Week 3 will soon be upon us, and there's already panic rampantly spreading throughout fantasyland. If you play in IDP leagues, these players could help you turn around your slow start. And if you're one of those who are already off to a 2-0 start, make sure you don't give your competitors any opportunity to climb those standings and throw these guys out there to start padding that lead.
James Anderson: James Anderson looks to be a big beneficiary of the loss of Thomas Davis for the year. Although he was already playing on 87.2% of snaps, he should see this jump closer to 100%, which can only increase the number of opportunities he has to make plays. If it jumps up to the 96.8% that he saw last year, Anderson could be flirting with another 100 total tackle pace over the rest of the year.
Dan Connor: A hot waiver wire pickup last week, Connor was a disappointment with only 2 tackles against Green Bay. After playing only 27.4% of the total defensive snaps over the first two weeks, Connor should see that number rise with somebody needing to fill Thomas Davis’ 54 snaps a game. Connor takes his 0.8 PFF rating against Jacksonville, where he should no doubt see lots of opportunities to rack up tackles.
Mario Williams: Williams has been nothing short of spectacular during his shift from DE to LB, as he currently ranks third amongst all OLB with a 8.8 PFF rating. But his fantasy owners haven’t had much to celebrate with only 4 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defended. What’s being missed in lots of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues is that Williams still qualifies as a DL, which makes him an extremely valuable commodity. Make sure you have him lined up there, as he’s producing at an elite DL level while playing 89.1% of the total defensive snaps.
Chris Clemons: Through his first two games, Chris Clemons has an average 4 solo tackles, 5 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass defended. This week he should see a nice spike in value as he goes up against the Arizona Cardinals, who currently ranks in the bottom 5 in pass blocking. Clemons is on the field for a healthy 78.3% of Seattle’s defensive snaps this season, and will have tons of opportunities to make plays this week.
Jon McGraw: Eric Berry’s replacement, Jon McGraw had a big game against The Detroit Lions last week, with 5 solo tackles, 10 total tackles, an interception, and 2 passes defended. This week he goes up against the San Diego Chargers, an offense that should abuse Kansas City through the air and look to get their passing attack back on track. McGraw has a negative 1.6 PFF rating this year, with a negative 3.2 PFF rating in coverage. He’ll no doubt continue to get abused by Philip Rivers and company this week.
Glover Quin: What a juicy matchup for the Houston Texans most important defensive back. Glove Quin and the Houston Texans are set to face the New Orleans Saints this week in what should be a pretty big shootout. Quin currently sports a negative 0.3 PFF rating this season, but more impressively, he is currently playing 100% of Houston’s defensive snaps. Those who drafted Quin with high hopes this year can expect his breakout to happen in a big way this week.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @Eric_Yeomans
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