Welcome fellow IDP fantasy owners to volume 7 of my newest weekly article. For those of you just reading this for the first time, each week I am going to recap the top performances of a handful of rookies. e will look at how they did the past week, what it means going forward and, most importantly, the impact in the fantasy world. I hope this will help your fantasy rosters. Let's jump right into this week's write up.
LB, Bradley Chubb, Denver Broncos Last week I stated that Chubb had his breakout performance and that it could be the start of big things to come for him. Well, he followed up that big performance last week, with another one this past Thursday night versus the Cardinals. In that contest, he had three tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. If you're keeping track, that's eight tackles and five sacks in last two games. He's finally playing like the top 5 pick of the draft, he was chosen as. Whether you believe in hot streaks for players or not, it does happen. So now that Chubb has heated up, get him in your lineups and reap the rewards.
LB, Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts Leonard has made this list almost every week, but he continues to impress and exceed expectations. He had another brilliant performance against the Bills in week seven, in which he recorded a stunning seventeen tackles and a fumble recovery. He's had at least nine tackles in every game this season and this past game made the fourth game in which he recorded at least thirteen. He has seventy-nine total tackles on the season, which averages out to just over thirteen per game. He's the clear front-runner for DROY honors at this point. If you have him on your roster, just set back and enjoy!
S,Jessie Bates, Cincinnati Bengals If you have been following this series, then you know that safety Jessie Bates has quickly become one of my favorite rookies. He has been one of the most consistent players in this rookie class. He has tallied eight or more tackles in five of the seven games so far this season and had a career high twelve in Sunday nights loss to the Chiefs. On the season, he has a total of fifty-three tackles and two interceptions. He's still available in a number of leagues and he shouldn't be. Go check yours now and grab him, if you can.
CB, Holton Hill, Minnesota Vikings With the loss of fellow rookie Mike Hughes, Hill gets his chance to be the next man up. In his first opportunity for significant reps, he played very well. Versus the New York Jets, he would record three tackles, two pass breakups and get his first career interception. He showed he can be very disruptive in pass coverage. Playing on one of the top defense's in the league, he can just play relaxed and make plays. He's a solid play in cornerback required leagues and can be picked up off waivers in most leagues. A great dynasty league or taxi squad stash.
LB, Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo Bills The Bills have found a gem in linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who is one of former NFL tight end Ferrell Edmunds, twin sons. Tremaine has been a consistent force in the middle of the Bills defense. He has recorded at least seven tackles in every game but one and he had six in that one. That's an average of almost eight per game. Right now, he's one of the few set it and forget it options, in IDP. If not for Darius Leonard, he might be the leader for DROY honors.
CB, Parry Nickerson, New York Jets After only managing three total tackles in limited action, over the first four weeks, Parry has been playing some good solid football recently. In the last three weeks, he has recorded seventeen tackles. Everyone knows how rookie corners get picked on and that means lots of opportunities to make plays. If you play in deep position specific leagues, you should stash this guy on your roster.
LB, Roquan Smith, Chicago Bears This is the second week in a row, that Roquan has made this list. While he didn't have the high tackle numbers from last week, but he did record a sack and have a couple more pressures. While he's inconsistent now, I expect that will come next. Even with the inconsistency, I still consider him a top IDP play. Temper your expectations, but feel confident about when and where you start him.
Thanks for reading my article and if enjoyed it, you can read more of my articles at dynastyfootballfactory.com. You can also follow me on Twitter at Hollywood@DFF_DWin, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub I'm user KingTitan1 and you can tune in each week and listen to the IDP EdgeCrushers podcast that I co-host. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I'm always glad to help fellow IDPers.