RADIO
While last week was the beginning of the fantasy playoffs for many of you, we are finally entering the week where pretty much everyone has started their tournament to the title.
The bye weeks are now done, and you should have a full selection of defenders available to you in your push for glory. Your choices will still be limited, however, since you'll be missing several big-time contributors who are out for the season.
Some of you haven’t seemed to notice these injuries, though. In a number of redraft leagues, long-gone defenders still remain rostered.
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IDP Players To Cut
In our drive to help all of you, we will first remind you that the following players are out for the season, and thus they can be cut in all redraft and most shallow keeper leagues.
- Bud Dupree (Rostered in 23% of leagues);
- Danielle Hunter (Rostered in 17.5% of leagues);
- Chandler Jones (Rostered in 12% of leagues);
- Jayon Brown (Rostered in 18.9% of leagues);
- Devin Bush (Rostered in 11% of leagues);
- Landon Collins (Rostered in 17.2% of leagues);
While it may seem a waste of time reminding you to drop people who are done for the year, notice how many of these guys are rostered in a significant number of leagues. Some of these players are held in dynasty leagues, but a good chunk are being rostered in redraft formats where they have no value. You can let them go, if you were wondering.
Now that we have covered the obvious, let’s cover the… slightly less obvious. By that, I mean let’s cover the defenders who have been cut in a lot of leagues lately, yet still hold terrific fantasy value. Check your waivers to see if these guys are out there, because they could give you an additional edge towards your title…
- Jesse Bates III (Available in 58% of leagues);
- Jeremy Chinn (Available in 66.2% of leagues);
- Harrison Smith (Available in 76.8 % of leagues);
- Jason Pierre-Paul (Available in 71% of leagues);
- Chase Young (Available in 75% of leagues);
- Devin White (Available in 29% of leagues);
- Lavonte David (Available in 52.8% of leagues);
Keep these names in mind as you prepare for your playoffs. While most playoff teams aren't likely starting Chandler Jones or leaving Devin White on waivers, the numbers suggest that some of you are. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring your defense, because defense can win fantasy championships.
IDP Settings
If you skipped my weekly rant, as many of you do, then you made a wise choice! You skipped the ramblings of a madman and now get to drink the nectars of his sweet, sweet brain! And you’ll likely notice that those nectars taste an awful lot like our waiver rankings for this week!
As a reminder, we will use the following IDP designations/league settings for our FAAB recommendations:
- Standard Scoring Leagues: This system usually rewards 1-point per tackle, 3-points per sack, 4-points per turnover, and sometimes offers 2-points for a tackle for loss (TFL) or pass deflection (PD). Standard leagues also usually only start one DL, LB, and DB, respectively. You will always prioritize your FAAB budget towards offensive players in Standard Scoring IDP leagues, though you shouldn't underestimate the value of adding a great defender in them.
- Defense Premium Leagues: Defense Premium leagues tend to try to make defensive players worth as much as offensive players. Commissioners often accomplish this by rewarding 2-points per tackle, 3-points for TFL or PDs, 4-points per sack, and 6-points per turnover. In these leagues, you don't necessarily prioritize offensive players on waivers. While it is a case-by-case analysis, defenders in these leagues can often be worth as much as most offensive waiver additions.
- Deep Defense Leagues: These are leagues that have you start a full defense, or require you to start CBs and DTs, or they are leagues so deep (think 16 team leagues) that at least 32 players at each position (DL, LB, and DB) start every week.
- Dynasty Leagues: This is self-explanatory to most. Dynasty leagues are those in which every player you draft/add is on your team until you trade or release him.
Now that we have that explanation out of the way, let's get to this week's top adds! Remember that we will only address defenders who are rostered in less than 30% of IDP leagues on ESPN, Yahoo, or other prominent sites. We will also do our best to avoid obvious additions. While players like Myles Garrett are somehow rostered in only 31% of ESPN IDP leagues, we assume that anyone reading this material knows to add Garrett if they can.
IDP Waiver Adds of the Week
1. Kamren Curl, DB, Washington Football Team
Rostered in 9.7% of IDP leagues
Curl's floor as a starter appears to be eight tackles in a game, which is terrific for any fantasy DB. So it is puzzling why this safety is rostered in less than 10% of leagues. He should have been rostered in too many leagues to be eligible for this list already, but he isn't. The rookie will be on here until you guys take him off for me; a stalemate similar to the one we had with Jeremy Chinn earlier this year… and aren't you guys happy how that one worked out?
- Standard FAAB: 2%
- Defense Premium FAAB: 3%
- Deep Defense FAAB: 4%
- Dynasty FAAB: 2%
2. Troy Reeder, LB, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered in 14.5% of leagues
Reeder lacks all kinds of pedigree, and there is a definite concern that he may be benched once Micah Kiser comes back into play. Both of those reasons have kept many, including me, from making Reeder a priority addition the past two weeks. Reeder's production is simply too much to ignore at this point, however.
In his three starts this year, Reeder is averaging double-digit tackles and a sack per game. The Delaware grad is staffing an interior ‘backer position that made fantasy stars out of players like Corey Littleton and Kiser before him, and it appears to be doing the same for him. As long as he has this starting position, Reeder is a borderline top-ten fantasy option.
- Standard FAAB: 4%
- Defense Premium FAAB: 4%
- Deep Defense FAAB: 5%
- Dynasty FAAB: 2%
3. Justin Reid, DB, Houston Texans
Rostered in 10.9% of leagues
Reid hasn't been the most consistent DB in fantasy, putting up five subpar fantasy games in twelve contests. That said, Reid's worst games are still playable in most fantasy formats, and his ceiling is that of a top-ten contributor most weeks. Reid also has an attractive schedule ahead, suggesting we could see his first turnover of the season and more sacks soon.
- Standard FAAB: 2%
- Defense Premium FAAB: 1%
- Deep Defense FAAB:32%
- Dynasty FAAB: 2%
4. Quinnen Williams, DL, New York Jets
Rostered in 9.2% of leagues
Williams made this list earlier in the season based largely on his untapped potential. That talent is getting tapped, now. The Alabama product has at least a half-sack in each of his past three games, and he plays the Seahawks this week. Seattle has given up the third-most sacks in the NFL, making Williams an attractive Week 14 option.
- Standard FAAB: 1%
- Defense Premium FAAB: 2%
- Deep Defense FAAB: 3%
- Dynasty FAAB: 2%
5. Javon Kinlaw, DT, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered in 1.3% of leagues
We advised you to add Kinlaw in dynasty leagues this summer and again two months ago. The rookie is starting to look like a viable starter in Deep Defense redraft leagues, however.
Over the past three weeks, Kinlaw has seven total pressures, an interception for a touchdown, one and a half sacks, and eight tackles. While those aren't earth-shattering stats, they have been enough to start him in Deep Defense. There is cause to believe things will get even better for Kinlaw, too.
The highly-rated rookie plays against the fourth-worst (Washington) and eleventh worst (Dallas) pass-blocking units over the next two weeks. Dallas's current lineup is actually worse than their season-long ranking. Kinlaw could close the season on the upswing with his schedule.
- Standard FAAB: Wait
- Defense Premium FAAB: 1%
- Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
- Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
6. Rayshawn Jenkins, DB, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered in 5.4% of leagues
Jenkins has put up starter quality fantasy numbers in over half of the games he has started this season. Jenkins has at least seven tackles in six different games, and he has three contests with a turnover, a PD, or a sack.
Given his roster rate, Jenkins should be available in most leagues, and he could prove a viable playoff starter for those still in the DB market. His long-term role could be iffy given the inevitable return of Derwin James and the likelihood that Los Angeles looks to draft depth in the secondary this year, however.
- Standard FAAB: Wait
- Defense Premium FAAB: 2%
- Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
7. Jordyn Brooks, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 1.1% of leagues
Brooks was an early second-round prospect in my final pre-draft ranks last year, but he went to Seattle in the late first. The Texas Tech product is a fast attacker who has averaged over seven tackles per game in his three starts this season. He is trending up, and the Seahawks clearly like the kid a lot.
With a starting role seemingly in hand, expect Brooks to continue to get approximately 65-75% of the snaps each week for Seattle. His talent and current production, plus his projected usage, make him an interesting redraft addition for Deep Defense leagues. He is also worth considering in dynasty setups, though his value may be too flexible to trust in shallow redraft leagues.
- Defense Premium FAAB: Wait
- Deep Defense FAAB: 1%
- Dynasty FAAB: Wait
8. Bryce Hall, DB, New York Jets
Rostered in 1.4% of leagues
Hall is a full-time starter for the Jets and he is being targeted heavily, like the rookie he is. That target share has led to Hall averaging a decent 6.6 tackles per game, and his involvement should continue against the Seahawks and Rams over the next two weeks. He is a viable asset in Deep Defense leagues and should be available on the cheap.
- Deep Defense FAAB: 1%
- Dynasty FAAB: Wait
Film Doesn't Match Fantasy Production... Yet
Josh Uche, DL/LB, New England Patriots
If you followed my NFL Draft ranks from the 2020 class, you know I was high on the Patriot's selection of Uche. While the playing time still isn't there for Uche to be fantasy relevant, the film and metrics tell us it is only a matter of time until he gets there.
Against the Chargers, Uche harassed Justin Herbert early and often. The kid popped on film and was constantly in Herbert's face. The Michigan edge rusher was brought on a blitz on 27 plays last week, and he got pressure on 14.8% of those rushes. That’s an extremely promising rate, even if the Chargers don’t have the best blocking unit.
Though Uche isn't getting the stats or playing time to merit adding this year, his film is exciting. He is worth adding to your bench if you play in a deep bench dynasty league, and he is someone we should all keep our eyes on for the future.
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