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
Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit Lions 5 % of FAAB
It is important as a fantasy owner to be able to acknowledge your mistakes, move on and not hold a grudge, and that’s where I find myself with Ansah. I wasn’t high on him during the draft process and although he landed in one of the better spots for rookie lineman in this class, he wasn’t a guy I was targeting in drafts. Well after five weeks of football I’ve seen enough from Ansah both in games and on the stat sheet to say that he is a player I’d now want on my roster. He has three and a half sacks on the year and has four hits and eight pressures as well, flashing the big play ability his size-speed combo promised. His tackle output has been low in games, but you’re playing Ansah for his ability to sack the signal caller, so don’t be put off by his low tackle production.
Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets 1–2 % of FAAB
This week’s recommended defensive lineman pickups are all rookies, and partly that’s because as fantasy owners we need to target upside, and no IDP position encapsulates that more than defensive lineman. The transition to the pro game is not an easy one, and we’ve seen some very good pass rushers such as Mario Williams and Chris Long take some time to find their feet, but Sheldon Richardson is making an impact from the get go. With two and a half sacks to his name and three games with five-plus total tackles, Richardson has shown he can be a consistent fantasy scorer which gives owners the confidence to put him in their starting lineup on a weekly basis. He’s a player I have grabbed in multiple leagues myself and I recommend that my readers do the same, in all scoring formats.
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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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