Another week of byes, with six teams sitting out in Week 9 of the NFL season. Not to fret, there are plenty of options to fill those
inactive IDP slots on your starting roster this go around. An added plus is that the injury report is not as full as normal.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Malcolm Smith SEA
Anthony Barr MIN
J.T. Thomas JAX
Quinton Coples NYJ
Paul Kruger CLE
Smith will be a valuable linebacker so long as Bobby Wagner sits out with his toe issue. He is coming off a seven tackle week. Wilhoite may not be well known, but he is on a roll the past three weeks. His opponent this week is the Rams, and their suspect running game. Barr has been making a solid case that he should win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, putting up eight solos in Week 8, with a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, a pass deflection, and the icing on the cake, a TD. If he is on your wire, grab him immediately. Thomas will be filling in in Jacksonville with Posluszny out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, and he showed his value in last week’s contest by racking up six tackles, and INT and a PD. Coples is starting to show why the Jets took him in the first round of the 2012 draft, racking up seven total tackles (five solos) in Week 8, plus 1.5 sacks. I might not want to start him until I see some more consistency, but he is a definite watch list addition. Kruger netted three sacks last week, matching his prior total for the season. He also added in a forced fumble, a pass deflection and five total tackles, four of those being solo. He was likely dropped when he went sackless for four weeks, so snag him if he is available as he seems to be waking up finally.
Defensive Linemen
Allen Bailey DE KC
Robert Quinn DE StL
Ryan Davis DE JAX
Haloti Ngata DT BAL
Sharrif Floyd DT MIN
Bailey showed off his pass rush skills by collecting 1.5 sacks last week. He now has three sacks over the past three games, plus he has been showing sporadic good tackle production. He is a good option in big play leagues. Quinn was on the verge of being dropped by many owners, including me, but getting three sacks over the past two contests (two in Week 8), gives him a reprieve. Perhaps he was just getting his motor warmed up. Davis also had two sacks in Week 8, and that makes him worth an add as a bye week replacement, but do not expect a ton of tackles. Ngata looked real good against Cincy last week, with eight tackles and a sack. Facing the Steelers, look for some more sack opportunities this week. Floyd has been collecting sacks lately, with three in the past four games, but he has also been racking up the tackles. In DT leagues, he is extremely valuable, and could even sub in as a DE replacement in a heavy bye week like we have this upcoming week.
Defensive Backs
Deone Bucannon S ARI
Rashad Johnson S ARI
Brandon Meriweather S WAS
Kendrick Lewis S HOU
Lamarcus Joyner S StL
Mike Adams S IND
Joe Haden CB CLE
Corey White CB NO
Bashaud Breeland CB WAS
A ton of defensive backs to consider in Week 9 and beyond. Bucannon could be a huge pick up if Tony Jefferson sits out with a
concussion. He has a great matchup against Dallas. Johnson, the other safety in Arizona, is prolly not available on the wire in your league, but as noted just above, the match up against the Cowboys is a tasty one for IDP purposes. In fact, look at what Meriweather did in Week 8 against the same Dallas team, rolling up seven solo tackles with two sacks and two forced fumbles. His productivity is up because of how Washington is using him on blitz packages, and that does not look to end anytime soon given its success. Lewis is notable because he has an opponent in Week 9 that favors safety production, the Eagles. He should be a great source for tackles this week. Joyner is coming off a 10 tackle game, and while I am not that high on the St. Louis defense overall, he is a guy I would plug in if I needed DB help this upcoming week. Adams gets to face another IDP friendly opponent this week, in the Giants. You would have to pass up other DBs though as he plays on Monday night and the pickings if for some chance he does not play are slim. Still, no word of limiting him in practice to date. Haden was a guy I avoided because as a shutdown corner, he was ignored by QBs. Not so this season, as he racked up nine total tackles last week, with eight solos, and two pass deflections as well as a fumble recovery. I would feel safe using him now and if he is available, he makes a great mid-season addition. White has been featured here previously, but is worth another mention. He had an INT and two pass deflections in Week 8, to go with his four solo tackles. He gets tested weekly as a young cornerback by offensive coordinators, and it shows up in his stat line. Breeland had a big game against the Cowboys, with four pass deflections, six solo tackles and a forced fumble. The previous week saw him collect five solos and an interception. The fourth round pick in the 2014 draft is starting to shine, and should be available for your selection.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Mychal Kendricks PHI
Kendricks returned in Week 8, but was not impressive. He is still recovering from the calf injury that kept him sidelined since Week 2 and I would not suggest dropping him, merely sitting him until he is back at full strength.
Defensive Linemen
DeMarcus Ware DE DEN
Ware is pretty much hit or miss. He puts up great sack numbers when he is not being shut out, like the Chargers did in Week 8. The tackle numbers are under whelming, so if he does not provide the big play, he is disappointing. That said, he does manage to get to the passer frequently, so if you are in a big play league, keep him around.
Defensive Backs
Husain Abdullah S KC
Devin McCourty S NE
Richard Marshall CB SD
Abdullah will see further deterioration of his value as an IDP player when Eric Berry returns. He did have some nice weeks, but it is time to move on now. McCourty’s tackle numbers are down, as he only has 18 solos on the year out of his 25 total tackles, and just a single interception. Things could change, as he has been bothered by a couple of minor injuries this season, but then again, those injuries could continue to limit him for the remainder of the season. I would drop him for someone that can provide better tackle numbers. Marshall has been released by the Chargers after putting up just one solo in Week 8. Until some other team wants to take a shot with a cornerback that gets repeatedly beaten, he is useless for IDP purposes.
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
Vontaze Burfict CIN (knee)
David Hawthorne NO (hand)
Defensive Linemen
Lamarr Houston DE CHI (knee-out for season)
Nick Fairley DT DET (knee)
Defensive Backs
Tony Jefferson S ARI (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.