In fantasy football, there are some new trends that I enjoy writing about: dynasty leagues, and individual defensive player leagues. This weekly column will combine two of those by discussing two 
young IDPs. I will give my scouting thoughts on how they played a particular week. Today I will be discussing Arizona rookie safety Deone Bucannon and third year Denver linebacker Brandon Marshall.
S-Deone Bucannon, ARZ- The rookie defender plays a hybrid linebacker/safety position which keeps him in position to defend the run and the pass equally well. He drops back into coverage quickly, has good vision and anticipation to discern where the play is going. Bucannon moves well laterally, showing no wasted movement getting to the ball carrier. There were a few times he dropped back deep into coverage, but he is better taking on athletic tight ends near the line of scrimmage. The young safety is a solid, punishing tackler who limits their yards after the catch. Bucannon has the speed and quickness to hang in coverage with slot receivers and running backs too. He reads the quarterbacks eyes well.
The young defensive back needs to improve on his ability to shed blockers who get in his way, especially if Bucannon is going to play that close to the line of scrimmage. He does play with some reckless abandon which the Cardinals might want to curtail with the honey badger on the field at the same time. Bucannon is an excellent special teams player too, so his rotating out of some defensive game scripts shouldn’t cause his dynasty owners to lose out on possible point opportunities. I like him as a DB3 for now, but he can certainly grow into a Morgan Burnett role which could make him a borderline top ten fantasy defensive back. With all of Arizona’s defensive injuries, it is a bit difficult to predict their safety usage with any certainty.
LB-Brandon Marshall, DEN- This third year inside linebacker stepped up after Nate Irving went down early in the year. He moves well laterally, uses good vision to find the ball quickly. Marshall is a good tackler, who controls the ball carrier’s hips to bring them down. When asked he can knife thru the line of scrimmage to get great penetration, but needs to be more under control so the backer doesn’t miss more tackling opportunities.
Marshall drops back into coverage quickly against the opposing tight end. He breaks on the ball and keeping stride with his responsibilities. The linebacker does not give up on plays and goes from sideline to sideline chasing down the ball carrier. I love the way he keeps his arms cocked ready to disengage from blockers in his way. Unfortunately, he injured his foot towards the end of the first half of the game and did not return. Marshall is a decent player, but more of a LB3-4 who might not get healthy enough to help you in a championship run. It will depend a lot on the health of his fellow Denver linebackers for his value. If you have him, he is a hold, otherwise I would look elsewhere.
Do you like what you are reading? Do you want extra insight at the Senior Bowl? Please donate using my PayPal button to make sure I attend this year’s Senior Bowl Game and the week of practice before the game. You can follow me on Twitter @AndrewMiley or the site @Dynasty_Blitz.
Advertisements
