Another week with four teams on byes, and thus the need to repopulate your IDP roster. Fortunately, players keep stepping up their games and becoming worthwhile additions to seek out from the waiver wire.
Of course, the flip side of the coin is that defensive players keep getting hurt and are not available to help you compete against your league. Not all the players listed in the injury report below will sit out, but be wary of using any of them due to concerns about lingering problems affecting the quality of their performance on the field.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Jon Beason NYG
Wesley Woodyard DEN
Tamba Hali KC
Ryan Shazier PIT
Dont'a Hightower NE
Jon Beason seems finally healthy, at least healthy enough to play the majority of snaps on defense. He put up 11 total tackles in Week 7, with seven solos. If Uami Unga has to sit out again in Week 8, look for his production to continue to provide good value. Wesley Woodyard had six solo tackles as part of his nine total stops against the Falcons. The amazing thing about his production is that he is doing it by only playing about half the snaps. Imagine if he sees an increase in playing time, and do so by grabbing him for your bench this week.
Tamba Hali picked up a pair of sacks to go with his forced fumble. Those big plays, combined with five tackles, make him tempting despite his limited number of defensive snaps. Teams seem to be focusing on Justin Houston, which is opening things up for Hali. Ryan Shazier, if he is on your waiver wire, is a must add. Do not read any further, go put in a claim for him. He provided limited fantasy point value in his return to action in Week 7, but that should improve going forward. His injury caused many to drop him. Take advantage of the situation. Hightower rounds out the linebackers I want to add this week. I really like the New England defense overall, and with 10 solos and a fumble recovery in Week 7, Hightower becomes my targeted IDP on the Patriots. Beware, however, as he is coming off a rib injury that limited his practice time last week, although you could not really tell if you watched him roam all over the field against the Jets and help shut down Chris Ivory, who had been running roughshod until Week 7.
Defensive Linemen
Jared Allen DE CAR
Michael Bennett DE SEA
William Hayes DE StL
Kawann Short DT CAR
Caraun Reid DT DET
I like the move from Chicago to Carolina when it took place early this season for Jared Allen. I never expected a return to his dominant ways in Minnesota, but moving to the defensive line seemed the thing to pep up his game. He grabbed his first sack since moving to the Panthers, and added a pass deflection and five total tackles (two solos). He also saw action in 93 percent of the snaps, and that will translate to good numbers going forward, maybe even DL1 type stats.
Michael Bennett was a sack machine on Thursday night against the 49ers, racking up 3.5 to go with four solo tackles and one assist. He now has 6.5 sacks on the season, and is getting it done on the outside, which should help him get to the QB better. William Hayes was moved into the starting lineup with Chris Long sidelined by a knee issue, and he collected a pair of sacks against the Browns, and forced a couple of fumbles. He will not always face the bumbling Browns, but this performance hints of great things going forward.
I always like to find a couple of DTs for those of us playing in DT-mandatory leagues, and this week we have a pair of relative unknowns to choose from. Kawann Short will be getting attention after a three sack, one forced fumble and one pass deflection effort this past Sunday against the Eagles. He also had six solo tackles as part of his eight total tackle effort. Pretty nice stat line from an interior defensive lineman. Caraun Reid matriculated from Princeton, so I suppose we should refer to him as the smartest defensive lineman in football, ala Ryan Fitzpatrick of Harvard and Jets' fame. I do not really care where he played his college football, so long as he can sack the opposing QB and pick up some tackles (one sack, five solos, one assisted tackle). If you are in need of a DT due to bye or injury concerns, he will be available to help out short term.
Defensive Backs
Kemal Ishmael S ATL
Jaquiski Tartt S SF
Brandon Meriweather S NYG
Morgan Burnett S GB
Marcus Gilchrist S NYJ
D.J. Hayden CB OAK
Nolan Carroll CB PHI
Kemal Ishmael is a sneaky add if William Moore is out with his groin injury. He was a good DB2 last season, racking up tackles for his owners, and can do so again. Jaquiski Tartt is also benefitting from a teammate’s injury, in this case Antoine Bethea and his shoulder injury. He had nine total tackles against the Seahawks, with seven of those being of the solo variety. Realize he was a second-round pick, so the team has some interest in seeing what he can contribute going forward. Brandon Meriweather has put together two impressive weeks, putting up back-to-back double-digit fantasy point efforts over Weeks 6 and 7. His ownership numbers are so low, it would be amazing were he not available in your league.
Morgan Burnett is coming back to action, finally, and will be a hot target on the wire this week. Before he went down with his injury, he was a solid DB1. Grab him now and push up his ownership percentage, as well as enjoy the production he will supply. He is coming off his team’s bye week, and the reports out of practice are encouraging for his ability to go this week. Marcus Gilchrist should see additional time in the Jets' defensive backfield with Calvin Pryor out with an ankle sprain (check the injury report!). He had 10 total tackles in Week 7 with eight solos. D.J. Hayden is someone to keep on your watch list, although it would be difficult to ignore a 10 solo tackle, one interception, one pass deflection and one forced fumble effort. He was a 12th overall pick by the Raiders, so they will look to keep him involved going forward.
Philadelphia cornerbacks are seeing a lot of time on the field, with the team going through offensive woes, and Nolan Carroll’s stat line from Week 7 reflects that, where he posted an interception, a pass deflection and nine total tackles. It does look like Philly is playing better on both sides of the ball, but their defense will still see plenty of action, and Carroll has the big-play ability that makes him a valuable DB.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Curtis Lofton OAK
Lofton is off this week, as Oakland has a bye in Week 8. Take my advice and rid yourself of him permanently while he is not active. There are plenty of better options on the wire, just look up several inches in this very article.
Defensive Linemen
Robert Quinn DE StL
Henry Anderson DE IND
I drafted Quinn as my DL1, and he has been a huge disappointment. You should rid yourself of the headache he causes you when you set your lineup every week. Drop him like a bag of boiled mackerel. Anderson had a brief time of superb production, but he was due to settle back to the norm. Norm says get him off your roster.
Defensive Backs
Brandon Browner CB NO
Browner managed to accumulate one tackle despite playing 100 percent of the snaps in Week 7 against the Colts. To refresh your memory, the Colts threw the ball 44 times in that contest. How in the world do you only get one tackle? I will let you in on the secret: When you are the most penalized corner in the league, your positive results tend to disappear from the stat sheet due to your boneheaded mistakes. I will not own Browner and I urge you to follow suit.
Ouch (My Aching Roster)
All the injury reports below need to be evaluated at kickoff. Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. The list below is intended as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.
Linebackers
Mason Foster WAS (hamstring)
Ryan Kerrigan WAS (hand)
Keenan Robinson WAS (abdominal strain)
Perry Riley WAS (leg)
Antwon Blake PIT (concussion)
Spencer Paysinger MIA (groin)
Akeem Dent HOU (hamstring)
James Laurinaitis StL (elbow)
Denzel Perryman SD (biceps)
Defensive Linemen
Robert Ayers DE NYG (concussion)
Mario Addison DE CAR (shoulder)
Defensive Backs
William Moore S ATL (groin)
Calvin Pryor S NYJ (ankle)
Antoine Bethea S SF (shoulder-placed on IR, out for the season)
Jason McCourty CB TEN (hamstring)
William Gay CB PIT (shoulder)
Zack Bowman CB MIA (shoulder)
Bashaud Breeland CB WAS (hamstring)
As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy matchups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, I can be reached at ia@fantasyalarm.com.