Eyes of the Guru IDP Info: Week 3

The theme for week two was injuries. Several on both sides of the ball will have a major fantasy impact. While injuries stink for everyone, the silver lining is that other players, often young guys, will get an opportunity to play. Some of them will surprise us, and a few will likely use the audition to earn starting jobs. The only thing we can do is try to take advantage of their opportunities as well.    

Guru's IDP Notes on Arizona

Dennis Gardeck exploded in week two, racking up 6-0-3. Don’t be that manager who chases points, though. Arizona gets to play the Rams again, but it’s not this week. Gardeck had a career-high of seven sacks in 2020. He has seven total over his other five seasons. With three in the books already, There is a good chance that he’ll set a new career mark, but it will be a shock if he turns out to be more than a bye-week flier for us.

No Arizona linebacker had more than two solo stops versus the Rams. The game script was horrible, but the snap counts tell a story we need to hear. Kyzir White recorded seven combined stops. Only two were solo but at least he played 85% of the snaps. After a strong week one, Mack Wilson Sr. turned back into a pumpkin, going 0-4 on a 44% play share. Owen Pappoe was 2-1 on 31%, and Krys Barnes 2-2-1 on 38%. Unless you have White, stay away from this mess.

Guru's IDP Notes on Atlanta

The bad news for Falcons’ fans is that they are still struggling to find a consistent pass rush. The good news for those of us with Matthew Judon is that he has 1.5 of their 2 sacks to date. My only fear with Judon is that offenses will pile on to get him blocked unless someone else steps up to keep them honest. Right now, there is no one to be optimistic about.

Many IDP managers were disappointed when Troy Andersen and Nate Landman split time in week one. While we never wish injury on anyone, the loss of Landman to IR opened the door for Anderson to play 67 of 71 snaps in week two. There has never been any doubt about his talent or potential so Andersen’s nine-tackle performance should surprise no one. Put him in your lineup this week against the Chiefs.   

Guru's IDP Notes on Baltimore

The Ravens were in a big nickel on 87% of the snaps with Eddie Jackson seeing 76% as the third safety. So far this has made no impact on the stat sheet but Jackson can be productive if his role evolves.

Maxx Crosby got all of the attention with his big game against Baltimore but Jason Oweh put up better numbers at 4-1-2.5 with a forced fumble. This week Oweh gets a Dallas offense that gave up four and a half sacks to Aiden Hutchinson. One great week is not a trend but it is how they get started. Oweh was a watch-list player with breakout potential entering the season. It might be a good idea to pick him up this week for safekeeping. The price will be a lot higher if he has another good outing.

Marlon Humphrey spent most of week two following Davante Adams around. That translated into eight solo tackles, a pair of assists, and an interception. If he draws coverage on CeeDee Lamb this week as expected, we could see similar production.

There was not much opportunity for Baltimore’s linebackers in week two. The Raiders ran the ball 14 times. Roquan Smith managed a respectable 4-7 with a batted pass while Trenton Simpson was just 3-2. The good news for those with Simpson is that both backers were on the field for every snap.

Guru's IDP Notes on Buffalo

As someone with several shares of Terrell Bernard over my 14 leagues, it was depressing to see him walk off the field holding his chest. It turns out the news is not as bad as it looked. The injury is a strained pectoral. Bernard will miss some time but should be able to return in time to help us. The team is considering their options and could put him on IR, which would mean at least four games.

If you need someone to get you bye, seventh-round rookie Baylon Spector might be your guy. He took over for Bernard and played well. Spector finished the game with seven tackles and three assists on 82% of the snaps. He stayed on the field in sub packages and called plays in the huddle, so playing time should not be an issue. 

Gregory Rousseau fell back to earth after his big week one but it was not a complete crash. His snap count fell a little, to 68%, so that is something we will need to watch.  

Guru's IDP Notes on Carolina

Derrick Brown was an IDP star last year. With Brown landing on IR after the week one injury, A’Shawn Robinson steps into that role. Robinson is not Brown, but he has been productive at times over his career. Most importantly, he was 5-4 in week one and 6-0 in game two.

The Panthers have already made a change at quarterback. If the team can’t get some offense going, Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell will be worn out by the end of the season. They were 8-6 and 8-3 with a recovery respectively in week two when both played 100% of the snaps.

Guru's IDP Notes on Chicago

Kevin Byard III is the perfect example of why we should not overreact to week one. He opened the season with a one-tackle performance. That was enough for some impatient managers to let him go and pick up the flavor of the week. Those managers were undoubtedly kicking themselves when Byard was 7-4 with a fumble recovery in week two. Some managers may want to sit him one more time to make sure. That’s reasonable but he’ll be in my lineups this week.

Kyler Gordon Didn’t exactly blow up the box score on Sunday night but his 4-2 and a pass breakup were not bad for a corner. We often talk about pass rushers getting close and how pressures eventually turn into sacks. Gordon has come oh so close to making splash plays in each of the first two games. The role he is playing can be highly productive. If you start two corners, slip him onto your roster as your third and give Gordon a week or two.

Consistent production from the tackle position is not easy to come by. If you are looking for help, consider that Gervon Dexter Sr has a sack in each of the first two games.

Guru's IDP Notes on Cincinnati

The Cincinnati defense is playing pretty well overall but they find themselves thin at the tackle positions. Kris Jenkins Jr. is sidelined by a broken thumb, B.J. Hill left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and Sheldon Rankins was down a couple of times with Zach Carter and Jay Tufele finishing the game. Cincinnati signed Lawrence Guy Sr. to help fill the void and they hope to have Jenkins back soon.    

Guru's IDP Notes on Cleveland

Jordan Hicks is off to a mediocre start at best. He has six tackles and four assists over the first two games but added a sack and a pair of passes defended for a decent point total in game two. The bigger news is that Hicks had an increased role in week two. After seeing about 70% of the playing time in the opener, he was just shy of 90% against the Jaguars. The question is, will we ever get consistency in his snap count or will the Browns continue to be all over the place like they were last year? An 85% play share should be enough for Hicks to be relevant but we can't have 90% this week and 60% next or he’ll never be more than a bye week gamble for us.

The Browns used a combination of Ronnie Hickman and Rodney McLeod Jr. to replace Juan Thornhill at free safety.

Denzel Ward is dealing with a sore shoulder that caused him to miss most of the week two game. Cameron Mitchell would be the next man up if Ward is not available.

Guru's IDP Notes on Dallas

Are the Cowboys taking a page out of the Browns playbook when it comes to linebacker playing time? Dallas won a lopsided game in week one so the snap counts were skewed. They lost a lopsided game in week two, making it hard to tell exactly what is going on, but I don’t like what we are seeing so far. There is at least one point of consistency. Eric Kendricks played the most in the opener and was on the field for 95% of the plays in last week’s loss. At the least, he seems safe. After that, the situation is as clear as a mud fence.

DeMarvion Overshown saw the second most action among the linebackers in week one with Damone Clark a distant third and Marist Liufau playing nine snaps. In week two it was Clark at almost 70%, Liufau at 66%, and Overshown at 31%. Liufau is easy to explain. Dallas played more three LB packages against the Saints and Liufau is their strong side backer. It’s the flip-flop between Overshown and Clark that is concerning. If you have either of these two and can be patient, sit on them for another week and see what happens. Overshown has clearly been the more productive of the two but coaches don’t look at stats when making those decisions.   

Guru's IDP Notes on Denver

Baron Browning left Sunday’s game with a foot injury. An update on his status is pending and may not happen before the team’s Wednesday practice report. If Browning misses time, it will open the door for Nik Bonitto to get back in the starting lineup. He totaled eight sacks in 2023, most of them coming while Browning was out over the first half of the season. Some would argue that Bonitto is an upgrade. I would be inclined to agree.

Browning was not the only injury to Denver’s defensive line. John Franklin-Myers suffered a concussion and will need to clear protocol before he can suit up for week three.

Cody Barton’s snap total was up in week two. A 71% share of the playing time might be enough for Barton to put up decent numbers on some weeks but it will seriously limit his ceiling.

After a big opener, rookie corner Riley Moss managed three tackles for an encore. Don’t give up on him over a bad matchup though. The Steelers are still looking for a quarterback, the Buccaneers have one in Mayfield, who I expect to pick on the rookie mercilessly this week.  

Guru's IDP Notes on Detroit

Aiden Hutchinson lit up the box score in week two with a highlight reel game that included four and a half sacks. He is a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Week. The chances of him repeating that production this week are slim at best, but it is noteworthy that the Cardinals allowed three sacks to Greg Rousseau in week one. Hutchinson will draw the same matchup that Rousseau faced, so there is reason for optimism.

The snap counts looked off for Detroit’s linebacker last week. Derrick Barnes saw the most playing time because Alex Anzalone missed the last few snaps while being evaluated for a concussion. On Tuesday, Anzalone said he was feeling good but he has not been cleared yet. If he misses the game, look for Barnes and Jack Campbell to have three-down roles versus the Cardinals.

Marcus Davenport managed one game before missing time yet again, this time with a groin injury. Davenport did not practice last week and is in danger of missing week three. With the Lions already shorthanded on the edge, tackle Levi Onwuzurike saw some playing time on the outside in week two and is in line for more in week three.

Guru's IDP Notes on Green Bay

Javon Bullard put up strong numbers in his week one debut. His totals slipped considerably in week two when he produced three tackles and two assists. There may be more to this story though. He played every snap against Philadelphia but only 75% versus the Colts. While flipping back and forth between games on Sunday, I thought I saw that Bullard was banged up. Keep an eye on the practice reports this week.  His fellow rookie, Evan Williams, picked up the snaps Bullard missed and would get the start.

Isaiah McDuffie continues to get plenty of playing time but the numbers are not there. He was on the field for all but six plays against the Colts but could only muster three combined tackles and a pass breakup. If you are sitting on Edgerrin Cooper, be patient, his time is coming.