IDP Report Card: Week Two

Many owners struggle to differentiate between IDP prospects once the well known targets are off the board. They get caught in the trap of checking the waiver wire for the past week’s top scorers and wind up adding a player whose performance in the previous game was an outlier, not a sign of sustainable future success. The result of this “dart-throwing” approach is often a disappointment with the new player’s performance and even worse, losing games.

DLF’s IDP Report Card will attempt to aid owners who wish to see beyond the box score and focus on trends rather than events. Understanding when to avoid a pickup because the player’s perceived value is based more on circumstance than skill will help you improve your scoring efficiency and stack up wins. So, with a special thanks to our very own Dan Meylor, proprietor of the offensive version of DLF’s Dynasty Report Card, here is the Defensive version.

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Player Evaluation #1

Craig Robertson, LB NO

Following up his eight tackle, three assist effort in week one against Oakland with a 10 tackle, three assist game against the Giants last Sunday has made Craig Robertson the target of many waiver claims heading into game three.

Robertson played 100% of the Saints’ snaps on defense against New York. The Saints used a base-nickel formation the entire game to help keep the Giants passing game in check. That left Robertson running with fellow inside linebacker James Laurinaitis as the team’s only linebackers on the field for all 79 plays against the Giants’ offense.

The upside with Robertson is that he’s an excellent run stuffer who holds up well at the point of attack and sheds linemen in time to take down runners near the line of scrimmage. He does a good job of reading the play and penetrating gaps in the offensive line.

This has led to Robertson recording four tackles for loss through the first two weeks of play. Tackles for loss are worth as many points as sacks in many IDP scoring systems. This is a huge benefit for owners of gap shooting, inside linebackers like Robertson who excel at playing downhill.

The potential issue stopping Robertson from being a slam-dunk addition to your team is his outlook for the rest of the season. Robertson is a reserve for the Saints defense. The Saints starting middle linebacker was scheduled to be Dannell Ellerbe, the 30-year-old former Raven, whom the New Orleans’ coaching staff spent most of the summer praising and handing the starting job to.

A quad injury in week three of the preseason took Ellerbe out of commission and inserted Robertson in his stead. As of this Friday, Ellerbe has yet to take the practice field in the regular season and it is unclear when he will be healthy enough to return. For the time being, Robertson will remain in the Saints’ starting line-up. What happens when Ellerbe finally heals up is anyone’s guess.

New Orleans plays a “multiple” defensive front. As evidenced by the Giants game, the alignment of the Saints front seven is dictated by their opponent’s strengths. Some days they may look like a 3-4 unit and the next game they could be in a 4-3 set-up. Sunday in New York, they morphed into a nickel defense and still did a good job at run defense.

Dropping in pass coverage is not a strength of Robertson’s, but he was not a liability either. He did a decent job of taking Shane Vereen out of the picture on a wheel route in the red zone, a noteworthy task for most linebackers.

Should the Saints decide to use all three linebackers in a regular rotation once Ellerbe returns to action, there’s a good chance that Robertson remains in the game in passing situations over the incumbent.

As for Robertson’s long-term outlook with the Saints, he signed a three-year pact with the club this spring. Ellerbe’s quad injury comes after he missed 10 games in 2015 due to toe and hip injuries. We all know the cliche… The best ability is availability. Craig Robertson is making the most of his opportunity through the first two weeks of the 2016 season.

The Saints are free to move on from Dannell Ellerbe at season’s end with zero negative impact to their salary cap. Robertson’s performance this year will determine if he ends up alongside James Laurinaitis as one of the Saint’s starting linebackers next season. He could be a very solid LB2 with potential for even bigger returns. IDP owners are making a wise decision by scooping Robertson out of the free agent pool and inserting him in your linebacker rotation.

Player Evaluation #2

Ben Heeney, LB OAK

A preseason darling of IDP writers, Ben Heeney was projected as a player with real potential entering 2016. He earned the inside linebacker job after playing behind Curtis Lofton for most of 2015. The only question was how Heeney would be used in conjunction with the Raiders other starting linebackers, Bruce Irvin and Malcolm Smith.

Through the first two games, Heeney played 93% of Oakland’s defensive snaps compared to the 87% played by Bruce Irvin. Malcolm Smith has yet to miss a play on defense through two games. This distribution of snaps is as ideal as Heeney’s owners could hope for.

Keeping Heeney on the field regardless of the down and distance is an indication that the Raiders coaching staff trusted Heeney’s ability and didn’t feel the need to take him out of the game in sub-packages. This is where the trouble began.

Typically, Heeney lines up on the weak side of the offense’s formation and chases anything that heads towards the sidelines. Atlanta took advantage of Heeney’s shortcomings in coverage on two consecutive plays in the third quarter of last Sunday’s game. In the process, they may have exposed his Achilles heel and cost him some playing time in the future.

First, the Falcons came out with two tight ends on the left side of the offensive line and two receivers to the right. From a single back formation, Tevin Coleman went in motion and split out wide to the left of both tight ends. As Malcolm Smith signaled for Heeney to follow Coleman, it became painfully obvious where this play was headed. Coleman caught a slant running across Ben Heeney’s face and turned upfield. He wouldn’t be caught until Raiders’ safety Reggie Nelson made the tackle 24 yards later.

On the very next snap, Heeney chased what appeared to be a stretch play to Devonta Freeman. Instead, it was a play action pass to tight end Austin Hooper, who had leaked up the left sideline. With the play side corner and safety both following Julio Jones across the middle, only Heeney was in position to cover Hooper, who caught the pass from Matt Ryan for a 34 yard gain. That drive would end in an Atlanta touchdown.

The Falcons saw something they could exploit in Heeney’s game and they executed two straight pass plays for 58 total yards at his expense. This sequence was a sign of trouble for Heeney owners, but a bigger reason for concern came in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Raiders trailed by a touchdown and needed to force a punt to have a chance at tying the game. Knowing that the Falcons would look to run the ball, you’d expect Heeney to be on the field to defend against the run. Rather than manning his post in the middle of the Oakland defense, Heeney was on the bench at crunch time. He was replaced by Corey James, a rookie middle linebacker out of Colorado State.

I had hopes that Heeney might turn into the next Chris Borland, but where Borland was a prolific tackler, Heeney is just an efficient one. There are times when he looks impressive, penetrating inside gaps and blowing up plays in the backfield. But those moments are outnumbered by the plays where he whiffs on a tackle, or gets stoned by a blocker and can’t fight his way off the block.

We should remember that the Atlanta game was only his fifth career start. He put up three tackles and 2 assist against the Saints, followed by six solos against the Falcons. It’s possible Heeney’s struggles were a product of playing two of the league’s stronger passing offenses. Perhaps he’d fare better against a more run heavy attack.

He may get a chance to prove that theory correct against the Titans in week three. Or, he may find himself playing a reduced role until the team feels he can contribute without being a liability in the passing game.

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