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 are this week’s under-the-radar prospects.
Defensive Lineman
Lamarr Houston, Oakland Raiders (ESPN: 1.6 percent owned) 5-10% of FAAB budget
Sometime you can look at a piece of data and be dumbfounded; you question its validity and have to do a double take. That’s what IDP gamers playing on ESPN should be doing seeing as Lamarr Houston is only owned in 1.6% of IDP leagues. LB Quinton Coples (6.3 percent) and DT Stephen Paea (3.4 percent) are both owned in more leagues than the Raiders’ premier pass-rusher, which is downright perplexing. Houston may not be the flashiest of names, but his high tackle floor (118 total tackles in the last two seasons) and sack upside puts him firmly into DL2 territory, and his sack upside — which had been previously highlighted by Jeff Ratcliffe — has shown through. Despite only one sack on the year so far, Houston’s 16 combined quarterback pressures (one sack, one hit and 14 hurries) sets the pace for the rest of the NFL. This week’s matchup with Denver is not ideal as QB Peyton Manning gets the ball out quickly, but it isn’t a regular occurrence that a player of Houston’s caliber can be picked up from waivers.
Brian Robison, Minnesota Vikings (ESPN: 3.1 percent owned) 5-8% of FAAB budget
Brian Robison is a guy who pops up in these conversations on a regular basis. He’s a borderline fantasy starter most weeks and often gets a second look from IDP owners who know that he plays opposite one of the league’s best pass-rushers in DE Jared Allen, leaving Robison with plenty of one-on-one matchups. Although he is yet to register a sack this season, Robison ranks fifth in our 4-3 defensive ends pass-rush productivity ratings with his two quarterback hits and 11 quarterback hurries, so he should soon open his account in that regard. A matchup with Cleveland in Week 3 should prove bountiful as the Browns have conceded 11 sacks through the first two weeks, seven to defensive lineman and five to left defensive ends (the side Robison rushes from). To top it off, the Vikings follow up their game against the Browns by hosting the Steelers and their porous O-Line in Week 4, which is a cherry on the top for the owners who grab Robison this week.
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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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