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As a true freshman, Christian Harris was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, starting 12 of 13 appearances (63 tackles, 7.5 for loss). Harris played through a shoulder injury during the Crimson Tide’s run to the 2020 national championship, making 79 tackles, seven TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and one INT. He started all 15 games of the 2021 season, again making 79 stops, 12.5 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks. He also recorded three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Harris has shown reliability and toughness throughout his collegiate career.
Jaquan Brisker should leapfrog all the safeties taken ahead of him except Kyle Hamilton in rookie safety ranks. His only competition to start alongside rangy Eddie Jackson is a career back-up, Deandre Houston Carson. Better yet, the Bears have a new defensive coordinator in Alan Williams, most recently the Colts’ defensive backs coach. He and Matt Eberflus, the 2021 Colts defensive coordinator and 2022 Bears head coach, demonstrated a preference for a disparity in deployment between safeties. Julian Blackmon played the vast majority of his snaps deep while Khari Willis more frequently played closer to the line of scrimmage. The veteran Jackson can reasonably expect to be relied upon in a single-high role more often than the rookie Brisker. Brisker’s toughness in the box compares favorably with that of Jackson.
Anderson joins a thin LB corps in Atlanta and a group of players that have struggled in the NFL. Deion Jones was once considered a rising star, but 2022 is likely his last chance to avoid the fate of an NFL journeyman. The other starter is likely Rashaan Evans, a former first-rounder that couldn’t earn a second contract in Tennessee. The presumptive third linebacker, Mykal Walker, hasn’t gained any traction. Anderson might not seem ready to overtake any of them this summer. Besides, the Falcons’ 2021 second-rounder, safety Richie Grant, couldn’t earn a significant role as a rookie. Anderson, however, has succeeded at everything he’s tried and is a far superior athlete to any of his aforementioned teammates.
Nakobe Dean came in and produced as a true freshman at Georgia, earning the team’s Co-Defensive Newcomer of the Year Award (25 tackles, 1.5 for loss, two pass breakups). He led the Bulldogs with 71 tackles (1.5 sacks) in his first season as a full-time starter as a sophomore. Dean played through a torn labrum in his shoulder that season. In 2021, Dean was a first-team Associated Press All-American and All-SEC selection after recording 72 tackles, a team-high 10.5 for loss with six sacks, two interceptions (one returned for a TD), six pass breakups, and two forced fumbles in 15 starts for the national champions.
Walker was a four-star recruit from Cordele, Georgia, and ESPN’s second-ranked recruit at his position. He opted to play for his home-state team, the Georgia Bulldogs, where he took time to develop and emerge. After three years in Athens as a rotational piece, he established himself as a starter for UGa’s 2022 national championship defense. He started all 15 games, collecting 67 tackles including 5.5 for loss and 1.5 QB sacks along with three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Mafe was a three-star recruit from Hopkins, Minnesota who opted to play for his home-state team, the Golden Gophers. The redshirt senior took time to develop and emerge at the University of Minnesota despite an athletic profile extraordinary in the Twin Cities. He started 13 of a possible 19 games in his last two seasons according to The Football Database, collecting 61 tackles including 15.5 for loss and 11.5 QB sacks.
Ebiketie was a three-star recruit from Kensington, Maryland who began his college career at Temple. He didn’t emerge until his junior year but parlayed his performance in a pandemic-shortened season into a scholarship at Penn State. He replaced Odafe Oweh, a first-round pick of the Ravens last year, and capitalized on his opportunity. Ebiketie collected 62 tackles including 18 for loss and 9.0 sacks while starting all 12 games for the Nittany Lions in 2021.
While at first, you may wonder about the landing spot, since Jacksonville just signed Foye Oluokun to a big deal, let us consider the entire picture. Foye is an undersized weakside LB, where he excelled in Atlanta the past two years. Devin Lloyd fills the prototypical three-down middle Linebacker role. Also, remember that Jacksonville traded up to make this selection, which tells how highly they think of Lloyd. The Jaguars project to play a lot of snaps on defense in the coming seasons, so Lloyd can really pay dividends as an IDP investment. Expect to see him drafted in the early-to-mid second round of IDP dynasty rookie drafts.
While he didn’t crush the athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine, Hamilton still performed fine. He recorded a 4.59 40-yard dash time and a 38-inch vertical jump. His broad jump was 132 inches and his three-cone time was a respectable 6.90. He chose not to participate in the bench press. Hamilton has a unique blend of size, athletic ability, and experience which make him capable of playing literally anywhere on the field.
Another former Freshman All-American drafted in the first round here, Davis started four games in his true freshman season before becoming a regular starter as a sophomore. He stayed for his senior season and dominated everyone he played up front. Davis won the Chuck Bednarik Award and also won the Outland Trophy as one of the top defenders in the country. He posted 5.5 TFLs and two sacks in his senior season while being double and sometimes triple-teamed every play.
Kayvon Thibodeaux was a five-star recruit and the consensus No. 1 recruit of the 2019 class coming out of Los Angeles’ Oaks Christian High School. The USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year had 54 sacks in four years (two at Dorsey High School) and enrolled early at Oregon to contribute immediately the following fall. Thibodeaux has been a favorite of your author’s for the past three seasons and should have been definitely considered as the number one overall pick.
A top-10 defensive end recruit and the Wolverines’ Rookie of the Year in 2018, Aidan Hutchinson had a mediocre sophomore season and a junior season cut short by a broken leg. There were concerns about how he would respond to the surgery, but in 2021 he exceeded his high expectations in his senior season. Hutchinson posted 14 sacks, 16.5 TFLs, and 62 tackles while forcing two fumbles and breaking up three passes. He was a voted first-team Associated Press All-American and Big Ten Conference Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Travon Walker was a five-star recruit coming out in 2019. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team in his first year at Georgia with 15 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks as a true freshman. He played as a reserve in 2020 with decent numbers before becoming a lynchpin on the edge for the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs in 2021. He recorded 37 stops, 7.5 TFLs with six sacks, and two pass breakups.
At Dynasty Football Factory, we are always trying to become the best version of ourselves in all facets of the fantasy game. That is why we like to expand our horizons every chance we can and do things outside of our comfort zone. In comes our redraft league, where myself and 13 other staff members participated in. So today I invite you to grab something to drink, get comfortable and I’ll tell you the tale of how I brought out my boomstick and decimated the league, going 13-1 and walking away with the title and an overall record of 15-1. I’ll recap my draft and my thought process behind it along with the moves that made me look like Rainman at the blackjack tables in Vegas and not some idiot having to eat a “one chip challenge” because Houston won more than two games.
With another large slate and a lot of expected player incentives, there are some important values that you cannot miss out on in this Week 18 slate! So let’s get ready to dig in! Also, don’t forget to create multiple lines and diversify your lineups to prevent unforeseen ‘busts’.
If you have one final matchup here in Week 18, enjoy it. Most leagues have already finished, but if your league decided to extend the championship round to this week, you need to capitalize on some streaming options. Let’s win this final matchup together. As always, we will provide the best weekly options to stream at quarterback, tight end, and D/ST. Keep in mind, each streaming option will be below 50% owned, according to ESPN leagues.
With a large slate and several late rule-outs, there are some important values that you cannot miss out on in this Week 17 slate! So let’s get ready to dig in! Also, don’t forget to create multiple lines and diversify your lineups to prevent unforeseen ‘busts’.
It’s been a wild few weeks since the FootballGuys Players Championship (FBG) playoffs started. I think there might be a couple of NFL players that haven’t either got COVID or been injured. They’re not on my squads, though. It has been something else trying to set a legal competitive lineup. This season is going to go down as a winning season for me overall, but largely a disappointment and I can’t wait for next season already.
The Dallas Cowboys are the top DST in basic fantasy scoring coming into week 17. On Sunday, Big D put the hurt on Washington DC, blowing out the Football Team 56-14. The Cowboys defenders were an integral part of the domination, producing five sacks, two interceptions, a blocked punt, and two touchdowns in the game. The Cowboys’ IDP studs of the game were Demarcus Lawrence and Trevon Diggs.
In most fantasy leagues, this is CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK! You’ve made it this far, and you have one last matchup to take care of. When you never know when, or who, COVID attacks next, it’s very important to look at all of your options. The streaming options below could help punch your ticket(s) to a fantasy title this week. As always, we will provide the best weekly options to stream at quarterback, tight end, and D/ST. Keep in mind, each streaming option will be below 50% owned, according to ESPN leagues.
Welcome to the sixteenth and final weekly edition of “Raiding the IDP Waiver Wire” for 2021! For those returning for another installment of defensive player recommendations, your interest and support are appreciated!
If you have not been watching the Lions’ defense this season, you’ve probably missed some very solid production out of fifth-year defender Charles Harris. The former Missouri star has amassed 58 total tackles, nine TFLs, and 7.5 sacks this season. Sunday, the 26-year-old dominated, producing 12 total tackles, three TFLs, and 1.5 sacks against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense. Harris is an excellent starting defensive end this season and likely beyond.
With all of the postponed games, surprise flops, and COVID-related absences, Week 15 may have been the most chaotic week in the history of fantasy football. I mean, Duke Johnson was the RB1 for goodness’ sake. That being said, most of our picks performed as expected. In particular, Jalen Hurts came through with a strong performance that likely swayed many playoff matchups late on Tuesday evening. If you were able to come through with a win in Week 15, congratulations! Join me as I take a look at some names at every position that I believe will exceed expectations or let you down in the semi-finals.
Streaming options need to be monitored daily at this point. With COVID-19 ruining the chances for some of your players to play, you need to make sure you are targeting your star players’ back-ups/replacements. It’s always better to be safe. For example, if you grabbed Tyler Huntley to replace Lamar Jackson this past week, you look like a genius! For now, the players below are assumed to be healthy and free from the virus. And they could help you advance to your fantasy championships. As always, we will provide the best weekly options to stream at quarterback, tight end, and D/ST. Keep in mind, each streaming option will be below 50% owned, according to ESPN leagues.
Week 15 has been the most chaotic week of the 2021 season. Arguably no fantasy playoff round has ever been more challenging than this. The waiver-wire moves that fantasy gamers are making this week are season-saving moves made at the eleventh hour in reaction to COVID-IR transactions and late-breaking inactives. This reality feels likely to spill over to Week 16 as well. This week’s waiver-wire offerings will be those players who appear likely to occupy near-full-time roles in their upcoming games.