Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 5

Henry Anderson, Defensive End

Henry Anderson has been a rookie revelation since the Indianapolis Colts selected him out of Stanford this year. The big guy has looked like the second coming of Justin Smith in his right defensive end spot on the Colts’ 3-4 line. He was a sixth-round draft pick, but he had the best NFL Combine performance at defensive end in the agility drills (short shuttle and three-cone drill), while standing 6-foot-6 and weighing near 300 pounds. He’s an incredible athlete, and -- as evidence by his 21 total tackles, 1 sack, and 6 tackles for a loss -- the technique is already coming through as well.

In Week 5, they get to take on the Houston Texans, who just were massively blown out by the Atlanta Falcons. The Colts offense is nowhere near as in sync as the Falcons, so I don’t expect the Texans to completely abandon the run here, like they did last week. Add in the fact that Texans’ star left tackle Duane Brown has been banged up in recent weeks, and you have a good matchup for big plays if Anderson can get him off his mark. Houston ranks in the top half of the NFL in percentage of rushes tackled for a loss, but they won’t be a feast in sacks -- they rank 25th in sack percentage. Still, Anderson seems to be a player that can make things happen more than just capitalize on opportunity.

Anderson is available in 81.7% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for around 4.0 tackles, a chance at a sack, and a total score of 4.50 balanced fantasy points in Week 5.