The first bye week hits us like a ton of bricks, with SIX teams not competing this week, and thus, forcing owners to scramble to
find adequate replacement players on both sides of the ball. Fortunately, there are options in the IDP world, and that is why you are here, I presume. So let us see what there is to see, shall we?
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Jelani Jenkins MIA
Anthony Hitchens DAL
Bruce Carter DAL
DeAndre Levy DET
Josh Mauga KC
Preston Brown BUF
Nigel Bradham BUF
Brian Cushing HOU
Plenty of linebacking help this week. Jenkins has to be secured if he sits on your wire, as he is a true breakout IDP star. He has amassed 29 total tackles (20 solo) over the past two weeks, playing in a superb Miami defense. He also has collected 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble since stepping in as an every down LB. Hitchens and Carter are both looking like solid linebackers and getting significant playing time due to injuries in the linebacking corps for Dallas. They are both racking up solo tackles and tossing in pass deflections and in Carter’s case, an INT last week, too. With Stephen Tulloch out for the season, expect to see an uptick in Levy’s numbers. He is going to play in the middle and that will undoubtedly lead to more tackle opportunities, although he will not be in coverage as much and that will hurt his big play opportunities (less chances to post PD and INT stats). Mauga has filled in nicely for Derrick Johnson who is out of the season. He had five solo tackles last week as part of his 18 total solos on the season. Brown and Bradham should both be available on your wire, but the bad news is that they play on the road this week and thus away from the tackle-happy stat crew in Buffalo. Even so, I like them both to perform well, especially in a heavy bye week. Cushing will also be on the field in Houston, facing the Bills, and his playing time is increasing weekly. He is close to being an every down LB again, and if he still sits on your wire, I would suggest snagging him now. Yes, RIGHT NOW, do not read anymore until you secure his services.
Defensive Linemen
Corey Liuget DE SD
Andre Branch DE JAX
Mario Addison DE CAR
William Gholston DE TB
Clinton McDonald DT TB
Sen’Derrick Marks DT JAX
Bennie Logan DT PHI
Johnathan Hankins DT NYG
A nice bunch of DL this week, as well. Liuget is prolly available in your league, and you need his sack ability and handful of solo
tackles per week on your roster. Branch had a sack last week, and if you need DL help in this week with six teams on byes, he is a sneaky addition. Addison is filling in for the exiled Greg Hardy, and has posted 3.5 sacks in the past two contests. Gholston has good speed, and Pittsburgh does give up sacks, so I like his chances to post good big play numbers. McDonald in the middle for the Bucs also has good opportunities this week, having collected a sack in week 2, but may see a downward spiral in playing time if Gerald McCoy is back this week. Check the inactive list before starting him. Marks is a good add if you have to roster a DT and the one you drafted is not playing up to standards for you. He has two sacks on the season, and grabs a handful of tackles every week. Logan is another DT that can give you some tackles, as he is playing nose tackle for the Eagles. Hankins won the starting DT spot on the Giants defensive line, and is another name to consider in DT-required leagues. Generally, though, avoid the bottom three guys on this list unless you HAVE to start a DT.
Defensive Backs
Tony Jefferson S ARI
Robert Blanton S MIN
Aaron Williams S BUF
Brock Vereen S CHI
Husain Abdullah S KC
Kendrick Lewis S HOU
Greg Toler CB IND
I do not usually promote players on a bye week, but this is an opportune time to add Jefferson to your roster, as he will likely be cut with the week off in Week 4. He has racked up 26 tackles and a sack so far, and you need him for the rest of the season to solidify your defensive backfield. Blanton gets to face a pass oriented Falcon team this week, and I would expect him to build on his tackle numbers again. He already has 28 total with 23 of those being of the solo variety. Williams had 14 total tackles last week, 10 of those solo, and has put up 17 solo tackles over the past two weeks. I am really liking the Buffalo D this season, and Williams continues to build on past success sufficiently to make him a must add if you lack safety depth. Vereen will see additional time now that Ryan Mundy is out, and Bears safeties do tend to put up stat numbers you can use. Abdullah, if Eric Berry is still out in the contest with the Patriots, will likely cover Rob Gronkowski and thus should see decent tackle opportunities. Again, check to make certain that Berry is not playing. Lewis has 12 total tackles with 11 of those being solos in Week 3, and forced a fumble. Facing the Bills at home makes me like him this week, too. Toler posted an interception, two pass deflections and managed to score a TD in Week 3. The four solo tackles were just icing on the cake. If he can stay healthy, he can be a big producer for you at CB all season, but beware of his fragility that has limited his appeal the past few seasons.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Connor Barwin PHI
Barwin is on the field, but you cannot tell it by his meager stat lines. He has just six total tackles on the season with one PD. Look for linebacker help elsewhere. Collins is a victim of the Belichick vagaries of usage. He is coming off an injury, and it may be they are trying to take it easy as they work him into a full time position on the defense, but for now, he is not a starting IDP.
Defensive Linemen
Robert Quinn DE StL
Chis Clemons DE JAX
Quinn is killing his owners that prolly took him as their first DL in the draft. No sacks and worse than mediocre tackle numbers (seven total, six solo) over the first three weeks of the season are disappointing, to say the least. There are better options, and you should explore them if you are still running with Quinn in your lineup. Clemons is another guy you drafted for tackles and have to be disappointed in his production. Drop him and let someone else suffer through this drought.
Defensive Backs
Stevie Brown S NYG
Glover Quin S DET
Brown was benched after getting beat badly on an long pass, and it appears that his recovery from a torn ACL in 2013 is not yet
complete. Find someone else to play safety in your defense. Quin is getting plenty of opportunity to produce, but after putting up zero tackles against the struggling Packers in Week 3, I would advise dropping him and looking elsewhere for DB help.
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 to serve as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.
Linebackers
Melvin Ingram SD (hip)
Ryan Shazier PIT (sprained MCL)
Stephen Tulloch DET (torn ACL)
Clay Matthews GB (groin)
Chad Greenway MIN (fractured hand and ribs)
Manti T’eo SD (fractured foot)
Jarvis Jones PIT (wrist)
Jon Beason NYG (foot, toe)
Defensive Linemen
Nothing of note here, move along.
Defensive Backs
Da’Norris Searcy S BUF (ankle)
Tyvon Branch S OAK (foot fracture-out for the season)
Ryan Mundy S CHI (shoulder)
Duke Ihenacho S WAS (fractured heel bone-out for the season)
DeAngelo Hall CB WAS (Achilles-out for the season)
Ike Taylor CB PIT (forearm)
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.