RADIO
After watching countless shootouts in Week 3 of this cray-cray NFL season, and seeing two of our waiver targets from last week go down with an injury (Christian Kirksey & Emmanuel Moseley), I know what you're thinking. Why do we even bother drafting defenders? Clearly, defense doesn't matter in the NFL anymore. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons, right? If anything, defense is optional for NFL teams. So why shouldn't it be for fantasy players?
Wait… you mean you weren't thinking that? Was it just me? Oh… well, good. That means my job as "that idiot who talks too much about defense" is safe at Rotoballer for at least another week! I better make this thing count, before you start thinking the things I was thinking for you, huh? So let’s get to it!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:
- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
IDP Settings
As a reminder, we will use the following IDP designations/league settings for our FAAB recommendations:
- Standard Scoring Leagues: This system usually rewards 1-point per tackle, 3-points per sack, 4-points per turnover, and sometimes offers 2-points for a tackle for loss (TFL) or pass deflection (PD). Standard leagues also usually only start one DL, LB, and DB, respectively. You will always prioritize your FAAB budget towards offensive players in Standard Scoring IDP leagues, though you shouldn't underestimate the value of adding a great defender in them.
- Defense Premium Leagues: Defense Premium leagues tend to try to make defensive players worth as much as offensive players. Commissioners often accomplish this by rewarding 2-points per tackle, 3-points for TFL or PDs, 4-points per sack, and 6-points per turnover. In these leagues, you don't necessarily prioritize offensive players on waivers. While it is a case-by-case analysis, defenders in these leagues can often be worth as much as most offensive waiver additions.
- Deep Defense Leagues: These are leagues that have you start a full defense, or require you to start CBs and DTs, or they are leagues so deep (think 16 team leagues) that at least 32 players at each position (DL, LB, and DB) start every week.
- Dynasty Leagues: This is self-explanatory to most. Dynasty leagues are those in which every player you draft/add is on your team until you trade or release him.
Now that we have that explanation out of the way, let's get to this week's top adds! Remember that we will only address defenders who are rostered in less than 30% of IDP leagues on ESPN, Yahoo, or other prominent sites. We will also do our best to avoid obvious additions. While players like Myles Garrett are somehow rostered in only 31% of ESPN IDP leagues, we assume that anyone reading this material knows to add Garrett if they can.
1. Antoine Winfield Jr., DB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I know you have heard me lecture on the merits of Jeremy Chinn to the point you’re sick of him and me. That said, I was even higher on Winfield Jr. coming out of this NFL Draft than I was Chinn. In fact, I had this son of a Viking ranked amongst my top-20 prospects in this class. Winfield Jr. was lower on my fantasy radar only because it was assumed he would need time transitioning into his role as a deep safety in the NFL, and that the lack of an offseason would hurt his immediate development. So far the Boston College product hasn’t needed any time to acclimate at all, however. He has logged at least six tackles and a big play (PD, sack, etc.) in every game this season. Winfield Jr. has the talent to continue this production, or exceed it, too. He is worth rostering in ALL formats and he will likely crack my top-ten DB list in Week 4.
Standard Scoring FAAB: 4%
Defense Premium FAAB: 4%
Deep Defense FAAB: 8%
Dynasty: 6%
2. Marcus Maye, DB, New York Jets
Maye was on our waiver column last week, but if you want me to stop talking about him then you have to roster him in more leagues! Right now, he is on only 20% of IDP rosters despite making 25 tackles, two sacks, three PDs, and forcing a fumble in just three games. He is proving himself a set-it-and-forget-it starter in even the shallowest of leagues. Hopefully, he will be added in enough leagues that you won't have to read about him next week.
Standard Scoring FAAB: 4%
Defense Premium FAAB: 6%
Deep Defense FAAB: 8%
Dynasty: 4%
3. Jeffery Simmons, DL, Tennessee Titans
Simmons has so much talent that the Titans used a top-20 draft pick on him, despite him tearing his ACL just two months before the Draft. The Titans didn't even know if Simmons would play during his rookie year, yet they still selected him 19th overall. That was a bold investment, and yet Simmons has paid near-immediate dividends in just 12 games as a pro. Simmons plays with the same tenacity and pass rush prowess as a young Chris Jones, and he repeatedly collapsed the pocket against the Vikings this past week. Expect Simmons to get home and finish more sacks as this season continues. He is likely already rostered in Deep Defense leagues and deep bench dynasties. If he is free in either of those formats, however, you should add him before his box score reflects his on field impact.
Deep Defense FAAB: 3%
Dynasty: 3%
4. Jeremy Chinn, DB/LB, Carolina Panthers
Another holdover from last week's column, but are you really surprised? I told you all summer, and last week, to roster this guy. Still, less than 7% of IDP managers have Chinn on their roster. He totaled 12 tackles this week, so hopefully that number goes up. I will continue to harass you about Chinn until he is rostered in at least 25% of IDP leagues.
Standard Scoring FAAB: 3%
Defense Premium FAAB: 3%
Deep Defense FAAB: 7%
Dynasty: 6%
5. Jon Bostic, LB, Washington Football Team
Bostic is having a quietly steady season in Washington so far, no doubt aided by the fact he plays behind a terrifically talented defensive line. Bostic has not registered less than seven tackles this season, and on top of that he has registered a TFL in every game. While it may be easy to write off Bostic's stats so far as a hot start out of line with his career production, remember that Bostic logged over 100 tackles in his first season with Washington last year. Plus, he has never played behind Chase Young before. If Young can return healthy soon, Bostic has an excellent chance of continuing his fantasy starter pace behind this defensive line. He is worth adding in all redraft leagues that start two LBs per team. His age (29 years old) makes him less attractive in dynasty setups, though.
Standard Scoring FAAB: Add After Waivers Clear (aka Wait)
Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
6. Isaiah Simmons, LB, Arizona Cardinals
Simmons being on this list may not make much sense to those who actually read my articles. Simmons has always been a worthy dynasty asset, but we have been fading him in redraft leagues because of Arizona’s crowded LB room. His fantasy fade may end soon, however. Rumors out of Arizona (per Josh Alper at NBC Sports) are that the Cardinals could try Simmons at Safety sometime soon, which I have been actively hoping for, thanks to injuries to starting safeties Budda Baker and Chris Banjo. Simmons got experience playing Safety in college, and he has the athleticism to rack up similar stats to Baker's if he is playing at the back end of this defense. Simmons is worth a speculative add in pretty much all IDP leagues, except for Standard leagues with a shallow bench.
Standard Scoring FAAB: Wait
Defense Premium FAAB: Wait
Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
Dynasty: 3%
7. Yannick Ngakoue, DL, Minnesota Vikings
Lost in just how bad the Vikings' defense has been is Ngakoue's two straight games with a strip-sack. These sacks have come with zero help from the secondary, nor from Ngakoue's defensive linemates. The former Jaguar has a history of notching strip-sacks throughout his career, and it is encouraging that his last two were against good offensive lines. When Danielle Hunter returns, Ngakoue could see less offensive attention and benefit from quarterbacks flushing towards his side and away from Hunter. Ngakoue is young enough (25 years old) and talented enough to merit stashing in all leagues. Though he is rostered in less than 12% of IDP leagues, he is likely available only in Standard and shallow Defense Premium leagues. Add him to your bench in most IDP leagues, but feel free to start him immediately if you can get him in a Deep Defense setup.
Standard Scoring FAAB: Wait
Defense Premium FAAB: 2%
Deep Defense FAAB: 3%
Dynasty: Wait
8. Cameron Jordan, DL, New Orleans Saints
Yes, we have faded Jordan for the past few weeks due to some tough matchups overall. He has lived down to those expectations so far, too. Jordan is still a talented player on a good defense, however, and right now, he is rostered in less than 17% of IDP leagues. That is low for a player who has finished as a consistent top-ten defensive lineman in numerous IDP formats over the years. Consider buying low on him in redraft leagues and playing him when he has better matchups than he had in Week 3.
Standard Scoring FAAB: Wait
Defense Premium FAAB: Wait
Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
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