I am in sunny Arizona, gathered with about 200 like-minded souls to talk about fantasy baseball. But no need to fret, before I foolhardily draft a baseball roster in November, I have time to post this week's IDP Report.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Muhammad Wilkerson DE NYJ
Calais Campbell DE ARI
Quentin Coples DE NYJ
Ropati Pitoitua DE TEN
Kyle Williams DT BUF
Chris Jones DT NE
Six good options to add to your roster in the DL category this week. The Jets' defensive line has been playing very well, and Wilkerson is a big reason for the dominace. He has put up 7 sacks this season, and there is no reason that he won't make double figures soon. Campbell has become a nice pass rush specialist for the Cardinals, as well as totalling nice tackle numbers too. Coples is really an outside LB that has DL eligibility, which makes for great value, now that he is healthy. Pitoitua has a questionable injury tag this week, so be careful if you are going to pick him up. If he gets to face Clemens and the lackluster Rams, he should provide you with a nice handful of tackles and perhaps a sack or two. Williams and Jones are useful if you play in a DT-mandatory league, but with the sacks that they contribute, either or both could help shore up a weak DL position on your roster.
Defensive Linemen
Sean Lee DAL
David Hawthorne NO
Sio Moore OAK
Craig Robertson CLE
Dont'a Hightower NE
Lee is having a monster season, and if he has ended up on your league's wire, you need to roster him immediately. Hawthorne does not play every snap, but has been providing great all-around production for the Saints' D. Facing Geno Smith, the possibilty exists for a sack or two this week. Moore has been coming on in his first season on the Raider defense, having collected 3 sacks in the past two games. A good dynasty player to consider holding onto. Robertson has been shining for the Browns while D'Qwell Jackson continues to underproduce this season. If you took Jackson as a top LB for your team, I would strongly suggest moving him free agency and adding Robertson while he is hot. Hightower is filling in for Jerod Mayo and is extremely valuable when the Pats face a pass oriented offense.
Defensive Backs
TJ Ward S CLE
D.J. Swearinger S HOU
Adam Jones CB CIN
Logan Ryan CB NE
Aaron Williams CB/S NE
Josh Robinson CB MIN
Ward is finally coming back to his prior dominant self, and has been racking up tremendous amounts of solo tackles over the past 3 weeks. Roster him now. Swearinger is going to benefit from the loss of Brian Cushing, holding down a starting slot in the Texan defensive backfield. Jones is another who will benefit from an injury, this time to Leon Hall. With the Cincy D rolling along, he looks to keep providing his owners with a nice return. Ryan looks like a big play corner, but is not an everydown player, so be careful is you add him. Williams plays for a great defense, and the home scorekeeepers for the Bills are very generous in handing out stats, so take advantage when he plays at home. Robinson gets to face the pass happy Cowboys and Tony Romo this week, so expect him to benefit from trying to cover Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
David Harris NYJ
Spencer Paysinger NYG
These two NY LBs are not worth rostering any longer, although situations could change. Still, I cannot in good conscience tell you to hold them at this point.
Defensive Linemen
I would have put Wallace Gilberry here, but with his groin injury, he goes in the section below.
Defensive Backs
Ryan Mundy S NYG
Donte Whitner S SF
Stephon Gilmore CB BUF
Mundy, like Paysinger above, is not seeing sufficent playing time to roster any longer. Whitner's name change to Hitner seems to have been a tad presumptious. Gilmore is one of the rare Buffalo defensive players that should not be on your IDP roster, but that is mainly due to his hand being encased in a cast. Until he has both hands free, bench him or let him sit on the wire.
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
Stephen Nicholas ATL (thigh)
Lance Briggs CHI (shoulder)
Rey Maualaga CIN (concussion/knee)
Quentin Groves CLE (ankle)
Clay Matthews GB (thumb)
Nick Perry GB (foot)
Casey Matthews PHI (hip)
Moise Fokou TEN (knee)
Defensive Linemen
Osi Umenyoira DE ATL (knee)
Geno Atkins DT CIN (knee)
Wallace Gilberry DE CIN (groin)
Tommy Kelly DT NE (knee)
Camerson Jordan DT NO (ankle)
Tyrunn Walker DE NO (knee)
Shaun Rogers DT NYG (knee)
Robert Quinn DE StL (illness)
Ropati Pitoitua DE TEN (calf)
Defensive Backs
William Moore S ATL (hip)
Charles Tillman CB CHI (knee)
Champ Bailey CB DEN (foot)
Greg Toler CB IND (groin)
Jamarca Sanford S MIN (groin)
Kyle Arrington CB NE (groin)
Aqib Talib CB NE (hip)
Roman Harper S NO (knee)
Tyvon Branch S OAK (ankle)
Patrick Chung S PHI (shoulder)
Mark Barron S TB (hip)
Dashon Goldson S TB (knee)
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
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.