The preseason continues to roll on, although part of our problem in preparing for drafts is that teams are resting veterans to keep them away from injury or not being fresh to start the season. Those of us who drafted early have been devastated if we were relying on Jordy Nelson or Kelvin Benjamin as a top wide receiver to anchor your team. If you have been watching the preseason games, you may have been wondering where your targeted players are hiding. This is true even in the Week 3 preseason games, the unofficial “dress rehearsal” for the regular season. The situation is just as frustrating on the defensive side of the ball, unfortunately, and without seeing your IDP on the field, pre-draft preparation becomes dicey.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will try to identify some “under the radar” IDP you may want to take note of and keep in the back of your mind when you draft. I am obviously writing for those of us who have embraced what our Draft Guide is calling “The Next Thing.” By the way, if you have not yet taken the plunge to grab the Guide, I implore you to do so. You do not want your opponents to get an advantage over you this season, do you?
One area of IDP that can frustrate new players is the lack of coverage devoted to defensive tackles. DTs are not sexy, not in the way a defensive end that racks up sacks excites his owners. Some leagues, however, require that you draft one or more DTs, and unfortunately most of the rankings available do not differentiate between DTs and DEs, lumping all defensive linesmen together. To remedy that situation, here are a handful of defensive tackles that you just may find helpful in your IDP league pursuits.
- Aaron Donald DT StL/6
2014 Season Stats: 36 tackles/8 assists/8 sacks/1 forced fumble
2015 Projections: 40/10/8/2
Donald is going to look to build on an impressive rookie 2014 season. His stat line from last season provides ample evidence that the Rams were correct in making him the 13th overall pick in the draft. He collected seven sacks over his last nine games, and I project him averaging half a sack a game. The tackles will be there, something you definitely want from a DT in an IDP league. Playing alongside such notable DLs as Robert Quinn and Chris Long at DE and Michael Brockers at DT, and the newly added Nick Fairley should only help him to continue to post good numbers for an interior defensive linesman, and make him a worthwhile addition in leagues that require three DL slots for your starting lineup.
- Ndamukong Suh DT MIA/5
2014 Season Stats: 45/5/8/0
2015 Projections: 43/13/8/2
Suh made the move to Miami, leaving Detroit feeling shunted aside but also somewhat happy they no longer have the “most hated” NFL player on its roster. Suh has been productive despite being frequently subjected to a double team by opposing offenses, although it could be argued that his production over the past two seasons has not been up to the standards he originally set for himself. The Dolphin coaching staff will seek out ways to get him more involved in the defensive scheme, especially after the team signed him for an outrageous $114 million over the next six seasons. He is going higher in drafts than Donald, but I suspect that is based primarily on name recognition and not projected skill set. Still, as a DL2/3, he is a fine selection.
- Gerald McCoy DT TB/6
2014 Season Stats: 29/6/7/1
2015 Projections: 35/12/10/1
Like Suh, McCoy is working on a long-term multi-million dollar deal signed last October, although not as pricey as the one offered to Suh ($109 million over 8 seasons). He is the
big boy in the Bucs’ defensive line scheme, He missed three games due to injury, but still managed to rack up decent sack numbers, to go with 27 quarterback hurries over the 13 games he played in 2014. If he can stay healthy and on the field for all 16 games this season, look for his sack numbers to increase, and perhaps even build on his tackle numbers. At least, that is what my projections tell me.
- Jurrell Casey DT TEN/4
2014 Season Stats: 59/9/5/0
2015 Projections: 42/20/8.5/1
Casey was a disappointment with only five sacks in 2014, after compiling 9.5 in the previous campaign. Look for him to build back to something closer to double digit sacks, especially with the addition of Brian Orakpo to help add outside pressure. The Titans have adopted a 3-4 defensive scheme this season, which may mean that Casey will be reclassified as a DE instead of his prior DT designation (Note: both ESPN and Yahoo still have him listed as a DT). If you do not need to draft a DL3, then he becomes someone to keep on your watch list when bye weeks or injuries require you to grab a replacement DL.
- Kyle Williams DT BUF/8
2014 Season Stats: 33/10/4/0
2015 Projections: 34/16/5/1
Williams is likely to go undrafted, as the fantasy football community seems to forget about him every season. This is despite his typical high tackle numbers (he has averaged over 50 total tackles throughout his career with the exception of the injury-shortened 2011 season). His tackles and sacks were down dramatically in 2014, which will just add to the lack of interest at drafts. He is consistent and should rebound considerably this season, assuming he can stay on the field and replicate his 700+ defensive snaps that he put up in 2014.
There are additional DTs that merit your consideration, namely Geno Atkins in Cincinnati and Haloti Ngata in Detroit. If you have questions about them or my projections for this season for any IDP, just drop me a note.
Also, I am happy to assist you in developing your own rankings, based on your league’s settings. You can contact me at my e-mail address listed at the bottom of this post, and request a set of personalized rankings. I need to know how points are assigned and how many IDP spots your league uses in the starting lineup. Also, make certain to put “IDP rankings” in the subject line to help me locate your message among the many I receive daily.
Should you have questions regarding fantasy football, especially IDP, you can reach me at ia@fantasyalarm.com to continue the discussion.