You know the drill. Let’s look at which rookies are earning their stripes.
ARIZONA CARDINALS
CB Patrick Peterson: 84/85 snaps; -1.7 overall; 6 tackles and 3 assists; 5 targets, 5 receptions, 66 yards; Though not as bad as week 1, Peterson is still getting passed on, which in fantasy is a good thing.
NT David Carter: 13/85 snaps; 1 tackle and 1 missed tackle
LOLB Sam Acho: 6/85 snaps; did not compile statistics
ATLANTA FALCONS
No rookies played any defensive snaps
BALTIMORE RAVENS
DT Pernell McPhee: 20/74 snaps; 1 QB pressure in 18 pass rushes; 2 tackles in 2 run defenses; decrease in snap percentage from 50% week 1 to 27% in week 2.
BUFFALO BILLS
DT Marcell Dareus: 52/65 snaps; +2.1 overall rating and +1.2 pass rush grade; generated 1 QB hit and 1 QB pressure in 24 pass rush attempts and compiled 4 tackles on the game. Steady performance from the #3 overall pick.
CB Aaron Williams: 18/65 snaps; was targeted once for a 10 yard catch and racked up a tackle.
FS Da’Norris Searcy: 3/65 snaps; made his defensive debut on the last 3 plays of regulation and did not compile any tackles but came up with the game-sealing interception as time expired.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
DT Terrell McClain: 48/58 snaps; did not generate any pass rush in 28 attempts and could not record any statistics either. Struggled at the point of attack garnering a -3.2 grade in run defense. A day to forget for the former USF standout.
DT Sione Fua: 33/58 snaps; acquired 1 QB pressure in 28 pass rushes and got a tackle.
CHICAGO BEARS
FS Chris Conte: 11/71 snaps; collected 1 tackle.
DE Mario Addison: 1/71 snaps; did not compile any statistics.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
No rookies played any defensive snaps.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
DE Jabaal Sheard: 69/69 snaps; transitioned from RDE to LDE and impressed with a +4.3 overall grade; compiled 1 QB sack, 1 QB hit, 1 QB pressure, 3 tackles, and 1 assisted tackle. On his sack of Kerry Collins in the 4th quarter he stripped the ball and was able to recover it himself. It was a promising game and is an IDP rookie that I recommend scooping up while he’s still available.
DT Phil Taylor: 42/69 snaps; not quite the week 1 performance but solid (+1.4) nonetheless. Generated 1 QB pressure in 21 rushes but was able to notch a batted pass and 4 tackles. The fact that Taylor was taken out of the rotation on 19 pass rushing opportunities is most likely due to fatigue and 3 man fronts.
DALLAS COWBOYS
No rookies played any defensive snaps.
DENVER BRONCOS
SLB Von Miller: 62/69 snaps; for the 2nd consecutive week, Miller graded out at better than 4 with a +4.5 overall rating. Generated 1 sack, 2 hits, and 1 pressure on the opposing QB in 29 pass rushes, also getting 2 tackles for good measure. The one time he was targeted, Miller notched a pass deflection. In week 1 versus the run-heavy Raiders he rushed the passer just 14.7 percent of the time whereas in week 2 Miller went after the Bengals QB 46.7 percent of the time. Miller was seen as a pass rush specialist coming out of college, so that 46.7 is more like it.
FS Rahim Moore: 69/69 snaps; accumulated 4 tackles.
DETROIT LIONS
No rookies played any defensive snaps.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
No rookies played any defensive snaps.
HOUSTON TEXANS
DE J.J. Watt: 49/62 snaps; not quite the performance of week one grading -1.2 in pass rush garnering only 1 QB hit in 32 pass rushes while also getting 3 tackles and 1 assist. He did block a field goal though which made up for his lack of fantasy points. Unlike week 1 where he played every snap, Watt was rotated out for 13 snaps.
ROLB Brooks Reed: 6/62 snaps; did not compile any statistics.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
DT Drake Nevis: 38/71 snaps; hit the QB 1 time in 22 pass rushes while getting 4 tackles on the game.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
FS Chris Prosinski: 2/62 snaps; did not compile any statistics in his defensive debut.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
LOLB Justin Houston: 28/74 snaps; notched 1 tackle but only rushed the passer 5 times to no avail. That low amount of pass rushes is primarily due to the fact that the Chiefs were trailing all game.
DE Allen Bailey: 26/74 snaps; generated 1 QB pressure in 19 pass rushes but compiled zero tackles.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
CB Jimmy Wilson: 5/69 snaps; did not compile statistics or get targeted either of his 2 times dropping into coverage.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
DT Christian Ballard: 32/58 snaps; generated no pass rush in 22 attempts, which explains the -1.2 pass rush rating and notched an assist in the running game. Ballard’s snap numbers should go down with the return of Pro Bowl DT Kevin Williams from suspension.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
CB Ras-I Dowling: 26/72 snaps; gathered one tackle and was targeted one time for a 23 yard reception. The low snap count is due to a knee injury suffered in the 2nd quarter which sidelined Dowling for the rest of the game. Dowling returned to practice on Wednesday so the Patriots dodged a bullet on that one.
NEW YORK GIANTS
MLB Greg Jones: 14/69 snaps; in very limited snaps due to New York playing in coverage packages most of the game, Jones still managed to get 2 tackles in the only 2 running plays that he defended against.
WLB Jacquian Williams: 28/69 snaps; notched 2 tackles and an assist.
SS Tyler Sash: 2/69 snaps; did not compile any statistics.
NEW YORK JETS
DE Muhammad Wilkerson: 24/56 snaps; in a small amount of snaps due to the Jets defense keeping the Jaguars offense off the field, Wilkerson made some of his 1st round money with a QB sack in the endzone for a safety in the 1st quarter and also had 2 tackles.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
CB DeMarcus Van Dyke: 2/78 snaps; was not targeted and did not record any statistics.
CB Chimdi Chekwa: 4/78 snaps; allowed 1 catch for 5 yards and got the tackle on the play.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
MLB Casey Matthews: 53/64 snaps; accumulated 7 tackles and 1 assist. This week it was reported that Jamar Chaney would be taking Matthews’s spot at MLB and Matthews will be moved to WLB. The move will in all likelihood negatively affect the rookie’s fantasy production.
WLB Brian Rolle: 8/64 snaps; did not compile any statistics.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
DE Cameron Heyward: 7/51 snaps; Heyward was once again unable to get significant playing time and did not record any statistics.
ST. LOUIS RAMS
DE Robert Quinn: 42/76 snaps; making his rookie debut after being inactive week 1, Quinn notched his 1st career sack while also generating a pressure on 25 total pass rushing opportunities while also adding 1 tackle. Solid debut but his playtime will be worth monitoring when C.J. Ah You returns from injury.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
DE Corey Liuget: 48/72 snaps; a day to forget for Liuget. He graded out at a -4.1 overall struggling equally in run defense (-2.6) and pass rush (-1.7). The rookie compiled no QB disruptions in 31 tries and notched a measly one tackle.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
DE Aldon Smith: 25/70 snaps; took a nice leap forward by hitting the quarterback on two separate occasions in just 12 pass rushing opportunities, earning his +1.4 overall grade.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
No rookies played any defensive snaps but it is worth noting that rookie K.J. Wright has been named the starting SLB over Aaron Curry. K.J. Wright was mentioned in last week’s Rookie Report when he filled in admirably for the injured David Hawthorne at MLB.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
DE Adrian Clayborn: 31/69 snaps; registered 1 tackle and got 1 QB hit in 14 pass rushes.
DE Da’Quan Bowers: 19/69 snaps; generated 1 QB pressure in 6 pass rushes.
MLB Mason Foster: 60/69 snaps; a large increase in snap counts and deservedly so after his week 1 performance. Foster did have some lumps with his increased workload, primarily in run defense where he graded -1.6. Still, Foster produced well enough in terms of fantasy with 1 sack on just 3 pass rush chances and 7 tackles.
TENNESSEE TITANS
DT Jurrell Casey: 26/56 snaps; hit the QB once in 9 tries and add a tackle and assisted tackle.
OLB Akeem Ayers: 23/56 snaps; generated 1 QB pressure and 1 tackle while playing as a 2-down linebacker versus Baltimore. Big letdown after week 1’s breakout performance but no need to jump ship yet.
DT Karl Klug: 31/56 snaps; in 27 pass rushes Klug notched a sack, a hit, and a pressure. He also added a tackle all en route to earning a very nice +2.7 rating.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
LOLB Ryan Kerrigan: 50/50 snaps; the iron man once again, Kerrigan played in every defensive snap. He has earned his playing time by compiling a +4.2 overall rating. On the game, he got to the QB once for a sack and pressured an additional 4 times while also racking up 3 tackles. As if that wasn’t enough, the one time that Kerrigan was targeted in pass coverage he said “not in my house” while deflecting the pass away.
NT Chris Neild: 6/50 snaps; after registering 2 sacks in week 1, Neild was unable to increase his playing time and did not record any statistics in week two.
CB Brandyn Thompson: 4/50 snaps; was targeted once for a 12 yard completion and finished the game with two tackles.
And there you have it. By my count 48 rookies played a defensive snap in week 1, whereas just 43 played a down in week 2. It’s tough to say what the reason is but I like to think that the NFL coaches are just trying to make my life a little easier.
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