RADIO
Week 9 saw the No. 1 team in the AFC power rankings lose, the No. 1 team in the NFC’s preseason power rankings lose (for the fifth-straight time), and the other AFC contender have to come back and win in overtime. In each of those games, defensive stars made a big impact. Josh Allen threw a hail mary in Sauce Gardner’s direction on the final play of the Bills-Jets game. It didn’t work.
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Lions safety Joseph Kerby stopped Packer drives in the red zone and left their division rivals without so much as a field goal multiple times. Titans DE Denico Autry sacked Patrick Mahomes twice.
Last week, I made Malcolm Rodriguez and Isaiah Simmons my top two waiver wire adds. Rodriguez had a down game in Week 9: just two solo tackles and two assists. But Simmons went off: six solos, two assists, and a sack. Now, look at who I recommend for this week.
Joseph Kerby, S, Detroit Lions
Rostered in ~0% of MFL Leagues
The Lions’ third-round rookie has been impressive since he became a defensive starter in Week 4. He was a turnover machine at Illinois, making five interceptions and two fumble recoveries his senior year. He’s been a turnover machine in the NFL, forcing two fumbles and picking off two passes in the past three games. Both his interceptions of Aaron Rodgers in Week 9 came when the Packers QB was targeting the end zone.
In a game the Lions won 15-9, those plays could have been the deciding factor. And Kerby’s 10 combined tackles and three pass defenses, in addition to his picks, could have been the deciding factor in your fantasy game if you had started him.
Don’t feel bad if you didn’t. No one else did either, but he is worth considering going forward. Watch for news about his concussion though, to see if he will be able to play in Week 10.
Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets
Rostered in ~40% of Leagues
No one who has been paying attention needs to know how good the Sauce is as a football player. He’s a great fantasy player too. He has made a pass breakup in eight of his nine games and multiple pass breakups in three games. His tackle numbers have been up and down, but he’s made 21 combined in the past three games.
Denico Autry, DE, Tennessee Titans
Rostered in ~50% of Leagues
Every other week, Autry makes a sack. He has 7.0 on the season, two passes tipped, and a forced fumble.
Kader Kohou, CB, Miami Dolphins
Rostered in ~0% of Leagues
I mentioned him in my Week 5 waiver column. The undrafted rookie, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ivory Coast, won a starting job and made some tackles and pass breakups. He is making more and more tackles each week: six in Week 8 and eight—all solos—in Week 9.
Dexter Lawrence, DT, New York Giants
Rostered in ~50% of Leagues
Dexter Lawrence is solid at tackle-making as far as DTs go. He has made four or more combined tackles in five games. That’s a lot for a DT. He has made four sacks this year. He is coming off a bye week, so a.) he might have been dropped in your league during the bye week, and b.) you won’t have to worry about his bye week for the rest of the season.
Steven Nelson, CB, Houston Texans
Rostered in ~0% of Leagues
The Texans CB made a sack and forced a fumble against the Eagles. The week before, he picked off Titans QB Malik Willis. He has five or more combined tackles in three of the last five games.
Javon Hargrave, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered in ~40% of Leagues
After taking down Davis Mills three times on Thursday Night Football, the seven-year veteran suddenly has five sacks in the past two games. He also made six solo tackles in each of the past two games. There was no way to predict this eruption. Hargrave’s been playing over 90% of the snaps each week, so it’s not due to increased playing time. Defensive tackle is an unpredictable position in IDP fantasy football, so sometimes you have to ride the wave.
Jerry Hughes, DE, Houston Texans
Rostered in ~40% of Leagues
A boom-or-bust defensive end, he’s been booming in Weeks 8 and 9. He made 2.0 sacks against the Eagles and 1.0 sacks against the Titans. This is the second time he’s been on a run of sacks. I included him on my waiver wire list in Week 3 after he had 4.0 sacks in the first three games. After that, he had no sacks for the next three games and only four tackles.
So he’ll probably do nothing for the next few weeks after you add him until you drop him.
Martin Emerson, CB, Cleveland Browns
Rostered in ~0% of Leagues
In two of his past three games, the rookie had six solo tackles and two pass defenses. He also made a sack in Week 7. Watch out for the return of Denzel Ward (concussion), because that would limit Emerson’s playing time if Ward can make it back by Week 10.
Other Intriguing Adds
Falcons CB Cornell Armstrong has been doing a good job filling in for A.J. Terrell, who is week-to-week and has missed the past two games, but his season might be over when Terrell does return.
Seattle CB Michael Jackson has made five or more solo tackles in his past four games.
Carolina S Myles Hartsfield has made six solos in three of his past four games.
Cut Frankie Luvu?
What is wrong with Panthers LB Frankie Luvu? Ever since he missed two games with a shoulder injury and then returned in Week 7, he hasn’t been making as many big plays as he used to. He made 26 combined tackles from Weeks 2-4 but only 12 in the past three weeks. Is lingering shoulder pain limiting his time on the field? He has only played between 66% and 75% of the plays in the past three weeks. After being an LB1-2 in the first three weeks, he’s only been an LB4-5 in the past three. Make him a cut candidate.
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