The sheer number of players designated “questionable” or activated from IR hours before their games were remarkable. Trying to set line-ups on Sunday morning triggered fantasy gamers everywhere.
Or was it just me?
If you follow this column, then you know I didn’t have my best week weeding out pretenders in the box scores of Week 7. In Week 8, Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen played more snaps than fellow safety Juan Thornhill for the first time since opening day when Thornhill was returning from injury. Is 30-year-old Sorensen just now turning into a good player? He now has nine tackles and a turnover in each of his last two games. More importantly, he tied for the team lead in snaps.
Daniel Sorensen weekly defense grades per Pro Football Focus (PFF)
Lions’ DE Romeo Okwara, another veteran I’ve faded, set a season-high in tackles this week with sixth and collected his fifth sack in five games. Both Okwara and Sorensen surpassed 33% ownership among IDP leagues on MyFantasyLeague.com, so they exceed my self-imposed threshold to qualify for this column.
Before we dig into some new names, let’s revisit two players I highlighted in Week 4, Chargers’ safety Rayshawn Jenkins and Eagles linebacker, TJ Edwards. Jenkins essentially played linebacker in Week 8, taking snaps from Kyzir White. Jenkins lined up in the box for 54 of his 65 snaps (100% of the team total) per PFF. The nominal safety not only made seven tackles but also intercepted a pass and batted down another while rushing the passer.
TJ Edwards one of two Eagles to be activated from IR for significant roles in Philadelphia over the weekend. (The other was some receiver named Reagor. If you’re on Twitter, maybe you heard?) The Eagles badly needed his run-stopping chops to match up with Cowboys’ RB Ezekiel Elliott. Edwards added a forced fumble and a QB sack to his 13-tackle night. He’s now among the top 10 defenders in “tackles per opportunity,” a PFF metric that counts tackles per snaps minus incomplete passes for which the player is on the field.
Ownership rates for Rayshawn Jenkins and TJ Edwards are both well below 33% of MFL’s IDP leagues. Sorensen, Okwara, Jenkins, and Edwards should all be rostered in full-IDP leagues. Call me stubborn, but the latter two remain better bets for continued production.
Before we dive in, let’s take a moment for a collective sigh of relief. Serious injuries were scarce on the defensive side of the ball. Three stud DLs who left the field do not appear seriously hurt.
The players recommended below are available in at least two-thirds of IDP leagues on MyFantasyLeague.com (MFL). Recommendations are position-specific for lineup requirements including cornerbacks and defensive tackles unless noted otherwise.
Jalyn Holmes, DE – Minnesota Vikings
The 2019 Vikings had one of the most feared groups of defensive ends in the league. In 2020, their pass rush is one of the NFL’s feeblest.
Following the trade of Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore, Jalyn Holmes led the group in snaps with 62 (83% of the defensive total). Holmes also had his best game as a pro. The third-year man pressured Aaron Rodgers five times.
Holmes will face Detroit, Chicago, and Dallas over his next three. None of these offenses present a challenge to pass rushers anywhere near equal to Green Bay’s.
An added bonus, MFL lists Holmes as a defensive tackle, the position he played last year. Holmes merits consideration as a DT1 for managers without a name-brand player at the position.
Malik Reed, EDGE – Denver Broncos
I highlighted Malik Reed in a tweet thread attached to my Week 8 edition of this column. All Reed did was score his fifth sack in three games. More importantly, he played ahead of Jeremiah Attaochu, the former starter who returned from injury.
Blake Cashman, LB – New York Jets
Blake Cashman has teased fantasy gamer for a season-and-a-half now. Cashman opened the season as a starting inside linebacker but was injured during his third snap. Monday’s trade of starting LB Avery Williamson from New York to Pittsburgh presents a wide-open opportunity for the second-year man Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Injuries within the position group have forced the Jets to start at least seven different players at inside linebacker since 2019. All of them have been productive tacklers. Cashman makes for at least a solid LB3 the rest of the way.
Desmond King, CB – Tennessee Titans
Yes, that’s right, I’m recommending you actually invest something of value in a cornerback! Together with Blake Cashman, Desmond King is the other windfall for IDP gamers as a result of the day’s trades. King as the upside to finish as the overall #1 cornerback from Week 10 forward in Tennessee’s defense.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel confirms that King will play the slot and rush the passer, a role that propelled Logan Ryan to outscore all cornerbacks and safeties in 2019 (per FantasyPros.com).
King was also an All-Pro punt returner for the Chargers and could add value in fantasy leagues that score return yards if the Titans use him in place of Kalif Raymond.
Happy Bidding!
The waiver wire has been fruitful this season, and this week is no exception. Thankfully, this week’s options are not simply the next men up behind injured starters. Players like these make IDP so much fun! All have the potential to salve a line-up for the second half of the season. These players are worth the investment of FAAB dollars.
Tuesday, November 3rd is the NFL trade deadline. If more trades make waves on the defensive side of the ball, I’ll offer my thoughts on impacts and waiver-wire targets on Twitter during the day.
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.
