Well, it didn’t take long for inevitable injuries to take effect and upset our best laid plans, and no more notably will it be felt than in Philadelphia, where their pair of potential LB1s, Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso both left their Week 2 game against Dallas and did not return. It’s a shining example of why drafting well and making sure you have depth at key positions is how you win a fantasy championship.
It’s a fairly well established strategy, especially in leagues with short benches, to not carry and backup quarterbacks and tight ends in order to roster as many upside and handcuff running backs or sleeper wide receivers as possible. A similar tactic can (and should) be employed when building your IDP roster too. Forgo using roster spaces on any more than one backup defensive back as value is often relatively easy to find – be it boom-or-bust scoring cornerbacks, or a scheme safety who is seeing a large percentage of snaps in the box as a run defender. If you need a guy in a pinch, there is nearly always someone available who can do a job for one week as a plug-and-play DB.
At defensive line the positional depth is not there, so once the top 30 or so lineman have been rostered, there is little to distinguish DL No.31 and DL No.61, so ride who you have starting and forget about backups. When you hit a bye week, or suffer an injury, grab a match-up based player, or the best available, at the expense of one of your offensive sleepers that hasn’t panned out.
All this means you have maximum roster space to stockpile linebackers. The likes of Uani Unga, Nate Palmer, Brian Cushing, Koa Misi, Kwon Alexander, Malcolm Smith, Dont’a Hightower, Shea McClellin and Christian Jones are all players likely passed over on draft day, and ideal waiver wire pickups, particularly Hightower, Smith and Cushing, who are now all legitimate LB2 threats now.
Being aggressive on the waiver wire in accumulating talent at key positions is a double-edged sword. Not only does it make your team stronger, but it prevents your opponents from getting better too. I’m notorious in my friends and family leagues for picking up top waiver prospects, whether I need them or not. This is fantasy football. No time for friendships and favors. Save that for the off-season.
With all that being said, it’s worth casting our eye over some of the injury news in the league over the last few weeks…
Linebacker Injury Update
Luke Kuechly suffered a concussion in Week 1 and failed to pass league protocols in order to play Week 2, and has yet to be cleared for Week 3. While it would be surprising for Kuechly to miss a second consecutive week, it’s not improbable either. A.J. Klein replaced Kuechly on the field directly, but it was rookie Shaq Thompson who benefits most by getting on the field for significant snaps (43) after playing just 17 in Week 1. I wouldn’t recommend grabbing either Klein or Thompson in redraft leagues.
A more concerning injury is that of DeAndre Levy’s. Another top-line LB1, Levy has now missed the first two games of the season with a hip injury, but recent reports suggested that Levy was actually struggling with a parasite he picked up on his Chilean vacation. These stories were quickly refuted, but it is somewhat worrying al the same. Levy is a stud on the field as the weakside ‘backer for Detroit, and would have been a contender to lead all linebackers in fantasy scoring.
Perhaps even more intriguing that the injury itself is the Lions reaction. It was assumed that Stephen Tulloch would be the main beneficiary, playing every-down and seeing an uptick in production with a tackle-monster like Levy not on the field, but he wasn’t used in an every-down role in Week 2. Instead it was Josh Bynes who played all 65 snaps, after playing 56-of-79 snaps in Week 1. Bynes now has 13 total tackles (10 solo) through two games, while Tulloch (six assists in Week 2) saw just 44-of-65 snaps, and is no longer an every-down player, seeding time to Tahir Whitehead, who played had 17 snaps. Tulloch falls to LB3 value as long as he is not playing every snap, while Bynes doesn’t appeal with Levy’s imminent return looming…
I touched on the problems in Philadelphia in the opening paragraphs, and news is filtering through that Kiko Alonso partially tore his left ACL, which is the same knee he injured to miss all of the 2014 season. Alonso is thought to be considering surgery and it’s possible he will not play again this year. Mychal Kendricks on the other hand is dealing with a hamstring strain and has a chance to play in Week 3, but is doubtful. He will be expected back in Week 4, although as with all muscle injuries, these things can linger. Veteran DeMeco Ryans and rookie Jordan Hicks will step up and replace the injured Eagles duo, with Ryans preferred over Hicks based on the Week 1 snap count. Ryans saw some sub package usage in Week 1 (28 snaps), whereas Hicks didn’t see any action. Ryans also out-snapped Hicks 61 to 55 in Week 2, but the rookie was the better fantasy play, recording seven solo tackles, a sack and a forced fumble versus Ryan’s six total tackles (four solo). There was pre-season talk that Ryans would play over Kendricks, so I would make Ryan my Eagles LB of choice on the waiver wire this week, but my confidence level in him retaining that job over Hicks (assuming Alonso is out and Kendricks returns soon) is low.
Another LB1, Paul Worrilow left the field in Week 2 and didn’t return due to a calf bruise. He is being called day-to-day, so I wouldn’t worry about his Week 3 status. Play him as you usually would.
If you are a team effected by linebacker injuries, below are my favorite waiver wire grabs at the linebacker position:
Dont’a Hightower – playing a three-down role and keeping Jerod Mayo off the field. Has upside due to use in the pass-rush.
Brian Cushing – previous stud, looks to have overcome injury issues of the last few years, and has taken back his every-down role in the middle.
Malcolm Smith – the Raiders front office traded away Sio Moore to insert Smith into the lineup and he’s been an every-down presence these first two weeks, recording 19 total tackles.
Zach Brown – keep the faith with Brown. After benching all starters in a Week 1 drubbing on the Buccs, a low snap total – just 49 defensive snaps – restricted Brown’s scoring for a second week. He’s only played 102 snaps this year. Compare that to Lawrence Timmons who played 90 last week alone!
Week 2 Observations
Brandon Marshall out-snapped Danny Trevathan 60 to 38, but Trevathan had seven solos vs Marshall’s five total tackles (4 solo) and a game-winning forced fumble. That’s two consecutive weeks where Marshall plays more snaps, but Trevathan has more tackles… Eric Berry started at SS, and played 71 snaps. He only recorded four solo tackles, but it’s great to see the former DB1 back on the field after his cancer diagnosis… Rookie cornerback Marcus Peters was targeted 14 times, that’s 27 in two games! Has allowed 14 passes for 177 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. He will continue to see lots of targets and be fantasy relevant as long as he’s allowing scores… Anthony Barr’s production hasn’t been off the charts, but he’s played 98 percent of snaps so far this year. We don’t usually see every-down strongside linebackers, so take note… Uani’ Unga is what we expected after his Week 1 performance. He played 72-of-72 snaps this week, and was targeted three times (allowing two) after allowing 9-of-10 targets last week. He notched up five total tackles, but only one solo. Jon Beason is back in practice but unlikely to play on Thursday, but the writing is already on the wall for Unga… Landon Collins has been vulnerable in coverage – he has seen 11 targets, allowing 9 for 99yds and 2 TDs in the first two games... Jerod Mayo has only played 27 snaps in the first two weeks. The former LB1 is a sub package player only for the Patriots right now… Ryan Shazier is making a fantasy impact, but he’s also got room to do better. He wasn’t an every-down player in Week 2, playing 74-of-90 snaps, but also missed three tackles. He now has five missed tackles on the year, only surpassed by Clay Matthews and Malcolm Smith at ILB, who both have six… Charles Tillman has played 85% of snaps so far for Carolina, allowing 5/10 completions for 88yds. He has seven total tackles on the season… Khalil Mack wasn’t a three-down option for the Raiders in Week 2, playing just 57 snaps and recording only one solo tackle… The Dolphins defensive line isn’t living up to expectations, as Cameron Wake only managed 15 snaps after a poor first game, while Ndamukong Suh’s performance in Week 1 was criticized, before he was accused of “freelancing” in Week 2. Miami need to sort this mess quickly… D’Qwell Jackson was another former LB1 not living up to expectations in Week 2, seeing his snap count cut. He played just 45-of-69 snaps. This is a situation to monitor, as with Tulloch in Detroit.
Week 3 Pass Rushers
The battle of the 3-4 OLBs between Denver and Kansas City didn’t disappoint. Von Miller had a sack, and five hurries, while DeMarcus Ware posted a sack and three hits. His six hits in two games leads the NFL… Outshining the pair was Justin Houston, who has played all but three snaps so far this year, recording two sacks, one hit and two hurries… Ziggy Ansah had one sack, and seven total tackles (six solo)… Eversen Griffin had a sack and six hurries… Jacquies Smith had three sacks and two hurries, with two forced fumbles added in for good measure… Cameron Jordan played all 66 defensive snaps, recording a sack and a hurry… Rookie OLB Hau’oli Kikaha played 54 snaps, only blitzing on 17, but notched up a sack and a forced fumble, plus seven total tackles… Pernell McPhee showed why the Bears paid him in the off-season with two hits and six hurries on just 18 pass rush snaps… The Chargers didn’t record a single sack in Week 2, and Corey Liuget didn’t cause any disruption in 27 pass rushes… Geno Atkins is back to his disruptive best circa his 12.5 sack campaign in 2012. He had one sack, two hits and two hurries. His partner in crime, Carlos Dunlap, has 1.5 sacks of his own, plus two hits, and two hurries… Vic Beasley is flashing why he was a top-ten pick with a sack, a forced fumble and two hurries. He also had five total tackles which helps fantasy owners… Chandler Jones’ three sacks are a little deceptive, as twice he was mopping up a coverage sack… Rob Ninkovich had a hit and a hurry in addition to his sack, while the Patriots linebackers are adding a pass-rush presence on the interior… Stephon Tuitt had the game of his career with 1.5 sacks and four hurries… Jason Hatcher was disruptive, recording one hit and four hurries in just 40 snaps. He deserved a better return, but the Rams short and quick passing game limited his ability to get to the quarterback… Robert Quinn failed to generate any pressure in Week 2, but Aaron Donald has 0.5 sacks and two hurries… J.J. Watt added a sack, a hit and a hurry to his career totals, while Jadeveon Clowney now has four hurries in 48 pass rushes through two weeks. He’ll record his first sack soon… Armonty Bryant blew up with 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, one hit, and one hurry playing just 52-of-80 snaps… Despite playing 60 snaps Ndamukong Suh registered zero disruption, while his fellow interior lineman, Earl Mitchell had six hurries last week… Michael Bennett had a sack and five hurries, continuing his high-level of form since the playoffs last year, while Cliff Avril added nine hurries of his own as the Seahawks harassed Aaron Rodgers… Colts rookie Henry Anderson had a sack, two hurries, playing 56 snaps and following up his excellent Week 1 tally… Muhammed Wilkerson continues to shine with Sheldon Richardson suspended. Wilkerson had two hits and six hurries and was a handful for the Colts to contain on Monday Night.
Guys I like
Eversen Griffin vs Chargers
San Diego allowed four sacks, one hit and seven hurries of Phillip Rivers last week and struggled mightily without D.J. Fluker. Griffin should look to emulate Carlos Dunlap’s multi-sack game from last week.
Michael Johnson vs Ravens
Baltimore LT James Hurst may have only given up one sack, but has allowed more pressures (16) than another other tackles in the league. With Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap already in great form, it is unlikely Hurst will get much help against Johnson, so I’m expecting a breakout week.
Zach Brown vs Colts
Sorry if I sound like a broken record about Brown, but his production has been severely limited by artificially low snap counts. I fully expect LB2 scores from him once the Titans play a typical amount of defensive snaps.
Ryan Shazier vs Rams
He might be missing tackles, but he’s all over the field and making plays from sideline-to-sideline. He allowed 7-of-8 completions last week and I expect the Rams to lean on Jared Cook and the running game (Gurley?) this week, which bodes well for Shazier to have a double-digit tackle day.
Malcolm Smith vs Browns
Simply a case of he has to be included in line-ups based on his usage and form right now. Plus they are playing a Browns team with huge questions at quarterback, so an interception isn’t out of the question.
Malcolm Jenkins vs Jets
With the Eagles linebacking corps ravaged by injury, and the team heading to New York to play in front of one of the most tackle-friendly stat crews, Jenkins appeals as a DB2. He had 15 total tackles (14 solo) on the year already, and should add to that further this week.
Corey Graham vs Dolphins
A first snap, Week 1 injury hurt his owners, but he bounced back with ten total tackles and a fumble recovery in Week 2. He’s a poor man’s Tyrann Mathieu.
Guys I don’t like
Robert Ayers vs Redskins
LT Trent Williams is one of the best in the business, and he’s yet to allow a single pressure, despite facing off against Robert Quinn last week. Doesn’t bode well for Ayers who has started the season well and has crept up rankings into DL3 consideration.
Ndamukong Suh vs Bills
Suh is un-startable this week. Two exceptionally poor performances followed by accusations of “freelancing”. Even in DT-required leagues I’d be looking elsewhere this week.
Stephen Tulloch vs Broncos
Now he’s not playing a three-down role it is hard to see how you can start him on a weekly basis.
D’Qwell Jackson vs Titans
It is the same story as Tulloch. Don’t drop him, but do bench him. It’s entirely possibly both regain their every-down roles, but it’s better to bench them until then.
Reggie Nelson vs Ravens
Nelson was an under-appreciated DB2 last season, but his start to 2015 has been woeful. An interception saved him from a complete blank in Week 1, and just four total tackles last week was hardly an improvement.
Tony Jefferson vs 49ers
Nine solo tackles and a pick-six last week, yet I’m saying sit Jefferson. Well, he’s the odd man out in the Cardinals secondary, and although he has played over 50 snaps in both games this year, he’s behind Tyrann Mathieu (versatile), Rashad Johnson (deep centre-fielder) and Deone Bucannon (hybrid safety/linebacker). The Cardinals are leaning on DB-heavy packages, but Jefferson can’t be depended on week-in, week-out.
