Most players won’t find their way into my lineup in their first game back from eight weeks off for knee surgery. But most players aren’t Myles Garrett.
The Rams are expected to finally get their star edge player back for the first time since his surprisingly ineffective season opener. That was the game that convinced Garrett that he needed to fix his knee issue. And because of the deliberate timeline of the return, it’s easier to believe that he’s ready.
But how much will he play?
“He might be in a slight pitch count, but I think they’ll let him out for the most part,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said Saturday. “He’s not going to play the whole game, but he’s going to play a lot.”
Garrett played 61.5% of defensive snaps while dealing with a knee issue in Week 1. It’s not hard to imagine him returning to that snap share, which is below every previous full-season rate in his career.
The following statistics are also not difficult to imagine. Garrett will be back against a Washington team that both have starting QBs that rank in the top half of the league in pressure rate for the season.
LT Brandon Coleman has allowed the seventh-most pressures at the position, according to Pro Football Focus, including 3 sacks in three games since Jayden Daniels returned.
Those three contests saw Daniels take 5, 4, and 2 sacks, against defenses that ranked 29th, 19th, and 32nd (respectively) in sacks per game for the season.
So if you’ve been sitting on Garrett in your IDP league up until this point, fire him for Week 9. He sits low in DL2 territory for scoring balance, but the ceiling goes up a lot more than that, especially in pressure-friendly scoring formats.
One Return, One Absence Transformed Houston’s Secondary
Houston DB Jalen Pitre hasn’t played since spraining the AC joint in his left shoulder in Week 5. But that will change this Sunday after he follows the bye with a full week of practice.
Pitre’s return complements a Chargers offense that has given up more fantasy points to DBs than any other this season, and his role as the primary slot corner will keep Pitre heavily involved in coverage against Ladd McConkey and TE Oronde Gadsden.
The injury helped push Pitre’s listed rate up to 8% in Sleeper IDP leagues as of Saturday morning. Don’t be afraid to take him and start him where available (like I did with my major league IDP).
Safety Damage Presents Another Option
S Reed Blankenship will miss his second straight game, as Houston removed him while recovering from a concussion and hand injury. That meant a second straight start for veteran MJ Stewart.
The journeyman compiled a game-high 12 tackles along with a half-sack and a pass breakup in the Week 7 OT loss to the Giants. He spread his playing time among “box” reps, deep safety, and the slot in that one.
Expect fewer slot reps with Pitre back, but Stewart should continue to see plenty of time in the box. Blankenship has been the more frequent box player compared to fellow safety starter Calen Bullock. And coverage has never been Stewart’s strong suit.
Like Pitre, Stewart will benefit from a high-upside matchup with the Chargers and will be a sneaky starting option in the Week 9 DB rankings.
Week 8 Numbers Lied for Browns Rookie
Elsewhere at safety, I get interested whenever I see an increase in production from Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. The second-round pick had the kind of college career that makes you excited about his pro IDP upside.
So I noticed when he finished second on the Browns with 9 tackles in last Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, wondering if that meant a jump in playing time. It didn’t happen.
Well, to be fair, his 52.5% snap share against the Steelers marked a significant increase from 30.2% the game before. But that’s nowhere near a usable level. And it’s the second-biggest snap share we’ve seen from a rookie this season.
McNeil-Warren played 94.7% of the snaps in a Week 6 game in which S Grant Delpit left early, but he’s been a part-timer otherwise.
Delpit remains signed until 2028, with dead-cap numbers likely keeping him around. But Ronnie Hickman — the other starting safety — has a contract that expires after this season.
That paves the way for McNeil-Warren to potentially start as soon as 2027, and he’s worth a dynasty stash where you can get it. Just don’t expect much this season unless the starter goes down.
Colts Rookie is in luck
I included LB CJ Allen among the waiver pickups this week after giving up his first career start last week. One game of evidence is obviously not enough to assure us that the second-round pick will remain in that role, but team leader LB is trying to help.
Akeem Davis-Gaither will miss Sunday’s game with a knee injury that kept him out of practice all week. The streak of missed days also casts doubt on his status for Week 10, though we’ll see about that.
Of course, it will help Allen’s chances that even a healthy Davis-Gaither remains not very good. Here’s what Colts blog Horseshoe Heroes had to say about the vet after Jacksonville’s Week 8 stomp:
“Akeep Davis-Gaither has been pretty bad this season, and he probably won’t start any defense that Lou Anarumo doesn’t coach. Notably, he had another disaster class against Liam Coen’s [offense]both on the ground and in range. Davis-Gaither missed a few tackles and did nothing but get some cardio while Brenton Strange and Brian Thomas Jr. was hauling passes in front of him. He may be carrying the green dot, but he should be off the field in Week 9.
That came before we knew the injury would sideline Davis-Gaither, but it points to potential motivation for a rebuilding Colts squad that leans on its second-round rookie.
I’ve laid out before how Davis-Gaither’s career clearly shows that he’s nothing more than an NFL backup. Anarumo — who previously coached him in Cincinnati, where Davis-Gaither spent most of his time as a backup — remains DC. But I’d bet on that ending after this season, based on the poor results for the defense this year.
So Allen should at least have a full run this week against the Cowboys. And then we’ll see more of that. His speed and timing alone make Allen an intriguing LB3 for Week 9, with the LB2 rising this week and beyond.
Can We Find A Sleeper LB In Detroit?
As I discussed earlier this week, Lions MLB Jack Campbell appears to be done for the season after suffering a gruesome neck injury against the Vikings that sent him to the hospital. Now we can see what the replacement plan looks like.
The main question is who performs the green dot duties, which means relaying the play calls from the coordinator to the defense. And that’s important because that player is likely to see full playing time. (A team may only place one green dot helmet on the field at a time.)
On Thursday, DC Kelvin Sheppard said they haven’t decided exactly how to approach it, with Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez being the main candidates.
Not that much is the case for Barnes, who has played 80-100% of the snaps in five of seven games this year. He’s also a consistent stat provider no matter where the snap share resides within that range.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, becomes a sleeper source for tackle production if he fills or nears full playing time. He can reach that range even without wearing the green dot, but having play-relay duties will solidify the role.
For now, Barnes remains the unit’s best playing time bet, while Rodriguez is in play for deeper IDP leagues. Even if you don’t want to use him this week, consider keeping Rodriguez in those leagues so he can potentially be used in later weeks.
Pay Attention To These Questionable Falcons
We still don’t know if LB Divine Deablo or Edge James Pearce Jr. will play. on Sunday morning against the Bengals. The team considered both men questionable. But the status of each is worth watching even if they aren’t candidates for your IDP lineup.
Deablo’s return from a two-week (so far) arm injury will likely drop Kendal Daniels from full-time to less. The rookie has played no more than 67% of the snaps in any of the first six games, with snap shares varying below that level. He played every snap the last two weeks, however, and delivered double-digit tackle totals in each outing.
I’m expecting Deablo to play after he finished the practice week with a full Friday. But Daniels will be worth starting against the Bengals if Deablo is inactive again.
Meanwhile, Pearce is out with a late-week back injury. This makes him unavailable in IDP lineups even if active for the game. Inactivity, however, will delay the return of a man who spent the first eight games suspended.
Pearce was absent due to legal issues stemming from a domestic-abuse case with an ex-girlfriend. If he misses this week, we’ll have another chance to get him back before the Week 11 bye.
However, on the other side of the bye, sit fascinating sack matchups with …
- Minnesota on Sunday 12
- Cleveland on Sunday 14
- Washington on Sunday the 15th
- Tampa Bay on Sunday 16
So it’s worth looking at Pearce as a potential stash in sack-friendly IDP leagues while we wait.
Who is in the IDP Lineup?
Having trouble figuring out which IDPs to slot into your lineup each week? The Team Dashboard combines our 3D Projection with the details of your situation to give you a clear picture every week.
Jared and I talk about some offensive lineup decisions in this Week 9 video.