Guru's IDP Notes: Arizona Cardinals 

Kyzir White has been somewhat disappointing. While it is true that he's scored at least nine fantasy points in four of five games, he has yet to exceed twelve in any game. White's one tackle and three assists in week five were season-low tackle numbers. He salvaged the day with an interception but it is hard to have much confidence in him at this point.

White's odd numbers may not be all his fault. In the two away games the Cardinals have played, he is 6-9 with a pick. In the three home games, White is 9-18-0. If he were 18-9, there would be nothing to talk about. So is he really showing up late to the party two-thirds of the time, or does the NFL need to do something to standardize defensive stats?

With Budda Baker in the final year of his contract and Jalen Thompson a free agent in 2026, rookie safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson could be a big factor for the Cardinals in the future. Taylor-Demerson played a dozen snaps over the first four games combined. In week five, he was on the field as a third safety for 22. This could be a sign that the Cardinals will start using more big nickel looks to compensate for their linebacker situation, or it could be a case of the coaching staff looking to work the rookie into the mix more.

Guru's IDP Notes: Atlanta Falcons

Troy Andersen has shown how productive he can be. Now we need him to show that he can be durable. Andersen missed week five with a sore knee. He is not expected to miss significant time but we shall see. Rookie DJ Bertrand got the start against the Buccaneers, going 4-1 on a 72% play share.  

Dee Alford was knocked out of Sunday's contest with a concussion. Antonio Hamilton Sr. jumped over Clark Phillips III to take Alford's place.  

After the first two games, it looked like Matthew Judon would overcome the curse of the Falcons' pass rush. Since that time, the curse has taken hold of him as well. Judon went from 5-7-1.5 in the first two games, to 5-1-0 in the last three as the Falcons have taken the familiar place of last in the league in sacks yet again.

Guru's IDP Notes: Baltimore Ravens

After making a huge interception in the win over Cincinnati, Marlon Humphrey left the stadium in a walking boot due to an ankle injury. Coach Harbaugh did not seem concerned, indicating that he expects Humphrey to be available for week six. This is something to monitor.

The Ravens signed Yannick Ngakoue to bolster their pass rush, or at the least add some depth.

Guru's IDP Notes: Buffalo Bills

The Bills got Terrel Bernard back from the strained pectoral. Maybe his production will follow next week. Bernard looked fine health-wise and played every snap. The two tackles and three assists were more a result of the Texans' game plan than any underperformance by Bernard, who salvaged the day for fantasy managers with an interception.

The game script played right into the hands of Dorian Williams who answered with a personal best of 11-1 and a fumble recovery. Williams continues to impress both on the field and in the box scores. If the trend continues, could he displace Matt Milano going forward? It sure looks like a possibility.  

Damar Hamlin is another young player who is emerging. With a strong line of 7-3, Hamlin has at least twelve points in three of the last four games. The Jets have been a mediocre matchup for safeties, but the Bills' struggles against the run could trump that. I like Hamlin's chances of another solid outing in week six.

Cole Bishop stood in for Taylor Rapp who missed the game with a concussion. Bishop was solid on the field but light on the stat sheet at 2-2. This likely has more to do with the deep safety role than any struggle by Bishop.

The Bills keep calling it a forearm injury when talking about Taron Johnson. They have not said the words broken forearm, but it feels like that could be the right description. The word from Buffalo is that Johnson could return to practice soon. There are two important factors to consider here. Players returning from broken forearms often last a short time before breaking the arm again, and Cam Lewis is playing well in relief. Lewis keeps showing up in the box scores and coming off his 7-1  against Houston, he now has at least eleven points in three of five games.  

Guru's IDP Notes: Carolina Panthers

The first start for rookie Trevin Wallace was an eye-opener for IDP managers. He put up an impressive fifteen combined stops while playing every snap. There were some mistakes on the field, which is normal for a rookie, but nothing that should cause the team to look for other options, not that they have any.

Claudin Cherelus also made his first career start but was less productive at 1-4  on 65% of the snaps. Josey Jewell will eventually get back on the field but he did not practice at all last week. There is no word yet on his status for week six.  

Jadeveon Clowney left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury and did not return. He walked off in pain with his arm hanging but the team has not yet given an update on the severity of the injury.

Guru's IDP Notes: Chicago Bears

A couple of weeks back, I talked about Kyler Gordon being on the verge of a breakout and how the splash plays were coming. Over the last two games, Gordon has two turnovers and half a sack, giving him at least nine fantasy points in three of the last four weeks.   

Montez Sweat has a couple of sacks on the season but has been rather disappointing in general. He is 6-2-2 on the season and has given us a pair of goose eggs, including week five. This is surprising, considering how he jump-started the Bears' defense after joining them last season. The ankle injury he is playing through is probably a contributing factor.

Guru's IDP Notes: Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals' struggling defense got more bad news when Dax Hill suffered a torn ACL in Sunday's game. After having his role reduced due to poor play in week four the team may have no choice but to rely on Cam Taylor-Britt going forward. The good news is that Taylor-Britt looked much better in week five.

Sam Hubbard played through a hamstring injury and struggled in September. He finally looked healthy against the Ravens. Hubbard was the Bengals' best defender in the loss to Baltimore, totaling 7-2-1. With games against the Giants and Browns over the next two weeks, Hubbard could be a good spot play.   

B.J. Hill returned to action on a limited basis, playing 18 snaps. That was enough to remind the team how badly he was missed. On the stat sheet, he was 2-3 with a batted pass. On the field, Hill's impact was bigger.

With the return of Hill, the strong play of rookie Kris Jenkins Jr., and Sheldon Rankins returning to practice on Wednesday, Zach Carter went from starter to the street over the last week.

Guru's IDP Notes: Cleveland Browns

Jordan Hicks missed week five with an elbow injury, making Devin Bush the starter against Washington. Bush responded to the opportunity with ten tackles, including eight solo, and a pass breakup on 93% of the snaps. The Browns elected not to place Hicks on IR, meaning they don't expect him to miss more than a couple of weeks. That said, Managers could get a start or two out of Bush before he returns to the bench.

Guru's IDP Notes: Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys lost yet another edge defender when Marshawn Kneeland went down with a knee injury after four snaps. The good news is that Kneeland's injury is not season-ending. He is expected to be out for four to six weeks. Tyrus Wheat and Chauncey Golston took most of the snaps with Carl Lawson spelling them.  

DeMarvion Overshown's steady increase in playing time culminated in week five when he and Eric Kendricks were on the field for every snap.

With injuries also mounting in the secondary, Amani Oruwariye got the start at corner opposite of Trevon Diggs.

Guru's IDP Notes: Denver Broncos

In watching the Bronco's defense, you would never know they are playing with a pair of backup inside linebackers. This unit has not missed a beat while Cody Barton and Justin Strnad also provide good production for IDP managers. We already knew Barton could be productive with a big enough role. He has been on the field for every snap since the loss of Alex Singleton. Strnad, on the other hand, is somewhat of a surprise. He had four tackles and a sack versus the Jets in week four and followed it with seven tackles and two assists on 73% of the snaps against Las Vegas. Managers will want to get these guys in our lineups this week. The Chargers don't provide many big play opportunities but they have been a strong matchup for linebackers who make a lot of tackles.  

Nik Bonitto has a sack in three straight games since moving into the starting lineup. The problem is, other than those sacks, he has one tackle, two assists, and a batted pass over those three games. Combine that with a play share that dwindled to just over 50% last week and a less-than-favorable matchup with the Chargers, and Bonitto probably belongs on the bench this week.

Guru's IDP Notes: Detroit Lions

CeeDee Lamb was noticeably aggravated by his lack of involvement in the second half on Sunday night. The squeaky wheel usually gets the oil so look for Dallas to emphasize getting him the ball this week. That likely means a lot of action for Carlton Davis who has been traveling with opponents' best receivers often over the first four games.