Week 9 is in the books. The pretenders have been separated from the contenders by this point in the season, with only a couple teams on the bubble still holding onto some playoff hopes. If you had any of the following players on your team, odds are your chances of securing a playoff spot just got better this week.
Green Bay safety, Charlie Peprah made life difficult for Philip Rivers on Sunday. Peprah was able to rack up 3 solo tackles, 5 total tackles, and 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Coming into the game, Peprah had accrued a negative 8.2 PFF rating while playing 328 snaps, and isn’t a great fantasy play.
Peprah wasn’t the only one to get in on the defensive action for the Packers. Cornerback, Tramon Williams was able to get himself 5 solo tackles, 6 total tackles, and 1 interception for a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers. On the season, Williams had a 2.8 PFF rating in 379 snaps before this week’s game, and is one of the rare cornerbacks who is both good in real life, and fantasy.
Arizona Cardinals defensive end, Calais Campbell, had a solid outing against the St. Louis Rams, generating 4 solo tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. He also made the block on the Rams attempted field goal that would have won the game as time expired. The skilled defensive lineman had a 12.1 PFF rating on 466 snaps, coming into this game, and has been productive as a pass rusher with 4 sacks, 5 hits, 12 pressures.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end, Carlos Dunlap, finally had his coming out party against the Tennessee Titans. Dunlap recorded 1 assisted tackle, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, and 1 pass defended. Coming into the game, Dunlap was not only the top ranked defensive end, but the top ranked defensive player and had a top five PFF rating overall with a 27.3 PFF rating on 254 snaps. Despite the small snap total, Dunlap was having no trouble getting to the quarterback, having recorded 1 sack, 9 hits, and 23 pressures. He’s a great add this week if he had been given up on.
Miami Dolphin linebacker, Kevin Burnett, hasn’t had much real life success, as is evident from his negative 11.9 PFF rating on 477 snaps, but he certainly had a big game, fantasy wise, against the Kansas City Chiefs. Burnett was able to get a whopping 10 solo tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. Burnett doesn’t offer much in the way of fantasy value, and shouldn’t be owned in any leagues.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense got a big boost with the return of linebacker, James Harrison, and he didn’t disappoint against the Baltimore Ravens. Harrison looked like his old self with 5 solo tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, and 3 sacks. Before breaking his orbital bone, Harrison had compiled a solid 14.7 PFF rating on 221 snaps, a number which should significantly rise after this game.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @Eric_Yeomans
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