Having fully exercised my deficient attention span this past Sunday thanks to NFL Red Zone, pro football stats sites, and recovering from a dance with the India Pale Ale seductress I plan to make this entry snappy. When the ball is snapped all players on the rectangular-shaped field engage in the play. When one engages in a play the opportunity to tally fantasy football points increases. Therefore, the more plays one engages in the more chances that player has to increase your fantasy point total, which in turn gives you a greater chance to bust out the Urkel dance in your kitchen after decimating your competition. Though this idea is simplistic in premise it seems to carry significant weight while identifying undervalued/overvalued IDP players. The brilliant folks over at Football Outsiders released their 2012 snap count post this week. Working from the dreaded “small sample size” (sweet reggae band name) of a single week we can still gather some speculative data that could have you riding the exclusive sleeper car within the fantasy points gravy train (clarification: I see the “fantasy points gravy train” being a replication of the train that appears out of nowhere in those Coors light commercials spreading joy, albeit with better beer).
William Gay (DB) – 100% of Defensive Snaps and 27% of Special Teams Snaps (Ownership: Y! = 1% and ESPN = 0%)
The former Steeler slot corner is now getting heavy run (not the opening scene from the Biggest Loser) for “Steelers West” also known as Arizona. Oddly enough, I don’t have tremendous affection for him this week against the Pats as I think the second half will be the Ridley show, but he should be monitored as a fill-in option with upside.
Janoris Jenkins (DB) — 99% of D. Snaps and 20% of S. Teams Snaps (Y! = 2% and ESPN = 1.4%)
Rookie that blasted through the combine will be targeted repeatedly this season on the opposite side of the angry Irish-named lad Courtland Finnegan. Jenkins should be a solid play against RG triple sticks and the ‘Skins in week 2.
Harrison Smith (DB) — 98% of D. Snaps and 38% of S. Teams Snaps (Y! = 5% and ESPN = 8.1%)
Great match-up this week on the road against the Colts and should be extra fired up following Notre Dame’s recent jump into a major conference in collegiate football **esoteric assumption**.
K.J. Wright (LB) — 100% of D. Snaps and 37% of S. Teams Snaps (Y! = 1% and ESPN = 4%)
Wright was in “the right place at the right time” while preseason darling Bobby Wagner only saw half of the game’s defensive snaps. Wagner is the play long-term, but if you’re desperate in a 14 plus team league Wright’s price is enticing as an LB4.
Larry Foote (LB) — 100% of D. Snaps and 14% of S. Teams Snaps (Y! = 1.3% and ESPN = 2%)
The 32 year-old Foote outplayed Lawrence Timmons (a.k.a. the freakish athlete with vomit-inducing IDP stat-lines) and was a factor in Mile High for week 1. He’s cemented into James Farrior’s previous spot in the LeBeau 3-4 and should be a cheap source of production this IDP season.
Cameron Jordan (DE) — 100% of D. Snaps and 22% of S. Teams Snaps (Y! = 2% and ESPN = 5.6%)
Working as the bookend to temporarily vindicated bounty-gate member Will Smith, Jordan, was the tackle-keeper’s best friend in week 1 posting an eye-popping 11 total tackles from the end position. This production is destined to drop off, but I’m stashing to ensure I’m plucking every precious morsel of defensive line tackle production the free agent pool keeps afloat.
