This article attempts to immediately highlight defensive players whose production was significantly better or worse than normally expected for the prior week of games. Note there is sometimes limited information available when this article is written, but I will try to give everyone an early look at players who are moving up or down in value among IDP circles. When warranted, I'll also call out some players under No Change that tries to explain why the stat lines may be misleading. It’s difficult to give waiver advice for IDPs since there is such a wide variety of lineups and scoring systems, but hopefully, the information provided can help inform your waiver, trade, and upcoming lineup decisions. If you have any questions about specific players or situations, feel free to email me or reach out via twitter.
Email: rudnicki@footballguys.com
Twitter: @a_rudnicki
DENVER @ NY JETS
Upgrades:
LB Josey Jewell, DEN (8 solos, 2 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH, 1 PD)
A.J. Johnson has played every snap this year but his fellow inside linebacker Jewell has only sat out 14 of 291 snaps thus far for a 95% workload. He hadn’t stood out much in prior games but had his coming out party on Thursday night with 10 tackles and a pair of sacks. After Todd Davis was released and his expected replacement Mark Barron landed on I.R., Jewell appears to have seized the opportunity.
LB Bradley Chubb, DEN (3 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 5 QH)
Chubb likely had some impatient fantasy players cut him loose after he posted 0 sacks through the first 3 games of the season. Some of those games came against tough matchups, but he showed this week that he can still put up a huge game at any time even without Von Miller around.
Downgrades:
Alec Ogletree, NYJ (1 solo, 1 TFL)
Although Ogletree has some history with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from their time with the Rams, he shouldn’t be playing a significant role for this team. Despite not starting the game, Ogletree saw 39 snaps (56%) in the game and finished with just a single solo tackle. Meanwhile, Avery Williamson was credited with 6 tackles and a pass defense while playing 8 fewer snaps and should earn a much bigger role going forward.
ARIZONA @ CAROLINA
Upgrades:
Yetur Gross-Matos, CAR (3 solos, 1 sack, 1 FF)
The rookie pass rusher has been brought along slowly and is only seeing about 20 defensive snaps/game while playing behind Brian Burns and Stephen Weatherly. He had a bit of a breakout this week, however, as he came up with a key strip-sack of Kyler Murray and several other tackles while playing just under 40% of the snaps. That performance should earn him more playing time moving forward.
S Deionte Thompson, ARI (4 solos, 5 asst, 1 PD)
Budda Baker had surgery on his thumb and the timeline for his return is unclear. That created an opening in the lineup for Thompson, who started in his place and collected 9 tackles on 59 snaps (77%). Baker has been one of the most productive safeties in the league so there’s likely some short-term value here. T.J. Ward was recently signed to the practice squad but has been out of the league since 2017.
Downgrades:
LB Tahir Whitehead, CAR (1 solo, 3 asst)
Since seeing 90% of the defensive snaps in week 1, Whitehead has seen a steady reduction in playing time each week. He played 72% of the snaps in week 2, 64% in week 3, and just 53% of the snaps this week. Without playing in the team’s nickel packages, his fantasy value is minimal.
JACKSONVILLE @ CINCINNATI
Upgrades:
CB LeShaun Sims, CIN (6 solos, 2 asst, 1 PD)
Sims spent the first four years of his career as a reserve with the Titans before joining the Bengals this year. He got a chance to play while nickel corner Mackensie Alexander sat out with injuries and finished second on the team in tackles while seeing a heavy workload (87%).
Downgrades:
LB Myles Jack, JAX (3 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Jack is a good fit at weakside linebacker and was on his way to another productive outing this week, including an interception in the end zone. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury and had to leave after playing 43 snaps (57%). If he misses any time, Dakota Allen (2 solos, 3 asst on 32 snaps) will likely fill in.
CB C.J. Henderson, JAX (1 solo, 1 asst)
Henderson suffered a shoulder injury early in the game and only lasted 12 snaps (16%). He was replaced by rookie Chris Claybrooks who made 8 combined tackles with a pass defensed on 54 snaps.
CLEVELAND @ DALLAS
Upgrades:
DE Olivier Vernon, CLE (3 solos, 1 TFL, 1 FR)
Vernon missed the last two games with an abdomen injury but was able to play a full workload with 65 snaps (79%). With Myles Garrett playing at an elite level and drawing consistent double teams, Vernon should continue to face favorable situations. He’s coming off a down year but has a long history of success from his time with the Giants.
S Donovan Wilson, DAL (6 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH)
The Cowboys benched Darian Thompson early in the game and replaced him with Wilson. He wound up playing 70 of 75 snaps and led the team in tackles while also adding one of the team’s only two sacks on the day (both of which came from a defensive back). This team is desperate for some answers on defense so Wilson should get a chance to show if he can provide any type of boost.
Downgrades:
None
NEW ORLEANS @ DETROIT
Upgrades:
DE Trey Hendrickson, NO (1 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 3 QH)
Hendrickson is off to a great start and now has 3 sacks in 4 games while playing about 60% of the defensive snaps each week. Marcus Davenport may return soon but Hendrickson is showing that he should remain a key member of the defensive end rotation.
Downgrades:
LB Jahlani Tavai, DET (1 solo)
Tavai went from playing 89% of the defensive snaps a week ago to just 9 snaps (13%) this week and his only tackle came on special teams. Detroit took a longer look at Reggie Ragland this week as his workload increased from 19 snaps (29%) last week to 44 snaps (63%) and he was credited with 6 combined tackles plus a sack.
MINNESOTA @ HOUSTON
Upgrades:
DE Yannick Ngakoue, MIN (5 solos, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH)
The Vikings appear to be getting what they wanted from Ngakoue as he now has a sack in three straight games. He also made more of an impact against the run this week than we are used to seeing as he was credited with 5 solo tackles in the game.
Downgrades:
DE Danielle Hunter, MIN (DNP)
The Vikings have not disclosed many details on Hunter in the past but reports came out last week that he was getting a second opinion on his neck injury. Reports classified the injury as a cervical spine disc herniation, which doesn’t have a clear recovery time but could put the rest of his season in jeopardy.
SEATTLE @ MIAMI
Upgrades:
LB K.J. Wright, SEA (6 solos, 2 asst, 3 PD, 1 FF)
Wright had a slow start to the season as he was recovering from shoulder surgery. He played 56% of the snaps in week 1 and then ramped up to a full 100% workload by week 3. He may not find as many tackle opportunities once Jamal Adams returns to the lineup but was excellent this week and now has 17 tackles (13 solos) over his last two games. 1st round rookie pick Jordyn Brooks has also not looked like a clear threat to playing time thus far.
Downgrades:
LB Jerome Baker, MIA (1 solo, 1 asst)
Baker has seen a steady drop in playing time from 98% of the snaps in week 1 to 89% last week but then his workload fell even further this week to just 70%. Even when on the field, he’s struggled to make much of an impact and it seems the team is starting to give more work to Elandon Roberts, who added 9 tackles on just 32 snaps (51%) this week.
LA CHARGERS @ TAMPA BAY
Upgrades:
LB Kenneth Murray, LAC (6 solos, 4 asst)
The rookie played 74 of 76 snaps this week and looks well established as a full-time player alongside Kyzir White. The two linebackers combined for 20 tackles in the game and should form a nice tandem but some big plays would help elevate them even further.
Downgrades:
LB Devin White, TB (1 solo, 3 asst, 1 FR)
White looked like a potential top-5 fantasy linebacker through the first two weeks when he piled up 17 solo tackles and 9 assists. In the two games since then, however, he’s been much quieter with just 4 solos and 7 assists. While the Chargers offense only ran the ball 23 times this week, there were still enough tackle opportunities for Lavonte David to collect 10 solo tackles. Most likely, both linebackers will continue to put up LB1-type numbers but limit the upside of each other.
BALTIMORE @ WASHINGTON
Upgrades:
LB Jon Bostic, WAS (6 solos, 8 asst)
Bostic is not a particularly exciting player as he doesn’t do anything great but he’s good enough to take advantage of the opportunities he’s given. Through 4 weeks, he’s played 100% of the defensive snaps for Washington and had been averaging 8 combined per game before blowing up with 14 during this favorable matchup. The Ravens offense helped out by generating 32 rush attempts and 58 tackle opportunities but Bostic was the main beneficiary.
CB Marlon Humphrey, BAL (8 solos, 1 asst, 1 FF, 1 PD)
Humphrey warranted another upgrade this week as he is starting to look like he might wind up as the top fantasy corner of the year. Despite a reputation for playing shutdown defense, he finished second on the team in tackles this week with 8 solo stops. He adds to that with his big-play numbers though as he now has 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception, and 5 passes defensed as well. His strong play also earned him a huge contract extension for just under $100 million over 5 years that he signed last week.
Downgrades:
None
NY GIANTS @ LA RAMS
Upgrades:
DE Morgan Fox, LAR (4 solos, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 FF)
He’s only playing around 40% of the defensive snaps each week but now has sacks in back-to-back games.
LB Kyler Fackrell, NYG (4 solos, 1 sack, 3 TFL, 1 QH)
Fackrell posted 10 sacks on 623 snaps as a member of the Packers in 2018 but followed it up with just 1 on 422 snaps last year. He saw his playing time increase from 51% last week to 74% this week, however, and now has 10 solos and 2 sacks over his past three games. Oshane Ximines hasn’t been very effective thus far and saw his workload drop from 57% to 33% as a result.
Downgrades:
LB Micah Kiser, LAR (5 solos, 1 asst, 2 TFL)
Kiser was held without a solo tackle last week and was on his way to a rebound game this week with 6 tackles. Unfortunately, he suffered a groin injury and was forced to leave the game after just 44 snaps (65%). Troy Reeder filled in for him and put up 3 tackles on 18 snaps.
CB Julian Love, NYG (0 tackles)
Love had played at least 88% of the defensive snaps in the first three games but he went back to a reserve role this week. Adrian Colbert (1 solo, 1 asst) replaced him in the starting lineup and saw 75% of the snaps, although he didn’t do much with them. Meanwhile, Love was shut out on the stat sheet while playing 17 snaps (30%).
INDIANAPOLIS @ CHICAGO
Upgrades:
LB Roquan Smith, CHI (11 solos, 2 asst, 3 TFL)
The Bears are not as intimidating on defense as they were previously and that is actually good for Smith. If the defense can’t get off the field as easily, the snap count and tackle opportunities should continue to be there for him as we saw this week when he collected 13 tackles on 72 snaps while the Colts offense generated 38 rush attempts and 55 tackle opportunities.
Downgrades:
LB Darius Leonard, IND (1 solo)
Leonard is one of the league’s elite fantasy linebackers but he only collected one solo tackle in the game before being forced to leave after 28 snaps (45%) with a groin injury. The Bears offense only generated 16 rush attempts and 43 tackle opportunities in the game but fellow linebackers Anthony Walker (9 solos, 2 asst) and Bobby Okereke (6 solos, 2 asst) were both productive and should handle most of the work next week against Cleveland if Leonard sits out.
LB Robert Quinn, CHI (1 solo)
There was a lot of excitement around the addition of Robert Quinn as the Bears signed him to a $70 million contract this offseason. He hasn’t been at full strength yet though and seems stuck in a rotational role. There was an expectation that his playing time would ramp up but he saw 32 snaps (47%) a week ago and a nearly identical 32 snaps (44%) this week. He did collect a strip-sack in week 2 but has just 1 solo in the two games since then.
BUFFALO @ LAS VEGAS
Upgrades:
LB Tremaine Edmunds, BUF (8 solos, 4 asst)
Edmunds missed week 2 and played injured in week 3 but he looked much better here as the Bills defense held Josh Jacobs to just 48 yards on 15 carries. While his overall numbers the past two years were very good, he’s still just 22-years-old and yet to tap into his full potential.
Downgrades:
LB Matt Milano, BUF (3 solos, 3 asst, 1 PD)
Milano helped control Josh Jacobs and limit Darren Waller but was forced to leave the game after 74% of the snaps with a pectoral injury. Initial reports listed him as week-to-week, which suggests he will probably not be able to play next week. Rather than stick with A.J. Klein in their nickel defense, the Bills turned to Tyrel Dodson so figures to see a short-term boost in value.
PHILADELPHIA @ SAN FRANCISCO
Upgrades:
DE Arik Armstead, SF (4 solos, 1 asst, .5 sack, 1 TFL, 6 QH)
Armstead no longer has Nick Bosa around to draw most of the attention but he’s showing that he can still be productive anyway. He was credited with 6 quarterback hits in the game while also collecting 5 tackles, showcasing his all-around game. Kerry Hyder (3 solos, 1 asst, .5 sack) also put together his fourth solid game in a row.
Downgrades:
S Jalen Mills, PHI (3 solos)
Mills was moved to safety this year and put up some decent numbers in the first three games given the questionable talent at linebacker in front of him. With the cornerback position decimated by injuries, however, they moved him back to outside corner this week and gave Marcus Epps a long look at safety. While they struggled to slow down George Kittle, Mills figures to be less involved in future games if the change sticks.
