Reggie Ragland - Fantasy Points Outlook

Giants LB Blake Martinez tore his left ACL in Sunday's loss to the Falcons and will miss the rest of the season. That leaves Tae Crowder as the apparent top LB. He played 61 of 62 defensive snaps against Atlanta and led the team with 11 tackles (plus a pass defensed). Reggie Ragland came on for 65% playing time. The Giants might also consider altering S Jabrill Peppers' role, with Martinez down. Peppers has seen his playing time sag amid struggles in coverage, but he would offer above-average speed at LB and spent a season at the position at the end of college. Martinez will still be just 28 when next season begins, but his contract plus the injury could leave the Giants with an offseason decision to make. The final year on his deal carries a $14.2 million cap hit, according to Spotrac, vs. $5.5 million in dead money if New York trades or releases Martinez.

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Chiefs LB Reggie Ragland is a surprise inactive against the Jaguars in Week 1. He had been working with the starters in the preseason, though coming off the field for sub packages. You can drop Ragland in any IDP league at this point. LB Damien Wilson, meanwhile, is a potential deep sleeper.

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NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Chiefs ILB Anthony Hitchens came away from Sunday's win over the Broncos with "severely bruised ribs" that have rendered him week-to-week. "Too early to tell how much time he'll miss," Rapoport added. That makes it sound like Hitchens has a pretty good chance to miss at least 1 game. Add that he had just played a season-low 65% of the snaps the week before (coaches' choice), and IDP owners should just keep Hitchens out of the Week 9 plans. Reggie Ragland played a season-high 74% of the snaps Sunday and looks like the best bet for tackle production inside the K.C. defense. The Cleveland matchup carries plenty of fantasy upside for LBs.

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