IDP Breakdown - Week 2 Edition

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore

Home Stats Crew: High volume total tackles; Assist-heavy

While the Steelers struggled last week as a unit, Cameron Heyward had a strong outing, recording a sack and four total tackles. This isn’t a shocker, as Heyward is someone we’ve discussed in the past. However, in a week where many studs floundered, don’t get too carried away with Heyward. He’s still a back-end DL2 until further notice. … With Ryan Shazier on the field, Lawrence Timmons’ lack of speed is becoming painfully obvious. Timmons is dropping down my season rankings faster than he runs. … Troy Polamalu racked up 11 total tackles (6 solo) in Week 1, but he didn’t look particularly impressive. I wouldn’t take this as Polamalu returning to an elite fantasy option. If faced with a choice between Polamalu and Mike Mitchell, I still prefer Mitchell for the season.

Despite having a decent statistical day, Daryl Smith really struggled on the field in Week 1. He had trouble shedding blockers against the run, and didn’t quite look as good as he did last season in coverage. Like the situation in Pittsburgh, it’s likely that the rookie will end up being the better fantasy option. C.J. Mosley didn’t light the league on fire in his regular season debut, but he flashed at times. His upside is much more intriguing than Smith’s limited ceiling. … Speaking of Ravens linebackers, Arthur Brown has been the subject of trade discussions this past week. There’s no further news on this story, but Brown’s dynasty stock would obviously rise if he’s moved.

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Jeff Ratcliffe is the Assistant Managing Editor and resident IDP maven of PFF Fantasy.  

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