It is exciting to get back into regular season action, despite the unpredictable results we saw in the early going in the NFL season. It is not time to panic, but if you lost an IDP to injury, and there were plenty of banged up players on both sides of the ball in Week 1, now is the time to target some of the players looking better than expected. I would not necessarily revamp my entire roster based on one week’s results, but I would also suggest that some of the IDP in the first group below either should be on your watch list or snapped up before your opponents open their eyes to their potential production as the season progresses.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Thomas Davis CAR
Koa Misi MIA
Vincent Rey CIN
Uani’ Unga NYG
Kevin Minter ARI
Davis may be getting up there in years, but he is still a productive and consistent producer. With Luke Kuechly potentially on the shelf with a concussion, push him up further in your rankings, and really, he has LB2 status right now with upside. Misi picked up 11 total tackles against Washington, playing all over the field, and in nickel packages, too. He does not have a ton of additional upside, but he should not disappear in any one week, either. Rey is a player I talked about as a sleeper in my pre-season reports, given Vontaze Burfict’s injury history. He also benefits from a generous home stat crew, so his tackle numbers will be significant while he is playing on defense for the Bengals. Unga had 12 tackles to lead the Giant defensive effort, with an interception, but recognize that he was an undrafted free agent pickup. He will benefit from the absence of Jon Beason, although his struggles in pass coverage may end up reducing his role over the next couple of weeks. Minter benefited from the limitations that Sean Weatherspoon is experiencing as he tries to get healthy. He should build on his seven tackles (five solos) so long as he mans the inside linebacker position for the Cardinals.
Defensive Linemen
Henry Anderson DE IND
Allen Bailey DE KC
Brandon Williams DT BAL
Anderson had three tackles for a loss as part of his nine total tackles racked up in Week 1. With Arthur Jones out for the season with an ankle injury, he should see plenty of time on the field for the Colts. If you like your defensive ends to put up tackle numbers, then he is a necessary add. Bailey will benefit from teams targeting Justin Houston, as witnessed by his two sacks in Week 1. He also gets to face off against the Broncos on Thursday, who seemed to have issues protecting their QB in the opening game. Williams, despite only being on the field for 52% of the Raven defensive plays in the game against the Broncos, still put up six solo tackles and one assist for seven total tackles. Not bad from a DT, and with Haloti Ngata now playing for Detroit, he has grabbed the position and looks like a solid player in DT-mandatory leagues.
Defensive Backs
Glover Quin S DET
Calvin Pryor S NYJ
Larry Asante S OAK
Cary Williams CB SEA
Adam Jones CB CIN
Jimmy Smith CB BAL
Quin was an interception machine in 2014, and continued to put up stats in Week 1, with an INT and seven tackles, as well as a TD. He is consistent and probably slipped
through your draft. If he is on your wire, grab him. Pryor put up 10 tackles in the opening game of the season, and now gets to face the Browns. If you are weak at DB, he is one to target this week. Asante will be the beneficiary of the Raiders losing both their starting safeties to injury. He is not an overwhelming player, but he will be on the field and is a good source for stats so long as he plays. Williams is worth picking up this week as he faces the Aaron Rogers-led Packers, and plays opposite Richard Sherman. I predict that Rogers will attack him, and I always like the corner that is going to see the most action. Think the Packers will throw his way? Jones, despite slamming rookie Amari Cooper’s noggin into his helmet (naughty-naughty), should be noted for his 10 solo tackle Week 1 performance, although that number is not likely to continue all season. He is also the primary punt returner in Cincy, so in leagues that reward for individual return yards on kicks, he has even more value. Smith had an INT that went for a score, but you know you cannot count on that sort of value on a weekly basis. The eight solos and one pass deflection are more likely to continue, so if you need to fill a DB slot, you could do much worse than taking a chance on Smith.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Lawrence Timmons PIT
Jerod Mayo NE
Timmons is an inconsistent performer week-to-week, and the numbers for Week 1 were disappointing (three tackles total). Ryan Shazier looks to be the performer at LB for the Steelers going forward, and you can safely drop Timmons for one of the LBs that I talked about several inches up above. Mayo is not worth starting until he begins to see more than nine snaps in a game, as he was extremely limited in Week 1. I would not drop him if you have room to sit him on the bench, but I also would not hesitate to replace him in the meantime if you need a starting LB that can give you near full time production.
Defensive Linemen
Cameron Wake DE MIA
Jason Pierre-Paul DE NYG
Wake was a huge disappointment in Week 1, essentially being shut out on the stat sheet. He was not able to gather any additional benefit from the off-season addition of Ndamukong Suh, and while I do not expect him to keep putting up zeros, he certainly was a buzzkill in the first game of the fantasy season. Pierre-Paul finally showed up in the Giants’ camp, and the results were less than expected. It appears that his off-season fireworks injuries were worse than reported, and he may not be active this season at all. If you took a flier on him in a draft, now is the time to look for a suitable replacement (read: a player that will take the field).
Defensive Backs
Kam Chancellor S SEA
Kyle Fuller CB CHI
The fight between Chancellor and the Seahawks over restructuring his contract continues. Given the loss after the first week, we may see some resolution soon, since the two sides are fighting about chump change (in NFL terms, that is), but until he gets back in uniform, he is worthless unless you have a deep bench or own him in a dynasty league. Fuller seems to be adjusting to a new role in the revamped Bear defensive scheme, and until he figures out how to be productive, you should look elsewhere for CB help on your roster.
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
Terrell Suggs BAL Achilles-out for the season
Luke Kuechly CAR Concussion
Danny Lansanah TB Ankle
Sam Barrington GB Ankle
DeAndre Levy DET Hip
Defensive Linemen
Malik Jackson DE DEN Concussion
Randy Gregory DE DAL Ankle
Defensive Backs
Charles Woodson S OAK Dislocated shoulder
Corey Graham S BUF Concussion
Rafael Bush S NO Torn pectoral
Morgan Burnett S GB Calf
Duke Ihenacho S WAS Wrist
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 match ups 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.
Player News
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Cowboys are finalizing a trade for Steelers WR George Pickens.
The move, which includes a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick sent to the Steelers, comes after another ESPN report saying Pickens, 24, wanted to remain in Pittsburgh. Acquiring Pickens — who has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons — addresses an area of acute need for the Cowboys, who have one of the league’s weakest wideout room behind CeeDee Lamb. Pickens and Lamb will make for one of the NFL’s best receiver duos, with Pickens functioning as a viable downfield threat for Dak Prescott, who last season ranked 15th out of 40 qualifying quarterbacks in deep ball accuracy. Pickens in 2024 was third in deep targets and second only to Alec Pierce in receiving yards on downfield receptions. Pickens will have far more upside in the Dallas offense than he did in Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf, meanwhile, will enter the 2025 season as the unquestioned No. 1 wideout for the run-heavy Steelers. His fantasy prospects look much brighter with Pickens in Dallas.
NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports Saints QB Derek Carr wants to “see if he can play through with this shoulder injury.”
Slater reports that Carr believes he injured his throwing shoulder in the same Week 14 game against the Giants that he injured his left wrist last season. The shoulder issue was apparently discovered as he ramped up throwing in the spring, not as the season wound down in 2024. Carr has already had surgery on that arm and wants to see if he can play through the injury. Slater adds that Carr made two trips to New Orleans to meet with the team doctor and a decision will be made “sooner rather than later” as the 34-year-old tries to make the best decision for his shoulder and the Saints aim to make the best decision for their franchise. It would be a surprise to see Carr return to start for the Saints, especially without having surgery. New Orleans has signaled an attempt to move on by selecting Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Carr has two seasons left on his four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints and a decision on his future is looming.
9News’ Mike Klis reports free agent QB Desmond Ridder will get a veteran tryout at the Broncos’ rookie minicamp.
Ridder is a former third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022 and started 13 games for them in 2023. Atlanta moved on from Ridder after his 12-touchdown, 12-interception season; he joined the Raiders to play six games and start one in 2024. The 25-year-old is searching for backup jobs around the NFL after throwing for 5.4 yards per attempt and earning a 45.7 PFF grade last season, good for No. 69 out of 75 quarterbacks. The Broncos will bring him into rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, where Ridder looks to earn the chance to compete with Sam Ehlinger for the third-string quarterback spot in Denver.
Bengals DT B.J. Hill was seen in a protective boot at Tuesday’s voluntary workout.
Hill was seen in a protective walking boot for his left foot at the Bengals’ voluntary workout session on Tuesday. It seems to be a new injury for the veteran, though it is not yet clear what the injury is. The Bengals just signed Hill to a three-year, $33 million contract in the offseason and will be hoping one of the investments into their defense gets healthy for the start of the regular season.
The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf reports Brian Schottenheimer was “non-commital” on whether the Cowboys would have a lead back or take a committee approach.
“Schottenheimer wants to see how things unfold during offseason workouts and training camp,” Yousuf continues. It certainly seems to be a situation where Jaydon Blue could carve out a role in a hurry. “If Blue proves himself, he’ll have the chance to carve out a significant role,” Yousuf writes. Certainly nothing we saw from Javonte Williams or Miles Sanders in recent years would lead us to believe that they’ll be blocking Blue if he shows out in training camp.
Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said he’s “expecting Kyle [Pitts] to take a big jump.”
“Year 2 of the system. Year 2 of understanding what we’re trying to do offensively. All those things that come with it, so expecting a lot of good things from Kyle,” Robinson continued, presumably while trying to sell the people who asked him this question a bridge. The good news for those who would want to buy in on Pitts is, like the Spanish Inquisition, nobody is expecting a Pitts breakout year in his fifth season. He’s now a freeroll. But it’s hard to believe he’ll do any better than low-end TE1 duty this year.