Every Tuesday I’ll be giving you the lowdown on which individual defensive players (IDP) to target for the upcoming week’s waiver wire, so without further ado here is this week’s under the radar prospects.
Defensive Lineman
Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers 2 – 3% of FAAB
Despite it being a bit cheap I’m going to list Cameron Heyward for the second week running in this column as it’s likely he is still available in plenty of leagues. Essentially my reasoning remains the same – he’s averaging 57.7 snaps a game since Week 6, up from 28.8 in his first four games. In his last four games he’s averaged 5.75 total tackles and had two sacks and two tackles for loss. For a player who is probably sitting there on the waiver wire and has been all season, that some pretty decent production. He doesn’t have a particularly high ceiling, but he’s established that as a 55 to 60 snaps a game player he has a high floor as far as defensive lineman go. He’s become an excellent player to turn to if you’re in a pinch or need some consistency.
Justin Smith, San Francisco 49ers 1 – 2% of FAAB
It certainly feels a bit strange to sit here and write a waiver wire article recommending two 3-4 defensive ends as pickups this week, but I’m calling what I see. Smith has been somewhat of a stalwart in IDP circles as far back as anyone playing IDP fantasy football can remember. He’s been a lock for 40-plus solo tackles since he donned pads (although he might finally miss that mark this year), but as a 3-4 end he’s never reached a double-digit sack total in a single season. Despite Smith looking a career low in tackles this year he has seen a bump in his production over the past two weeks, posting five total tackles, including one for a loss, in both games which grabs my attention. The return to the 49ers lineup of pass rushing phenom Aldon Smith will only serve to allow Justin Smith better matchups and don’t be surprised if he adds in a couple of sacks more the season is out. Again, this isn’t a huge upside play, and perhaps the floor is lower than usual, but there are reasons to want to tackle a gamble on Smith in the remaining weeks.
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Ross Miles is a Lead Writer for Pro Football Focus Fantasy. Follow him on Twitter –@PFF_RossMiles
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