Ten weeks in the books, and it’s time to really start making that playoff push! Week 11 features only two teams with byes: the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos, meaning we’ll be without Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Troy Reeder, Jordan Fuller, Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, and Kenny Young, among others. If you’re in a pinch this week or just looking to add some depth, here are a few name to consider.
To qualify for this article, player must be under 50% rostered on Fantrax.
Defensive Line/EDGE
Marcus Davenport, New Orleans Saints
Marcus Davenport made his triumphant return to the Saints’ lineup in Week 7 to the tune of 1 assisted tackle. Ok, so not so triumphant. The good news is that things have certainly gone up from there. Davenport has seen his snap share increase in every game since, going from 63% in Week 7 all the way to 77% in Week 10. Since so many teams rely on a heavy rotation at defensive line, 77% is actually quite high. It looks as if he’s getting more and more comfortable out there, and thus has been given more opportunities. I always preach that you can’t expect much production without playing time, and Davenport is no exception.
Over the past two weeks, he’s totaled 3 sacks, tied for 4th in the league over that span. Now, is he likely to average 1.5 sacks per game for the rest of the season? Probably not. But as long as he’s out there and rushing the passer, he certainly has a chance. He’s rostered in only 34% of leagues.
Linebacker
T.J. Edwards, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles’ linebacker group has been a tale of two halves this season. For the first 7 weeks, you could count on Eric Wilson and Alex Singleton to be the primary LBs with guys like T.J. Edwards and Davion Taylor sprinkled in. A drastic shift took place in Week 8, as Edwards and Taylor took the reins. Singleton was on the field for only 34% of the snaps. Wilson, meanwhile was a healthy scratch, and he was released prior to Week 9. Singleton remains on the Eagles’ roster, but is now the clear 3rd LB, playing a total of 20 snaps over the past two games.
As for T.J. Edwards, he is the biggest winner from this transition. Week 8 saw him play 66% of defensive snaps, but he was up to 96% and 93% in weeks 9 and 10 respectively. With the extra playing time, he’s seen a sharp rise in production as well. Since the expanded role in Week 8, Edwards has 34 combined tackles, good for 2nd among all linebackers. Honestly, its rare to find an every down type of linebacker this late in the year without some sort of injury to the guy ahead of him. Edwards’ rostership percentage has shot up quite a bit, but at 42% it’s nowhere near where it should be.
Defensive Back
Jalen Thompson, Arizona Cardinals
Now here’s a guy that I can’t fully understand why he’s not rostered in almost every league. Jalen Thompsons has a nice 69 combined tackles this year, behind only Derwin James and Logan Ryan among all defensive backs! Come on, people. There is simply no excuse for him to still be available in 76% of leagues. The production is not a fluke. He’s played no fewer than 76% of snaps in any game this year, and has played 88% of the Cardinals’ total defensive snaps on the season.
Perhaps folks have been a little skeptical about jumping aboard the Thompson train since he wasn’t a consensus top safety during draft season like his running mate Budda Baker was. Now, it’s not as is Baker has been bad, but he has certainly been outproduced by Thompson for IDP this season. As shocking as that may be, we’re 10 weeks into the season, and we have to roll with what is actually happening, not what we projected. Baker is on pace for 100 tackles, which is nothing to shake a stick at, but it would represent his lowest total since his rookie season (and he even has an extra game this year).
Thompson, meanwhile, is on pace for 117 tackles, double his previous career high. Unlike years past, two Arizona safeties are worthy of IDP relevance, but it seems Baker (rostered in 92% of leagues) is still the only one trusted by most fantasy managers. Please don’t let this travesty continue in your leagues.
Thanks for checking in, and as always you can find me on Twitter @CantALoupe_FF. Good luck in Week 11!
