Week 3 from an IDP standpoint can be summed up in five words: defensive lineman and Buffalo Bills. No matter what your scoring system is, there’s almost no doubt that there were at least three defensive lineman and a trio of Buffalo Bills defensive backs that finished atop the IDP leader board this week.
We’ll get it started with probably the most complete game of the week, which came from Arizona Cardinals’ defensive end, Calais Campbell. Campbell was a force against the Seattle Seahawks, racking up 5 solo tackles, 7 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks. Campbell came into the week leading all defensive ends in snaps, and should most likely see his negative 0.8 PFF rating rise after this performance.
Next up was Minnesota Viking, Jared Allen. The premier defensive end wreaked havoc on the Detroit Lions to the tune of 3 solo tackles, 4 total tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, and 3 sacks. Allen looks to be set to have yet another year atop the DE fantasy rankings, especially if he’s able to put together more performances like this.
The New York Giants, Jason Pierre-Paul, is making lots of Giants fans forget about Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka. The second year standout defensive end had yet another outstanding game with 5 solo tackles, 7 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and 2 sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles. Pierre-Paul came into the contest as the Giants most valuable defensive end with a 1.4 PFF rating, although it helps that he’s played twice as many snaps as Justin Tuck, who is right behind him with a 1.3 PFF rating. Either way, it’s looking like the Giants have found yet another elite pass-rusher in Pierre-Paul, who should be treated as such for the foreseeable future.
The last big game from a defensive lineman came from Cleveland Browns defensive tackle, Ahtyba Rubin, who was able to put up 7 solo tackles, 1 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks against the Miami Dolphins. Rubin has had some early season struggles, as is evident by his negative 0.1 PFF rating and relatively low fantasy production. But the big man possesses the potential to be a solid fantasy defensive lineman, especially in tackle-heavy settings.
The Buffalo Bills trio of safeties, Bryan Scott, Jairus Byrd, and George Wilson, had an expectantly big game against the New England Patriots. Going into the contest, Byrd and Scott ranked inside the top 15 safeties, while Wilson ranked as the 40th. Despite getting half the amount of snaps as the other two, coming into this game, Scott had arguable the best day with 8 solo tackles, 11 total tackles, and 1 interception. Byrd chipped in 9 solo tackles, 12 total tackles, and 2 passes defended, and Wilson had 7 solo tackles, 11 total tackles, and 1 interception. If you even started one of these guys this week, they went a long way to helping your team.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @Eric_Yeomans
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