We are heading into week three and there are some IDP mainstays who have not yet produced. Here are some potential buy-low targets to help you improve your roster.
When it comes to patience with fantasy football, it is almost non-existent. People tend to overreact so quickly that many times you can score a top-level talent from a team that is already reeling. If you can find a fantasy owner that has started the season at 0-2 or has a team that just is not producing fantasy points at any level, it is time to start poaching their roster. Let’s take a look at some upper-tier players who are IDP buy low candidates.
Frank Clark – Defensive End Kansas City Chiefs
2019 Stats: Four tackles (two solo), one tackle for a loss, one pass defensed and an interception.
Frank Clark was traded from the Seahawks to the Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, 2019 third-round pick swap and a 2020 second-round pick. The idea for the Chiefs was to find a defensive end who could fill part of the void left by the departure of both Justin Houston and Dee Ford. I would say Frank Clark was a solid option considering his past production and age at only 26 years old.
Clark has gotten off to quite the slow start in Kansas City. He has not recorded a sack yet and has only one tackle for a loss. It could be plainly put as getting used to a new defensive scheme. Clark has not just forgotten how to rush the passer. I have been asked who to play recently and the options were Frank Clark, who this person rostered, or drop him for either Trey Hendrickson or Al-Quadin Muhammad. Both of these players have outproduced Clark so far this season but Clark is the superior talent.
Al-Quadin Muhammad has played on 71.8% of the team’s snaps which is second on the team but led the team in week two with 83%. His production is solid but his snap percentage should drop as soon as Jabaal Sheard returns from injury. Trey Hendrickson played on about 55% of the Saints’ snaps and has been very productive as a rotation guy. That is all he is though, a rotation guy. Clark has 32 sacks in the last three seasons which is 26 more than Muhammad and Hendrickson have on their respective careers. If this is how low people see Clark now, go ahead and buy low on him.
Telvin Smith – Linebacker Jacksonville Jaguars
2019 Stats: N/A
Telvin Smith has been a menace since he entered the NFL. In five seasons he has 586 tackles (445 solo), 52 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, 26 passes defensed, nine interceptions, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and four touchdowns. He is your prototypical three-down linebacker as he is one of the better pass coverage linebackers in the NFL having been a former safety. He is also terrific in run defense and blitzing. Telvin Smith is perennially a top-five linebacker in the NFL.
For the 2019 season, Smith decided to take one he has called a one-year hiatus from the game to get his mind and his family right. You can’t blame the guy for addressing his mental health, maybe more players should. With that said he is just burning a hole in somebody’s fantasy roster and now is the perfect time to buy low for him. If he comes back for 2020 and plays at the same level he has the rest of his career, he would be an absolute steal.
Damon Harrison Sr. – Defensive Tackle Detroit Lions
2019 Stats: two tackles and two passes defensed.
Snacks Harrison is off to a very slow start to this season. He has only been on the field for 39.1% of the Lions’ defensive snaps. This could be attributed to Harrison having a slight lingering injury. The Lions are shuffling their lineup a bit trying to see how their new acquisitions fit into the lineup as well. The team added Mike Daniels and Trey Flowers to a line that already rostered A’Shawn Robinson, Da’Shawn Hand, Romer Okwara and Harrison himself. Week one Harrison was on the field for only 30% of the team’s defensive snaps, fifth most of the defensive lineman. Week two he saw that jump to 51%, third-most behind only the starting defensive ends.
Damon Harrison Sr. is seeing his snap total jump and I am not worried about the slow start. Harrison over his last four seasons has averaged 78.75 total tackles which is unheard of from the DT position. That includes 81 last season which is the second-most of his career. Harrison also just received a contract extension which leads me to believe the Lions still have big plans for him. I do not see him slowing down but some owners could be panicking over his recent slow start. Now is the time to try to lock up one of the top guys at a position where finding solid production is thin.
Jarran Reed – Defensive Tackle Seattle Seahawks
2019 Stats: N/A
Reed is a beast when he is on the field and instantly makes the Seahawks defense better. In 2018, Reed had a breakout year coming up with 50 tackles (34 solo), 12 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries, all career highs. If you have a void at the defensive tackle position, Reed can fix that for you.
The buy low window for Jarran Reed may be closed, but you may still be early enough for desperate owners. Reed has been suspended for the first four games of the season so he has not played a game yet. He still will not be back until week five. An owner who has him soaking up a bench spot may need to fill other holes due to the vast amount of injuries so far in 2019. Now, it is just time to find that owner.
De’Vondre Campbell – Linebacker Atlanta Falcons
2019 Stats: 16 Tackles (12 solo)
De’Vondre Campbell is known to most as the frustrating linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons. The past two seasons he has come near the 100 tackle mark but merely zero other stats to his line. Last season was extra disappointing due to the fact that Deion Jones missed almost the entire year. The Falcons were hoping to lean on Campbell, needless to say, that did not happen.
So far for 2019 Campbell still has not filled the stat sheet but has been a reliable tackler. He is averaging eight tackles per game after the first two weeks. That puts him on pace for 128 total tackles. He has also been on the field the most out of any linebacker on the team playing on 91% of the team’s snaps. The next closest linebacker is Deion jones who surprisingly has almost 11% fewer snaps played than Campbell. Most people still think of Campbell as an underwhelming linebacker. If you are in need of help at the linebacker position, now may be the time to strike and get Campbell real cheap. Maybe you can get yourself a guy who can finally eclipse 100 total tackles.
Conclusion
Those are five IDP buy low candidates so far for 2019. With Frank Clark and Damon Harrison Sr. you are hoping that the owners are getting frustrated with their slow start and will move them. Fantasy team owners are some of the most impatient people in the world. Telvin Smith is on a one-year hiatus and could be had from an owner in need to fill that roster spot with depth. Jarran Reed is about to come off suspension in two weeks and is one of the premier guys at his position. De’Vondre Campbell is a guy looking like he may finally breakout while everybody still remembers him as a disappointment.
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