In many instances, it is tough to decipher fact from fiction after one round of games. As many of you have heard me say before, once is a fluke, twice is a trend, or at least the beginning of one. Week two revealed many mirages, but it also confirmed some situations. The war of attrition has started as well, creating holes for some managers and opportunities for others. This is what caught my eye as we charge into week three.
Guru's IDP Notes: Arizona Cardinals
Week three and the Cardinals' secondary is already a disaster. The team could be without the top three corners for the matchup with division rival San Francisco. Max Melton and Garrett Williams left Sunday's game with knee injuries, while Willie Johnson left with a sore groin. None of them returned to the game, leaving the team with fifth-round rookie Denzel Burke and third-year backup Kei'Trel Clark to cover the outside positions.
Arizona fielded five or more defensive backs on every snap in week two. In the opener, and up to the point that the injuries started rolling in, safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Willie Johnson were sharing the nickel duties relatively equally. The shortage of healthy bodies would likely lead to an expanded, potentially every-down, role for Taylor-Demerson.
In his return to where it all started, Calais Campbell had a flashback to his early days with the Cardinals. There was much production from the Cardinals' front in general. Campbell went 4-1-2, Josh Sweat was 3-0-1 with a forced fumble, and Baron Browning was 2-0 with an interception.
These numbers will garner a lot of attention from managers looking to bolster rosters, but be careful how much you invest in any of them. Arizona is using a big rotation that saw eight players get virtually equal playing time, all right around 50% of the snaps. They don't play the Panthers every week, so at best, these guys are going to be hit or miss.
Mack Wilson Sr. continues to be the every-down linebacker, with his numbers remaining so-so. Akeem Davis-Gaither saw his playshare jump from 37% in week one to 62% in week two, but his numbers were exactly the same at 2-4. All the injuries in the secondary could play into more snaps for Davis-Gaither, but it would likely take an injury to Wilson for him to play full-time. in
Guru's IDP Notes: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons may finally have broken the curse. Not only are they getting to the passer, but this defense has been dominating through two weeks. Both first-round rookie edge defenders got into the sack column against the Vikings, with the team totaling six on the day. Zach Harrison led the charge statistically at 2-3-1.5 with a forced fumble. He also led Atlanta's defensive linemen in snaps, albeit with just 27. Nine Falcons' linemen played at least 15. This is the same story as with the Cardinals in that none of these guys are likely to give us consistent production.
The Falcons' defense so dominated the Minnesota offense that no defender exceeded three solo stops. Minnesota completed eleven passes and ran the ball 19 times. This is a big part of the reason that Kaden Elliss was 2-2. It was not the only contributing factor, though. In a new twist, Elliss lined up wide and on the line of scrimmage often, taking him out of the MLB role and limiting his opportunity to make plays. Divine Deablo saw more work as the off-ball linebacker and has been impressive in the role thus far, at least on the field.
A.J. Terrell Jr. left early with a hamstring. Dee Alford took over at the position. Billy Bowman Jr. logged 94% of the snaps in the slot. He has not yet blown up the stat sheet, but that might be coming. Through two games, he has ten tackles, half a sack, an interception, and two passes defended. He very nearly had a second pick against Minnesota.
Guru's IDP Notes: Baltimore Ravens
Roquan Smith was the IDP player of the week with an impressive 9-6, including three tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery for a score.
The news that matters at the Ravens' linebacker position is that rookie Teddye Buchanan seems to have all but vanquished Trenton Simpson from the lineup. Buchanan's numbers were not eye-catching at 2-4, but he logged 82% of the snaps after splitting time nearly equally in week one. The Ravens fielded two linebackers on every snap, so we will be watching closely to see if Buchanan can claim a full-time role.
Guru's IDP Notes: Buffalo Bills
The Jets had no offense, so it was another slow day for Terrel Bernard (2-2). New York completed 10 passes for 83 yards and ran 21 times for 110. On top of that, Buffalo pulled most of their starters in the fourth quarter of the blowout win. The good news for those of us with Bernard is that the Dolphins showed signs of life in week two, after looking horrible in the opener.
Matt Milano suffered a pectoral injury in the game. It is not yet known if it is a tear or a strain, but it does not look good for his chances to play in week three. If Milano is out, Dorian Williams would pick up the snaps.
Cole Bishop stayed in the game when most starters came out, thus he led the team in tackles at 4-1-1.
Guru's IDP Notes: Carolina Panthers
The Lathan Ransom watch continues. His snaps increased slightly, but he is not yet starting. It remains a fairly safe bet that he will move up the depth chart at some point. Dynasty managers may want to stash him, but those in redraft leagues may want to make better use of the roster spot.
Patrick Jones II is still looking for his first sack of the season. After being limited by a sore ankle in week one, he finished 3-1 with a swatted pass against Arizona. Considering that he logged 89% of the snaps, it looks like the coaching staff intends to give him every opportunity to prove himself as a long-term solution. D.J. Wonnum had a 69% playshare and was 1-3 with an interception.
Guru's IDP Notes: Chicago Bears
T.J. Edwards missed week one due to a sore hamstring. After aggravating the injury halfway through last week's game, he could be on the shelf for a while this time. Noah Sewell filled in admirably in week one and is in line to start versus Dallas.
Guru's IDP Notes: Cincinnati Bengals
Slot corner Dax Hill has been all over the place in the first two games. He had a game-high nine solo stops against Jacksonville, including one for a loss, giving him 18 combined stops and an interception to date. This is not a mirage; pick him up.
There were no big numbers from Bengals linebackers, but there is some, not-so-great news for all of us who took a shot on Demetrius Knight Jr. While the rookie had good numbers in week one, he struggled on the field. As a result, his snap count was slashed to less than 60% in week two as Oren Burks poached 45% of the opportunities. I wouldn't be too quick to let him go, but it might be a good idea to keep Knight out of our lineups for now.
Guru's IDP Notes: Cleveland Browns
If you caught last week's column or read The Guru & The Godfather, you were not surprised that Carson Schwesinger was not very productive. That is two poor outings in a row for the high-profile rookie. A matchup with the Packers could move him from famine to feast this week. Jack Campbell totaled ten stops against the Packers in week one, and Bobby Wagner had eleven in week two.
Schwesinger is a breakout candidate. Devin Bush has been solid in both games to date. He followed seven stops and a pass breakup against Cincinnati, with a mark of 4-4-1 and 2 passes defended versus Baltimore. It would be nice to see him on the field more, but so far, 80% of the playing time has been sufficient.
Guru's IDP Notes: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys' edge rotation was not getting it done. After the position as a whole produced 1-4-1 against the Giants, Jerry Jones spent some of the money he saved by letting Micah Parsons go to sign Jadeveon Clowney. We'll want to keep an eye on this one, but I'm not all that excited at this point.
Jack Sanborn had a bigger role in week two, logging 84% of the snaps. His total of 4-4-0 was not impressive, but a play share of 80% or more will be enough to make him roster worthy.
Guru's IDP Notes: Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain II piled up eleven combined stops against the Colts, including nine solos. Don't be like Wile E. Coyote and run into the mountain where the Road Runner painted a tunnel. This is a mirage. Surtain is not a volume-tackling corner. His previous career high was seven stops in a game in 2023, and he had no more than 4 solos in any contest last year.
Guru's IDP Notes: Detroit Lions
Aidan Hutchinson landed his first sack of the season, but was otherwise invisible in the romp over Chicago. The good news is that he played over 90% of the snaps. Hutchinson will eventually get it going. It often takes a few games to get past the mental block after a major injury and turn it loose. Once he is comfortable and confident, the numbers will come. That said, I am benching him until we see it.
Marcus Davenport lasted less than a game and a half this time. He left the game in the first half with an ankle issue. Davenport was back on the field in the second half before leaving again with a shoulder injury. If he is not available to face the Ravens this week, Al-Quadin Muhammad would get the start.
Guru's IDP Notes: Green Bay Packers
Nate Hobbs returned in week two. He is being eased back into action and saw 46% of the snaps in a timeshare with Carrington Valentine. Hobbs will likely see his share increase steadily until he takes over full-time.
The concern I had about Hobbs' return was the effect it could have on the three-headed safety situation. If last week is any indication, it will have none. Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams played every snap, with Javon Bullard seeing 84%. There is, however, a different concern emerging. This defense has dominated two very good opponents. Between the lack of opportunities due to shutting down opponents, quality play soaking up tackles at the second level, and stiff competition for tackles in the secondary, there simply may not be enough to go around for all three safeties. Between them, McKinney, Williams, and Bullard totaled 10-3 and a pass breakup against Washington.
Guru's IDP Notes: Houston Texans
Jalen Pitre left Monday's game after taking a shot in the ribs. He was able to get back on the field later, but rib injuries tend to get very sore in the following days. It will be a pain threshold situation, so keep an eye on his availability in late week practices.
Azeez Al-Shaair missed a few snaps in the third quarter to get checked for a concussion. He returned to finish a big night on the stat sheet. What we learned from this is that Christian Harris is the next man up at linebacker, ahead of E.J. Speed. Tuck that bit of info away in case it comes up again.
Guru's IDP Notes: Indianapolis Colts
OK, now I'm concerned about Zaire Franklin. After putting up at least 165 combined stops in three consecutive seasons, Franklin is on pace for 77 through two games. It was easy to write off the week one performance because the Dolphins stunk. That excuse doesn't fly for his 3-2 with a pass breakup versus Denver. I'll be digging into this deeper when I have time to scout the week two game closer. For the record, Tennessee has been a below-average matchup for linebackers through the first two games. Alex Singleton was 2-4 against them in week one, and Nate Landman was 4-4 last week.
Joe Bachie had a much bigger role in week two, logging 81% of the snaps on the way to seven combined stops.
Guru's IDP Notes: Jacksonville Jaguars
It took an injury to nickel corner Jarrian Jones to get Travis Hunter on the field at corner. It was anti-climactic. Hunter finished with two tackles and a pass breakup. He was not horrible by any stretch, but looked like a rookie at times, and the Bengals picked on him accordingly. The status of Jones for week three is not yet known.
After a disturbing and unexpected lack of playing time in week one, Devin Lloyd was far more involved against the Bengals. With a 70% share of the action, it took a lucky bounce interception to save his ho-hum stat line of 2-3.
Need some help at corner? See if Jourdan Lewis is available. He followed a huge week one that included five tackles, two turnovers, and three pass breakups, with an eight-tackle, two-for-loss, and a pass breakup in week two.
Guru's IDP Notes: Kansas City Chiefs
Drue Tranquill (4-2) has outproduced Nick Bolton (3-3) in both games this year. The issue with Tranquill in 2024 was inconsistent playing time. He would play nearly every snap in a game and then see 65% of the action in the next two. He's been well over 80% in both games thus far.
Mike Danna left last week's game with a hip injury. If he is unable to go, Charles Omenihu would get the start.
Guru's IDP Notes: Las Vegas Raiders
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