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If you're like me, every year you look down at your final fantasy scores for Week 1 and find yourself thinking, “That was the strangest beginning to an NFL season ever.” The statement feels true when you say it, too. You really can’t recall a time when a coach purposefully sat a stud like Brandon Aiyuk without much notice or reason, nor can you remember a time when a healthy stud like Ezekiel Elliott rushed for just 33 yards to start the year. Results like these can feel so much like an outlier… and yet they aren’t.
As much as it may feel like it, this Week 1 wasn’t the most unique start to an NFL season in history. In fact, inexplicable things happen every year. Sometimes it’s the whims of a mercurial coach that cause you heartache, other times it's a player's late-night trip to Taco Bell for some absolutely delicious chalupas (sponsorship pending) that grounds him. All it takes is one insignificant hiccup to undo everything you thought you knew about your team(s). You can read every beat report for every team, watch every snap of every pre-season game, and you still can’t predict the unpredictable.
We mention these inevitable early season mistakes and those delicious chalupas that don’t at all give you diarrhea because it’s time to carbo-load and pivot from previous plans that clearly won’t work. Maybe you were like us, and you thought Troy Reeder would be a dependable LB2 this year. Either way, most of us have some tinkering to do after a wild Week 1. It doesn't mean you drafted poorly or made a mistake. It means you're a typical fantasy manager. And that’s why we are here with our Week 2 IDP waiver wire pickups - to help us all figure out the real mistakes we made and fix them quickly. So below are my defenders to add for Week 2 - all are 20% rostered or lower. Hope you enjoy!
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best NFL Series, MLB Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!Isaiah Simmons, DL/LB, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered in 14.2% of IDP leagues
The question about Simmons in IDP leagues has never been about his talent. It’s always been about his opportunities, with the former #8 overall pick never seeing more than ¾ of Arizona's defensive snaps as a rookie. Thankfully for fantasy managers, Simmons’ lack of usage as a rookie appears to have been more about Kliff Kingsbury and company’s reluctance to trust first-year linebackers (see Zaven Collins’ lack of snaps in Week 1) than it was about his fit on the team.
All concerns about Simmons’ usage should be gone after he saw a whopping 91% of the Cardinals’ defensive snaps in Week 1. Arizona surely wouldn't take that kind of opportunity away after he took advantage (nine tackles, two PDs, one interception)… even if they did so something similar to that last year. The Clemson product is a MUST add in all IDP leagues.
FAAB in Standard IDP: 5%
FAAB in Deeper IDP: 20%
Chandler Jones, DL/LB, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered in 16.9% of IDP leagues
Jones is another obvious name on an Arizona defense that started hot. We are not just telling you to add Jones because of his outlier five-sack performance last week, however. We are telling you to add Jones because the former Orangeman appears healthy, continues to see a healthy snap rate (75%), and he looked much quicker in Week 1 than he ever did last year.
Of additional note, Jones has a premium matchup this week against a very bad Minnesota Vikings offensive line. The Vikings starters struggled mightily with holding penalties, false starts, and gave up 11 pressures against a Bengals pass rush led by Trey Hendrickson. If they could make Cincinnati’s line look so good, imagine what they’ll do against a superior Cardinals group. SPOILER ALERT: Jones will be our DL Sleeper for Week 2, and he’s worth adding to stream if nothing else.
FAAB in Standard IDP: 2%
FAAB in Deeper IDP: 3%
Kyle Dugger, DB, New England Patriots
Rostered in 1.1% of IDP leagues
Much like Isaiah Simmons, the primary concern with Dugger in fantasy was always his opportunities. Will the Patriots give him real snaps and proper usage? Well, this past week, he had the third-most snaps on New England’s defense.
While the Patriots are notorious for adapting game plans and player usage to fit their opponents, Dugger feels like a Bill Belichick guy. He is a versatile, fast, and strong hybrid player who can play anywhere on the defense. That should translate to any opponent, and it should give him more opportunities to collect even more tackles than he had against Miami.
FAAB in Standard IDP: 1%
FAAB in Dynasty IDP: 4%
Jordyn Brooks, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 14.1% of IDP leagues
Brooks was on this list last week, and he will continue to make an appearance as long as 85% of IDP leagues leave him on waivers. He has shown terrific athleticism and instincts, and he collected 11 tackles despite Bobby Wagner being incredibly active against the Colts’ run game this week. Brooks will continue to improve in coverage, and he should be considered an LB2 in most formats.
FAAB in Standard IDP: 2%
FAAB in Deeper IDP: 5%
Zack Baun, LB, New Orleans Saints
Rostered in 0.2% of IDP leagues
Many people are out on Baun because Sean Payton won’t give him a starting job or serious snaps (Baun saw just 40% of the team’s defensive snaps in Week 1). There continue to be reasons for optimism here, though.
One reason to stay on the Baun train a little longer is that he led his team in tackles last week, despite playing less than half the snaps. The other reason for optimism is the Saints’ lack of pass rush depth, especially after the injury to Marcus Davenport. Baun was an underrated pass rusher at Wisconsin, and the injury to Davenport could force the Saints to use Baun more as a blitzer. If the former Badger can get after the quarterback half as well as he did in college while continuing his strong run support, it should earn him close to a starting role for the Saints and fantasy managers.
FAAB in Standard IDP: 0%
FAAB in Deep Dynasty IDP: 1%
Cole Holcomb, LB, Washington Football Team
Rostered in 1.4% of leagues
When Washington’s defensive coordinator says they “love” a player and that people outside the organization are underrating him, perhaps we should listen? The former Tar Heel played an incredible 100% of Washington’s defensive snaps this week, which is impossible to beat, and he collected 11 tackles in the process.
While Jamin Davis will eventually be a thing in fantasy, Washington's leadership has an old-school mentality, and they will reward hard workers like Holcomb with opportunities. With an attractive position playing behind Chase Young/Montez Sweat and in front of Landon Collins, consider Holcomb to be fantasy relevant as long as he gets 90% of the snaps. He's a lower-tier LB2 or upper-tier LB3, depending on matchups.
FAAB: 0%
Justin Hollins, DL/LB, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered in 0.2% of IDP leagues
Over the past six months, a lot of the buzz pointed to Troy Reeder being the Rams linebacker to have in fantasy. Many expected Reeder to have a much larger role on this defensive unit after Micah Kiser left, with his floor being the double-digit tackles he averaged last year. Unfortunately for those who started Reeder, the linebacker duo of Kenny Young and Hollins played so well this week that Reeder could see his snaps permanently cut.
Hollins, in particular, thrived on Sunday night, securing eight tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble while playing 74% of the team’s snaps. While that kind of production won’t come every week, the former Oregon Duck showed enough to merit stashing on your fantasy bench. With eligibility at the thin DL position, Hollins is worth keeping around and seeing if he actually has some fantasy substance to him.
FAAB in Standard IDP: 1%
FAAB in Deeper IDP: 3%
Byron Murphy, CB, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered in 4.2% of IDP leagues
Murphy is currently only roster-worthy in very deep IDP leagues or those that force you to utilize a CB. That said, he is one of the better available options at fantasy CB right now. Defenses don't yet fear Murphy enough to avoid him completely, and he plays with an offense that will force multiple shootouts.
Factor in the fact the Cardinals have a very good pass rush, great cover ‘backers, and an elite safety in Budda Baker, and teams may have to give Murphy a good number of fantasy opportunities each week. Opportunities are about all we can as for in a fantasy CB.
FAAB in Deeper IDP: 1%
William Jackson III, CB, Washington Football Team
Rostered in 0.3% of IDP leagues
Our favorite defensive free agent signing this year, William Jackson III, is a top-end corner on an elite defense. Opponents will have to pick their poison on this defense, with arguably the best pass rush in the NFL bearing down and a sturdy run defense behind it. Factor in a secondary so deep that our 2020 IDP Sleeper of the Year Karmen Curl can’t see 50% of the snaps, and teams will have to throw Jackson III’s way. He and Murphy are underrated options in leagues that have a starting CB spot.
FAAB in Deeper IDP: 0%
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