IDP Stream-liners: Week Two

 

Here’s the good news – we made it through Week 1. It’s always a whirlwind of emotions as you watch players you’ve built strong opinions about all off-season either validate your assumptions or completely rip them to shreds. The most difficult aspect of the first week (and really the first month of the season) is the fact we are walking into it blindly, with very little concrete data, other than the reports we’ve read throughout camp, and some preseason games where players are being deployed in roles they may not actually be used in during the regular season. Now that Week 1 is in the books, we have more information! We have usage stats and game film at our disposal. We have the beginnings of a clue as to how offenses and defenses will attack as well. In short, we have a chance.

Here’s our list to attack for Week 2, starting with the linebackers – my favorite IDPs of all.

Linebackers

Clay Matthews, LB GB

Playing with his trademark long hair on fire in Chicago, Matthews set the tone for 2015 with a six tackle performance capped off by an interception which sealed the win for Green Bay. He was the only front-7 player to play 100% of the snaps. This week, the Packers will have revenge in mind as they face the NFC Champion Seahawks. Inside linebacker Sam Barrington is lost for the season. The hope is Matthews continues to get snaps at inside linebacker, leading to many more tackling opportunities than he’d have trying to stop Russell Wilson from attacking the edges – often a dummy assignment with Wilson continually handing off at the mesh point, forcing the edge defender to stay honest. Whether the coaches allow him to move inside will depend on the level of trust they have in Mike Neal and Julius Peppers to keep Wilson in check. For his part, Matthews will no doubt be playing inspired football, in attempts to win this important conference showdown which could potentially have home field implications down the road. Look for Clay to approach double digit tackles, with a possible sack sprinkled in for good measure.

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

Telvin Smith, OLB JAX

Picking up where he left off in 2014, Smith had nine total tackles in the opener. Watching Smith’s game, I have mixed emotions. He’s very active, always ending up in the camera’s frame. However, he has issues getting off blocks at times and gets charged with an awful lot of completions in coverage. Due to his speed, he is often the second man to the ball, which helps pad his tackle numbers. Regardless, assisted tackles add up and he continues to rack up the points as Jacksonville’s other 3-down linebacker playing next to Paul Posluszny. The Jags host the Dolphins in Week 2, where I think Smith has a good chance to continue his productivity.

Vincent Rey, OLB CIN

If you’re like me, you’ve owned Vinny Rey at points during the last two seasons. He’s filled in for Rey Maualuga and Vontaze Burfict at times during that stretch. He’s teased us with productive games and then he’s vanished. It hasn’t always been his fault. There is a great sense of loyalty in Cincy for Maualuga that we as IDP owners might not comprehend. Nevertheless, here I am. Again. I’m advocating you take a shot, and insert Rey into your lineup. This past Sunday, he was tied for the team lead in snaps with Dre Kirkpatrick at 66. Fellow linebackers Rey Maualuga and A.J. Hawk played only 42 and 23 snaps apiece. During that time, Rey managed nine tackles, second only to the cornerback formerly known as Pac-Man, who led the team with 11. If you’ve read my work before, you know that I preach about opportunity at times meaning more than talent in IDP, especially. This is one of those cases. Should Vontaze Burfict heal up in the near future, he will likely be worked back into the WILL linebacker role currently occupied by Rey. If not Vontaze, rookie Paul Dawson is waiting in the wings, and could arguably supplant any of last week’s starters before long. Bengals Defensive Coordinator Paul Guenther coached nine years under former D.C. Mike Zimmer, before Zimmer left to take the Head Coaching job in Minnesota. As we saw with Burfict, and now see with Anthony Barr and Rey, the WILL linebacker is the playmaker in this system. The nine tackles Rey put up on Sunday will likely be approached again this week as Cincy takes on a San Diego team that wants desperately to be an effective running team, and make a living sending Keenan Allen across the middle, making Rey a good buy for Week 2.

A.J. Klein, LB CAR

Mr. Football, Luke Keuchly, could very possibly miss this week’s game. It’s not set in stone, as Keuchly goes through the leagues concussion protocol, but considering the apparent severity of his injury, there is reason for concern and prudence with his return. Should he miss the game, the bionic Thomas Davis will step up in his absence, but he’s likely owned in your IDP league. The only other linebackers who got snaps in week 1 were rookie Shaq Thompson, who started on the outside opposite Davis and Keuchly’s back-up, A.J. Klein. In his 37 snaps (second most among Panther LBs behind Davis), Klein registered five total tackles (four solo). Particularly for Keuchly owners, adding Klein makes sense. Shaq Thompson is not a tough run defender. Both Ron Rivera and D.C. Sean McDermott have been vocal in their support of Klein, with McDermott praising how much the back-up’s film study and preparation paid off last week. If given the start, Klein could be in line a good tackling day against the Texans who will look to get a lot closer to a 50/50 run/pass ratio then they we’re able to achieve while getting blown out by the Chiefs in week 1. Owners of Keuchly should have Klein on speed dial heading into week 2.

Defensive Backs

Jimmy Smith, CB BAL

If you watched the Ravens vs. Broncos game, you saw how aggressively the Ravens secondary was in challenging Denver’s passing game underneath. They were physical with the Bronco receivers, frequently breaking on routes and delivering hits as the ball arrived. If we see this same scenario play out in the Ravens week 2 match-up with the Raiders, led by back-up Matt McGloin, I expect even more success than they had against the Broncos. In last week’s contest, Smith had an interception on such an aggressive play, reading the pass and abandoning his man to attack the intended receiver and taking the ball away for his first career pick-six. The Ravens are likely to be in attack mode once again as they face McGloin, who fills in for the injured Derek Carr. Should they find themselves ahead, look for Smith and the rest of the Baltimore defensive backs, including safety Will Hill to get their hands on a pass or two.

Trenton Robinson, SS WAS

Head Coach Jay Gruden has named Robinson the Skins starting strong safety ahead of Jeron Johnson, as regular starter Duke Ihenacho recovers from a wrist injury. Primarily a special teamer to this point in his four year career, Robinson drew praise for his play at safety in Washington’s loss to the Dolphins last Sunday. He recorded ten combined tackles. Gruden points not only to Robinson’s week 1 performance, but also his practice habits, comfort with the system, and raw speed as reasons he’ll get the nod over Jeron Johnson. It’s unclear how long Ihenacho will need to recover from the wrist injury, but for now, the job is Robinson’s to lose. A strong showing this Sunday could go a long way toward securing a more permanent job.

Walter Thurmond, S PHI

Throughout training camp, Eagles players noted how a hardly a day went by without Thurmond intercepting a pass in practice. We saw it in the preseason against the Ravens and Packers, where the converted corner made plays on the ball in each game. On Monday night in Atlanta, he was at it again; jumping a post route and stealing a pass intended for Roddy White to kick start the Eagles second half rally. Between now and the Birds week eight bye they will face Tony Romo, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kirk Cousins, Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Cam Newton. I wouldn’t be surprised if Thurman snags a few more picks during this stretch and racks up some decent return yardage in the process. Should Philadelphia get their pass rush cranked up, Thurman’s odds increase even more.

Deone Bucannon, S/LB ARI

I know we have spoken about Bucannon a few times this preseason, and the possibility of him staying in the hybrid role the Cardinals placed him in out of necessity last year, but I bring him up again because it is now coming to fruition. Last week he tied Patrick Peterson for most snaps of any Cardinal defender. Make no mistake about it, he is a linebacker designated as a safety. He lines up at inside linebacker on passing downs, and in critical short yardage situations. He blitzes and contends with men holding an 80 lb weight advantage on him…and he does it well. The mere fact that any safety spends a significant portion of the game in the box is enough to boost his IDP standing. For Bucannon to play the most snaps on the defense from an inside linebacker position, while being labeled as a safety, is the stuff IDP dreams are made of. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the course of the season, and as contract time rolls around, (think back to the Jimmy Graham usage debates during his free agent season in 2014.) For our purposes in IDP fantasy football, it’s a gift. If Bucannon is still available in your league, take advantage.

Defensive Lineman

DaQuan Jones, DE TEN

After making noise as a D-line prospect out of Penn State in 2014, then vanishing in his rookie year, DaQuan Jones had a breakout game for the Titans this Sunday. Anytime a player post seven tackles from the defensive end position in the 3-4 you have to take notice. He started for Tennessee and played 39 snaps on the day – two more than IDP stalwart Jurrell Casey. It’s easy to get over excited with a D-lineman who has a big day in IDP scoring. In the first quarter he was highly active against the run while the game was still competitive, giving rookie Ali Marpet all he could handle. As the score got out of hand, the Titans moved to ring in more pass rushers. He returned in the fourth quarter to pad his stats with a few more stops – this gives me a bit of an indication Tennessee plans to use Jones primarily as a run defender. I feel good about giving him a start in the week 2 matchup against the Browns, who should not be looking to air it out.

Mario Addison, DE CAR

With two sacks, two TFLs and three tackles, Mario Addison had a bustout day for the Panthers this Sunday. He finished second to Charles Johnson in snaps for the team as they look to re-establish the dominance they showed when Greg Hardy was still in Carolina blue. The usage for Addison in week 1 is significant, as many predicted last year’s second round pick Kony Ealy would be the player to step up for the Panthers last week. Addison makes a very interesting play going forward, as he looks to become a dominant force in the Panthers pass rush.

Henry Anderson, DE IND              

With the void left from the loss of Arthur Jones, Anderson took full advantage of the playing time afforded him and cashed in with eight tackles in 51 of 59 possible snaps, including three TFLs. While getting steamrolled by the Bills definitely provided more opportunity than usual for Colts defenders to make plays, it’s an encouraging sign to see the big man making solo stops. The Colts will face Chris Ivory and the Jets this week, who will likely try to run the ball on what is thought by many to be a soft Indianapolis front seven. Anderson should have plenty of chances add on to his tackle total from week 1.

Tyronne Crawford, DT DAL

Against the Giants, Crawford bullied his way to three tackles, a sack, and two TFLs. This Sunday he’ll get to face off against an Eagles offensive line with huge question marks at each guard spot, who had a hard time keeping Sam Bradford clean against a less then fearsome Falcon pass rush on Monday night. With a new contract in hand, and flanked by two emerging pass rushers in Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence, Crawford has a ton of potential to really come into his own as a disruptive interior lineman in 2015. Owners in leagues which require you to start a defensive tackle likely have had Crawford on their radar for some time. His play, however, is beginning to warrant consideration in leagues that do not differentiate between tackles and ends.

[/am4show]