Going into Week 1 blind was a strange feeling but at least Week 2 felt more like normal. Just like every other year, we learned that a lot of the Week 1 standouts everyone rushed to pick up, were one-week wonders. Keep in mind the old cliché we love here at footballguys; one week is a fluke but two in a row is a trend.
Arizona Cardinals
The news for those that drafted Isaiah Simmons actually got a little worse in Week 2. After playing 19 snaps in the opener, Simmons logged just seven plays against Washington. It was a much better week for those with DeVondre Campbell or Jordan Hicks though. Both played virtually every snap, posting identical tackle totals of 8-2. Campbell’s two pass breakups were enough to give him the edge in fantasy points, but the important point is, both of these guys are going to put up good numbers for us.
Last week I mentioned that Chris Banjo started and played fulltime at safety next to Budda Baker. His numbers were under the radar at three tackles and three assists against San Francisco, but Banjo stepped it up in Week 2, going 6-3-0 with a pass defended. He has now played 121 of 128 snaps over the first two games and is a potential waiver target for Week 3.
Atlanta Falcons
Much like Banjo, Damontae Kazee was a surprise full-timer in Week 1, but his numbers were not eye-catching. Kazee was on the field for 94% of the Week 2 snaps but this time he put up a strong 7-1-0. He too is worthy of waiver considerations, maybe more so than Banjo because Kazee has some history as a quality IDP contributor.
We also confirmed that Keanu Neal not being on the field full-time in Week 1, was not a fluke. Neal had the same role against Dallas, playing 78% of the time. Neal still gave us a solid outing at 6-1-0 and remains a worthy starter, but it would feel a lot better if we were not sitting out a dozen or so plays per game.
The snap count was way down for FoyesadeOluokunat 18 of a possible 82, but be careful reading too much into it. He had issues with cramps that may have been the main culprit. That said, Mykal Walker filled in admirably, totaling four tackles and three assists on slightly more than half the playing time. Keep a close eye on this rookie.
Takarist McKinley was productive in the opener and got off to a great start against Dallas. He had three tackles on 14 plays before leaving with a groin injury. These injuries can linger and often slow guys down for several weeks if not for entire seasons. Watch for an update on his condition but if the injury is minor, McKinley is looking like an interesting prospect. If McKinley is not able to go, look for Steven Means to get the start in Week 3.
Baltimore Ravens
L.J. Fort has been on the field for 49 plays over two games and has almost 30 fantasy points to show for it. Last week I warned that his six tackles, a forced fumble, and recovery were a fluke on 23 snaps. In Week 2 he had one tackle on 26 plays but recovered a fumble for a score to boost his point total. Sooner or later Fort’s good fortune is going to run out. Don’t be the manager caught with him in your lineup when that happens. Fort poached a few more snaps from Malik Harrison against the Texans, but other than that, the playing time breakdown at inside linebacker was just like last week.
Buffalo Bills
As expected, the Bills were without both Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano in Week 2. Buffalo adjusted by playing a nickel base scheme against Miami, with Tyrel Dodson and A.J. Klein playing full time. Neither of the starters is expected to miss a lot of time, but keep in mind that Dodson managed a solid 6-2-0 with a pair of pass breakups and looked pretty good in general. If the injuries linger for either player, Dodson could be worth grabbing.
Carolina Panthers
Donte Jackson was able to play against the Buccaneers, pushing rookie Troy Pride from 58 snaps in Week 1 to 8 in Week 2. Rasul Douglas got the start opposite Jackson and managed a team-best seven solo stops. Douglas had some highly productive stints as a starter for the Eagles in recent years, so don’t be too quick to blow off his production.
No one else on the team recorded more than 4 solo stops and only three players had more than 2. For those with Shaq Thompson, who finished at 1-2-0, I would chalk this one up to matchup and game flow.
Chicago Bears
The Bears provide us with some mystery this week. After playing 70 of 78 snaps in the opener and finishing with respectable numbers (5-2-0) Danny Trevathan saw less than half the playing time against the Giants. He has a long history of injuries but so far, there have been no reports to suggest he was hurt in the game. Trevathan appeared to lose snaps to safeties Deandre Houston-Carson and Deon Bush who between them, logged 42 snaps as the third safety in a hybrid nickel look. Keep Trevathan on your bench this week until we can get a better idea of what is going on here.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati offense scored 30 points against Cleveland, despite a leaky offensive line. On defense, they were simply run over yet again. Injuries had them playing short-handed in the trenches and it showed. The linebackers had little room to flow and the unit was gashed over and over. It may not be fair to put much of this on the linebackers, but the fact is, they looked bad in general. Germaine Pratt was washed out and nowhere to be seen on most plays while Josh Bynes rarely made contact before the runner was five yards downfield. Rookies Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither held the same part-time roles as Week 1 but they fared no better when on the field. The good news is, Geno Atkins and Mike Daniels may be able to go in Week 3.
For four years William Jackson III was one of the best corners in the NFL that no one ever heard about. He quietly made plays but rarely showed up strong in the box scores or highlight reels. Something seems to have changed since last year though. In 2019 Jackson played all 16 games and finished 26-11-0 with an interception. Through two games this season he is 7-2-0 with a pick and 3 passes defended. Not to mention he is flying around the field making plays. It is a small sample but Jackson might be an unexpected factor for those in corner required leagues.
I am not yet sure how concerned we should be with the lack of production by Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard. Neither has done much so far, which I expect to change this week, but there is an underlying concern with Dunlap in particular. He has two tackles and four assists on the season to date, but the red flag after Week 2 is his reduced playing time. Dunlap averaged better than 70% of the snaps last season and his that mark in Week 1, but only played 52% or about 20 fewer snaps than normal against the Browns. The fear is that Carl Lawson, who has been the team’s best pass rusher by far, will continue to poach playing time at Dunlap’s expense. Cincinnati gets the beat-up Eagles in Week 3 so the matchup is a positive at least.
Cleveland Browns
It is easy to forget that coaching staffs didn’t have preseason games to evaluate things either, so in many ways, they entered Week 1 blind as well. The result was a good number of lineup changes in Week 2. One of them happened in Cleveland where SioneTakitaki led the Browns linebackers in Week 1 snaps but had his playing time slashed against the Bengals.
B.J. Goodson was full-time in Week 2 with Malcolm Smith seeing 61% of the action and Takitaki 45%. Smith made the most of his opportunity, looking solid on the field while recording five tackles and four assists. He might be a player to keep an eye on, but it looks like Mack Wilson is close to getting back on the field. Wilson practiced on Tuesday.
Rookie corner Tavierre Thomasracked up nine solos as the slot corner against Cincinnati. The big numbers have a lot of managers looking at him in corner required leagues. If you are one of those managers, take a hard look at Casey Hayward before you move. Hayward had 12 tackles against the Bengals in Week 1 and two against the Chiefs in Week 2. To make a long story short, the big numbers by both players were directly related to the Bengals offensive game plan. If that is not enough to steer you away from Thomas, be aware that Kevin Johnson and Greedy Williams also returned to practice on Tuesday and could be available.
Andrew Sendejo has been better than expected at free safety and Ronnie Harrison played six snaps against Cincinnati. It’s time to move on.
Dallas Cowboys
Joe Thomas has seen a few starts over his five previous NFL seasons but has never made much of a splash in the box scores. He replaced Leighton Vander Esh against Atlanta, played every down, and had the most productive game of his career, going 6-6-0 on the day. One game is not a trend but 13.5 points is a good place to start.
Aldon Smith came back to earth in the Week 2 box scores but his role remained the same. He and Everson Griffen both played at least 75% of the snaps with Griffen landing his first sack as a Cowboy. Griffen’s step up in playing time came because Demarcus Lawrence was bothered by a sore knee for much of the game. He played through it but had a greatly reduced role in the second half. Griffen could be a solid start this week against a Seattle team that tends to give up better than average sack numbers to opposing edge rushers in recent years. Russell Wilson has already be dropped five times.
Detroit Lions
The longer Matt Patricia is in Detroit, the more the Lions defense looks like what we saw in New England for so many years with both scheme and playing time changing from week to week, sometimes dramatically. Tracy Walker will be the subject of this week’s episode. This guy was an IDP star last season and came out of the gate strong this year, totaling 8 tackles, an assist, and a pass breakup in Week 1. I mentioned last week that it was somewhat surprising to see him on the sideline for a few (11) plays, but it was kind of an afterthought at the time. In Week 2 Walker was on the field for 39 of 73 snaps and his numbers looked like it. Miles Killebrew poached 26 plays, Will Harris saw action on 49, and Duron (the fantasy dud) Harmon went 3-1 on 73 plays. Hopefully, this will be a one-week thing but I doubt it.
JahlaniTavai led the way in playing time at linebacker with 81% of the snaps, but just like old times in New England, Jamie Collins (77%) was the only one to have much box score impact at 4-1-1.
Green Bay Packers
After Week 1 I suggested patience with Adrian Amos. With two tackles and two assists to show for 106 total snaps to date, my patience has evaporated. Rookie safety Vernon Scott played five snaps in the game and more than tripled the fantasy points of Amos. The youngster turned some heads with an impressive 3-1-1. We will have to see if that earns him more playing time going forward.
Christian Kirksey cleaned up with 10 solo stops and two assists against the Lions while no other Green Bay defender managed more than three solos.
Indianapolis Colts
After Week 1 there was some disappointment that Bobby Okereke had not secured a three-down role ahead of Anthony Walker. A lot of managers took it as a sign and parted ways with Okereke. If you or another manager made that move, try to get him on your roster. In Week 2 Okereke played 85% of the snaps with Walker getting 56%. While this is good news for Okereke fans, it is not exactly what we were looking for. Instead of switching positions to put Okereke in the middle, he stayed on the strong side on early downs and simply took over the sub-package duties. With a mark of 2-1-0 on the day, not many managers will pick up on the change. If the lack of production concerns you, take into consideration how poorly the Vikings offense played in that game. Darius Leonard led the team in tackles with five while only he, Kenny Moore, and Khari Willis recorded more than two.
The Colts lost Malik Hooker to a torn Achilles so rookie Julian Blackmon came off the bench to play free safety. He will probably continue with the job but keep an eye on Tavon Wilson. The Veteran is better suited to play strong safety but he is capable of covering either position.
Rock Ya-Sin was a late scratch due to illness, so Kenny Moore was back in the starting lineup against the Vikings. When this guy plays, he puts up good numbers, but chances are he will be back in the nickel role for Week 3.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It took five years but finally, a Jacksonville coaching staff appears to have figured out where Myles Jack belongs. He was drafted to be a middle linebacker but started his career on the strong side. When he was moved to the middle Jack looked like a fish out of water at times, failing to live up to his talent and expectations. Now that he is working on the weak-side, his speed and athleticism are showing. Not only are the 14-8-1 with a pass breakup among the best back to back numbers of his career, but he is flying around and having a big impact on the field.
With Jarrod Wilson landing on IR, Andrew Wingard made the start at safety in Week 2. He played every snap and finished at 7-2-0. IR doesn’t mean what it once did so Wilson may be able to return in a few weeks.
Kansas City Chiefs
Anthony Hitchens saw an uptick in playing time to 78% in Week 2 and with it a solid outing at 7-2-0. Damian Wilson was right behind Hitchens at 67% and put up even better numbers of 7-5-0. The moral of this story, when these guys get enough opportunity, they can produce. Unfortunately, between last season and last week, it is hard to trust that they will be on the field enough.
Willie Gay Jr got six plays for those who are counting.
Frank Clark was not feeling well ahead of Sunday’s game. Between that and Alex Okafor being hurt, the Chiefs kept Taco Charlton on the active list after making him a healthy scratch in Week 1. As some of you may remember, I was high on Charlton as a deep sleeper leading up to the season. He showed why by getting in for a sack of Justin Herbert. Charlton continues to produce when he gets on the field. He can play the run and has six sacks in his last 425 snaps, which is roughly half a season worth of action. Tuck his name away in your memory and if he gets a chance to play, don’t hesitate to pick Charlton up.
Rookie Michael Danna has looked pretty solid so far as well. He is 5-2-1 on 69 plays this season and landed his first sack as a pro against Los Angeles.
Oakland Raiders
Rookie corner Damon Arnett made his share of mistakes against the Saints. He was even pulled from the game at one point, but went back in after a series or so. What we did not see from the young man is a lack of effort, in it showed in the box scores. Arnett tied for the team lead with seven solo stops and despite a couple of rookie mistakes, he was a big part of the Raiders’ success. Consistent fantasy production from the corner position is hard to come by, Arnett shows signs of being one of those guys.
Cory Littleton is arguably the biggest IDP mystery of the young season. A former top-five linebacker goes to a team with a history of solid production at the position from less talented players and stinks it up through two games. Littleton has consistently been late to the party, has run himself out of plays, taken bad angles, and been surprisingly blockable. Considering that many of us drafted him as our LB1, this is a serious concern. It even makes one wonder if he was a product of the scheme with the Rams; especially when we see what Micah Kaiser is doing there.
In Littleton’s defense, he is on a new team with a different scheme and is playing on the weak side after working in the middle previously. Factor in the lack of any preseason, and it is not hard to understand why he looks so uncomfortable. Littleton has the tools and talent to be successful, and we have too much invested to simply toss him out after two games. I will be sitting tight on him for a while longer but he will not be in my lineups until/unless the production comes around.
Nicholas Morrow was supposed to be a two-down strong side linebacker for the Raiders but his role expanded when Nick Kwiatkoski was injured in Week 1. Morrow was impressive as the full-time middle linebacker in Week 2. He was already established as a solid run defender and displayed better than expected ability in coverage against the Saints. With seven tackles and a pick, Morrow also turned heads in the IDP community. Kwiatkoski is not out for the season but is expected to miss a few games. While he is out, Morrow looks like a solid starting option for us.
Keep an eye on the injury status of Johnathan Abram this week. He banged a shoulder in the collision with a TV camera cart during Monday’s game and missed a few plays. There is not believed to be any serious damage but a sore shoulder could make him a little less aggressive for a game or two.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers were already short-handed at safety so when Rayshawn Jenkins left Sunday’s game with a groin injury, they had to improvise a little. Corners Michael Davis andDesmond King both saw an increased workload with King lining up at safety most of the time. Jenkins is being called day to day but his chances of playing in Week 3 are not looking good as of Wednesday. King had six solo stops against the Chiefs and could be a sneaky good play this week, especially if you can start him as a corner.
When Drue Tranquill went down early in Week 1, the Chargers turned to Nick Vigil. Maybe that decision had something to do with the opponent being Vigil’s old team. Whatever the reason, with a week to think about it, Los Angeles plugged in Kyzir White at the position in Week 2. White played every defensive snap, posting a respectable 5-4-0 on the day. The undersized former safety has a similar skill set to that of Tranquill and should prove to be a quality contributor going forward.
Los Angeles Rams
Mark Barron, Alec Ogletree, Cory Littleton, and now Micah Kiser. All four have been productive as inside/middle linebackers for the Rams. One thing the first three have in common? They have all flopped so far after joining other teams. So was Kaiser’s 11-5-0 with a forced fumble and a pass breakup a sign that he is on the cusp of being a great player, or simply lucky enough to be the next guy in a great situation? For now, all that matters is the big numbers he is putting up. We can ponder the rest in a couple of years when his contract is up and he wants too much money to re-sign. Ride the wave!
Hats off to our friend Matt Schauf from Draft Sharks for his call out of Troy Hill on the Audible IDP Podcast last week. Matt pointed out that Hill is a starting outside corner that often moves into the slot in nickel situations. That made Hill golden against an Eagles team that throws a ton of passes at their tight ends. The result, seven tackles, an assist, and an interception. The matchup is not as juicy this week against Buffalo, but Hill has proven to be a solid starter dating back to last season. He had five solo stops versus Dallas in Week 1.
Miami Dolphins
We are quickly learning that like the Patriots and Lions, Miami’s defense revolves around a couple of main guys, in this case, Jerome Baker and Christian Wilkins, and a collection of role players who are more or less important on a week to week basis depending on the game plan versus a given opponent.
Case in point, Brandon Jones had a significant role in Week 1 against New England and put up good numbers. In Week 2 versus Buffalo, he played 18 snaps. Similarly, we saw Kyle Van Noy log 66% of the playing time against his old team, lining up mostly on the edge, followed by 97% against the Bills where he was an inside backer much of the time. Versatility is a good thing to have on the field, but in the case of Van Noy, it makes him a moving target for IDP managers.
With Elandon Roberts expected back from concussion protocol this week, it is hard to say where Van Noy will line up against the Jaguars, or how much he will play.
Minnesota Vikings
The big news out of Minnesota this week is the season-ending pectoral injury suffered by Anthony Barr. Eric Wilson has been the third linebacker for most of the last two seasons will step into the three-down role going forward. Barr was fairly productive last season and had six solo stops in Week 1, but Wilson might prove to be an upgrade in IDP terms. In 2019 Wilson played 50 or more snaps in three games. In those games, he was 7-4-2 versus the Raiders, 7-2-0 against the Packers, and 7-5-1 against Chicago. Rookie Troy Dye will move into Wilson’s role as the third man at linebacker.
With fellow rookie Cameron Dantzler banged up, Jeff Gladney got the start in Week 2. He made some good plays but also showed why he was not the Week 1 starter by overrunning tackles and getting beat too often on routs. Dantzler missed Week 2 due to sore ribs but may be able to go against the Titans. Gladney will need a bit more seasoning before he is ready for a full-time starting job. That said, the team may have to throw him into the fire before he is ready.
Holton Hill has 14 tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup through two games, but he has not been as good on the field as in the box scores. In fact, the reason his numbers are so good is that opponents are going after him early and often. Hill allowed a passer rating of almost 119 in Week 2. The Vikings simply have no better options right now, so Hill should continue to play. They are surely missing the guys they let walk in free agency.
New England Patriots
Ja’Whaun Bentley played every snap in Week 2 but you wouldn’t know it from the box scores where he was 1-3-0. Sheer volume of playing time has to kick in at some point and make him a little better, but Bently has not shown any sign of IDP value to date.
Kyle Duggerhad an increased role in Week 2 (54%) but is still a long way from playing full time.
Adrian Phillips held the same role in Week 2 but his numbers dropped significantly. There should be a lot more good weeks than bad with Phillips, so I am not concerned with one mediocre outing. With a good matchup against the Raiders, he will be in many of my lineups this week.
New Orleans Saints
With nine tackles and a pair of sacks in two games, Trey Hendrickson is making a strong case for keeping the starting job once Marcus Davenport returns. Hendrickson had four and a half sacks on less than 40% of the snaps last season as well.
New York Giants
There has been some discussion about what position Logan Ryan plays. The answer is defensive back most of the time. He was on the field for 85% of the snaps in Week 2, lining up as an outside corner, slot corner, strong safety, and linebacker. He probably had a snap or two at free safety that I missed as well, but Jabrill Peppers saw most of the action there versus the Bears. In essence, Ryan has taken on the role Xavier McKinney was expected to have, which is similar to that of Antoine Winfield Jr in Tampa Bay. He parlayed the opportunity into six tackles, an assist, and a forced fumble against the Bears, and should continue to put up good numbers at least until McKinney returns, which will be late in the season at best.
Markus Golden made it clear he was not excited about returning to the Giants this year. He held out until the last possible moment in hope of getting an offer from someone else. That may have landed him in the doghouse with the organization. What else can explain the lack of playing time for a guy that is arguably the team’s best edge defender? Golden played sparingly in the opener and saw 15 snaps against Chicago in Week 2.
One thing that is making it easier for the coaching staff to shun Golden is the strong play of Lorenzo Carter and Kyler Fackrellwho each had four tackles and a sack against Chicago. Anyone sitting on Golden at this point should strongly consider moving on.
Jabrill Peppers is off to a slow start with four tackles, three assists and a pass defended through two games, and it may not get much better anytime soon. Between Logan Ryan stepping up and the way he is being used, having Blake Martinez soaking up tackles at middle linebacker, and Peppers working a lot as the deep safety, he is not going to have the same volume of opportunity we have seen in the past.
New York Jets
Last week I mentioned that Alec Ogletree had been signed to the Jets practice squad. He was activated late last week and saw the second-most snaps (34) at inside linebacker behind Neville Hewitt (58). Avery Williamson was active and on the field for 17 plays, which leaves us to wonder if they are just bringing Williamson back slowly, or there is some concern with him not being fully healthy. This week should tell the tail. If Williamson plays more, we can expect his role to continue growing. If Ogletree ends up starting, he could be this year’s version of James Burgess.
Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Sweat, Derek Barnett, and Brandon Graham were all active in Week 2 and worked in a virtually equal rotation at defensive end. All three of these guys are solid DL2 options this week against a Bengals offense that continues to have issues protecting the quarterback.
T.J. Edwards led all Eagles linebackers in fantasy point with 5-1-0 and a forced fumble against the Rams, but we should not get too excited about it. Edward continues to have a limited two-down role. His 29 snaps in Week 2 were well short of half the available playing time. That said, he looked like the team’s best linebacker in this game, so we need to keep our eyes open for a potential increased workload.
Nate Gerry played every snap again and continued to look pretty good, even though the numbers were not as strong as Week 1. The interesting take was Duke Riley showing no stats on 49 plays.
In Week 1 we saw Rodney McLeod up closer to the line of scrimmage that we have been used too. He lined up deep more often in Week 2 but it looked like the Eagles were going with more of a right/left than strong/weak with their safeties. Jalen Mills had the better fantasy production of the two against Los Angeles a 5-1-0. This could be a back and forth situation between the two all season.
Seattle Seahawks
In Week 1 we saw the Seahawks play a lot of big nickel with third safety Marquise Blair on the field 70% of the time, largely at the expense of linebacker K.J. Wright who has a significantly reduced role. Seattle opened that way again in Week 2 but their plans were changed when Quandre Diggs was ejected for targeting early in the game. The plan was probably disrupted for the rest of the season when Blair suffered an ugly knee injury later in the game as well. As a result, Wright’s playing time jumped from around 56% participation in Week 1 to over 70% in Week 2.
In Week 3 we should learn if Seattle will promote Delano Hill to the third safety role and keep with the original plan, or choose to keep more linebackers on the field as they have done in the past. An educated guess would be the latter option, especially since they have first-round pick Jordyn Brooks waiting for an opportunity to get some playing time.
Blair was not the only serious injury for Seattle as their best pass rusher, Bruce Irvin was also lost for the season with a knee. Unless they add a player or get someone back from injury, Benson Mayowa, L.J. Collier, and Damontre Moore will be the rotation on the edge. That is bad news for a group that was already struggling to pressure the passer.
San Francisco 49ers
No team was hit harder by injuries in Week 2 than the 49ers. On the defensive side, they lost both Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas to knee injuries. With Dee Ford already on the shelf with a back problem, what was once a position of depth and strength, is now stretched rather thin.
Kerry Hyder is a versatile lineman who can play either inside or on the edge. He was already a big part of the rotation and should see much more time going forward. Hyder is one of those guys that can lineup at end on early downs then slide inside in passing situations. He should pick up a lot of the snaps Thomas would normally get.
San Francisco signed Ezekiel Ansah to help on the edge. Ansah is a highly talented defensive end that still has plenty of fuel in the tank, but he has a chronically bad shoulder that has kept him from playing a full slate of games since 2015. The over/under is about four games before it flares up again, and that is if they use Hyder on the outside on early downs and limit Ansah to a third-down role.
The team promoted Dion Jordan from the practice squad to provide some depth and they could get Ronald Blair III back in week seven if he is ready to come off the PUP list by then.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
True to their word, the Buccaneers moved Antoine Winfield Jr all over the field in Week 2, and he showed the world why the team was so high on him. He finished the day with eight tackles, three assists, a sack, and a forced fumble, making Winfield the fantasy games number four safety on the week.
Tennessee Titans
One of the three safeties to finish ahead of Winfield was Kenny Vaccaro, who blew up for 10-1-1 and a pair of passes defended. It would be great to say we saw this one coming but the truth is, it was the first time Vaccaro has exceeded five tackles in a game since Week 2 of last season, and the first time he has recorded more than seven in a game since week nine of 2016. It could be a sign that he is heading for a great year, but it’s more likely to be an outlier in another mediocre fantasy season for him.
Jayon Brown was a bit quiet again but unlike some of the others that have not been showing up in the box score as expected, Brown has been around the ball regularly. The Vikings have been a poor matchup for linebackers so far but Tennessee has the Steelers and Bills in weeks four and five, so things should get better quickly for Brown.
Washington Football Team
A couple of people asked me about Kevin Pierre-Lewis before the season started. I suggested they stay away from him. At this point, it appears I may have to eat those words, but we still have a long way to go. Pierre-Lewis had a career day against Arizona in Week 2 and is at the top of many waiver lists this week. On the positive side, he has been on the field for all but three of Washington’s defensive snaps to date and had by far the best game of his career on Sunday. Any linebacker that plays full time is probably going to hold some IDP value. So picking him up is not something I could advise against at this point, but I will not be among those to make that move. I feel much better about guys like Eric Wilson, Vince Williams, or Kyzir White
Considering his history, I simply found it too hard to believe Pierre-Lewis would start and/or play full time, even after the team released its initial depth chart a couple of days before the season started. This is a guy that has played for five teams since coming into the league in 2014 and has hung around the league as a special teams ace. He has 86 career tackles and that is including the 10 against Arizona last week. He had three tackles and an assist against the Eagles in Week 1, which are closer to the numbers I expect from him on most weeks. Best of luck to those that are rolling the dice on him.
Ryan Kerrigan played sparingly in Week 1 (22 snaps) and was the NFC defensive player of the week. He played 23 snaps in Week 2 and was completely blanked. Adding injury to insult, Kerrigan missed practice on Wednesday with a toe injury. If he is not able to go or is limited, look for Montez Sweat, Chase Young, and Ryan Anderson to all see a few more opportunities.
That’s all I have for Week 3. Best of luck in your matchups this week!
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