Another week, another batch of bye week absences and injuries to deal with on the defensive side of the line of 
scrimmage. Fortunately, for those of us in IDP leagues, there always seems to be someone emerging that is available on the wire to shore up your starting lineup. Let’s take a look and see what we shall see, shall we?
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Bjoern Werner IND
Sio Moore OAK
Emmanuel Lamur CIN
Justin Durant DAL
C.J. Mosley BAL
Werner finally lived up to his 2013 first round status, nailing down six total tackles in Week 5, with two sacks and a pass deflection tossed in for extra value. If he can provide some pass rush from the outside, he could be a nice pickup for your team. Moore may or may not be back, as he recovers from an ankle injury. If he is on the waiver, he is close to coming back and will provide great tackle opportunities once he hits the field. Lamur is benefiting from the absence of Vontaze Burfict as he tries to get past the concussion protocols. He is a nice source of tackles, having racked up seven solos last week, if you are in need of such things. Durant is another guy benefiting from teammate injuries, with both Rolando McClain and Bruce Carter questionable this week, and he will be facing a Seattle team that likes to run. That means good tackle opportunity, by the by. Mosley had a huge Week 5, with 15 total tackles (eight solos), an INT and PD. He is solid against both the air and ground attacks he faces, and is a potential keeper candidate.
Linemen
Mario Addison DE CAR
Armonty Bryant DE CLE
Frostee Rucker DE ARI
Not too much here this week, but Addison is worth a shot if you need help. He has four sacks on the season (or five, depending on the stat service you trust), and has been good for a tackle a game, which is not too bad for a defensive lineman. Bryant should see more playing time now that Phil Taylor is injured, and last week he put up six total tackles with three being solos, and a sack. He should be available in all but the deepest leagues. Rucker will also be seeing more snaps with Calais Campbell being sidelined after the chop block he received from Julius Thomas last week. He gets to face the DE-friendly Washington offense this week, and would be a good pick up, especially if you had Campbell on your squad.
Defensive Backs
Michael Griffin S TEN
George Wilson S TEN
Kemal Ishmael S ATL
James Ihedigbo S DET
Antoine Cason CB CAR
Johnathan Joseph CB HOU
Cortez Allen CB PIT
Griffin had a full stat line in Week 5, with 14 total tackles (10 solo), a sack, an INT and a pass deflection. With Bernard Pollard out, expect him to see plenty of snaps although do not expect the same weekly production as you saw last week. The same could be said of Wilson, who will see more tackle opportunities with Pollard on the shelf. I like Griffin more, but if he is not available, go with Wilson, as the Tennessee defense spends a lot of time on the field. Ishmael is going to be a good source of tackles going forward, as he looks to be an every down defensive back, playing behind a porous front seven in Atlanta. Ihedigbo is just another cog in the surprising Detroit defense, and he gets to face a suspect Minnesota team this week. With a five tackle average per week, he is a fine DB to start. Cason had a fine eight tackle effort against the Bears, and also threw in a forced fumble for good measure. He has been a fairly consistent tackle producer so far, although not much for any big plays yet. Joseph is also on the injury list down below, so be cautious and check out his game time availability before starting him. Still, with five or more tackles every game this season, and two forced fumbles and three pass deflections, he is worth monitoring. Allen has had seven tackles per game over his last three contests, and also snagged an INT and deflected two passes last week. I have been using him for a while, and suggest you look for him on the wire in your league.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Geno Hayes JAX
Quinton Coples NYJ
Hayes was racking up the stats, at least until he was replaced by rookie Telvin Smith last week. Hayes is prolly going to lose time to Smith going forward. Coples has put up a goose egg for three weeks in a row. That is enough for me to wave bye-bye to him, and you should follow suit.
Defensive Linemen
Michael Johnson DE TB
Jurrell Casey DE TEN
Johnson had zero tackles in a game that went into overtime, and in which he played 84 of 93 snaps. Not something you want to highlight on your resume. Casey should rebound but he shifted from a 4-3 line to a 3-4 scheme, and it has not been great for him. He does get to face the Jaguars this upcoming week, but if the production lags again, it is time to cut him loose.
Defensive Backs
Tyrann Mathieu S ARI
Corey Graham CB BUF
Patrick Peterson CB ARI
Many were expecting Mathieu to regain his 2013 form when he was healthy, but he has been eased back into action so far.
Keep him on your radar, but right now the Cardinals have been getting good production from their other safeties, so this may be a wait and see project. Graham was looking like the best CB in Buffalo to start the season, but his playing time is diminishing of late, and he likely will need someone to go down with an injury to regain his early value. Peterson is not getting the opportunities he had last season and it shows in his stats. He also hurt his ankle last week, so that is a concern going forward as well.
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
DeMeco Ryans PHI (groin)
Mychal Kendricks PHI (calf)
Jon Bostic CHI (back)
Rolando McClain DAL (groin)
Perry Riley WAS (knee)
Defensive Linemen
Calais Campbell DE ARI (MCL)
J.J. Watt DE HOU (thigh)
Kyle Williams DT BUF (knee)
Phil Taylor DE CLE (knee)
Defensive Backs
Bernard Pollard S TEN (ruptured Achilles)
Harrison Smith S MIN (ankle)
Johnathan Joseph CB HOU (knee)
Patrick Peterson CB ARI (ankle)
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.