Fantasy Football: Preston Brown among IDP waiver wire gems in week 3

I truly think the Fantasy Gods are messing with us … I truly do. They enjoy the pain and suffering of fantasy owners, as well as making us analysts look foolish since, well, we can all predict injuries. If you’re not using a 3rd string practice squad LB on your IDP squad, I offer my sincere applause. It’s obvious that this season is going to test our grit and patience (and this coming from a father of 2 young boys). Before we get to the IDP Waiver Wire for Week 3, he’s how last week’s suggestions panned out:

Willie Young, DE, CHI: 4 tackles/3 sacks
Wallace Gilberry, DE, CIN: 3 solo tackles
Chris Clemons, DE, JAX: 3 total tackles
Josh Mauga/James Michael-Johnson, ILB, KCC: 10 combined tackles
Vincent Rey, ILB: 1 assisted tackle
KJ Wright, OLB, SEA: 7 tackles
DJ Swearinger, DB, HOU: 3 solo tackles
Byron Maxwell, CB, SEA:4 solo tackles
Antoine Cason, CB, CAR: 8 solo tackles

On to this week’s picks:

Defensive Line

William Gholston, DE, TBB: Injuries have ravaged the Tampa defensive, especially, with the loss of Adrian Clayborn for the rest of the year. Gholston saw 45 snaps and recorded 6 tackles (4 solo) and added a sack.  From this point on, he’s getting the majority of the snaps and could be a sneaky source of tackles. He’ll be looked upon as a decent match-up play.

Jason Hatcher, DE, WAS: Coming off injury and moving to a 3-4 system, not much was expected out of Hatcher. He’s posted back-to-back weeks of double-digit fantasy points in most tackle-heavy formats. He abused the Jacksonville offensive line for 2.5 sacks and is looking like a DE3.

Michael Bennett, DE, SEA: Bennett has been involved on 119 defensive snaps and has been a force so far through 2 weeks. He’s posted sacks in back-to-back weeks and is getting to the QB in nearly 15% of his rush snaps. He and Cliff Avril are looking like a solid pair on the line.

 

Linebackers

Jason Trusnick, ILB, MIA: After being a special teamer and bust in Cleveland, Trusnick has found his way in Miami. An injury to Koa Misi has thrust him into a 3-down role. He played in 100% of the snaps and finished with 10 tackles (1 for a loss). He’s graded positively overall in those two games, which indicates he may not lose the job upon Misi’s return.

Preston Brown, OLB, BUF: It appears that Brown has overtaken Keith Rivers on the strong-side and has earned a 3-down role. Brown has been in on 100% of the snaps this season and has recorded a 12.9% tackle rate through two weeks. He’s worth looking at as an LB3.

Brandon Marshall, OLB, DEN: I wanted to get another week of Marshall and he’s proved it to me. Marshall has been involved on 100% of the snaps this season and now has 18 tackles (3 for a loss). He’s also throwing in his share of big plays with a sack and 2 defended passes. He’s looking like a strong LB2.

 

Defensive Backs

Corey Graham, CB, BUF: It’s hard to continue to ignore Graham. He’s been in 144 snaps so far on the outside and has seen double-digit targets back-to-back weeks. While he’s posted 13 tackles, he’s making plays on the ball on 32% of his targets. He’s looking like a solid CB2 in leagues requiring a cornerback.

Dashon Goldson, FS, TBB: Goldson has been a strong IDP, posting an impressive 4:1 solo-to-assist ratio in the first two weeks. With the weakness up front, Goldson will play near more the line of scrimmage, as now more than 30% of his run snaps are in the box.

Bradley Roby, CB, DEN: Roby is spending his time in the slot and handling his duties very well. He’s posted 13 solo tackles and has been thrown at 17 times in 2 weeks. As a rookie, he’s going to be tested and is well worth a look in dynasty leagues requiring a CB.

 

Mike Woellert is an IDP Contributor for FakePigskin. Follow him on Twitter @Mike_Woellert and here for his IDP analysis throughout the season.

Target, grading and rush snap data courtesy of Pro Football Focus