The rate of injuries was yet again merciful to IDP fantasy gamers. Rams safety Taylor Rapp was one of very few players rostered in more than a third of IDP leagues on MyFantasyLeague.com who exited early. Rapp doesn’t belong on a redraft roster in 2020 anyway.
Fantasy gamers browsing box scores, meanwhile, will have a tougher time discerning oasis from mirage on the waiver wire in Week 11. Seattle’s DJ Reed, for instance, piled up tackles and carries the position designation of “safety” on multiple platforms. Due to injuries, Reed has been pressed into service at cornerback, where he’s been an attractive target for opposing quarterbacks.
Titans defensive lineman DaQuan Jones has been in on sacks in consecutive games. He’s on pace to match his career-high for a season: 3.5. Like Reed, Jones can be ignored by fantasy gamers.
Javon Kinlaw, DT – San Francisco 49ers
Three young defensive tackles also flashed in Week 11. Jacksonville’s Davon Hamilton and Seattle’s Poona Ford are their respective teams’ primary nose tackles. Javon Kinlaw of the 49ers, however, is a 2020 first-rounder whose immense upside is just starting to materialize. Kinlaw undoubtedly appears on dynasty rosters and is now worth a look in seasonal leagues as well.
Kinlaw collected 1.5 sacks against the Saints, his first appearance in the sack column this season. He nevertheless ranks third in quarterback pressures among rookies according to Pro Football Focus.
Kinlaw’s snap share needs to grow before he can become a reliable starter for fantasy gamers. That workload may come not only because Arik Armstead has just been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but also because Kinlaw is outplaying the veteran.
David Onyemata, DT – New Orleans Saints
How is Onyemata’s ownership percentage so low!? All Onyemata has done since Sheldon Rankins was injured last month is make plays. Through the past three weeks, he has three tackles for loss, including a sack, and an interception in the offensive backfield while playing 70% or more of the Saints’ defensive snaps each week.
I tweeted about adding Onyemata last month, but my recommendation of him in this column is overdue. Pro Football Focus has credited him with 14 of his total 25 QB pressures in these past three games. Onyemata will surely be rostered in more than 15% of IDP leagues by Wednesday.
DJ Wonnum, DE – Minnesota Vikings
A question about where the Vikings’ pass rush would come from seemed unthinkable a few months ago. Now, Danielle Hunter is lost for the season. Yannick Ngakoue has come and gone via two separate trades. Last year’s young revelation Ifeadi Ondenigbo has been invisible. Converted defensive tackle Jalyn Holmes isn’t the answer.
Enter fourth-round rookie project DJ Wonnum. Pressed into service, the rookie is beginning to developing. He was a big part of the harassment Bears QB Nick Foles faced on Monday Night Football. Wonnum collected his third sack of the season and could overtake a starter at defensive end in Minnesota. His athleticism is the sort that NFL teams and fantasy gamers alike need to chase (courtesy of Kent Lee Platte, www.relativeathleticscores.com, @MathBomb on Twitter).
Leonard Floyd, EDGE – LA Rams
Floyd’s three-sack game compels me to recommend him here. The former first-rounder washed out of Chicago after four seasons. The Rams brought him in as an unrestricted free agent on a curiously expensive $10 million contract.
The Rams also hired Brandon Staley as their defensive coordinator. The Vic Fangio protege coached Leonard Floyd and the rest of the Bears linebackers in 2017 and 2018.
Staley’s reclamation project looks like a success through nine games. Floyd has now matched his career-high sack total playing roughly 90% of the Rams’ defensive snaps.
Alex Singleton, LB – Philadelphia Eagles
We’ve reached the time of the season in which fantasy gamers must start chasing warm bodies. Few teams have invested less in off-ball linebackers than the 2020 Eagles. Former Canadian Football League star Alex Singleton is taking advantage of his opportunity in the NFL.
Singleton played all of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in Week 10. He made 16 tackles, including one for loss, against the Giants, whose game plan was to bludgeon Philadelphia with RBs Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris. Singleton draws plus matchups in his next two: at Cleveland and home versus the Seahawks.
Whether Singleton lasts in the lineup long enough to face them is an open question. Opening day starter Nate Gerry is eligible to return from IR this week. Despite poor play, the Eagles linebackers coach stands behind Gerry.
AJ Klein, LB – Buffalo Bills
16 tackles, three QB sacks, a pass defensed, and a recovered fumble. No Bills linebacker has put up numbers like these through two weeks in recent memory for IDP gamers. This production simply can’t be ignored.
Klein took over for the injured Matt Milano, who went on IR ahead of Week 9. In two weeks, Klein has provided more big plays than running mate Tremaine Edmunds has all season.
Klein might, however, be a short-term asset. Bills head coach Sean McDermott seems optimistic that Milano could return to the starting lineup later in the season. The team has its bye in Week 11.
Happy Bidding!
It’s not too late in the season to pick up young players and allow them to develop. Players like Kinlaw and Wonnum could prove key assets in a title run at positions short on impact players. The veterans in this week’s edition are compelling assets for teams hampered by injuries and byes that badly need wins now.
Clemson and Michigan alum… Panthers and Cowboys fan… I try to see both sides of every debate and each trade. Find me on Twitter @DynastyTripp.
