Guru's IDP Notes: Arizona Cardinals

With Jalen Thompson inactive, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson got the start at safety. This may have been a preview of next year, with Taylor-Demerson turning in a solid 5-1 with two pass breakups.

Baron Browning had a limited role, playing 18 snaps in his first game with the team. With the bye week to get more familiar with the scheme, we should see a lot more of him in week twelve. 

Guru's IDP Notes: Atlanta Falcons

Mike Hughes left Sunday's game with a neck injury. He got the all clear when the MRI showed no structural damage. It's unclear if he will miss any time but it should be minimal.

Interestingly, the Falcons skipped over Dee Alford, who had a marginal role and put Clark Phillips III in the lineup. After playing 90% plus in four consecutive games, Alford was on the field for 15 snaps versus New Orleans.  

In my early note, I mentioned that Troy Andersen was active but did not show up on the stat sheet. Upon further review, he played 13 snaps before aggravating the knee injury. It looks like Nate Landman will be joining Kaden Elliss as starters for a while longer.

Guru's IDP Notes: Baltimore Ravens

Kyle Hamilton left the week 10 game with a nasty-looking ankle sprain. Baltimore played on Thursday, so Hamilton will have a few extra days to heal. Coach Harbaugh said the injury is not considered serious, so the extra time could be enough for him to play against the Steelers this week. Ar'Darius Washington finished at safety and would likely get the call if Hamilton is not ready.

Nnamdi Madibuike finally looked like the guy who helped a lot of managers win championships last year. After racking up five tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble versus the Bengals, he will likely earn a start in most leagues this week. The Steelers are allowing about half a sack per game to interior linemen, which is about what Cincinnati was giving up before last week as well. The Steelers, however, are a strong matchup in the tackle columns, with opponents' interior lines averaging 14 combined stops against them. The bottom line is that Madibuike should be in our lineups this week.

Guru's IDP Notes: Buffalo Bills

Greg Rousseau kept it going with 3-1-1 and a forced fumble against the Colts. After his five-game slump that started in week two, Rousseau has four straight outings with double-digit points. He could make it five this week against a Chiefs offense averaging the seventh most points to the edge position.

The Bills opened the 21-day window for Matt Milano's return. It might be a week or two away, but he is getting close. If you have been depending on Dorian Williams, be prepared. That window may be closing soon.   

Guru's IDP Notes: Carolina Panthers

 D.J. Wonnum is back with a bang, going 4-2-1 with a forced fumble against the Giants. There was no easing him in as Wonnum played 50 snaps (67%) in his first game of the season. On one hand, we should not overreact to this since it was against the Giants. On the other hand, The Panthers are off this week but finish with the Chiefs, Buccaneers twice, Eagles, Cowboys, and Cardinals. Of that group, only Arizona is in the bottom half of the league in average points to the edge position, and even they are middle of the pack. With the return of Wonnum, Charles Harris went from starter to surprise inactive.  

Demani Richardson made a good showing while Jordan Fuller was out, but it was not enough to earn him any playing time when Fuller returned on Sunday. Fuller was, however, his normal average self, going 2-4.

A'Shawn Robinson has been anything but average of late. Adding his 5-2-1 and a forced fumble from week ten, he is 13-5-3 with a turnover in the last three games. Hopefully, he will still be in the zone after the bye.    

After the big tackle numbers in his first start a few weeks ago, Trevin Wallace continues to fade. With the return of Josey Jewell in week nine, Wallace has been under 70% of the snaps in two straight games. It's time to move on.

Guru's IDP Notes: Chicago Bears

Kyler Gordon returned from his hamstring injury in week ten. His numbers were nothing to speak of at 3-1, but Gordon was back in the nickel role, moving around on an 81% play share. Over the six weeks, games against the Packers, Vikings twice, Lions twice, and 49ers are not great matchups for outside corners but are not bad for nickel guys. In week 17, Chicago plays Seattle, which is a great matchup.

It was another ugly performance for Montez Sweat who went 0-1 against New England. If that were not disappointing enough, he was third among the team's edge defenders in playing time at 45%.

Guru's IDP Notes: Cincinnati Bengals

Jordan Battle and Vonn Bell continue to split playing time virtually equally, but their play on the field and production on the stat sheets has been anything but equal. As a Bengals homer, it is time to make the change and roll with Battle. After going 5-2 on 30 snaps versus Baltimore, he is 8-5 with a pass breakup on 61 snaps over the last two games, while Bell is 1-4 on 63. C'mon, Zach, make the change!

If you can get your hands on Trey Hendrickson, make it happen. He came crashing back to earth with a 2-1 against Baltimore and has a mediocre matchup with the Chargers this week, followed by a bye. After that, he gets the Steelers, Cowboys, Titans, and Browns in weeks 13 to 16. All four of those teams are top-ten matchups for the edge position, with the Titans ranking fourth and the Browns first.

Sam Hubbard has struggled for most of the season, and his playing time now shows it. Hubbard has seen less than half of the defensive snaps in two straight games and is under 50% in the last two games. The team would love to see last year's first-round pick, Myles Murphy, step up. So far, he's been invisible.