Going to do things a little differently this week as we wrap things up for the 2017 season. Instead of plucking sleepers off my leagues' waiver wires, I am going to take a look at our staff dynasty rankings (from past 200 days) and highlight a handful of players (in the bottom third of these rankings) that I think you'll want on your roster come 2018 and beyond. They likely won't be free agents but if your league is still allowing trades, maybe you catch their owners sleeping or this could be a guide for the off-season.
Linebackers
Alex Anzalone (NOS): The knock on the rookie from Florida was his inability to stay healthy. Maybe there's some poor man's Sean Lee here in that when healthy, he can gobble up stats, but the guy is more like Glass Joe than Mike Tyson. Not exactly blown away by the linebacker talent in the Big Easy, so there will be a huge opportunity for Anzalone in 2018. I picked him up for next to nothing in hopes he can stay off the trainer's table next season. He has LB2 upside.
T.J. Watt (PIT): I really like Watt in big-play formats. He's got 6 sacks and 5 passes defensed this season, but only 27 solo tackles. If he can get some more regular playing time and get those tackle numbers up, he could be a decent LB3 with upside in most formats. He's starting and getting nearly 100% of the snaps, so that's a good start.
Antonio Morrison (IND): Morrison is not going to get you anything but tackles, but the tackles could be aplenty for a defense that will struggle in the coming seasons. There are no other linebackers currently on the Colts roster that is much of a challenge to him in terms of regular tackles, so if you want a steady 12-15 points a week, Morrison is your guy. Could be cheap based on the fact he doesn't really produce anything but tackles.
Defensive Linemen
Derek Rivers (DE - NEP): Trey Flowers has been pretty good for the Pats but Rivers seems to be oozing a little more talent. Having a solid guy like Flowers on the other side could give Rivers some opportunities once his knee is 100% and he gets up to speed in 2018. Should come super cheap and in a position like defensive line where pickins tend to be slim, you need to throw a dart or two.
Vinny Curry (DE - PHI): The Eagles defensive coaches rotate lots of fresh bodies in and out on a game-by-game basis but it looks like Curry is one of their favorites. Chris Long is long in the tooth and while Derek Barnett has shown flashes, Curry tends to outsnap him - just barely and for now. If Barnett still needs more seasoning, Curry could be a nice DL2 play in 2018.
Timmy Jernigan (DT - PHI): See above related to the Eagles' defensive rotation, but Jernigan is a talent that could see an increase in snaps come 2018. Fletcher Cox gets the majority of the interior snaps (and rightly so) but Jernigan should see his sack and tackle totals rise in 2018 with more regular usage and the ends commanding more attention. A decent add in leagues that force you to start the defensive tackle position.
Defensive Backs
Bradley McDougald (S - SEA): Seems like one of Kam Chancellor or Earl Thomas will be hurt for the Seahawks. McDougald has nice positional flexibility and a fairly high floor. He won't wow you with big play stats but it seems like his tackle potential is pretty consistent. On a defense like Seattle's having a jack-of-all-trades on your roster can come in handy fantasy-wise. He's young enough to stash in larger formats.
Jimmie Ward (S - SFO): Eric Reid's future is up in the air and even if he remains with the team, there's talk of moving him to linebacker full-time. So either way, and even with Jaquiski Tartt being a potential stud, there should be tackles and big-play opportunities for Ward in 2018. He was seeing 100% of the snaps when he was plugged in as a starter.
Bashaud Breeland (CB - WAS): With Josh Norman playing opposite him, Breeland will be a consistent source of passes defensed and tackles. He is not in jeopardy of losing his #2 corner job and the opportunities should continue to funnel his way in 2018 and beyond. For leagues that start cornerbacks separately, you can plug him in most weeks and get a handful of tackles and 1-2 pass breakups.
