Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 4
Nick Fairley, Defensive Tackle
There are a lot of things going wrong in the New Orleans Saints’ defense. In fact, as of Week 3 finishing, the Saints are on pace to be just as bad as -- if not slightly worse than -- their historically awful defensive production by numberFire’s value metrics last season. Part of this is due to the absence of defensive tackle and highly-selected first-round rookie Sheldon Rankins, who should have keyed this team’s pass rush in its transition to a 4-3 front. All is not well as the Saints appear headed for another high draft pick in 2017.
Defensive tackle Nick Fairley is trying his best to carry the load in the middle of the Saints’ defensive line, and has soaked up a whopping 13 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in his first three games. His 1.5 sacks are tied for the team lead with star defensive end Cameron Jordan, which tells you a lot about a defense that is tied for 21st in the league in sacks. Fairley himself is well worth a look, though, as the primary source of interior pressure for this team.
In Week 4, specifically, he will get to attack the San Diego Chargers’ offensive line, which has given up the 15th-highest sack percentage allowed to opposing defenses and the 2nd-most quarterback hurries in the league. Last week, the lackluster Indianapolis Colts’ defensive line didn’t earn any sacks against the Bolts, but nose tackle David Parry did pick up a solid 4.5 fantasy points. As a pass-rushing defensive tackle, Fairley is mostly a sack-or-bust player in Week 4, but the Saints will likely go down early, and the Chargers could run the ball a ton and give him ample tackle volume as they try to kill the clock.
Fairley is available in 97.4% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 3.58 tackles, 0.31 sacks, and a total score of 4.79 fantasy points in Week 4.
