Linebackers
Jaylon Smith (NYG): Don’t look now, but Jaylon Smith’s back! He had struggled mightily, especially in coverage, when he was last on the field, but he did put up six solos and an assist with only half the defensive snaps for the Giants. The G-men have been horrid in run coverage, so there could be some tackles to be had here. He’s still just 27, so there may be a couple of years’ worth of production here if he has the wheels under him. Tread carefully, though.
Jahlani Tavai (NEP): As incredibly difficult as it is to trust a Patriot linebacker for fantasy purposes, we do like Tavai’s skill-set as it compares to the rest of his cohorts on the Pat line. He had eight total tackles this past Sunday while getting 75% of the snaps, second only to the fairly uninspiring Ja’Whuan Bentley, who doesn’t do much more than rack up assisted tackles. Tavai could prove useful as a bye-week filler later in the season if the snap counts remain over 75% per week.
Joe Schobert (TEN): First it’s Jaylon Smith, now it’s Joe Schobert coming back onto the scene! Zach Cunningham is on the mend. Schobert filled in admirably with four solos, a couple of helpers, and a forced fumble against the Colts last week. And he did that with only 24 of the 66 defensive snaps. If Cunningham remains out (or proves ineffective upon his return), we all know what Schobert is capable of. Definitely worth a speculative add based on those facts.
Defensive Linemen
Jihad Ward (DE - NYG): Interestingly enough, upon the return of the best edge defenders the Giants have in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, Ward’s been at his best, tallying six solos, four assists, a forced fumble, a sack and a pass breakup in the past two weeks. The rangy Ward is worth a look, especially with the DL spot razor-thin available talent on the wire.
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