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Entering this season, IDP managers faced a down year in individual defensive player rankings. Specifically, it was a season without a clear and unquestioned top-overall defender who should be drafted before all others. Shaquille Leonard was once this type of fantasy defender, but he lost that crown to injury and competition on his own team. His heir to that throne was T.J. Watt, whose fantasy value was in question after an injury-marred 2022 season.
Fast forward just a few weeks, and it's abundantly clear that we have a true standout IDP star this year. The performance of T.J. Watt has been on par with some of the best years in his career, if not better. He shows no signs of age or injury and dominates despite multiple missing pieces around him. Watt is on an unsustainable pace of 106 pressures and 34 sacks, but his metrics and film suggest he will lead the NFL in sacks.
Watt clearly sits atop the list for those looking to trade for a defender. He’s dominating the DL position and producing like an LB1, even in casual scoring. He is the defensive equivalent of Christian McCaffrey. Watt is probably cheaper than you’d expect in casual formats, too. Because casual IDP managers usually undervalue defenders, it’s worth checking his price. In a 12-team standard league, I'd package Foyesade Oluokun, Tutu Atwell, and Nick Bosa to get Watt.
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Casual IDP Streamers and Fades
Stream: Will Anderson Jr., DL, Houston Texans
Anderson will see the same ups and downs as any rookie, but he's earned a positive pass-rush grade in two of three games. Anderson remains a strong tackler and powerful edge, too. He also has a solid matchup with Pittsburgh on tap.
The Steelers offense is tied for 12th most in pass attempts and have yet to establish the run despite attempts to do so. The Steelers' offensive line has four negatively graded pass blockers and one with average grades, and their whole offense is the lowest graded pass-blocking team on PFF. They are allowing 16.3 pressures per game and multiple quarterback hits every week.
Houston’s offense has been much more effective than was expected, so don’t expect the Steelers to establish an early lead and hold it with the run. In fact, do not be surprised if the Texans actually take the lead and force Pittsburgh to throw. With that in mind, Anderson is a fine flyer in many formats.
Stream: Reed Blankenship, DB, Philadelphia Eagles
Blankenship is currently the 42nd most-started DB in fantasy for Week 4 and the 45th most rostered. Blankenship ranks as DB20 overall in casual scoring despite missing Week 2 due to injury. Thus, Blankenship is undervalued as one of the more productive players on an Eagles team with a ferocious pass rush.
Sam Howell has been sacked 19 times this year, and 9.8% of his throws are considered "Bad Throws" by Pro Football Reference. Blankenship and the Eagles should have ample opportunities against a Commanders team that throws the ball at a league-average rate. Expect Washington to throw more than usual against Philly.
Fade: Frankie Luvu, LB, Carolina Panthers
Luvu is currently dealing with a hip injury, which is an injury that could limit his mobility if he plays. If Luvu does play, he will be going against a Vikings team that runs the ball less than any team in the league and sends targets deep or to the boundaries 48% of the time. That’s usually a poor formula for linebacker fantasy opportunities.
There is potential for Luvu to perform this week if he's healthy. He is utilized as a pass rusher and in coverage, but there are concerns about his ability to do either effectively with a hip injury. I plan to be without Luvu in shallow leagues. I want more info on his injury before starting him against a Minnesota team that could limit his tackle potential.
Fade: Haason Reddick, DL/LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Reddick got off to a slow start before igniting in the second half of 2022. Given his established track record as a pass rusher and his role on a strong defense, odds favor another rebound for Reddick at some point this year. That said, it's hard to trust him in shallow leagues until that happens.
Reddick is currently the 16th most started DL in fantasy for Week 4 and the 14th most rostered. He also has a solid matchup against a quarterback who has been sacked 19 times in three games. That said, the Temple product is struggling with a thumb injury that has limited him to zero sacks, one half-tackle, and eight quarterback pressures in three games. That production should make you very nervous, even in shallow leagues.
Premium/Deep League Streamers and Fades
Stream: Boye Mafe, DL, Seattle Seahawks
Mafe played 73% of Seattle's defensive snaps last week, and he notched a sack in a solid matchup. His film at the University of Minnesota showed massive upside, but he was raw. Last week, he registered eight pressures and showed flashes of matching his potential. Now he gets a Giants line that may still be missing Andrew Thomas and has allowed 53 quarterback pressures.
Stream: C.J. Henderson, CB, Carolina Panthers
Henderson left last week's game early due to injury, but he's not currently listed on Carolina's injury report, per ESPN and NFL.com. If Henderson plays, he should play a lot with Jaycee Horn out. Given their usage this year, he should also see a lot of Justin Jefferson. The Vikings are the most pass-heavy offense in the league, and Henderson is available in 99.8% of IDP leagues. He is a deep league stream only, but a viable CB2.
Fade: Michael Hoecht, DL/LB, Los Angeles Rams
Hoecht has been outperformed by teammate Byron Young, a rookie who makes our stash list for the second time this week, every game this season. Hoecht is rostered in twice as many leagues as Young, though. Hoecht is more rostered than Javon Hargrave, Kwity Paye, and Jalen Carter, despite each player outperforming him in casual fantasy points and advanced pass rush metrics.
Hoecht has graded negatively in every aspect of PFF’s system, except he’s seen as an average pass rusher. That said, his pressure rate is just below 10%, which isn’t good. He’s also going against a Colts offense that allows pressures at a lower-than-average rate this year. So, Hoecht has one thing he’s not doing poorly, which his Week 4 opponent handles pretty well.
Fade: Isaiah Simmons, DB/LB, New York Giants
Let's start by making something clear: I know why people hold onto Simmons. He is a former first-round pick with a linebacker build and athleticism to play deep. He has DB eligibility, but he comes down in the box… when he actually plays. The Giants also traded for him, so they must hope he can turn into something better than he is. Why wouldn't you stash a DB who can rush the passer, play in the box, and go deep?
Unfortunately, multiple players who are readily available on waivers have just as much upside as Simmons, with a higher probability of reaching that upside. Players like Jack Campbell, Chase Young, Brian Branch, and Alohi Gillman are all young defenders with upside and play more than Simmons. Their roles are established or guaranteed to grow, yet each is rostered in fewer IDP leagues than Simmons.
Defenders Worth Stashing
Byron Young, DL, Los Angeles Rams
I’m carrying Young over from last week’s list because he's still not rostered in enough leagues. Last week, he was one of my stash recommendations when his roster rate was lower than 2%. Now he's at a healthy 4.4% in IDP leagues. That's still low, considering he is becoming a viable weapon who plays nearly every down for the Rams and has split a quarterback takedown every game of his career.
I was higher on Young than most in this year’s NFL Draft, giving him a second-round draft grade. The Rams seem to agree, trusting him in pass and run support. Young has outperformed pre-season darling (Michael Hoecht) and should be more rostered than Hoecht by now. The Colts are not an ideal matchup, so he’s tough to start in most formats this week, but Young should be rostered in more leagues.
Kerby Joseph, DB, Detroit Lions
Joseph may seem obvious since he was regularly in our DB2 rankings last year as a rookie and is a starter for a surprising Lions defense. However, the Illinois product is rostered in just 0.9% of IDP leagues. That's an incredibly low rate, given Joseph's age, performance, and role on his defense.
Joseph is likely available for two key reasons. One is his health. The second is Brian Branch's ascension and how it could impact Joseph's role. The answer to the first issue is that Joseph's injury isn't considered long-term; he was a limited practice participant on Monday. The second answer is that Branch shouldn't hurt Joseph's playing time or production too much, since the rookie handles the slot and acts as a third safety.
Drew Sanders, LB, Denver Broncos
Sanders is a long-term name to know and largely a dynasty stash. He came out of Arkansas as a versatile 'backer primarily used as a pass rusher. Sanders had the build to handle the middle with some seasoning, but he wasn't a particularly strong tackler in college so he was seen as a project with upside.
Much has been made of Payton's frustrations with the team he has inherited and how they are playing. As a result, Sanders was made a starter in Week 3… which coincided with the Dolphins hanging 70 on Denver. Statistically, Denver's defense was noticeably worse with Sanders as a starter than without. However, that's a small one-game window that doesn’t tell us much about the ‘Bama transfer’s value or potential.
Sanders jumps onto our list for a couple of reasons. One, he has dynasty upside as a pass rusher. Second, he is one of the lone linebackers on the Broncos who was brought in under Sean Payton’s regime. While he wasn't effective in his first start, he did earn a start early in his career, and draft capital was invested in him. Do not be surprised if he earns more playing time and fantasy points as the season progresses.
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