan Campbell let his players wipe their own butts and were the Packers able to bounce back against the hapless Lions? How did the Lions linebackers situation look this week and the same in Green Bay? Is it really Barnes, Campbell and Anzalone, Collins or was there any movement? Who will play corner for the Lions now that they’ve lost Jeff Okudah? What does the Packers pass rush look like without Za’Darius Smith? While it may have been a snooze fest of a game we did get some valuable information from it.
All that and more in this weeks edition of the monster. Let’s get into it.
The Week Two Answers
Kendall Fuller continues to be a shining star in the streaming corner world
Giants @ Washington Football Team
New York Giants
Produced as expected: Blake Martinez (LB) James Bradberry (CB) Logan Ryan (S/CB) Jabrill Peppers (S) Adoree Jackson (CB) Leonard Williams (DE) *somewhat*
Flash in the pan: Darnay Holmes (CB) and Azeez Ojulari (OLB) played 75% and 63% of snaps respectively this week, for Holmes that’s behind Bradberry, Jackson and whether or not we count Ryan as a corner or not that still makes him the third corner, it’s super easy to find corners that play every snap so why ever settle for anything less? Especially on a team with a crowded and talented secondary already where competition for tackles will be an issue all season, pass. Ojulari had another nice week but is still not playing enough for any kind of consistency and has relied on sacks for the majority of his IDP points in weeks one and two, that’s not sustainable for a few reasons, sacks and splash plays aren’t an “every week” thing unlike tackles (ask Myles Garrett or Chandler Jones about that this week) and when you reduce playing time that makes those splash plays even less likely week to week. This can and will come back to bite those of you that are trusting it, smoke and mirrors nothing more.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week.
Misc notes: Jabrill Peppers (S) did have a better week all around, up to 80% of snaps this week with six combined tackles and a pass defense, PFF grade of 66.9 which is an improvement from week one as well. Regardless I’d still rather have a full time safety and also one that plays in less of a crowded and competitive secondary if possible, there’s also Blake Martinez out in front of him that will soak up a ton of that easy run stopping production week to week as well. And much like the issues with Jaylon Smith and now Zach Cunningham we know Peppers has had issues with being actually good at his job, that has a way of coming back to haunt you. Too risky for me, your call ultimately though.
Dexter Lawrence (DT) was in for 65% of snaps this week which is plenty, especially if he’s designated a defensive tackle in your leagues of merit, but he’s had a slow start to the season. He’ll have some nice weeks but we may have to adjust our outlook for him, that steady progression we expect from guys like him and Ed Oliver, Quinnen Williams and Javon Kinlaw, may not go as quickly as we’d like it to. It’s doubtful there are any better options out there since defensive tackle is so scarce but you can always keep an eye out for one, regardless I think he’ll get things on track this season at some point.
Julian Love (S/CB) and Reggie Ragland (LB) played 8% and 17% of snaps in week two and seem to have been part of a team specific game plan in week one where they both saw more playing time and production. They weren’t options before the season and I recommended against either back after week one, nothing has changed. There will be weeks where random guys score points with unideal playing time. In most cases they go right back to irrelevancy the game after, perfect example of that right here. Everything else was normal here in New York.
Washington Football Team
Produced as expected: Kendall Fuller (CB) Landon Collins (S) Jonathan Allen (DT) Cole Holcomb (LB) Montez Sweat (DE)
Flash in the pan: Benjamin St. Juste (CB) and realistically Landon Collins (CB) too. St. Juste is the third corner here and logged only 75% of snaps so we already know that’s not ideal, Kendall Fuller and William Jackson both played every snap and both had better box scores so those are the options I’d stream at corner. As for Collins yes he did recover nicely this week with seven combined tackles, six of them solo, but still only played 75% of snaps which is a red flag. This could be him being eased back into things after the insane number of devastating injuries the last couple seasons but whatever it is I won’t be comfortable playing him until he’s back to his old playing time. We got lucky this week, that lack of playing time can and will catch up to him at some point if it doesn’t improve over the course of the season.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week but it does look like the Jamin Davis (LB) era could be just over the horizon, more below.
Misc notes: Landon Collins (S) and Kamren Curl (S) played 75% and 74% of snaps respectively this week, I mentioned Collins above but as for Kurl he ended the day with only three combined tackles and has been a shell of what we saw last season, Bobby McCain (S/CB) was a popular waiver add and even I grabbed him in a couple places last week as it appeared he had supplanted Curl as the other safety here but now it just looks like a mess across the board. I’d just avoid this safety situation entirely if I could, at least until it finds some stability.
Cole Holcomb (LB) remains the best linebacker option here with 100% of snaps played this week and six combined tackles, four of them solo. His position and role appear to be safe at the moment, the other inside linebackers that’s a different story.
Jon Bostic (LB) and Jamin Davis (LB) played 57% and 39% of snaps respectively this week and it appears that Bostic is being phased out as Davis is being phased in, once again we’re only two weeks in for the season so we can’t be sure yet but I’ve seen this before, it could be the initial signs that Davis is on his way to claiming that other starting linebacker role. What it means for right now is neither of them is playable, once this works itself out then we’ll have a second linebacker option in Washington but for now neither Bostic or Davis is a safe option, more to be revealed.
Chase Young (DE) played 91% of snaps this week and still got you three solo tackles and a tackle for loss (which isn’t bad at all for a non sack or splash play day at defensive end) despite not landing a sack for the second week in a row. It’s Chase Young. He’ll be fine. Besides this is how defensive line production works, every season someone starts slow and everyone who hasn’t done this for almost twenty years freaks out and sometimes they even do something stupid like drop Chase Young, don’t be that guy. It will work out in the end. He’s got the talent, he’s got the draft capital, he’s sure as hell got the playing time, the production will happen. Patience is bitter but it’s fruit is sweet.
Matt Ioannidis (DT/DE) got dinged early on in this one but came back and finished with 62% of snaps played and when I looked just now to check on the injury there wasn’t anything which means he’s fine. Good news there. So we’ve got a few things to monitor here in Washington, we’ll keep an eye on things here and circle back next week.
THE Linebacker One.
Bengals @ Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Produced as expected: Logan Wilson (LB) Sam Hubbard (DE) Vonn Bell (S) Jessie Bates (S) *somewhat* DJ Reader (DT) Trey Hendrickson (DE) Eli Apple (CB)
Flash in the pan: Cam Sample (DE) was only in for 34% of snaps this week so we can ignore his somewhat decent four combined tackles, three of those solo and one tackle for loss. Not enough playing time and there are better waiver wire defensive end options out there.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week.
Misc notes: Jessie Bates (S) was in for every snap as expected but had a bit of a down week with only five combined tackles, four of them solo and one QB hit. This qualifies as a down week for Mr. Bates, will he ever find happiness with Anna? He’ll be fine. Lot’s of weird stuff this week across the board, if this was his version of a stinker I think we can all live with it happily.
Sam Hubbard (DE) and Trey Hendrickson (DE) were in for 82% and 71% of snaps respectively this week and took advantage of Andy Dalton‘s (QB) immobility until he was eventually knocked out of the game. Really nice day for both and a rare multi sack performance for this defensive line, enjoy it while you can, these stats are few and far between for the Bengals pass rush trust you me. Nice bounce back for Hendrickson, business as usual for Hubbard.
DJ Reader (DT), 60% of snaps this week, also got in on the action with a sack himself along with three combined tackles and the fixings that accompany a sack. This probably should be up above in the “flash in the pan” section but he is technically playing enough for some kind of consistency, I wouldn’t bet on it though. As mentioned last week Reader’s best days are seasons (plural) behind him so I wouldn’t go rushing out to waivers chasing these points.
Mike Hilton (CB) saw a pretty hefty increase in overall snap percentage this week up to 91% overall played, he’s still the overall third cornerback here and this was probably just a fluctuation so I wouldn’t chase this, he only had two tackles and a tackle for loss anyways so not exactly something worth chasing to begin with. It’s still Eli Applie (CB) and Chidobe Awuzie (CB) as the best weekly streaming options here so far this season. Everything else looked normal here, Logan Wilson (LB) continues to be a legit option, 95% of snaps this week with nine combined tackles and a pass defended for a very nice stat line in week two. Him and Jordyn Brooks (LB) have been the nicest surprises so far this season when it comes to guys we thought might be good this season and it actually panning out so far.
Chicago Bears
Produced as expected: Roquan Smith (LB) Robert Quinn (OLB) Khalil Mack (EDGE) Akiem Hicks (DT) *somewhat* Kindle Vildor (CB) Jaylon Johnson (CB)
Flash in the pan: Duke Shelley (CB) and Bilal Nichols (DE) played 87% and 64% of snaps respectively this week which isn’t terrible especially in deeper leagues, realistically though these two are the third corner and fourth pass rush option if we look at this from a 30,000 foot view. There are much better options on this team if you’re looking for either. I wouldn’t trust either of these two to be consistent this season, Shelley may be able to somewhat we’ve seen that before but once again why trust a corner that doesn’t play every snap when there are so many out there that do? This is probably more a personal preference thing with these two and this is just my take on their situation, do what you will.
Angelo Blackson (DT) was only in for 53% of snaps this week and recorded the majority of his IDP points from an interception…as a defensive tackle. How often do we think that will happen? Outlier production here, the playing time isn’t terrible but the only reason we’re even mentioning his name is the pick. And defensive linemen and especially defensive tackles aren’t exactly known for their ball hawking skills, pass on this one as well.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week but plenty of guys that people will chase points with and never catch them, see above.
Misc notes: Alec Ogletree (LB) played 71% of snaps this week which was about as much as last week and had a similar box score with three combined tackles and a pass defended plus one QB hit, not terrible but not Danny Trevethan (LB) either. He remains a linebacker three or four in much deeper leagues who will become irrelevant the second Trevethan returns from IR, buyer beware.
Eddie Skidmarks Jackson (S) got that nickname from me seasons ago due the nature of his production, it’s as consistent as clean underwear after Taco Bell. There is no clean underwear after Taco Bell. Jackson has always been a very boom or bust type producer and this week was one of his down weeks for sure with only four combined tackles and one tackle for loss, not the worst ever but also not what he’s capable of. He can win you a week but there are also stinkers, this was more towards the second option this week. As long as you know that going into it you’re prepared, he will have some monster weeks this season they’re on the horizon, just be prepared for those dud weeks as well.
Roquan Smith (LB) obviously played 100% of snaps this week like every week and had a monster game with eight combined tackles plus “one of everything” (sack, pick, tackle for loss, pass defense, quarterback hit and touchdown). He was my call for linebacker one before the season and if he can stay healthy he’s in excellent shape already to deliver on that prediction. Crappy offense, plenty of time on the field, productive role, homefield that is less than ideal for the passing game (wind, rain, cold, snow) plus incredible talent and historical production all lead me to believe this is the LB1 season for Mr. Smith. We shall see. Everything else looked good here this week, really dominant performance for this defense for both real football and IDP production in week two.
Is the Cunningham apocalypse finally upon us all? Or was he just late again?
Texans @ Browns
Houston Texans
Produced as expected: Christian Kirksey (LB) Vernon Hargreaves (CB) Eric Murray (S) *somewhat* Justin Reid (S)
Flash in the pan: Kamu Grugier Hill (LB) is technically a flash in the pan this week since most of his increased overall playing time was due to the Zach Cunningham shenanigans, explained below, but he could end up being a really nice waiver wire linebacker option this season at some point, also explained below. He was in for 72% of snaps this week and recorded a terrific nine combined tackles, one sack and three tackles for loss plus a QB hit, monster numbers, they remind me of someone. Is it Tyrell Adams (LB)? Could be. I would not be shocked at all if Grugier-Hill ended up with a decent shot at playing time and production this season, more below.
Joe Thomas (LB) and Jacob Martin (DE) played 23% and 41% of the Texans week two snaps respectively, not nearly enough for either to maintain anything resembling consistency. Pass on both.
Possible waivers: Kamu Grugier Hill (LB) could also be a possible waiver wire linebacker depending how strongly you feel either way on the Zach Cunningham (LB) shenanigans, more below. If you have the bench space this definitely can’t hurt, worst case scenario he sits and collects dust on your bench. Best case scenario the Cunningham situation ends in him being replaced with Grugier-Hill as the other ILB next to Kirksey and you scored another full time inside linebacker on a team with a crappy offense led by Tyrod Taylor (QB) that will see plenty of defensive snaps. It’s a gamble for sure, but one that could pay off later this season. Also Christian Kirksey (LB) isn’t exactly the most sturdy individual, he hasn’t played a full season since the Carter administration (ahhh I kid, since 2017 actually, season ending injuries in 2018, 19 and 20) and the odds of him giving us a full season in 2021/22 aren’t exactly ideal. Someone that’s currently a Texans full time inside linebacker ain’t gonna finish out the season here, I’d bet the farm on that. Also Grugier-Hill’s PFF score of 39 is ten points better than Cunningham’s 29.4 PFF grade so it would actually be an improvement if they pulled that trigger.
Misc notes: Zach Cunningham (LB) was benched the entire first quarter for disciplinary reasons and as a result only played roughly 70% of snaps this week, initially this looked like what we’ve been waiting for and many people hit me up during that first quarter when he was nowhere to be seen reporting that this was it! Cunningham was being blasted into space and the Texan’s hadn’t even made a peep about it prior to kickoff, people were going to be pissed! At least the people who had never read this article or followed any of the smarter people in IDP Twitter land, the Macri’s, Mike Woellert’s, Tom K’s and writers/podcasters from our site and The IDP Show among others, the people who had been saying this was a possibility for a while now.
So that wasn’t the case entirely. Upon further inspection though this is yet another red flag for Cunningham as my dive into this found that he had “no showed” for a preseason game and had missed an entire week of practice and has a known tardiness problem as well. Combine that with his horrendous PFF grade and the other issues we’ve logged since last season and also the fact that the Texans restructured his deal this offseason and our theory that he will be the next Jaylon Smith (LB) is starting to look more and more concrete, where there’s smoke there’s fire and with Cunningham there sure is a ton of smoke recently. Buyer/shareholder beware, I airlocked my last two shallow redraft league shares earlier this week for safer options.
Vernon Hargreaves (CB) remains the best streaming corner option here, everyone else and even Terrence Mitchell (CB) saw reduced snaps this week as the Texans played more thumpers to try and slow down the Browns excellent run game. This should fix itself against a more pass happy team but this will be good to remember for any upcoming streams, Mitchell and Lonnie Johnson (CB) will see fewer opportunities for production if the Texans roll out a similar defensive game plan against other teams with an excellent run game. Nothing else of note here this week, very few IDP relevant options on this defense.
Cleveland Browns
Produced as expected: Jadaveon Clowney (DE) *somewhat*
Flash in the pan: Grant Delpit (S) for now at least, was only in for 43% of snaps this week and without that outlier sack we’re not even talking about him. Not even close to enough playing time, that could change so if you feel good about it add him from waivers now and sit him while we see what happens. Anthony Walker (LB) is out for a couple few more weeks and the Browns could move towards moving their three talented safeties over using a second far less talented linebacker. Not safe currently though.
Mack Wilson (LB) was only in for 41% of snaps this week and that will likely be even fewer when Walker returns to the lineup or when JOK eventually ends up as that first or second option at linebacker here, Wilson is just a guy, ignore the slightly inflated production this last week it’s not sustainable.
Possible waivers: Malcolm Smith (LB) for the duration of the Anthony Walker (LB) injury, however long that is, is a rock solid waiver wire linebacker move it looks like. 95% of snaps played this week and a massive box score filled with IDP points. Great option unless they pull the rug out from under us and swap in JOK in-between weeks without telling anyone like the Jags did with Najee Goode (LB) a few years back, it probably won’t happen but it’s possible. Still I would and am taking this gamble and making this move where I can and will ride out this production until either Walker returns or something changes.
Ronnie Harrison (S) played 87% of snaps this week and also had a nice game with seven combined tackles and a tackle for loss, this could also be part of the fallout from the Walker injury since he was only in for 8% of snaps week one. Regardless it looks good right now, I would only trust this in deeper leagues and it’s probably not the safest waiver wire safety we’ll find here this week but it’s available, at least for the duration of the Walker injury (this defense will likely look different once more when he returns).
Misc notes: Denzel Ward (CB) was still in for nearly every snap this week but this was not an ideal streaming matchup at all so the down game was expected, he’ll be fine, especially against an opponent that’s not rolling out Tyrod Taylor or David Mills at quarterback and settling for the ghost of Brandin Cooks as their wide receiver one.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB) only played 30% of snaps this week and recorded three combined tackles and a pass defended, unfortunately he was not the guy who got the call to fill the Anthony Walker (LB) role but his time will come. Bench or taxi squad for now, still plenty of season left for him to get involved.
Weird game all around for the Browns this week, they absolutely dominated time of possession 35 minutes to 25 so their defense was on the field far less than usual. The production was spread around which is random and something that does happen from time to time (the production that wasn’t soaked up by Malcolm Smith and his massive game that is). This is just like the Saints in week one, not enough to eat and not enough opportunities for the usual suspects here to all get what they needed for all the IDP relevant guys on this defense to get to their projections. It happens. Myles Garret (DE), Denzel Ward (CB) and John Johnson (S) will all be fine. The season ebbs and flows, it’s a roller coaster not a straight line, we mitigate the risk each week and put ourselves in the best position possible to score as many IDP points as possible and once we hit submit on the lineup it’s no longer up to us. Shit happens. Those of us who understand that and roll with the punches and don’t get frustrated by it or make rash reactionary moves due to it are the ones working on cracking thirty titles this season, shameless self plug, my apologies. Chaos is a ladder, be the calm in the storm and let your leaguemates do the freaking out, take advantage of their mistakes and maintain your routine through playoffs and you’ll have the best chance of winning.
Worth every penny
Rams @ Colts
Los Angeles Rams
Produced as expected: Taylor Rapp (S) Jordan Fuller (S) Darious Williams (CB) Jalen Ramsey (CB) Aaron Donald (DT) Leonard Floyd (OLB) Kenny Young (LB) *somewhat*
Flash in the pan: Sebastian Joseph Day (DT) played plenty, 72% of snaps this week, and had a truly massive day in the box score. The problem is I haven’t mentioned this name in this article since last season and last season I only said it once or twice max. He doesn’t play like this often and the chances of this happening again this season are slight, there’s a reason he’s sat on waivers in my 32 team single copy defensive tackle premium dynasty league the last two seasons plus. And we start two defensive tackles each in that sucker, if he was IDP relevant he would have been gone ages ago, it’s a trap.
Troy Reeder (LB) was in for 64% of snaps this week but until we see it again this was just a gameplan thing to try and slow down Jonathan Taylor (RB) and company (since we all know Wentz sure wasn’t going to beat them). This Rams linebacker situation will be in flux all season but right now it remains Kenny Young (LB) as the best option until we see a real pattern emerge here.
Possible waivers: Justin Hollins (LB) reportedly broke his hand in this one according to what I just read but I also read that he’s been red hot and despite the coaching staffs plans they weren’t willing to stick to their intentions of capping his playing time since he’s been so effective. This may be useless information with that injury update but still I’d keep an eye on him in deeper leagues this could be name we talk about later this season. Either safety, Fuller or Rapp, would make a nice waiver wire option in medium to deeper leagues.
Misc notes: Kenny Young (LB) and Troy Reeder (LB) were both in for 64% of snaps this week, we’ll keep an eye on this but many in IDP land thought it would be Troy Reeder (LB) as the best IDP linebacker here and were surprised when it was Kenny Young (LB) in week one, so fluctuation is likely here. The best bet is probably Ernest Jones (LB) who was drafted in the third round and will likely be the eventual winner of this contest at some point this season, worst case next season. Regardless trusting any of these linebackers now is not a great idea, this will likely change week to week until there is a clear winner.
Aaron Donald (DT) didn’t land a sack but did have seven combined tackles, one tackle for loss and three QB hits on the day which makes for a pretty sweet amount of IDP points in most places despite the lack of a true splash play against the Colts. He remains the best defensive tackle option for IDP by a decent margin. Not much else happening here this week, we’ll keep an eye on the linebackers situation as the season progresses and the rest looked pretty good this week.
Indianapolis Colts
Produced as expected: Kenny Moore (CB) Khari Willis (S) Darius Leonard (LB) Bobby Okereke (LB) *somewhat* Kwity Paye (DE) DeForest Buckner (DT) *somewhat*
Flash in the pan: TJ Carrie (CB) was still the third corner here in terms of playing time by a wide margin, only 69% of snaps played this week, the extremely efficient production coming from extremely not ideal playing time can and will catch up to him, availability is the best ability, make sure your corners play every snap for their defense, give yourself every chance to make plays and score points not just 69% of chances.
Possible waivers: Kwity Paye (DE) and Al Quadin Muhammed (DE) continue to look like excellent waiver wire defensive end options, 69% and 61% of snaps played respectively this week and both had really nice days in the box score with five combined tackles for Paye, four of them solo, which is excellent for a non sack no splash play week at defensive end. For Muhammed he landed a sack and is still playing plenty each week so I’d rather have him over bigger names that are playing less right now like Kerry Hyder (DE), Dee Ford (DE) or Carlos Dunlap (DE).
And by playing less I mean for their defense overall, the actual numbers of snaps each defense plays week to week is random, always changing, dictated by game script and something we can’t control, we can control who we draft and pick up on waivers and how involved in their teams defense they are, after that we can hope that teams defense plays a ton of snaps each week. Trying to go at that in reverse is like trying to hit a moving target and makes things exponentially more complicated than they need to be, besides I know this audience and what you guys are looking for and it’s not for me to completely upend how we do this article after three years just because IDP Twitter is having an argument over which is more important, total snaps or snap percentage.
Misc notes: Darius Leonard (LB) bounced back nicely this week and played every snap as usual, I still believe he’s nowhere close to as valuable as where I saw him drafted all season, rounds plural ahead of other linebackers that play just as much and are just as productive. Still at least it was nice for his shareholders to see a rebound game this week and he should be a decent return on investment for the rest of the season, my investments around the area he was going were guys at positions of scarcity but to each their own.
Xavier Rhodes (CB) is still not practicing so his return doesn’t look likely any time soon, the current cornerback order remains unchanged with Kenny Moore the best option followed by Rock Ya Sin and TJ Carrie as the most dangerous option with far fewer snaps played than the first two. That can and will change at some point this season, I’ll try and warn everyone when it’s on the horizon so we don’t get caught streaming someone who’s about to lose a bunch of snaps. Looking good beyond those notes, onwards.
Milano had a really nice week two box score
Bills @ Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
Produced as expected: Tre’Davious White (CB) Micah Hyde (S) Matt Milano (LB) Greg Rousseau (DE) Levi Wallace (CB) Jordan Poyer (S) *somewhat* Taron Johnson (CB)
Flash in the pan: AJ Klein (LB) and Dane Jackson (CB) played 41% and 64% of snaps respectively this week due to injuries to Tremaine Edmunds (LB) and Levi Wallace (CB). Edmunds had some cramps and I couldn’t find what it was for Wallace, what I did find alluded to cramping for him as well and general “irritation”. So nothing serious for either starter and with the blowout being so complete here they were able to pull them both without hesitation and put in some backups, that’s a long way of saying it will be Edmunds and Wallace next week and not Klein and Jackson, pass on this, more below on Klein though, a somewhat crazy idea.
Justin Zimmer (DT) was in for 51% of snaps this week and lucked into an outlier sack, I’ve never even heard of this guy so we’ll need to see this at least a couple more times before paying any attention to it. Ed Oliver (DT) is the only defensive tackle I’d consider playing from this defense currently.
Possible waivers: It’s probably nothing but in deeper leagues if you have the bench space AJ Klein (LB) or even Tyrell Adams (LB) could be a good idea as a sort of reverse running back handcuff, a linebacker handcuff if you will. With the cramping issues for Edmunds this week plus the injuries to both Milano and Edmunds the last couple seasons the odds are unfortunately pretty likely that one of those two gets dinged at some point this season and Klein or Adams or both gets some significant playing time, they were monsters when they had that opportunity last season. Look what Klein did this week on only 41% of snaps! I probably wouldn’t do this personally but we cater to players in leagues of all types around these parts, if your bench is big enough this is something that could pay off down the road this season much like the Grugier-Hill move we talked about earlier in the article.
Misc notes: Tremaine Edmunds (LB) didn’t play his usual playing time tonight due to cramping, he should be fine for next week. Levi Wallace (CB) same deal, as mentioned above. Ed Oliver (DT) was in for about his usual snap percentage, 54% this week, but once again didn’t do much with them, zero statistics of any kind in week two. That’s not ideal. The Oliver experiment continues to go poorly. I moved on and looked for other options last season, any holdouts may want to start at least thinking about it. Everything else looked good here, moving on.
Miami Dolphins
Produced as expected: Xavien Howard (CB) Emmanuel Ogbah (DE) Byron Jones (CB) Christian Wilkins (DE/DT) *somewhat*
Flash in the pan: NA
Possible waivers: No new producers this week, possibly Jevon Holland (S) but it doesn’t feel legit, more below.
Misc notes: We can probably ignore this one in regards to giving us any new information, this was a total blowout and was over the second Tua went down early. Jevon Holland (S) saw a massive increase in playing time, was it because he magically improved in one week or was it because this one was obviously over early and it was an opportunity to give him snaps (that couldn’t hurt them) in a real game situation? You tell me. It looks normal across the board here, no one had a huge game but the playing time all looks correct beyond Holland.
I can tell you Jerome Baker (LB) was still the best linebacker situation with 97% of snaps this week and despite the opportunity they gave Holland discussed above Jaelen Phillips (DE) still only saw 28% of snaps so he’s still a ways off from being relevant here. The usual suspects played their usual snaps beyond the Holland outlier and Emmanuel Ogbah (DE) had a nice game, everything else was forgettable this week for Miami. We’ll reevaluate after next week and go from there.
Told you he would be fine
Patriots @ Jets
New England Patriots
Produced as expected: Ju’Whuan Bentley (LB) Donta Hightower (LB) Devin McCourty (S) Patriots Cornerbacks, (Jackson & Jones) Kyle Dugger (S) *somewhat* Matt Judon (OLB)
Flash in the pan: Joejuan Williams (CB) & Josh Uche (LB) played 45% and 48% of snaps respectively this week which is not enough playing time for either to put up these numbers consistently. Williams is the third cornerback currently and will likely see a dip in playing time when Gilmore returns and Uche will probably have some weeks where he plays more than this but he’ll also have weeks where he plays less than this, that’s how the Pats defense works. No one plays enough here week to week consistently beyond a very select few.
Carl Davis (DT) only played 21% of snaps and lucked into a sack, we can pass on that. Not likely to happen again any time soon.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week
Misc notes: Chase Winovich (DE) was only in for 27% of snaps and had no stats of any relevance, he continues to be a massive disappointment all around.
Adrian Phillips (S) was in for 75% of snaps this week, part of that could be getting some rest due to a blowout but knowing this defense it’s equally possible that he could play the same less than ideal playing time next week, Dugger is now the safety to own shares of around here, Phillips was last year’s fad.
Christian Barmore (DT) was in for 55% of snaps but only recorded three combined tackles on the day with no other stats, that’s more playing time than a bunch of these other rookie defensive linemen but he’s not there yet either, he may arrive sooner than guys like Jaelen Phillips but it’s not happening yet. We’ll keep an eye on it. Everything else here looked normal this week.
New York Jets
Produced as expected: CJ Mosley (LB) Bryce Hall (CB) Marcus Maye (S)
Flash in the pan: Sheldon Rankins (DT), as much as I want him to be a thing again, is probably not. He was in for 52% of snaps this week and recorded a sack and all the fixings that come with it but this will very likely be an outlier event, if it’s not Quinnen Williams (DT) I’m not interested in a Jets defensive tackle.
Possible waivers: Michael Carter (CB) only played 71% of snaps this week but was the second cornerback in terms of playing time behind only Bryce Hall (CB). It wasn’t exactly the greatest show on turf in the building this week so the corner snaps being down overall and especially for the second and third corner options here tracks, Carter could be a sneaky good streaming option against a team with a better passing attack, he recorded eight combined tackles and a tackle for loss this week despite only playing those 71% of snaps.
It was Quincy Williams (LB) as the other inside linebacker here next to CJ Mosley (LB) recording five combined tackles and one tackle for loss off of 91% of snaps played this week, the Del’Shawn Phillips (LB) fad appears to be one and done. I got burnt by this as well in the one crazy deep league I attempted it in, I’m not sure we can trust this going forward, let’s at least see Williams play this role another week before actually starting him. Adding him in waivers and waiting on it can’t hurt though. Deeper leagues only obviously.
John Franklin Meyers (DE) was in for 72% of snaps this week and had a really nice box score, he’s the top defensive end option here in terms of playing time and there are several in IDP land that really like him, not a bad stab in the dark for defensive end help in deeper leagues. There’s literally no one else so he’ll have plenty of opportunity at least.
Misc notes: Quinnen Williams (DT) played 67% of snaps this week and recorded just one solo tackle on the day, he’s off to a slow start but that’s also the nature of defensive line and especially defensive tackle production. He has the talent, draft capital and playing time and we’ve seen the production as recently as last season, I’m not even close to panicking on this. He’ll need to put up stinkers for another month or so before I pull the plug, the upside is too high, he’ll come around.
Hamsah Nasirildeen (LB) was only in for 29% of snaps this week and appears to have lost that opportunity some us thought he might have with the Jarrad Davis (LB) injury before the season, with guys like Quincy Williams (LB) and Del’Shawn Phillips (LB) displacing him maybe he was never a legit option in the first place? Regardless we can probably pull the plug on this experiment if we haven’t already. Looking good beyond those items, lettuce continue.
Did we get our new messiah or is the waiver wire linebacker of 2021 still to come?
49ers @ Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Produced as expected: Fred Warner (LB) Jimmie Ward (S) Jaquiski Tartt (S) Nick Bosa (DE)
Flash in the pan: NA, all the names at the top of the box score make sense this week.
Possible waivers: Deommodore Lenoir (CB) and Josh Norman (CB) played 97% of snaps each this week and while Lenoir had a massive box score and looks to be a legit streaming option here if the matchup is correct we must also consider Norman and recent history. As recently as last season when Norman was in Buffalo he was able to produce at a high level as an injury replacement for the Bills, here on the Niners he’s playing plenty and recorded just two combined tackles this week but we must also factor in game script here. The Niners absolutely dominated time of possession and as a result their defense only spent 25 minutes on the field this week, when they were on the field the Philly passing attack was ineffective at best, downright terrible would be more accurate. I wouldn’t hesitate to fire up Norman against a better passing attack with a more seasoned quarterback and better wide receivers. Deeper leagues only but this could be a sneaky corner option for those of you in those crazy deep leagues where you need to look at stuff like this. I’m looking at you Sterling from the slack chat.
Misc notes: Azeez Al Shaair (LB) did play 100% of snaps this week as predicted, what wasn’t predicted was what I talked about above, this Niners defense barely spending any time on the field and the Eagles offense not being able to do much at all this week. If the opposing offense can’t stay on the field and get first downs and sustain drives our IDP producers can’t produce, its’ that simple. There wasn’t enough here to eat for everyone this week and Al Shaair had to go hungry so Fred Warner (LB), Nick Bosa (DE) and Deommodore Lenoir (CB) could stuff their faces. So while many may be panicking with their waiver wire linebacker investment with Al Shaair I would ask them to look a bit further than surface level on this and that will explain what happened this week. He should be fine. The Niners get the Packers this week and if we get even a fraction of the Packers offense we saw Monday night there should be PLENTY for this Niners defense to eat this week.
Javon Kinlaw (DT) was healthy this week and in for 72% of snaps, he had a quiet game back after missing week one but then again so did many on this defense due to the factors mentioned above. I wouldn’t panic he should be fine, playing plenty and this is the nature of the beast at defensive tackle to begin with and why people like me who have done this for a minute invest significant draft capital on guys like Donald or Buckner when newer players are drafting linebackers. The drop off at linebacker doesn’t occur nearly as soon as it does for defensive tackle. Linebacker is a flat position, defensive tackle isn’t, I could go on but you get it. Kinlaw has a chance to be an up and coming star at defensive tackle like Quinnen and Jeffrey Simmons so we’ll give him some time, at least I will anyways.
Dee Ford (DE) and Arik Armstead (DT/DE) played 28% and 67% of snaps this week, plenty for Armstead, especially if designated a defensive tackle in your league(s) of merit, but for Ford this is less than ideal. He did luck into a sack in week one but if this is what we’re looking at for this season, a guy who’s in for one of every four plays, that ain’t gonna work. Pass on that. Armstead should have some nice weeks though don’t panic on him yet.
Philadelphia Eagles
Produced as expected: Alex Singleton (LB) Eric Wilson (LB) Anthony Harris (S) Javon Hargrave (DT)
Flash in the pan: Genard Avery (LB) and TJ Edwards (LB) played 56% and 30% of snaps respectively this week and both had nice box scores but this was obviously outlier production based off how this game went, more below, pass on both.
Possible waivers: Eric Wilson (LB) or Alex Singleton (LB) if either is available but it could be risky week to week, more below.
Misc notes: Alex Singleton (LB) and Eric Wilson (LB) essentially swapped playing time in week two, after Wilson being the clear winner in playing time and production in week one it reversed for week two. Singleton was in for 81% of snaps while Wilson was only in for 69% while in week one it was Wilson with 85% and Singleton with 60% played. No idea why this happened how it did, could be something to do with the game plan against either team, too soon in the season to answer which one is the better option, I don’t work for the Eagles so my guess is as good as yours. The best we can do here is bet on one or the other or both if somehow your league has them both available on waivers. In all likelihood one of these two will establish himself as the better week to week option but as for now it’s a true coin flip. More to be revealed.
Let’s not forget the other side of what we talked about above is that this Eagles defense spent 35 minutes on the field, which is a ton, and went up against a very run happy and short passing game Niners squad so the linebacker production overall here this week is bloated and dangerous much like my lower intestines most days. This was likely the primary cause of the flash in the pan production for guys like Edwards and Avery and the massive combined tackle numbers for Singleton and Wilson. Remember that IDP production is very much dependent on the opposing offense and what they like to do and how much they stay on the field, if they love to run and dominate time of possession your own teams linebackers will likely have a nice day, if they like to pass and dominate time of possession your own teams corners and secondary in general will have a nice day. If they don’t do anything well your own teams IDP production will be terrible since your own teams offense will likely dominate time of possession and you can’t score IDP points from the bench because the offense is on the field.
Brandon Graham (DE) got hurt in this one and is done for the season, we’ll see if this means the rotation we’ve seen is now less of a rotation or if they simply replace him in that rotation and keep it going. Next week will start to tell that tale.
Josh Sweat (DE) and Ryan Kerrigan (DE) both saw a little less of their overall teams defensive percentage this week probably due to gamescript, the Niners weren’t passing all that often in this one. They were in for 40% and 46% of snaps respectively, Sweat just signed a nice extension though so I’d be far less worried about him, those snaps will return against a better passing team and may shoot up regardless with the news about Graham being done for the season, typically that means everyone else’s snaps increase a bit in an effort to cover up that loss in production and playing time, that’s not scientific but it’s what I’ve seen in the past staring at these snaps and box scores in previous seasons. We’ll know more after the next game in all likelihood.
The Steelers season seems to be heading in a strange direction after week two
Raiders @ Steelers
Las Vegas Raiders
Produced as expected: Denzel Perryman (LB) Jonathan Abram (S) Travon Mullen (CB)
Flash in the pan: Solomon Thomas (DT) had a massive game in the box score including two sacks and everything that comes with them however he only played 45% of snaps this week and hasn’t done anything else of note in quite some time, this is very likely outlier production based on less than ideal playing time and won’t happen again any time soon, I’m passing unless we see it again or his playing time shoots up a bit.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week.
Misc notes: Cory Littleton (LB) and Denzel Perryman (LB) were in for 70% and 75% of snaps respectively this week which was the most for any Raiders linebackers. Perryman continues to be the best option here in terms of production by a ton and playing time by a little.
KJ Wright (LB) was only in for 39% of snaps this week and didn’t do much with them, it looks like he won’t be an option unless there’s an injury or one of Littleton or Perryman plays bad enough to be displaced. If you can hold on to him that’s not a terrible idea but in shallower leagues it’s probably time to move on.
Yannick Ngakoue (DE) was only in for 48% of snaps this week and didn’t do anything of note, Maxx Crosby (DE) who played a massive 93% of snaps is the best option here at defensive end by a large amount. Ngakoue isn’t an option currently anywhere but the deepest and darkest of leagues, those Jacksonville days are long gone my friends.
Trevon Moehrig (S) continues to play every snap every week, the production isn’t there yet but at least he’s playing enough for it to be a possibility at some point in the near future. He’s got a better shot than a lot of the other rookies this season that are stuck in “not ideal playing time” purgatory. The Raiders are looking great so far this season, we’ll see what next week brings.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Produced as expected: Joe Schobert (LB) Terrell Edmunds (S) Cameron Heyward (DT) Minkah Fitzpatrick (S) TJ Watt (EDGE) Melvin Ingram (EDGE)
Flash in the pan: James Pierre (CB) once again qualifies this week but did play 100% of snaps but that was only due to the injuries at cornerback here for the Steelers, he’ll be back to the second or third cornerback when Joe Haden (CB) returns from injury.
Possible waivers: Robert Spillane (LB) is once again an option for however long the Devin Bush (LB) injury lasts, he was in for 80% of snaps this week and recorded twelve combined tackles and one tackle for loss. This was something we saw last season as well with similar linebacker injury issues (and covid issues) for the Steelers so this is a known quantity. He makes a nice waiver wire linebacker in medium to deeper leagues, the only issue is you’ll also have to monitor Devin Bush (LB) and his injury status to make sure you don’t get the rug pulled out from under you with this.
Misc notes: TJ Watt (EDGE) was injured in this one but it’s considered “not serious” and he “could go” week three if needed, we’ll see what happens, monitor as we get closer to kickoff.
Alex Highsmith (EDGE) and Melvin Ingram (EDGE) had their playing time play out similar to week one with Ingram playing 86% of snaps and Highsmith in for 67%. Part of that was Ingram likely saw a small bump trying to fill in for Watt after he left with the injury in this one but regardless that’s two weeks in a row now of Ingram playing more and producing more as well. We’ll keep an eye on this but so far Highsmith isn’t exactly what everyone in IDP Twitter land thought he would be and is being outsnapped and outproduced by a much older player. We’ll see what next week brings, everything else here was business as usual, the injury bug (and the pants crapping bug) have really hit the Steelers hard so far this season so that will be our likely focus the next couple few weeks. People are shitting their pants at football games again, America is healing.
DeMario Davis got right back on track in week two
Saints @ Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Produced as expected: DeMario Davis (LB) Marcus Williams (S) Paulson Adebo (CB) Malcolm Jenkins (S) Cameron Jordan (DE)
Flash in the pan: Payton Turner (DE) and Bradley Roby (CB) played only 41% and 51% of snaps respectively this week, overall they played a ton of actual snaps since this defense was on the field for two thirds plus of the entire game, but we can’t predict that factor week to week, but we can predict how involved they are snap percentage-wise for this defense and then we can hope we get games like this where the Saints offense is terrible and the defense gets plenty of opportunity. Regardless not enough playing time for either, yet, Turner was a rookie they liked quite a bit and is the future of the pass rush here along with Davenport and Roby just got here so I reckon it will be him, Adebo and Lattimore as the three corner options when all three are healthy and on the field, we’ll reevaluate at that point which option or options are best.
Malcolm Roach (DT) only played 51% of snaps this week and isn’t named David Onyemata (DT) so I’m not interested, I could be if he can show us this a time or two more this season and maybe sees a little bump in playing time, right now it’s an outlier though.
Possible waivers: Zack Baun (LB) now that Kwon Alexander (LB) is on IR will be the second option at linebacker here, 84% of snaps this week and a nice box score, decent option in deeper leagues as long as that playing time holds out.
Misc notes: This Saints defense spent 39 minutes on the field this week! Keep that in mind when we look at these dangerously bloated box scores for guys we’ve never heard of, don’t go chasing these points, in week one this Saints team dominated time of possession and the defense was barely on the field at all. Two wildly different gamescripts resulting in two wildly different outcomes for the IDP producers on this team, this stuff matters. You want IDP producers who end up losing that time of possession battle and get those extra opportunities like the Saints did this week, availability is the best ability, you can’t score IDP points from the bench because your offense is on the field.
Carolina Panthers
Produced as expected: Justin Burris (S/CB) Brian Burns (DE) Haasan Redick (EDGE)
Flash in the pan: Daquan Jones (DT) and Morgan Fox (DE) played 48% and 59% of snaps respectively this week and aren’t named Derrick Brown (DT) or Brian Burns (DE) so they aren’t really on my radar, if we see this more than once I’ll log it in the brain box and pay more attention, for now it’s just an outlier.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week.
Misc notes: The Panthers dominated this game and time of possession so completely that their defense only spent 21 minutes on the field while their offense spent a mind blowing 39 minutes on the field in week two. We can basically throw out every result that is disappointing here, guys like Shaq Thompson (LB), Jeremy Chinn (S) and company were never going to produce with so few opportunities this week. The Saints only recorded six first downs the entire game! 128 total yards of offense! Literally nothing to eat at all for this defense, that’s why our studs didn’t do what they were supposed to do this week. They’ll be fine in a more competitive game, whether or not that’s this Thursday against Houston I have no idea, could be no. Regardless, that’s what happened here.
Jermaine Carter (LB) may not be OK, he was down to just 30% of snaps this week as the Panthers shifted to more defensive backs overall, Sean Chandler (S) appears to have displaced him for the majority of snaps. We saw this last season with the less than ideal playing time, it was frankly a little shocking that Carter played so much last week, that could be the order of operations this season, shifting depending on opposing offense tendencies and gamescript. The point is we can no longer trust Carter, I pulled the plug everywhere after seeing this and I’d suggest you do the same unless you want to play the guessing game on whether or not he’s a key part of the defense each week.
Shaq Thompson (LB) and Jeremy Chinn (S) had bad games but both played 100% of snaps this week, they’ll be fine, the factors listed above were behind this weeks disaster for both known and well liked IDP options.
ReSHAPE Jenkins continues to impress in Jacksonville
Broncos @ Jaguars
Denver Broncos
Produced as expected: Kareem Jackson (S) Josey Jewell (LB) & Patrick Surtain (CB) *somewhat* Von Miller (EDGE)
Flash in the pan: Bryce Callahan (CB) appears to be the third cornerback here behind both Surtain and Fuller but he still played 82% of snaps this week so it’s an option in crazy deep leagues, I probably wouldn’t do it there are better options, corners are a dime a dozen.
Possible waivers: Justin Strnad (LB) appears to be the direct replacement for Josey Jewell (LB) who left this one with an injury and has since landed on IR and is done for the season, this is a really excellent waiver wire linebacker who will play the majority of snaps for his defense every week. The only negative factor is how real football good this team is so far, more below on that. UPDATE Micah Kiser (LB) was signed to the Broncos off the Rams practice squad, Mike Woellert had a great take on this, hold Strnad he’ll likely get the first shot at this, if you can add Kiser as well it’s not a bad idea if you have the room, one of those two should end up the other full time inside linebacker next to Johnson for the rest of the season.
Misc notes: This game was also a blood bath completely dominated by the Broncos in every conceivable fashion, the Broncos offense won the time of possession battle 39 minutes to 21 so their defense barely saw the field, keep that in mind when we look at everything this week and remember they get the Jets this week so another total domination game is possible and likely even. Broncos IDP options have suffered this season because this team has been so excellent, if the other team is going three and out or throwing picks or fumbling they aren’t sustaining drives and giving Broncos defenders the opportunities they need for tackles, sacks, passes defended etc. I’m even pulling Justin Simmons (S) in shallower leagues this week for options with a better matchup and anyone that knows me just had their jaw hit the floor. I never pull Justin Simmons, he is the personification of consistency and reliability. He can’t score me points though if the Jets are not sustaining drives on offense and that’s a real possibility this week. Buyer beware.
Bradley Chubb (EDGE) gave it a go this week but reinjured his ankle reportedly, he will probably miss this week and we’ll see what happens from there. When healthy he is a great option when played in the correct fashion, as a DL in Sleeper or an IDP flex in leagues with big play scoring, as a regular old linebacker give me a combined tackle floor guy any day of the week and twice on Sunday and I’ll score points every week instead of just some because tackles happen all the time and every week and sacks, picks and splash plays do not. We’ll keep an eye on this injury, find another option for this week is the likely call here. Everything else here was fine, Alexander Johnson (LB) had another down week but played 95% of snaps and will likely return to his old playing time with Jewell gone so a slight bump for him rest of the season, Kyle Fuller (CB) didn’t do much but that makes sense because he barely played because this defense barely played and when they did it was Trevor Lawrence (QB, reportedly) across from them and not 2013 Peyton Manning (QB, actually). The guys who had a quiet week will do better when they play a real NFL team, not sure that’s this week though. UPDATE Bradley Chubb (EDGE) placed on IR, we won’t see him for at least a few weeks.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Produced as expected: Andrew Wingard (S) Reyshawn Jenkins (S) Damien Wilson (LB) Myles Jack (LB) Shaq Griffin (CB) Josh Allen (DE)
Flash in the pan: Many, I’m not going to get into all of them, if you don’t recognize their name and they’re on the Jags and had a larger than normal week two production it’s because of the factors mentioned below.
Possible waivers: Andrew Wingard (S) was only in for 74% of snaps while Andre Cisco (S) remained steady at 26% this week, that switch hasn’t occurred yet but it probably will later this season once everyone in Jacksonville realizes what the rest of us already know, their season is over. For now though Wingard remains a nice waiver wire safety even despite the less than ideal playing time for the simple fact that in this case he may end up playing as many actual snaps week to week as some safeties that are in for 100% of snaps for their teams due to the ineptitude of this teams offense. They can and will lose the time of possession battle often this season and are currently ranked 31st in the league in that category at just 23 minutes a game of offensive possession, that means the defense spends an average of 37 minutes a game on the field so far this season with the league average being about 30 minutes or so. That seven extra minutes a game of defense will add up over the course of the season for the Jags defense and their IDP options. Wingard seems like a decent option with that in mind, at least until it’s Cisco time and I’ll shout that out as soon as it starts looking that way.
Misc notes: The other side of this equation is the Jags defense spent 39 minutes on defense this week, a truly ridiculous amount that gave all of these IDP options we look to here plenty of opportunity to make plays and score us points. The Jags offense is hot garbage, the coaching staff is a bunch of idiots and their rookie quarterback is a deer in headlights, I love the IDP options here simply due to warm body production by default and the higher than usual game to game overall playing time they’ll enjoy this season due to their offensive shenanigans. Stonks! @TheIDPTipster also mentioned this before the season and man has he been right so far, any IDP option here that plays all of or most of the snaps week to week is solid gold at this point.
Danielle Hunter continues to park opposing quarterbacks buttcheeks like Moses parted the Red Sea
Vikings @ Cardinals
Minnesota Vikings
Produced as expected: Eric Kendricks (LB) Harrison Smith (S) Nick Vigil (LB) Danielle Hunter (DE) Xavier Woods (S)
Flash in the pan: NA, all the names at the top of the box score make sense this week.
Possible waivers: Nick Vigil (LB) continues to be an excellent option for the duration of the Anthony Barr (OLB) injury, remember to check inactives to make sure Barr isn’t playing before locking in Vigil. You need one to do the other.
Misc notes: Danielle Hunter (DE) is the cheek clapper supreme, that is all. No real changes here from week one in regards to playing time and the only guys with down days for production were at corner and defensive tackle and those are wildly inconsistent and fluctuating positions to begin with so it’s all good, no one there lost a ton of snaps out of left field or anything so this is just a nature of the position thing. Peterson, Tomlinson and company will be fine. Keep an eye on Anthony Barr (OLB) this week, a ton of people are going to be riding the Nick Vigil train and many of them will have no idea it’s directly tied to the health of Barr, they’re all in for a nasty surprise when he returns from injury one of these weeks and Vigil’s playing time and therefore production disappear into nothingness.
Arizona Cardinals
Produced as expected: Budda Baker (S) Jalen Thompson (S) Isaiah Simmons (LB) Jordan Hicks (LB) Robert Alford (CB) Markus Golden (EDGE/OLB)
Flash in the pan: Antonio Hamilton (CB) is clearly the third corner option here with just 51% of snaps played this week, he lucked into four solos and a pass defense, eleven points in most of my leagues, outlier production with far less than ideal playing time, pass on this.
Possible waivers: Jalen Thompson (S) had ideal playing time again this week, 93% of snaps, and a huge game in the box score. This WILL NOT be an every week thing but this does make a boom or bust option in deeper leagues and at least he’s playing enough to have a shot at production weekly. If you can accept all that then fire away.
Misc notes: Chandler Jones (EDGE/OLB) played 100% of snaps this week but did not have four sacks like in week one, there were actually some people surprised by this in Twitter land and in the site slack chat, those are the people who haven’t been doing this for almost twenty years. That was completely normal and expected, EDGE, OLB, DE and DT are boom or bust positions, mostly bust unless we’re talking a supremely talented player like TJ Watt, Danielle Hunter, Myles Garrett or Aaron Donald, getting a sack or splash play every week or most of them IS the outlier NOT the norm. That’s why we draft those guys so high and value them so much, normal pass rush guys spend most of their time doing nothing of value for our IDP defenses. The odds of Jones going back to back weeks with monster games were not in anyone’s favor, and don’t get me wrong Chandler Jones is a lot close to the names in that excellent group of pass rushers I just mentioned than to the regular guys in the league but he was never going to give us four sacks a game every game all season, that will never happen. If you know the production style of defensive line and outside linebacker pass rush guys you can plan your risk management accordingly and start to understand why I prefer combined tackle floor guys in all my linebacker slots instead of these outside linebacker boom or bust options week to week. Experience is the best teacher.
Zaven Collins (LB) saw a slight increase in playing time this week up to 41% of snaps played but it was still Jordan Hicks (LB) with 97% of snaps played as the other inside linebacker option next to Isaiah Simmons (LB), 82% of snaps, this week. This entire linebacker corps will likely be in flux all season but so far Simmons is the safest/best option with Hicks a close second and Collins still the outsider, I’ll shout it from the rooftops when that changes.
JJ Watt (DE) was in for a massive 90% of snaps this week but gave us not much again for week two. He’ll have some nice games this season but he’s getting old so this isn’t entirely unexpected. He’s still a nice option in deeper leagues as a defensive end three or four and will surprise us with a monster game or a few before the season is done. Patience is a virtue. No other significant news here this week, we’ll see what week three brings and take it from there.
The era of the IDP cornerback is upon us
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Atlanta Falcons
Produced as expected: Foye Oluokon (LB) Erik Harris (S) Duron Harmon (S) Deion Jones (LB) Dante Fowler (OLB)
Flash in the pan: Marlon Davidson (DT) was only in for 37% of snaps and lucked into an outlier sack, not likely to happen again anytime soon since none of us have any idea who this is and he doesn’t play enough, pass.
Possible waivers: Erik Harris (S) and Duron Harmon (S) played 89% and 86% of snaps respectively this week and either makes a decent waiver wire safety option in deeper leagues, at least until Richie Grant (S) gets his shot, that’s not happened yet though and I’ll toss out a warning when I see it happening. These both look good currently.
Misc notes: Grady Jarrett (DT) was in for 68% of snaps but only recorded four combined tackles and no splash plays with only one of those a solo tackle, he’s had a slow start but those of us that have been here for a minute know what he’s capable of, I’m leaving him in as my defensive tackle two or three in deeper leagues and will give him a fair shake, it’s not like there are many better options out there. I draft defensive tackle early to avoid playing games like this, you either have a dominant IDP defensive tackle or you don’t, there is no finding one on waivers during the season for the most part.
AJ Terrell (CB) left this one in the third quarter with a possible concussion, that explains his lower production this week in a beautiful matchup, we’ll have to monitor this week to see if he can go against the Giants, not the worst news in the world if he can’t it is the Giants after all and they couldn’t complete a pass to save their lives. There are better places to stream from this week.
Richie Grant (S) apparently only played special teams snaps this week, that’s less than ideal. Looks like we’ll have to wait on this one for him to get a shot, doesn’t look like it will be any time soon his playing time is moving in the wrong direction. Everything else here looked good this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Produced as expected: Carlton Davis (CB) Lavonte David (LB) Devin White (LB) Jordan Whitehead (S) Shaq Barrett (EDGE) N’Damakong Suh (DT) Vita Vea (DT) Antoine Winfield Jr (S) *somewhat* Jason Pierre Paul (EDGE) *somewhat*
Flash in the pan: Mike Edwards (S) only played 54% of snaps this week mostly due to the return of a healthy Jordan Whitehead (S). The two interceptions for two touchdowns are obviously something that won’t be happening every week, feel free to keep playing him if you think otherwise. I’m all set.
Possible waivers: Jordan Whitehead (S) returned from injury this week and played 79% of snaps this week, he makes a decent waiver wire safety in deeper leagues but plays on a crowded defense filled with studs and competition for tackles so keep that in mind.
Misc notes: Jamel Dean (CB) remains the second corner option here playing 92% of snaps this week, he had four combined tackles so nothing special but eventually you have to figure opposing teams will stop throwing at Carlton Davis (CB) so he may eventually be the Bucs version of Kevin King (CB) and end up being the guy who gets targeted simply because he’s NOT the shut down corner on the other side of the field, just something to think about it certainly hasn’t happened yet. Everything else looked good here this week, this remains an excellent defense for both IDP and real football purposes.
Derwin remains excellent at everything
Cowboys @ Chargers
Dallas Cowboys
Produced as expected: Trevon Diggs (CB) Jayron Kearse (S) Anthony Brown (CB) Micah Parsons (LB) Damontae Kazee (S)
Flash in the pan: Jaylon Smith (LB) and Leighton Vander Esch (LB), see more below, if you don’t know what happened here just google it, you missed more than I feel like typing to catch you up.
Possible waivers: Jaylon Smith (LB) and Leighton Vander Esch (LB) are back to being options for the duration, maybe, of the DeMarcus Lawrence (DE) injury, possibly. When they get Randy Gregory (DE) back from Covid IR this will change, if they sign someone to the defensive line this will change, if they change the defensive gameplan this will change. Personally I’m not touching this with a ten foot pole, too many variables, but it technically exists therefore I’m mentioning it. 76% and 52% of snaps played respectively this week and a ton of tackles each, this won’t last long though, Keanu Neal (S) and Micah Parsons (LB) as the two linebacker options is the normal order of operations here and as soon as their able to it will be back to that.
Misc notes: Micah Parsons (LB) played most of his 55% of snaps this week as a defensive end helping to fill the holes left from DeMarcus Lawrence’s (DE) broken foot and Randy Gregory‘s (DE) covid IR stint. This is less than ideal long term for many reasons and my guess is once Gregory is back Parsons will return to inside linebacker along with Keanu Neal (LB) like we saw in week one. This likely won’t last long enough even for any major sites to dual designate Parsons as a defensive end or for MFL to switch him to defensive end and Gary Davenport to have to go into protective custody somewhere. So that’s a small blessing at least, strange days in Dallas indeed.
No other significant news here in Dallas beyond this situation right here. We’ll circle back to it next week.
Los Angeles Chargers
Produced as expected: Nasir Adderley (S) Derwin James (S) Kenneth Murray (LB) Jerry Tillery (DT) Michael Davis (CB) Asante Samuel Jr (CB)
Flash in the pan: Kyler Fackrell (LB) only played 45% of snaps this week and lucked into a sack, nothing to see here, won’t happen again any time soon, pass.
Possible waivers: Nasir Adderley (S) if you believe in it, I don’t, yet anyways. 100% of snaps and a really nice day in the box score but I saw this movie last season, without Derwin James (S) around to compete with for production, and it sucked. I’m not into it but it technically exists if you need help in deeper leagues and can live with a serious rollercoaster ride week to week, check out last seasons stat lines for him if you want to see what I’m talking about.
Misc notes: Kenneth Murray (LB) missed a few plays due to getting dinged in this one but was able to return and finish the game so crisis avoided. He looks like the real deal this season that’s for sure.
Joey Bosa (DE) played plenty, 82% of snaps this week, but didn’t land a sack therefore everyone feels like they were let down by him against Dallas. This is a the nature of the beast. He’ll be fine. Everything else looked good here in Los Angeles, the Jerry Tillery (DT) stat line was probably not the norm either unless we all think he suddenly took a Quinnen Williams style leap in one week, I think not. I wouldn’t be rushing to grab him off waivers, he does play plenty though and many do believe in his potential so he counts as “produced as expected” even though it wasn’t something I expected personally. We’ll see what a beautiful matchup against the Chiefs does for these producers this week and reevaluate after week three.
As constant as bubble guts after Chipotle
Titans @ Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Produced as expected: Harold Landry (OLB) Janoris Jekins (CB) Denico Autry (DE)
Flash in the pan: Chris Jackson (CB) and Ola Adeniyi (LB) played 70% and 6% of snaps respectively this week, that makes Jackson the third corner by a wide margin and a far less ideal option compared to Jenkins or Fulton so I’m all set with that for reasons I’ve stated elsewhere in this article. As for Adeniyi if you feel that someone who doesn’t even play ten percent of the defensive snaps can somehow replicate three combined tackles and a sack along with all the things that go with a sack, tackle for loss, QB hit, etc, each week then feel free to grab him off waivers and give it a go. The rest of us know that’s completely nuts and will pass on that.
Possible waivers: David Long (LB) for as long as Jayon Brown (LB) is injured and out, Long was in for 98% of snaps this week filling in for Jayon Brown (LB) who tweaked his hamstring late last week and couldn’t go against Seattle, if he can’t go again this week Long will be in for another solid day in all likelihood but once again this is directly tied to Jayon Brown’s (LB) health and whether or not he plays, one thing is needed for the other to be relevant, it’s just as likely that he’s fine this week and Long returns to being irrelevant, more below.
Misc notes: Rashaan Evans (LB) saw a pretty significant decrease in playing time this week down to just 57% of snaps played, his production suffered as a result with just four combined tackles on the day, three of those assists with only one solo tackle, obviously less than ideal all around. There was an “insider rumor” before the season that my good friend and fellow Big Dump Premium enthusiast @PFF_Macri told me about in regards to this saying that David Long (LB) would eventually displace Rashaan Evans (LB) as the other inside linebacker for the Titans this season if Evan’s poor play on the field continued, with a PFF grade of 41.1 through two games this season you could say that the poor play has continued. A quick perusal through Titans Twitter searching Evans name will also show that everyone knows this is a thing and everyone knows this is a strong possibility, one of the benefits of knowing the team you follow etc. So be ready for this to happen and prepare for it, if that means picking up David Long (LB) and leaving him on the bench then do it, if that means replacing Evans, who if we’re looking at 57% of snaps a week going forward will need to be replaced anyways, then do it. Be prepared.
Kevin Byard (S) and Jeffrey Simmons (DT) played 100% and 83% of snaps respectively this week but both had down weeks overall for production, Byard is coming off a monster week on performance and has been a boom or bust option always so this isn’t surprising, he’ll never be that completely consistent week to week safety option but he’s also capable of putting up monster and often week winning production so it’s worth riding the wave if you can accept that risk. As for Simmons it’s defensive tackle and he’s not Aaron Donald (DT) or DeForest Buckner (DT) so we need to lower the expectations a bit, he’ll have some excellent weeks but weeks like this will also be plentiful, nature of the beast at DT.
Bradley McDougald (S) was in for 74% of snaps this week replacing the injured and out for the year Amani Hooker (S). He only recorded two solo tackles on the day and has never really been a great IDP option even back in the days of 100% snaps a week, so I’d pass on this as a waiver wire safety unless you are truly desperate and the league is pretty deep. Everything else looked good here this week.
Seattle Seahawks
Produced as expected: Bobby Wagner (LB) Quandre Diggs (S/CB) DJ Reed (CB) Jordyn Brooks (LB) Jamal Adams (S) Tre Flowers (CB)
Flash in the pan: Robert Nkemdiche (DT) and Alton Robinson (DE) played 41% and 20% of snaps respectively. Robinson lucked into a sack and Nkemdiche had seven combined tackles on the day, neither result is likely to be repeated any time soon even though this Seahawks team has played the most defensive snaps overall this season, these guys are the third and fifth options at defensive tackle and defensive end in terms of playing time respectively on this defense, that tells the story right there. Afterthoughts not legit options, pass.
Possible waivers: Al Woods (DT) however was in for 68% of snaps this week, the most of any defensive tackle on this defense besides Poona Ford (DT), 72% played, and recorded seven combined tackles and a sack along with all the fixings that come with it. It’s too early to know if this is legit or not and my quick research didn’t find anything concrete either beyond preseason hype, hope and coach speak, if you do need defensive tackle help though and have the room to add Mr. Woods it’s not a bad shot to take just in case this is the real deal and does work out.
Misc notes: Carlos Dunlap (DE) and Kerry Hyder (DE) played 30% and 58% of snaps respectively this week, for Dunlap that’s a downward trend from week one but for Hyder it’s an uptick, regardless both of these guys are in flux for playing time so neither feels like a great option currently. The season is long and the injury grim reaper will come calling so they may end up being options at some point, for now though I’d look elsewhere for help on the defensive line.
Rasheem Green (DE) maintained his role as the top defensive end option with 64% of snaps played this week, he didn’t do much with them, acceptable game though, four combined tackles, one tackle for loss and two QB hits on the day. No sack or splash play but that’s par for the course for defensive line production, feast or famine. He continues to look like the best defensive end option here though so I figured I’d mention it. Everything else looked good here this week, Bobby Wagner (LB) gave us a truly memorable performance with twenty combined tackles, shades of the Brian Urlacher (LB) game against the Cardinals, really good stuff.
Was Patrick Queen able to keep the momentum going through week two?
Chiefs @ Ravens
Kansas City Chiefs
Produced as expected: Tyrann Mathieu (S) Anthony Hitchens (LB) Daniel Sorensen (S) Nick Bolton (LB) Chavarious Ward (CB)
Flash in the pan: NA, all names that make sense at the top of the box score this week.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week, there are some guys here that could produce in upcoming weeks but we’ll cross that bridge if and when it happens. Jarran Reed (DT) and Willie Gay (LB) are the two that come to mind as guys I’ll likely be mentioning somewhere down the line this season.
Misc notes: Frank Clark (DE) and Chris Jones (DT) played 70% and 75% of snaps respectively this week and neither did much in the box score, nature of the beast here and nothing more. Jones had a monster week one and Clark is playing plenty so we’ll see something from him at some point this season, this is how defensive line production works unless we’re talking Michael Strahan (DE) the season he set the sacks record or some other outlier performance, it’s a bunch of weeks of nothing with some excellent production games sprinkled in.
L’Jarius Sneed (S/CB) was in for 96% of snaps this week but only had three solo tackles and nothing else, he’ll be fine the Ravens mostly ran the ball so Sneed wasn’t as involved as he would’ve been against a team with a better or more effective passing offense, no need to panic, especially if he’s still designated a corner in your league of merit. Onwards.
Baltimore Ravens
Produced as expected: Patrick Queen (LB) Anthony Averett (CB) Marlon Humphrey (CB)
Flash in the pan: Chris Board (LB) and Tyus Bowser (LB) played 37% and 61% of snaps respectively this week and aren’t named Patrick Queen (LB) so I’m not interested, you probably shouldn’t be either unless you enjoy sporadic, inconsistent and unreliable production based off far less than ideal playing time.
Tavon Young (CB) is now the third corner option here, 78% of snaps played this week, he could be an option in much deeper leagues but in the majority of circumstances you’ll only want Humphrey or Averett and that’s it, the guys who play every snap and therefore will be more consistent week to week.
Possible waivers: Anthony Averett (CB) was in for 100% of snaps this week and recorded five combined tackles and a pass defended, twelve points in most of my leagues which is really solid for corner and even more solid when you consider no one knew who this was two weeks ago. Solid streaming corner option if the matchup is correct, I’m not sure Detroit is the correct matchup though.
Misc notes: Deshon Elliot (S) was concussed in this one and left after only playing 47% of snaps, he should return to 100% of snaps and his normal production after clearing protocols we’ll just have to keep an eye on that if you’re relying on him anywhere.
Chuck Clark (S) was in for 100% of snaps but had a down game overall, he should be fine though he’s been pretty solid and consistent since he became a known IDP quantity last season, it happens. No need to panic unless we see this a couple few weeks in a row or his playing time takes a dive.
The Ravens pass rush saw no significant changes from week one in terms of playing time, role and who was involved etc. They didn’t manage to land any sacks as a unit, it happens. No changes here and I’m positive this unit will rebound nicely against the Lions and have Goff running for his life early and often. Everything else looked good here, nice win for this team and a beautiful tribute to Michael K Williams before kickoff, if you take a shot at the king you best not miss.
The IDP Gods have blessed us with the return to significant playing time for Mr. Walker
Lions @ Packers
Detroit Lions
Produced as expected: Alex Anzalone (LB) Will Harris (S) Jamie Collins (LB) Trey Flowers (DE) Micheal Brockers (DE)
Flash in the pan: Charles Harris (LB) and Nick Williams (DE) played 40% and 62% of snaps respectively this week, not nearly enough for Harris we can forget him immediately, it might be enough for Williams but I didn’t know he existed until just this moment so let’s see this another time or two before making any rash decisions.
Possible waivers: No new producers this week. Derrick Barnes (LB) has had his name all over Twitter today though and with rumors of a possible Jamie Collins (LB) trade he would immediately become a pretty solid waiver wire linebacker option if that happened, maybe grab him now if you have the room in deeper leagues.
Misc notes: Romeo Okwara (DE) still played a ton this week, 97% of snaps, but like week one didn’t produce anything of note, he’ll have some good weeks this season simply due to warm body production by default as a result of him being out there nearly every single snap, still a decent option in deeper leagues.
Tracy Walker (S) was also out there for 100% of snaps this week but came back to earth after a monster week one with only four combined tackles and no other stats, I would still trust him in deeper leagues at least the playing time is back to ideal after last year’s shenanigans and we’ve seen he can give us the production in the past so I’m not even close to pulling the plug on this yet.
Amani Oruwariye (CB) however is getting his plug pulled, 100% of snaps this week against a Packers team that put up a metric ton of offense and not even a single tackle or pass defense, he may end up having some nice weeks as a streaming option but personally I’m all set with this, if it’s not Jeff Okudah (CB), which it won’t be with him on IR now, then I’m all set streaming any Lions corners personally this season. That’s just me though, to each their own. Everything else here looked normal, Jamie Collins (LB) did see a significant increase in playing time up to 97% of snaps this week which was nice for anyone still rolling him out weekly and we’ll see what next week brings for this defense as a (crappy) unit. Home stretch.
Green Bay Packers
Produced as expected: DeVondre Campbell (LB) Adrian Amos (S) Kenny Clark (DT)
Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score this week.
Possible waivers: No new producers but it looks like Campbell is the linebacker option here, for now at least, more below.
Misc notes: Krys Barnes (LB) and DeVondre Campbell (LB) played 44% and 100% of snaps respectively this week, while the week one battle here was pretty even in terms of playing time and production after week two it looks like Campbell is the inside linebacker to have shares of going forward. Will that hold all season? No idea, is it what the facts are currently? Yes. And that’s all we can work with, the information we have available now. Does that mean you should airlock Barnes? Probably not, injuries happen and this could have been intentional as a defensive gameplan, so hold him for now while this shakes out, it’s still too early in the season to say ANYTHING is set in stone ANYWHERE. I won’t feel comfortable telling people something is a fact until like week ten. But for now this is what we’ve got.
Jaire Alexander (CB) and Kevin King (CB) both had acceptable days but didn’t meet their respective projections, not unexpected this was the Lions passing attack not the 2007 Patriots with Randy Moss and company, we shouldn’t have been streaming that matchup to begin with.
Darnell Savage (S) played every snap yet again this week but didn’t do anything of note, the preseason hype surrounding him appears to be premature once again, that could change of course but so far not great, we’ll see what next week brings. Preston Smith (OLB) and Rashan Gary (OLB) were the two heavy hitters for the pass rush with Za’Darius Smith (OLB/EDGE) on short term IR, they played 81% and 77% of snaps respectively but neither landed a sack or splash play which isn’t shocking to me, those stat lines are the exception and not the rule. Still not a bad idea to go with either, especially in Sleeper as a DL, while Za’Darius is out the next couple few weeks. Everything else here looked good this week.
Thank you for reading the week two edition of the monster. We’ll be back again next week same time same place to break down what happened in week three and continue to work on getting locked in for when it matters, fantasy playoffs and those title runs. Good luck to you this week in all your matchups and may the fantasy Gods be merciful to us all.
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