All-22 Waiver Wire: Week 3
Offense
Marcus McKethan, G (NYG)
After posting a PFF pass-blocking grade of 1.0 in week 1, the Giants decided to bench Mark Glowinski in favor of Markus McKethan in week 2. On 68 snaps at RG, McKethan posted a solid 69.2 PFF grade for the week. Considering Sunday was McKethan’s first game action since college, after missing his entire rookie season with an ACL tear, his performance was especially impressive. The Giants drafted McKethan in 2022, hoping the 6’7”, 335-pound, former Tar Heel could compete for a spot along the interior offensive line. With Ben Bredeson likely sidelined for a tough Thursday Night matchup in San Francisco, look for McKethan to get another chance to prove himself.
Walker Little, T (JAX)
Walker Little has put together a couple of strong performances to start the season. The 2021 second-round pick has posted PFF grades of 68 and 78.8 in weeks 1 and 2, respectively. On 136 total snaps this season, Little has only allowed one pressure - an impressive number, even considering Trevor Lawrence has the 5th-fastest average time to throw among all Quarterbacks. With Cam Robinson returning in week 5, Little can provide your team with some immediate value as he faces two teams that struggle to apply pressure; the Texans and the Falcons. According to PFF, the Texans rank dead-last in team pass rush (53.8), and the Falcons rank 23rd (62.2).
Jake Ferguson, TE (DAL)
Who says blocking TEs don’t matter? Jake Ferguson has caught all of 5 passes through two weeks for 22 yards and a TD. In traditional formats, his relevance is debatable but not here. Heading into week 3, Ferguson is PFF’s 7th-ranked TE and it’s definitely not because he’s an elite pass-catching, vertical threat Tight End. In fact, the 2022 4th-round pick out of Wisconsin ranks 35th among all TEs in receiving, with a PFF receiving grade of 53.1. Instead, on 94 snaps this year, the Cowboys’ TE has nearly served as another offensive lineman. At this point in the season, Ferguson has yet to grade below a 70 in either pass-blocking or run-blocking. The former Badger is quietly proving himself to be quite valuable in All-22.
Defense
Geno Stone, S (BAL)
You couldn’t ask Geno Stone to step in for Marcus Williams better than he has. On Sunday, his phenomenal interception off of Joe Burrow helped the Ravens secure their second win in as many weeks. If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend watching Benjamin Solak’s breakdown of the play below. Beyond a single, game-changing play, Stone is making a name for himself in his 4th season. Through two weeks, the former 7th-round pick ranks as PFF’s 5th highest-graded safety. Geno Stone has proven to be an asset in pass coverage with an 84.7 PFF coverage grade and a sure tackler with an 87.4 PFF tackling grade. Stone is proving himself to be worthy of his role in Mike Macdonald’s defense, he’s also proving to be worthy of a few blind bid dollars.
Ivan PAce JR., LB (MIN)
The Vikings may have gotten the steal of the post-draft process and, if you’re reading this, you may get the steal of free agency. The undrafted rookie free agent currently ranks as PFF’s 6th-highest-rated LB. According to PFF’s Sam Monson, Pace currently has the best pass-rush win rate in the entire NFL (42.9%). Other than Chris Jones (40.7%), no other player has a pass-rush win rate above 34%. Ivan Pace Jr. isn’t just rushing the passer effectively, he’s also graded well in coverage (70.3) and has proven to be a consistent tackler (85.4). The former Bearcat has been fun to watch and he’ll be even more fun to watch when he’s on your roster.
Javon Kinlaw, DI (SF)
Maybe it took the former first-round pick three seasons to figure it out or maybe Kinlaw has just graded well in a couple of favorable matchups to start the 2023 season. Either way, Javon Kinlaw faces the Giants on a short week - yet another favorable matchup. Although New York’s offensive line improved against the Cardinals in week 2, San Francisco’s defensive front is an entirely different animal. Kinlaw has played well in about 26 snaps per game this season. His 82.5 season-long PFF grade ranks Kinlaw 10th among all qualifying DIs.
My advice - get your defense into a 3-4 this week and stream Javon Kinlaw as your DI3.
