Photo: Imagn Images

This article immediately highlights 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. It isn’t easy 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. I'm also going to try and group edge rushers together with the understanding that classification as a defensive end or linebacker will depend on your league setup/host. If you have any questions about specific players or situations, please email me or reach out via Twitter.

Email: rudnicki@footballguys.com
Twitter: @a_rudnicki

Upgrades

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN/EDGE RUSHERS

DE Josh Allen, JAX (8 solos, 2 asst, 3 sacks, 3 TFL, 2 QH on 79% of snaps)
Allen has shown flashes like this in the past that suggest he could become one of the better edge rushers in the league, but he often struggles with consistency. This is a great way for him to open the season, though, and it’s likely the improvements from the Jaguars offense will continue to give him plenty of opportunities to rush the passer each week.

DE Michael Danna (4 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 PD on 86% of snaps)
Danna came into this year with just 7 career starts over the previous 3 seasons, but he appears to be ready for a big role in Kansas City. He played a remarkable 86% of the snaps and was highly productive with 6 tackles and a sack. He and George Karlaftis could both see a heavy workload this year.

DE Will Anderson, HOU (4 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QH on 75% of snaps)
The Texans traded next year’s first-round pick for Anderson, so they really need him to develop into the elite edge rusher they believe he can be. After one week, the results looked very promising as he piled up 6 tackles plus a sack and was also credited with 6 pressures.

DE Brian Burns, CAR (4 solos, 3 asst, 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 FF on 96% of snaps)
In a game where the Falcons ran the ball 26 times and only completed 15 passes, Burns still managed to impose his will. He collected 7 tackles with 1.5 sacks and could join the ranks of the league’s elite pass rushers this year.

DE Montez Sweat, WAS (4 solos, 1 asst, 1.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 1 QH, 2 FF on 82% of snaps)
Sweat posted 8 sacks a year ago, but his overall season still felt disappointing, with just 27 solo tackles and 19 assists. He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and has plenty of incentive to put up some big numbers this year. He took advantage of a great matchup this week with 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.

DE Drake Jackson, SF (3 solos, 3 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QH on 44% of snaps)
Jackson was a second-round pick last year who saw limited playing time as a rookie. While he is behind Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead on the depth chart, he showed his potential as a pure pass rusher this week with 3 sacks on 5 pressures.

DE Carl Granderson, NO (2 solos, 2 asst, 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 4 QH on 75% of snaps)
Granderson set a career-high with 5.5 sacks a year ago but appears to be set up well for a bigger year in 2023. He had a great start to the season with 1.5 sacks and 4 quarterback hits while handling a heavy workload, and the Saints also have a very favorable schedule when you look at the quarterbacks they are going to face.

DT Derrick Brown, CAR (8 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QH on 96% of snaps)
The former 7^th overall draft pick has shown steady improvement during his first 3 years in the league, and this could finally be his breakout season. He led the team in tackles with 9, including 8 solo stops plus a sack while handling an impressive workload.

DT Harrison Phillips, MIN (5 solos, 3 asst, 1 PD on 88% of snaps)
Phillips played 60 defensive snaps in the game, reflecting the limited depth the Vikings have at defensive tackle. While he may not offer much upside as a pass rusher, he is an efficient tackler who could be a low-end sleeper in DT-required leagues if that type of workload holds up under Brian Flores.

DT Jalen Carter, PHI (1 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH on 50% of snaps)
The box score for Carter won’t stand out, as he picked up 1 sack on 40 snaps played. However, he generated consistent pressure up the middle, and his sack came on a key third down late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win. As with many young defensive tackles, the counting stats may take some time to show up, but he is likely going to become a problem for offensive lines soon enough.

DT Osa Odighizuwa, DAL (2 solos, 2 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QH in 39% of snaps)
This game got out of hand quickly, but Dallas collected 7 sacks, and 2 of them came from Odigizuwa. He was in the starting lineup, and the overall strength of this defensive group should provide him with favorable opportunities most weeks, even if their overall depth keeps his snap count low at times.

LINEBACKERS

LB Denzel Perryman, HOU (6 solos, 5 asst, 1 TFL on 95% of snaps)
Perryman has been up and down throughout his career but is primarily known as a very strong run defender who has some limitations in coverage. When he gets a chance to handle a 3-down role, he can be very productive, though, as we saw in 2021 with the Raiders when he posted 102 solo tackles with 52 assists. Given the heavy workload he saw this week and the lack of competition around him, he could be headed for a big year in the middle of a rebuilt Texans defense.

LB Zaire Franklin, IND (10 solos, 8 asst, 1 FF, 1 PD on 100% of snaps)
While it was encouraging to see Shaquille Leonard play 86% of snaps, given his injury history, it appears clear that Franklin is going to remain a force in the middle of the Colts defense. He was everywhere on Sunday and finished with 18 combined tackles on 70 snaps. It helped that the Jaguars ran the ball 35 times, but they only averaged 3 yards per carry as the Colts run defense kept them in check and took a lead into the 4th quarter.

LB Kwon Alexander, PIT (8 solos, 1 asst on 69% of snaps)
Although Alexander wasn’t in the starting lineup, he still wound up playing most of the game and led the Steelers in tackles with 9 stops. Cole Holcomb posted 5 tackles on 78% of the snaps, and Elandon Roberts added 7 tackles on just 43% of the snaps. Roberts mainly plays on early downs, so it’s likely that Alexander and Holcomb will be the most productive linebackers here in most weeks.

LB Germaine Pratt, CIN (7 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QH, 1 FF on 89% of snaps)
Pratt often gets overlooked in Cincinnati because he hasn’t always been a full-time player, but he’s strong against the run and tends to put up good numbers on a per-snap basis. He also came through with an impressive sack this week and forced a fumble that the Bengals recovered. The turnover at safety this year also may lead the Bengals to rely on him more heavily than they have in prior years.

LB Ivan Pace Jr, MIN (6 solos, 2 asst, 1 QH on 68% of snaps)
Most of the reports from the preseason indicated that Brian Asamoah would play a big role, but it was Ivan Pace Jr who got the start, while Asamoah only played 2 snaps on defense. Pace played very well and rewarded the coaching staff’s trust in him as he picked up 8 tackles plus a quarterback hit on 46 snaps. He is an undrafted rookie who is undersized at 5-foot-10, but he was highly productive in college.

LB Jack Gibbens, TEN (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 TFL on 65% of snaps)
Gibbens is a former undrafted free agent who spent most of last year on the team’s practice squad but started several games. While Azeez Al-Shaair is the only true 3-down linebacker in Tennessee, Gibbens beat out Monty Rice for the #2 linebacker job and should see enough time to be a low-end starter in deeper leagues.

LB Kyzir White, ARI (5 solos, 4 asst, 1 TFL on 100% of snaps)
The Cardinals are clearly in a rebuilding stage on both sides of the ball, and their defense figures to see a lot of snaps each week. That should bode very well for White, who played every snap at inside linebacker and led the way with 9 tackles. He already has a 90 solo tackle season on his resume from 2021 with the Chargers and could top those numbers this year.

LB T.J. Edwards, CHI (6 solos, 6 asst on 98% of snaps)
Tremaine Edmunds got the bigger contract in Chicago this offseason, but Edwards will probably wind up as the more productive player. Edwards seems better against the run, while Edmunds excels in coverage. Regardless, the Packers offense did not have much difficulty moving the ball against this Bears defense as they generated 57 tackle opportunities and helped both linebackers combine for 22 tackles in the game.

LB Bobby Wagner, SEA (9 solos, 10 asst, 1 TFL on 100% of snaps)
Wagner was already considered a top-10 linebacker, but he turned back the clock in his return to Seattle with an incredible 19-tackle performance. He was helped by a Rams offense that generated 40 rush attempts, even though they only gained 92 yards on the ground. Jordyn Brooks also contributed 12 tackles while playing 64% of the snaps in his remarkably quick return from a torn ACL.