What do we know about Whitney? (1 Viewer)

[Bracie Smathers]

Houston DE/OLB Whitney Mercilus over the first six games:

- 6 solo tackles, 0 assists, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

Grand total = 6 solo tackles

Mercilus over the last two games:

- 4 solo tackles

- 2 assists

- 3 sacks

- 2 forced fumbles

He's listed as a DE in ESPN leagues.

He only had 26 snaps last week but it was his season high and I expect he'll earn more even though the Texans have two solid OLBers in Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed for their base 3-4 but like all defenses they mix in 4-3 and other alignments.

They took him in the first round for a reason and he has talent and should be fresh and should be up to speed on the scheme and his assignments since the Texans haven't rushed him into the lineup. He won't be in there for the majority of the snaps so this is a big-play sort IDP play but their aren't a ton of IDP points being racked up from the defensive line so a guy who can get points even if he's not a starter or getting the majority of snaps is valuable.

Tough matchup against the Bears so I doubt Houston grabs a big lead and forces tons of third and longs where they'd insert a pass rusher like Mercilus but then again the Bears offensive line can be downright awful but this is more of a head's-up for those in ESPN leagues trying to find a defensive lineman who is hot and has upside and can produce some big points.

 

[DesmondBishop]

He has a cool first name.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Houston DE/OLB Whitney Mercilus over the first six games:

- 6 solo tackles, 0 assists, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

Grand total = 6 solo tackles

Mercilus over the last two games:

- 4 solo tackles

- 2 assists

- 3 sacks

- 2 forced fumbles

He's listed as a DE in ESPN leagues.

He only had 26 snaps last week but it was his season high and I expect he'll earn more even though the Texans have two solid OLBers in Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed for their base 3-4 but like all defenses they mix in 4-3 and other alignments.

They took him in the first round for a reason and he has talent and should be fresh and should be up to speed on the scheme and his assignments since the Texans haven't rushed him into the lineup. He won't be in there for the majority of the snaps so this is a big-play sort IDP play but their aren't a ton of IDP points being racked up from the defensive line so a guy who can get points even if he's not a starter or getting the majority of snaps is valuable.

Tough matchup against the Bears so I doubt Houston grabs a big lead and forces tons of third and longs where they'd insert a pass rusher like Mercilus but then again the Bears offensive line can be downright awful but this is more of a head's-up for those in ESPN leagues trying to find a defensive lineman who is hot and has upside and can produce some big points.

Although he had 24 snaps this past week, 15 of them were on special teams; so the fact that he managed to get 2 sacks on just 9 defensive snaps is pretty extraordinary. Given how few defensive snaps he plays I'd say Mercilus is a very risky play, at least for this season. But if you're in a league where rushing OLB's have value, then I'd say Mercilus is a tremendously valuable prospect.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Although he had 24 snaps this past week, 15 of them were on special teams; so the fact that he managed to get 2 sacks on just 9 defensive snaps is pretty extraordinary. Given how few defensive snaps he plays I'd say Mercilus is a very risky play, at least for this season. But if you're in a league where rushing OLB's have value, then I'd say Mercilus is a tremendously valuable prospect.

You're kidding me? He only had 9 defensive snaps?This is what he did on those 9 snaps:

My link

- 2 solos

- 1 assist

- 2 sacks

- 1 forced fumble

From Roto World

Mercilus has been awarded a second sack against Buffalo, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Spin:

The Elias Sports Bureau, the overseer of statistical data in the NFL, reversed a play which had originally been ruled a Ryan Fitzpatrick fumble. Mercilus also gets credited with a forced fumble on the play. For the season, the rookie has three sacks (third highest on the Texans) and two forced fumbles -- all within the last two weeks.

For comparison this is what Connor Barwin has done all season:My link

Connor Barwin's stats from all 8 games of the 2012 season

- 17 solos

- 3 assists

- 2 sacks

- 0 forced fumbles

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Although he had 24 snaps this past week, 15 of them were on special teams; so the fact that he managed to get 2 sacks on just 9 defensive snaps is pretty extraordinary. Given how few defensive snaps he plays I'd say Mercilus is a very risky play, at least for this season. But if you're in a league where rushing OLB's have value, then I'd say Mercilus is a tremendously valuable prospect.

You're kidding me? He only had 9 defensive snaps?This is what he did on those 9 snaps:

My link

- 2 solos

- 1 assist

- 2 sacks

- 1 forced fumble

Yes, just 9 snaps on defense, according to FootballOutsiders. Since he did play 15 snaps on special teams it's possible that assist came on a specials teams tackle; but the 2 sacks and forced fumble all obviously came on just those 9 defensive snaps, which is pretty spectacular.

 

[bigal0303]

Listed as a d end on espn so i picked him up playing the bears suspect line. If chicago is forced to throw a lot then as a d end i think he might be a top performer

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Update. Mercilus is still listed as a DE in ESPN leagues and he's going to replace OLB Brooks Reed so he will be in there and should post decent numbers and also get more opportunities to get sacks:

======================================

Whitney Mercilus | DE | HOU



Mercilus will start in place of the injured Brooks Reed (groin) this weekend against Tennessee, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Spin:

Reed's groin injury will force him to miss multiple games, so the rookie Mercilus, who has recorded three sacks, will get a greater opportunity to make an impact.

Mercilus will fill in at outside linebacker, replacing the injured Brooks Reed, who will miss at least three-to-four weeks with a groin strain, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Spin:

Mercilus, Houston's first-round draft pick in 2012, has been getting more snaps in recent weeks and is gaining the confidence of the coaching staff. "Obviously we're going to have to call on him to be huge right now, so that's what he's here for. That's why we drafted him," said Houston head coach Gary Kubiak.

======================================

Should post solid D-Line numbers and if he racks up some sacks in addition to decent tackle numbers he could make a huge IDP D-Line impact especially now at fantasy playoff time.

 

[saintfool]

i drafted reed with the hopes that he would develop into something valuable but was pretty disappointed. maybe mercilus will show more?

 

[tommyk7]

i drafted reed with the hopes that he would develop into something valuable but was pretty disappointed. maybe mercilus will show more?

I'm starting him today

 

[Bracie Smathers]

i drafted reed with the hopes that he would develop into something valuable but was pretty disappointed. maybe mercilus will show more?

I'm starting him today

Whew! He came up with a sack seconds before the half to escape without a goose-egg in the first half. Hopefully he'll notch a few tackles and add another sack or two.

EDIT: TO add the final numbers. Whitney ended up with, 2 solos, 2 sacks, and 1 recovered fumble.

That adds up to a solid IDP defensive line box score in my ESPN fantasy league so hopefully it was a good tip for any who picked him up and played him.