Week 1 is in the books, and hopefully all of you are 1-0 in each of your leagues. But the past is the past, and all we're concerned about now is the future. So let's take a look at some players who might be available in your leagues who have some great matchups and could end up with big time numbers this week.
Pat Angerer: Dan Connor and Sean Lee got lots of waiver wire love this week amongst linebackers, but Pat Angerer is probably available in lots of leagues and should finish as the better play this week. Despite finishing with a healthy 9 solo tackles, 13 total tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, and 1 fumble recovery, I’m shocked at how little love he’s getting. But myself and Jeff Ratcliffe see the tantalizing matchup he has this weekend against the Cleveland Browns. Angerer should be able to have another very strong game against Peyton Hillis and company, and is a borderline LB1 this week. Make sure he’s not sitting there on your league’s waiver wire.
Kam Chancellor: It doesn’t get much better from a fantasy standpoint when you can get a defensive back who is built like a linebacker, and is the top scoring safety against the run with a 2.3 PFF rating, but is still a negative play in pass coverage with a negative 0.2 PFF rating. Chancellor showed off his elite IDP potential with a 10 solo tackle performance, with 2 of them coming for a loss, against the San Francisco 49ers last week. Make sure he’s not sitting on any waiver wires out there, especially as he goes into a juicy matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. He’s a no brainer DB1 this week.
Craig Dahl: St. Louis Rams safety, Craig Dahl, picked up where he left off last year against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, to the tune of 8 solo and 9 total tackles, and a negative 1.8 PFF rating. He’s shown to be poor in coverage, and a combination of the New York Giants vertical threats of Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham and their thunder and lightning backfield of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs should keep Dahl busy all day on Sunday. He should finish with another solid outing and is a must start as a DB2 this week.
Glover Quin: The Houston Texans converted cornerback, Glover Quin, had a pretty quiet debut against an over-matched opponent in Week 1, getting 2 solo tackles, 4 total tackles, and 1 pass defended against the Indianapolis Colts. Those types of games shouldn’t happen very often as Houston’s potent offense should keep opponents throwing early and often. Set to face the Miami Dolphins this week, Quin should be able to approach similar numbers as Patrick Chung was able to put up last week. PFF’s Jeff Ratcliffe projects him for 4.4 solo tackles, 5.7 total tackles, and 0.5 passes defended, and I’m going to confidently bet the over on all of those numbers. Start him with confidence as a solid DB2.
Kroy Biermann: This is the last call on Atlanta Falcons Kroy Biermann. He looks to be locked into an even timeshare amongst the Falcons top three defensive ends, and after the first week has only seen his snap percentage decrease by 6%, while still seeing the same amount of total snaps he averaged last year with 42. He was a prime breakout candidate coming into this season, and lost a bit of luster with the addition of Ray Edwards. But I’ve been preaching from the onset that this could actually work to Biermann’s advantage, as he’ll be facing offensive lines that are constantly getting pummeled by Atlanta’s three-headed monster at defensive end. Facing Mike Vick and the Eagles this week, Biermann should almost be guaranteed a sack, with the potential for more.
Ray McDonald: San Francisco 49ers defensive end, Ray McDonald, finished Week 1 with the eighth highest PFF rating (3.9) and the eighth highest amount of snaps (62) amongst all defensive ends. It’s not much of a surprise that the talented pass-rusher saw 69.4% of his total action on pass rushes, and if he continues to see this level of usage throughout the year, which he should, he could make for a solid defensive end with a shot at double-digit sacks. Although he’s playing Dallas this week, a team this that received the second highest pass coverage ranking in Week 1, the San Francisco defense should be on the field for more than long enough for McDonald to make some level of impact. He's a DE2/3 this week, with solid long-term upside.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @Eric_Yeomans
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