Week 1 IDP Fantasy Football Reactions: NFC

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

Green Bay Packers, S – Raven Greene: 6 TOT, 5 Solo, 1 PD, 77% snaps played

Greene is probably going to be one of the hottest waiver wire targets this week and rightfully so. Heavy usage in the box and played up near the line of scrimmage most of the night against the Bears. He looks like a LB out there but listed as a safety, this could be a great cheat code if your looking for some safety help this week. Things could get muddy next week as I’m not entirely sure how secure his role is moving forward but certainly worth the pickup if it’s not too late.

Chicago Bears, LB – Roquan Smith: 5 TOT, 4 Solo, 1TFL, 98% snaps played

Smith was off to a fast start making the first two stops of the game and fizzled out from there. Don’t panic, Smith played a great game and looked rather explosive out there. I don’t expect too many games where he puts up five or less tackles so I would continue to plug and play every week until further notice. Leonard Floyd also looked great out there and could provide you with some OLB depth but I wouldn’t expect this type of night week in week out.

Los Angeles Rams, S – Taylor Rapp: 8 TOT, 4 Solo, 48% snaps played

Victim to a flying knee to the dome from Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey, Eric Weddle was knocked out of the game which led to additional opportunities for Rapp to shine. He didn’t disappoint. Hellbent on proving Asians can play football too, Rapp is in a prime spot to start chipping away at Weddle’s snap count and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Rapp’s usage increase dramatically over the next few weeks. Weddle is 34, Rapp is the future and should be rostered everywhere in dynasty leagues. Read more about Taylor Rapp.

Carolina Panthers, LB – Shaq Thompson: 9 TOT, 7 Solo, 1 PD, 97% snaps played

Is this finally the year of the Shaq attack? I’m going to say no, but it was nice to see some positive results in the IDP stat sheet. Overall his game was alright, seemed to be a step behind in coverage but that usually leads to more tackle opportunity which is what we saw in week 1. Let me be clear, don’t expect him to pace the Panthers in tackles, but you could do worse if you needed him as a LB2/3 at some point this season. Read more about Shaq Thompson.

Atlanta Falcons, LB – Deion Jones: 5 TOT, 5 Solo, 62% snaps played

Don’t freak out. I know everyone was expecting a monster return game with 13 tackles and everything under the sun, but the reality is that didn’t happen and that’s fine. First, let’s remember that this was his first real game back. Second, Jones got trucked by Dalvin Cook very early in the 1st quarter and that could’ve contributed to his lower than normal snap count. Either way, don’t worry and if you can take advantage of an owner who is, then make that deal and don’t look back.

Minnesota Vikings, CB/S – Jayron Kearse: 9 TOT, 6 Solo, 1 PD, 58% snaps played

Fools gold, for now. Even though I do expect Minnesota’s big nickel / slot corner role to be somewhat valuable, I don’t think it will come from Kearse unless injuries occur in front of him which it did week one. Alexander Mackensie went down with an elbow injury and Mike Hughes who is coming back from an ACL injury last season, are both preferred starters for the Vikings over Kearse. With Hughes’ possible return this week and Mackensie to possibly miss a few week pending a MRI, Kearse’s stint as a starter is on borrowed time.

Washington Redskins, LB – Cole Holcomb: 8 TOT, 7 Solo, 2 TFL, 68% snaps played

The rookie was ballin out there and now we know why Washington decided to let Mason Foster go this offseason. Here’s the thing. I can’t trust him yet. Should he be picked up, yes. Should you start him week 2, possibly. Will he be a certified stud, we don’t know? I certainly liked what I saw from him but tread carefully and treat him as an LB3 or flex play until we know his role and snap share will be.

Philadelphia Eagles, DE – Derek Barnett: 4 TOT, 3 Solo, 3 QB Hits, 82% snaps played

I’ve been driving the Barnett bus all off-season so to see it come to fruition was nice. He looks exactly how I thought he would. Sure, a couple miscues with penalties left a bad taste for Eagles fans but IDP wise he looked stellar. No sacks but 8 pressures in the game, it’s only a matter of time and You need to get him on your squad like yesterday.

Seattle Seahawks, DE – Jadeveon Clowney: 2 TOT, 1 Solo, 1 Sack, 1.5 TFL, 1 PD, 1 QB Hit, 62% snaps played

Overall it was a pretty solid debut for Clowney with the Seahawks. I think the change of scenery will be good and the best is yet to come. I expect some big games from him and you don’t want to miss out. Keep him in your lineup every week.

Detroit Lions, S – Tracy Walker: 9 TOT, 9 Solo, 1 TFL, 2 PD, 1 INT, 100% snaps played

Welcome to the starting safety life Tracey Walker! I believe he was the only Lions defender that played 100% of snaps week 1. I love Quandre Diggs but Walker may be the safety to own in Detroit. I’ve seen him slip or even go undrafted in a lot of mocks I participated in so chances are he’s available until waivers are processed so grab a ticket and get it line. We should see more of this in 2019. Read more about Tracy Walker.

Arizona Cardinals, FS – Budda Baker: 8 TOT, 7 Solo, 100% snaps played

The grumblings of Budda playing FS and not be as viable is rubbish. He is the best defender on the field and his versatility is was makes him valuable. If you bought into the hype that his role as “free safety” wouldn’t make him very usable, I’m sorry you passed on him. He looked like his 2018 self before the injury and he’s a plug and play moving forward. Read more about Budda Baker.

New York Giants, S – Jabrill Peppers: 7 TOT, 6 Solo, 99% snaps played

Jabrill looked ready to rock and paced the Giants in tackles. It’s scary to think that Peppers is probably the best player on that defense, but he’ll have plenty of opportunities to put up decent tackle numbers throughout the season. Solid fringe DB1/2. He’s no Landon Collins but I’m not sure he needs to be with the 7 playing in front of him. Read more about Jabrill Peppers.

Dallas Cowboys, LB – Leighton Vander Esch: 10 TOT, 9 Solo, .5 Sack, .5 TFL, 1 PD, 2 QB Hits, 94% snaps played

Absolute stud muffin. Best defender for the Cowboys. He is who we thought he is. He might lead the league in tackles. I love this kid.

San Francisco 49ers, LB – Fred Warner: 9 TOT, 7 Solo, 1 PD, 100% snaps played

Even though he paced the team in tackles, I wouldn’t get to giddy just yet. Kwon Alexander had an amazing start and looked like he was headed for a monster game before getting ejected for targeting the head of his former teammate Jameis Winston. Warner is a nice LB3 option, but I expect Kwon to be the top dog and master of tackles starting week 2. Read more about Fred Warner.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, LB – Devin White: 6 TOT, 5 Solo, 100% snaps played

White was one of few who saw 100% of the snaps which is promising but it’s clear he’ll be playing second fiddle to Lavonte David most of the season. White should be a viable back end LB2 – high end LB3 moving forward with a few nice games mixed in there. Don’t be discouraged by the box score, good things are in store for the young Buc (pun intended).

New Orleans Saints, LB – Alex Anzalone: 5 TOT, 5 Solo, 1 Sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB Hit, 46% snaps played

Stat sheet looks pretty darn good for a guy who played less than half the snaps. I was a bit disappointed in how much he played but I would expect his snap share to increase along with him production. Whether it was a game plan or just the need to ease him back in after recovering from a shoulder injury, Anzalone should really be on everyone’s roster as a solid depth piece who could turn into an every week starter once we see a consistent and higher share of snaps. Read more about Alex Anzalone.

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If you liked this article, check out my AFC 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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