Divisional Debriefing: Week Four
Each week we are going to give a player from each division a “Player of the Week” honor. In an attempt to not cram the same info down your throat that you might find elsewhere, we are going to try to focus on players that weren’t draft day all-stars. In some cases they won’t even be rostered in redraft leagues, but guys that are worth stashing in dynasty leagues. We are going to focus on guys that have yielded the greatest return on your investment. You don’t need to be told Peyton Manning had a great day. He was drafted in such a spot that it was expected. The same goes for LeSean McCoy, Julio Jones, and Calvin Johnson. That’s not to say that we won’t honor a truly elite performance, especially from rookies.
As part of a group collaboration, members of the DLF Staff have chosen to represent a division and will be selecting which players will be getting the “gold star” for the week. As an added bonus, I will also include the most impressive IDP performances of the week for each division, because defensive players need love too!
Here is who is will be nominating players for each division:
AFC West- Scott Peak @Scott_Peak
AFC East- Jeff Beran @JefeBeran
AFC North- Eric Olinger @OlingerIDP
AFC South- Tim Stafford @DynastyTim
NFC West- The FF Ghost @TheFFGhost
NFC East- Karl Safchick @KarlSafchick
NFC North- Dan Meylor @DMeylor22
NFC South- Eric Hardter @EDH_27
AFC East
Brandon Gibson, WR MIA
Fifth year pro Brandon Gibson led all Miami Dolphins receiving options in receptions, yards and targets on Monday night against the Saints. He finished with a stat line of six receptions on eight targets (his third such game this season with at least that many of each) for 71 yards and was on the field for 82% of Miami’s offensive plays, a very good number for a typical WR3. His snap count percentage was an uptick from his season average due to the Dolphins playing from behind for the whole game but he was impressive on the looks he got from quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Against the Saints, he displayed an ability to find a seam in the defense and create a good throwing target for Tannehill. His speed after the catch was also impressive when he was given room to accelerate. The WR3 in Joe Philbin’s offenses over his last two years in Green Bay was James Jones, who put up average stat lines of 44 receptions, 650 yards, and six touchdowns in 2010 and 2011. Gibson is currently on pace to exceed those numbers significantly with a projected stat line of 80 receptions for 830 yards this season, but that type of expectation is probably a little too optimistic. With Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace consistently drawing defensive attention on the outside, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Gibson could finish the year with 65 receptions for 750 yards and a few touchdowns. That’s not quite starter-level production for fantasy purposes but it’s excellent for a bye-week fill-in WR5/WR6 type of middle-of-the-roster guy. He’s also young enough (26 years old) and in a developing potent offense to be worth a roster spot in almost all mid-sized leagues.
IDP- Kiko Alonso, LB BUF
The early leader for Defensive Player of the Year, he has been a playmaking beast in the middle of this Bills defense. He’s had at least one interception in each of the last three games including two last week against Joe Flacco and the Ravens. He’s a true every down linebacker as he has played 100% of the defensive snaps this year. He’s the real deal. If you have an opportunity to acquire him, do it.
AFC South
Nate Washington, WR TEN
Ok, I’m buying it now. Washington is having a resurgent year. If you can buy him based on Jake Locker going down, I’d do so. Ryan Fitzpatrick is probably equally as good or better for Washington. He blends consistency with big play ability and has been the catalyst to the Titans’s 3-1 start. I don’t see any reason for this to change.
IDP- Robert Mathis, OLB IND
Mathis is playing some of the best football of any rush linebacker outside of Kansas City. He’s had at least one sack in every game this year including three takedowns of Blaine Gabbert in week four, bringing his season total to seven and a half sacks. He loses plenty of value in tackle heavy leagues because he’s completely boom or bust but in big play leagues he’s straight money. The transition from defensive end to outside linebacker has gone just fine.
AFC North
Brian Hoyer, QB CLE
Brian Hoyer is playing like a man who has zero intentions of handing this job back to Brandon Weeden when he gets healthy. He followed up his week impressive week three game versus the Vikings where he threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns with an equally impressive game versus in-state rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished the game 25-38 for 269 yards and two touchdowns and zero interceptions. More importantly, he has been able to get the ball to Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron while leading this team to back to back wins and a tie for the division lead.
The Browns front office hasn’t tried to hide the fact they don’t like Weeden. After they traded Trent Richardson to the Colts it was assumed they were setting their sights on Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. If Hoyer continues to play like he has they won’t only be out of the running for Bridgewater, they could possibly be out of the running for a new quarterback all together.
IDP- Vince Williams, LB PIT
Williams didn’t exactly set the world on fire this week. He had five total tackles, all solo, but the key here was how much he played. He played a season high 83% of defensive snaps and has quickly caught the eye of Dick LeBeau. If you’re looking for a good stash at the linebacker position, Williams is your guy.
AFC West
Keenan Allen, WR SD
Allen had a nice game playing against a tough Dallas Cowboys defense. The Chargers have experienced several injuries at the wide receiver position, with Danario Alexander injured for the year/waived, and Malcom Floyd out indefinitely with a neck injury. Allen stepped up nicely, and has seen his production increase since his first action week 2 of the NFL season. While covered by a top ten draft pick in 2012, Morris Claiborne, Allen managed 5 receptions for 80 yards. For the season, he has been targeted nine times, and caught eight of those targets, for a nice catch percentage of 89%, tops in the NFL for wide receivers playing at least 25% of snaps or more (Pro Football Focus). Allen made a nice catch for a 31 yard gain while tightly covered by Claiborne, demonstrating good hands, adjustment to the ball and chemistry with Philip Rivers on the back-shoulder fade. Allen also displayed solid blocking prowess and had an impressive 19 yard gain on a tough catch with a toe tap in the third quarter. Allen seemed to get open without much difficulty playing against Claiborne, and that is an encouraging sign for his development in dynasty leagues. Keep an eye out for Allen as the year goes on. Allen could be a nice surprise for dynasty owners as soon as this year.
IDP- Manti Te’o, LB SD
Sidelined with a foot injury, Te’o finally returned and started his first game back. He only played 24% of the defensive snaps but recorded three tackles, all solo. As Te’o gets his conditioning back he will see his snap count increase and form a solid duo with Donald Butler in the middle of this San Diego defense. Right now is the time to try to acquire him on the cheap. Don’t be afraid to bring up that whole “fake girlfriend” thing while trying to bring his price down even further.
NFC East
Terrance Williams, WR DAL
With Miles Austin out with a hamstring injury, the Dallas Cowboys were forced to put their rookie third round wide receiver in the starting lineup. Statistically speaking, Williams had a great game. Williams hauled in seven catches for 71 yards and came within inches of a touchdown. Late in the game, Williams reached out, with the ball in hand, in an attempt to break the end zone plane. Unfortunately, he fumbled on that play. When Austin returns, Williams will take a back seat, but Williams put his ability on display. Dynasty owners should take note, and view Williams as a great dynasty stash.
IDP- George Selvie, DE DAL
George Selvie definitely isn’t a household name, not even in the IDP world, but people need to take notice. He will be filling in for the injured Anthony Spencer and playing across from one of the game’s elite pass rushers in DeMarcus Ware. He has quietly collected three sacks through four games and is worth an add in 12 team IDP leagues.
NFC South
Harry Douglas, WR ATL
While playing catch-up for nearly the entire second half, Falcons’ receiver Harry Douglas was able to post a moderate stat-line of five receptions for 68 yards, or 11.8 fantasy points in standard PPR formats. Though the numbers were nice for those throwing a Hail Mary this week, I’d be shocked if Douglas manages to sustain that pace. In fact, there are several reasons to doubt his fantasy viability moving forward.
First, Matt Ryan was forced to throw the ball an absurd 54 times – that’s 11 more than his previous season high of 43, and 14 more than his previous season average of 40. Next, despite the high total, Douglas only received six of those targets (11.1%), tied with running back Jacquizz Rodgers for fourth on the team. While he managed to corral five of them, it’s notable that he still received fewer targets than a gimpy Roddy White, thereby establishing himself as low man on the receiver totem pole. With White rounding into form, and the Falcons unlikely to find themselves trailing by 17 points very often, don’t expect too many repeat performances.
IDP- Darrelle Revis, CB TB
For the first time in Revis’ career he is being tested by opposing quarterbacks. In the past he has been a less than stellar IDP option because teams would avoid his half of the field. Unless he intercepted a pass or created a big play he was often a blank on the stat sheet. He is on pace to have the most tackles since his rookie year while getting back to his old self. He picked off his first pass of the season in week four while totaling six solo tackles. If he can continue getting four to five tackles a week as his floor he’s worth the gamble because of his elite playmaking ability.
NFC North
Johnathan Franklin, RB GB
Reports out of Green bay during the preseason said Franklin was struggling to pick up the playbook, didn’t have the burst that he displayed at UCLA and was a liability in pass protection. Something obviously changed between then and week three. He saw his first action of the season against Cincinnati and was impressive. He was electrifying in the run game, displayed good hands out of the backfield and was proficient in pass protection.
With James Starks on the injury report, he immediately becomes the primary backup to Eddie Lacy. After running for 103 yards on 13 carries (7.9 ypc) and a score in the second half against the Bengals, it’s going to be difficult for head coach Mike McCarthy to keep Franklin off the field. He proved worthy of a minimum of five to seven touches per game going forward and his performance could prove that he has the chops to potentially be a featured back in the Green Bay offense.
IDP- Josh Robinson, DB MIN
Robinson has filled the shoes left by the departed Antoine Winfield by becoming a sound tackler from the cornerback position. He has played 98% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps this year while collecting 29 tackles, 28 solo and one assist. The key to finding cornerbacks in IDP leagues is to find a corner good enough to play a high percentage of snaps but just shaky enough for opposing quarterbacks to target heavily. This is Josh Robinson in a nutshell. Playing in the NFC North he will see plenty of passes coming his way.
NFC West
Frank Gore, RB SF
Gore has been a workhorse for a number of years but on Thursday he looked like a running back several years younger than the 30 years old he actually is. He showed incredible burst and explosiveness en route to a 20 carry, 153 yards, and a touchdown performance. What’s very noteworthy in that performance is the 7.7 yards per carry stat, far above his career average of 4.6 yards per carry. His 153 yard performance is also his fifth best rushing game of his career, a feat few running backs over 30 can point to.
This week he goes against a much stouter Houston defense so don’t expect a repeat performance but it’s great to know Gore can still throw down a game like we saw on Thursday!
IDP- Glenn Dorsey, DT SF
While there were plenty of awesome performances from the NFC West this week, they were all from the usual suspects. NaVarro Bowman, James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, and Karlos Dansby all had great games but are already rostered in every league and carry an expensive price tag to acquire. Those reasons are why I chose Glenn Dorsey. In leagues requiring you start a defensive tackle, Dorsey is becoming a key cog on the San Francisco defensive line. He has two sacks in the last three games and has developed into a penetrating force on passing downs. Right now he’s a matchup play but is worth a stash.
- Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week Seven - October 24, 2018
- Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week Six - October 16, 2018
- Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week Five - October 10, 2018
