• Week 1 IDP Fantasy Football Reactions: AFC

    Uncategorized Posted on  —by Antonio Vasquez
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    The IDP Dude looks at some of the week 1 IDP performances in the AFC and what you should do moving forward

    Tennessee Titans, CB – Logan Ryan: 8 TOT, 7 Solo, 1.5 Sacks, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 95% snaps played

    I’ve already received a lot of questions about Ryan on whether he should be picked up and where will I have him ranked next week. First, pump the breaks! Ryan was in a position to capitalize on the woeful Baker Mayfield and didn’t disappoint. This pace of 128 total tackles on the season is not sustainable and highly unlikely. If you play in CB required leagues he’s certainly worth a look if not already rostered but I wouldn’t go chasing IDP points if CBs are not required in your league.

    Cleveland Brown, LB – Joe Schobert: 9 TOT, 7 Solo, 100% snaps played

    You could start to hear the off-season chatter surrounding the pair of rookie linebackers in Cleveland Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson but it’s still clear who the top dawgs are for the Browns. Although I expected Kirksey have the better stat line, both were strong plays and didn’t disappoint. Injury is always the concern but when healthy I’d continue to plug Schobert in every week without question.

    Kansas City Chiefs, FS – Juan Thornhill: 8 TOT, 5 Solo, 100% snaps played

    I was a bit off on my rankings not having Thornhill listed in the top 50 as of last Friday but word of him starting didn’t come out until Sunday. Now that we know he’s officially passed Daniel Sorensen on the depth chart there is no reason why he can’t be a solid DB2 moving forward. I think he showed what he’s capable of on the field yesterday and I enjoyed every second of it. He looks to have everything it takes to put together a beautiful rookie season. Grab him if he’s still available. Read more about Thornhill here.

    Jacksonville Jaguars, SS – Ronnie Harrison: 6 TOT, 6 Solo, 1 TFL, 91% snaps played

    I wanted to talk about Myles Jack here, but he had to go and get himself ejected for throwing a punch at my dude Sammy Watkins. Let’s pivot to Harrison. He paced the Jaguars squad in tackles which I thought he would and looks like he has a good shot at being one of the top tacklers on the team. Unfortunately, Harrison went down with a knee injury and although he came back in, he didn’t finish the game. He’s likely to be limited this week in practice and certainly a situation worth monitoring. Read more about Harrison here.

    Baltimore Ravens, LB – Patrick Onwuasor: 5 TOT, 5 Solo, 1 Sack, 1 TFL, 100% snaps played

    Through most of the game, Onwuasor appeared to be the best defender for Baltimore and it showed on the stat sheet. To be fair to everyone else on the Ravens defense, Miami couldn’t really do much to sustain drives. This ultimately limited for of the Ravens IDP to fight for scraps. I’d treat Onwuasor as a nice LB2 option moving forward and beware of IDP playing against the Dolphins in 2019.

    Miami Dolphins, LB – Jerome Baker: 8 TOT, 2 Solo, .5 TFL, 100% snaps played

    The Dolphins offense looked terrible out there and that’s why you should be firing up most of their IDP moving forward. I expect them to be on the field a ton this season and I expect to see teams stick with the ground game once their up big on the Dolphins. This should provide plenty of opportunity for Baker to clean up. He is who we thought he is. If you see Baker on your waivers, please go and get him now. Read more about Baker here.

    Buffalo Bills, LB – Matt Milano: 9 TOT, 6 Solo, 1 TFL, 100% snaps played

    It’s not very often you’ll see Milano pace Tremaine Edmunds in tackles, but it looks like they are both a good bet to finish with 100+ on the season. Though this was a nice game, looking and their schedule and my projections I’m expecting more around 5 to 7 tackles a game. Not to take anything away from his performance this week, I just can’t see it being sustainable. Milano is a great LB3 upside depth piece for me moving forward. Read more about Milano here.

    https://twitter.com/Cover_1_/status/1171015699646623744?s=20

    New York Jets, LB – Neville Hewitt: 8 TOT, 4 Solo, 1 TFL, 1 INT 99% snaps played

    If you don’t know about Hewitt, it’s about time you do. The next man up after Avery Williamson went down with a season ending injury, Hewitt may be the last man standing if the groin injury C.J. Mosley sustained in week 1 is serious. Hewitt filled in nicely and looked surprisingly good most of the game, until Mosley went down. It was clear he had some issues quarterbacking the defense and seemed a little lost, but they need him more than ever. He’s a great pick up if still available, better days ahead for Hewitt and you should capitalize on it.

    Indianapolis Colts, LB – Anthony Walker: 7 TOT, 4 Solo, 1 TFL, 56% snaps played

    Almost the identical situation I previously mentioned with Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds, apply it to Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker. Curiosity for me is his 56% of snaps played. Seemed really low but two sites reported the same number, so I’ll have to go with it. If he can pace the Colts in tackles on 56% snap share, he might be in for a bigger season than expected but I’d have to see it again to believe it. Treat his as a quality LB3/4 piece with upside. Read more about Walker here.

    Los Angeles Chargers, LB – Thomas Davis: 14 TOT, 7 Solo, 100% snaps played

    Sorry I won’t talk about Kyzir White here who also had a nice game, but Davis takes the cake in this contest. The ageless wonder looked like a maniac out there yesterday. It is very possible that Davis is the only stable piece of the Chargers LB core this season and that’s a little scary. While I don’t see this happening every week, it should happen more often than not and there’s little doubt from me that Davis could easily hit that 115-tackle mark on the season which is great for tackle heavy leagues. Davis was nearly free in drafts and widely available on the waiver wire, though that should change very soon when waivers are processed. Grab a ticket and get in line. Read more about Davis here.

    Cincinnati Bengals, DE – Sam Hubbard: 10 TOT, 6 Solo, 2 Sacks, 2.5 TFL, 4 QB Hits, 81% snaps played

    Stop what you’re doing and go get Sam Hubbard. This is not a drill! If you follow me on twitter @IDP_Dude then you know I’ve been pretty high on this guy all off-season. I’m glad to see one of my dudes’ flourish, I’ll take my victory lap on this one. Everything about his week 1 was great and should be rostered everywhere. There will be regression, he will not sustain these numbers, but he will be a solid DE2. I had him listed as a DL34 / DE27 on my weekly rankings, but he will certainly see a bump up for week two. Read more about Hubbard here.

    Pittsburgh Steelers, LB – Devin Bush: 11 TOT, 7 Solo, 76% snaps played

    Let’s be real, the Steelers should’ve had this kid out there from the very beginning of the game. Clearly the best weapon on defense, Devin is my candidate to win DROY. Unfortunately for IDP, you either have him or you don’t. If you don’t have him good luck trying to acquire him now. For those that drafted him, plug and play every week and if someone one wants him that bad, make them overpay big time. Read more about Bush here.

    New England Patriots, CB – Jason McCourty: 7 TOT, 6 Solo, 3 PD, 93% snaps played

    The McCourty twins had themselves a game yesterday. I think McCourty is a nice pickup here in CB required leagues for one reason, Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore looked fantastic out there and I don’t think many QBs will want to throw his way this season. Jason should benefit the most from this and looked rather quick out there so there’s something left in the tank. If your leagues don’t require you to play CB positions then I’d leave him be but if your looking for CB help or play the streaming CB game, Jason is your guy to target throughout the season.

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    If you liked this article, be on the lookout for my NFC week 1 reactions and more weekly reaction articles throughout the season!

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    Antonio Vasquez

    I'm an IDP enthusiast who spends countless hours mastering the dark side of the force.
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