Alex Okafor
DE - KC - IR
Week 7 Outlook
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor has been ruled out for Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens.
Fantasy Impact
Okafor played just 10 snaps this season before going down with a hamstring injury. The presumptive starter across from Frank Clark when Chris Jones is in the middle, Okafor being absent is a plus for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens passing game.
Alex Okafor contributed to a dominant showing by the Kansas City defense, finishing with four solo tackles, two TFLs, two sacks, three QB hits, and a forced fumble.
Fantasy Impact
Okafor was one of many Chief defenders who had a stellar performance, as he recorded two of the eight sacks against Joe Flacco. However, this also proved to be Okafor's first double-digit fantast output of the season, so it may have been due to a weak Denver offense rather than a sign of things to come.
The Saints are paying defensive end Alex Okafor his $400,000 bonus despite falling one sack short of his five sack incentive.
Fantasy Impact
Okafor expressed his gratitude for the classy move by the Saints Wednesday. “The Saints have given me opportunities since I got here, and I’m just blessed and grateful that they still believe in me and are taking care of me the way they are,” Okafor said, via Luke Johnson of The Times-Picayune. Okafor missed practice Wednesday after hyperextending his knee in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers but he says he will be ready to go for next week’s playoff game. “Everything’s fine,” Okafor said. “It’s not too serious, I plan on practicing next week. That’s the goal right now.”
Both defensive lineman Alex Okafor and Sheldon Rankins have now recorded sacks in two straight contests. In the win over Philadelphia Okafor recorded his third on the season as Rankins has hit a season and career high of six.
Fantasy Impact
As for IDP owners going forward, Rankins should remain a DL2 type depending on matchups. And Okafor offers upside but likely only as a depth player as his time on the field will hinge on rookie defensive end Marcus Davenport (toe) returning over the next couple of weeks.
The New Orleans Saints defensive lineman may have not stacked the stat sheet in combined tackles overall in the win over the Bengals Sunday, but Alex Okafor, Sheldon Rankins, and Cameron Jordan did have a sack apiece in the winning effort.
Fantasy Impact
Despite the lack of overall combined tackles, the players should still have been serviceable this weekend for their IDP owners. Between the three they only recorded six combined tackles with Okafor leading with three. With first-round rookie Marcus Davenport (toe) reportedly going to be sidelined for the next few contests all three of these players could see an uptick in IDP production heading into the fantasy football playoffs pending the matchups. Jordan remains to be a must-start no matter the situation.
