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It is just the first week in the NFL season, and already things are shaking in terms of players making an impact that was .jpg)
not expected, with other players either not showing up for the dance or being sent to the sidelines with injury. Fortunately for those of us with injured players, the list of upside IDP far exceeds those who have for one reason or another disappeared from the stat sheet or become unable to compete for varying lengths of time.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Sio Moore OAK
Emmanuel Lamur CIN
Vincent Rey CIN
Paul Kruger CLE
Josh Mauga KC
Brandon Marshall DEN
Larry Foote ARI
Joplo Bartu ATL
Rolando McClain DAL
Jelani Jenkins MIA
Moore busted out big time in Week 1, racking up 11 solo tackles out of 13 total, with a sack tossed in for good measure. If you lost someone like Clowney or Derrick Johnson, then you should be seeking to add Moore to bolster your roster immediately. Of course, Lamur and Kruger would also be good to target, either to replace a player out for the season, or just to improve your bench. Lamur put up 11 total tackles last Sunday, and with Rey, figures to get increased tackle opportunities if Vantaze Burfict is out with his concussion for any stretch. Kruger was on the field for limited duty, but still managed to post two sacks in just 45 snaps, along with 5 combined tackles. Collins was an every snap LB on Sunday, and that allowed him to collect eight solo tackles with one forced fumble and pass deflection, too. He is the undrafted LB in New England you want to grab, and grab now. Mauga, and to a lesser extent James-Michael Johnson, will be the beneficiaries of the season ending injury to Derrick Johnson in Kansas City. Mauga had eight solos on Sunday, and with the uptick in playing time, expect Johnson to get his share of tackles now as well. Marshall will be filling in for the injured 
Danny Travathon in Denver, and given that Travathon is out until mid-season at a minimum, will be a good candidate to fill the stat sheet. He managed to collect eight solo tackles, with a couple of assists and a pass deflection on Sunday night. Foote has seeming been around forever, kinda like his former Michigan teammate Woodson discussed below, but he can still deliver good production. He had eight solos on Monday night, and roamed all over the field in collecting those tackles. If you have a deep bench, he would make a great LB4 with upside. Bartu not only posted 10 combined tackles in week one but also forced a fumble. I was high on him at the end of last season, and he is rewarding me for my affection. McClain had a nice day, with a seven solo tackle effort (eight total), and someone has to step up in Dallas to help out that depleted defense. Would I trust him? Nope, but if he continues to produce, then maybe he becomes a bye-week option, along with teammates Justin Durant and Bruce Carter. Right now, though, I am taking a wait-and-see approach with any Dallas IDP. Jenkins played 59 snaps on Sunday, and with injuries hitting the Dolphins’ linebacking corps, he could be a sneaky add. He had six total tackles (five solo) on Sunday, and that should be a consistent figure as he mans the weakside in the weeks to come while his teammates recover.
Defensive Linemen
Gerald McCoy DT TB
Sen’Derrick Marks DT JAX
Linval Joseph DT MIN
Sealver Siliga DT NE
Cameron Wake DE MIA
Wallace Gilberry DE CIN
Willie Young DE CHI
Cameron Heyward DE PIT
Ryan Davis DE JAX
Trent Cole DE PHI
Plenty o’ DLs this week to consider adding to your fantasy roster, if just a titch short of the bounty we had in the linebacking department. Of the four DTs listed, I would target McCoy and Marks first, even in leagues that do not require a dedicated defensive tackle position. McCoy will be popular on the wire this week after putting up eight solos and a sack, so act
quickly. Marks was not spectacular, just very good with five tackles and a sack. He looks to be consistent and well worth a start every week as your DL3/4. Joseph also was credited with a sack on Sunday, together with six combined tackles (five solo) which makes him worthwhile as a third or fourth DL or a bench/bye week player. Siliga was coming on at the end of last season, and starts this year with six solos. If that production continues, as I expect, he is someone you can grab now and boast about your acumen to your league mates later. Switching to Defensive Ends, Wake continued to demonstrate his dominance, forcing two fumbles, collecting two sacks and tossing in three solo tackles to boot. Gilberry grabbed 1.5 sacks on Sunday, to go with his one tackle for a loss (out of four total), making him a valuable IDP in the DL position. Young was a bright spot in Chicago, racking up two tackles for a loss (out of four combined, three solo) and also recorded a sack. He is a sleeper you can prolly still grab off the wire. In Pittsburgh, Heyward totaled a sack and four tackles and continued his production that began in 2013. Steeler DLs traditionally fly under the radar and if you are lacking production there early this season, look to add Heyward. Davis compiled a stat line that showed two sacks, one fumble recovery and two solos, which will raise some eyebrows. With good speed, he is a DE that will get around the O-line and pressure (or sack) the opposing QB with regularity this season. Plus, no one has him on their roster…yet. The veteran Cole is largely ignored these days in drafts, but his four tackle/one sack effort against Jacksonville should wake up the naysayers. He is a good depth guy if you have the room
Defensive Backs
Donte Whitner S CIN
D.J. Swearinger S HOU
Tony Jefferson S ARI
Ryan Mundy S CHI
Leodis McKelvin CB BUF
Antoine Cason CB CAR
Charles Woodson CB OAK
Not quite so many options to grab here as we saw with the IDPs that play closer to the snap, but still some nice talent to snag to bolster your secondary. Whitner rolled up 13 total tackles with 12 being of the solo variety on Sunday. He is an every snap DB and is playing in a run stopping role, so his tackle numbers should prove very tasty this season. Swearinger is playing in the middle on a Houston defense that is weak against the inside run, so he should see a ton of tackle opportunities. He also posted a sack and a forced fumble in the first week of action, to go with his 8 combined tackles (six solo). Plus, he makes me think of Deadwood, so I gotta like him. Jefferson put up an eight tackle performance on Monday night, with seven of those being solos. He is fighting for playing time, but another demonstration like the
opening week will get him his snaps. Mundy was the Chicago leader in tackles in the first week, and with weak linebacker support in front of him, he figures to be a tackling machine this season in Chicago (and on the road, naturally). McKelvin was a tackling machine on Sunday, racking up 14 total with 13 of those being his alone. He also has value as a punt returner, in addition to being Number one on the depth chart in Buffalo at CB. Cason’s nine solo tackles in the opening week came as a surprise, and I am not sure you can rely on that sort of production week in, week out. He also had an INT and deflected two passes, so yeah, turn down the dial on your expectations, but he could still be a worthwhile watch or add to a deep roster. One of my favorite players of all time, Woodson still has it going on. He was all over the field for Oakland this week. He will be tested often, which will lead to big tackle numbers (nine this week) and the interception he made was just icing on the cake. Sidenote: The first year I scored Michigan season tickets was Woodson’s Heisman year, and when he was on the field, he was the only player I watched. Much like Vladimir Konstantinov with the Red Wings, he WAS the game.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Audie Cole MIN
Brandon Spikes BUF
Cole was an IDP darling last season, but a zero tackle effort on Sunday was worse than anyone could have expected. Hightower was not much better, with only a single assisted tackle despite playing every down on Sunday. If he is going to continue to rush the passer and drop into coverage on passing situations, he is going to be worthless for IDP purposes. Spikes expect was someone I targeted late in drafts, but he was on the sideline for much of the game on Sunday against the Bears. If this continues, he will be droppable.
Defensive Linemen
Rob Ninkovich DE NE
I do not Ninkovich to put up such paltry results as he produced on Sunday regularly, and really, five solos is not that shabby, but not being on the field in nickel and dime situations limited his value. He is not a player that should be seeing the field on only half of the snaps. Keep an eye on this situation and if it continues, look for another starting DE.
Defensive Backs
Richard Sherman CB SEA
Cary Williams CB PHI
Sherman is a shut down corner, and thus teams scheme to avoid him. He will get his opportunities at times, but if this trend continues, he will be like Darelle Revis or going back in time, Deon Saunders, and irrelevant for fantasy purposes. Williams, on the other hand, is a targeted CB. His problem is that he cannot wrap up the tackles, and in many cases, got burned by not covering his man close enough. He helped to increase the adds that Jacksonville’s Allen Hurns saw this week with his weak coverage. I frequently suggest targeting rookie cornerbacks just because of the attention they will receive from offensive coordinators, but if you cannot cover your man, then all that goes out the window.
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
Zach Brown TEN torn pectoral muscle (presumed out for the season)
HOU knee
Derrick Johnson KC torn Achilles (out for the season)
Robert Mathis IND torn Achilles (presumed out for the season)
Dannell Ellerby MIA hip
Koa Misi MIA high ankle sprain
Vontaze Burfict CIN concussion
Defensive Linemen
Chris Long DE StL ankle
Defensive Backs
Johnathan Cyprien S JAX concussion
Aaron Williams S BUF concussion
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.