It is now essentially a quarter into the season, and wowser, are the injuries starting to mount. Fortunately, we have a whole boatload of Individual Defensive Players coming into their own. Add to that the looming presence of further bye week absences, and you can understand how valuable it is to find players on the wire that can help you populate your rosters with players you trust. Let us move on to see who can give you the boost you need heading into Week 5.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Rolando McClain DAL
Anthony Hitchens DAL
Manti Te’o SD
Brian Cushing HOU
Christian Kirksey CLE
Kevin Minter ARI
Elvis Dumervil BAL
Aldon Smith OAK
Vincent Rey CIN
D’Qwell Jackson IND
Preston Smith WAS
With Sean Lee hurting, the Cowboys will look for McClain to come back strong after serving his four game suspension. Likewise, they will look for Hitchens to essentially become an every-down linebacker, building on his 11 total tackles and half a sack from Week 4. Te’o had 13 total tackles himself in Week 4, and now gets to face off against Pittsburgh and Green Bay, where he should see plenty of playing time. Cushing is still a dominant LB, although he seems to have become a forgotten name in IDP. Do not let him linger on your league’s wire, and grab those tackles he provides every week. Armbrister will benefit from the injury suffered by Paul Posluszny, now expected to miss several weeks. He will move in as a three-down middle linebacker going forward, and the Jaguars are a defense that provides many tackle opportunities for their linebackers. Kirksey put up a sack and five tackles in Week 4 and now gets to face the Ravens this upcoming week, with a chance to put up decent numbers as an every down LB against a less than proficient offense. Minter is also now playing every down in Arizona, the only one on their defensive squad, and while he has not exactly been a bright light on the IDP sky yet, I suspect that so long as he has the opportunity, he will begin to take advantage.
I have rostered Dumervil many times over the past several seasons, and he is now once again worth grabbing, especially in big-play leagues due to his sack potential. Oakland added Aldon Smith to its linebacking corps, and will be expecting him to team up with Khalil Mack to bolster their pass rush. I suggested that Rey would be a major part of the Bengal defense early on this season, mostly because I did not trust Vontaze Burfict to stick in the lineup. Rey is likely on your wire, but is a great LB2 to add, especially coming off a 15 total tackle effort in Week 4, with 10 solos. Jackson was a beast in Week 4, with 10 solos as part of his 17 total tackles accumulated against the Jags in the Week 4 overtime game. He is a solid tackler for most IDP situations. Preston Smith is a fine pass rusher, and he racked up a sack and a pass deflection during Week 4’s game against the Eagles. Look for his playing time to increase as he proves his ability to get after the QB. Ingram wraps up the suggested linebacker pickups for Week 5, and his five total tackle/1.5 sack/one forced fumble/one fumble recovery effort will put him on the IDP radar. The Chargers need someone to kick start their pass rush, and the former first round selection, who is now healthy, could fit that bill.
Defensive Linemen
Stephon Tuitt DE PIT
Greg Hardy DE DAL
Jarvis Jenkins DE CHI
Kerry Wynn DE NYG
Ryan Delaire DE CAR
Calais Campbell DE ARI
Dontari Poe DT KC
Tuitt, if he is still on your league’s waiver wire, is the top pickup this week if you need to fill a DL slot. He is coming off three strong weeks of production, and will continue to develop with increased playing time. Hardy is coming off a suspension, and may not be a full-time player to begin. He has the chops to be a top DL, however, which is why the Cowboys were willing to wait for his return. Grab him now and watch as the stats pile up as the season moves along. Jenkins has collected three sacks over the past couple of weeks, and while he has underperformed during his career, the Bears need help and he should see plenty of time on the field. He makes a good DL3 to sit on your bench for bye weeks or to cover injuries.
Wynn is a good run stopper, and thus provides value in tackle-oriented leagues. With Robert Ayers injured, he will see significant playing time and with that comes the tackle numbers. Delaire was picked up off the Washington practice squad, and played more snaps than Jared Allen in Week 4. With Charles Johnson out of action, the Panthers will be searching for DL depth, although Carolina does have a bye in Week 5 so there is no rush to add him yet. Campbell put up 10 solos (11 total tackles) in Week 4, and also added half a sack to his stat line. He has always provided good tackle numbers, so despite a somewhat slow start to the season, he seems to be coming on and now is the time to grab him. Poe is looking healthy after coming off back surgery last July, and has always been a good option in DT-mandatory leagues. He had two solos and two assists in Week 4, which is decent production for a defensive tackle any week.
Defensive Backs
Johnathan Cyprien S JAX
Corey Graham S BUF
Barry Church S DAL
Chris Conte S TB
Will Allen S PIT
Charles Woodson CB OAK
Prince Amukamara CB NYG
David Amerson CB OAK
Cyprien put up 11 solos as part of his 14 total tackle effort against the Colts in Week 4, also picking up a fumble recovery to add the cherry on top of his sundae for his owners. He was out with a calf injury, but looks to be healthy and if he is sitting on the wire -- you need to snag him quickly. Graham has produced like a DB1 the past three weeks, with 35 total tackles (25 solos) to go with his sack in Week 4 as well as a fumble recovery on the season. Church had nine tackles last week, and has always been a consistent producer on the field. No reason to think he will not continue to produce. Conte was discussed here previously, but he is getting better as the season progresses. He is working on an eight total tackle effort last week, with a forced fumble and a pass deflection, and has 25 solo tackles in 2015 through the first four weeks.
Allen is seeing plenty of action in the Pittsburgh secondary, and already has 46 total tackles this year. Look for his production to continue as a mainstay in the Steelers’ defensive backfield. Woodson seemed to be destined for the bench when he was injured early on this season, but he came back faster than anyone thought possible -- except him, apparently -- and is still putting up the same superb numbers he has always supplied. In a league that requires a cornerback in the lineup, you could not do much better, although at his age, injury is always a concern. Amukamara already has six pass deflections on the season, together with 21 solo tackles. He is healthy again after missing a good portion of 2014 with a torn bicep. He may have slipped through the cracks so far, but now would be the time to rescue him from the wire. Amerson is being targeted by opposing offenses, and so far has withstood the challenge. He has a contest against Denver coming up, and you can expect Peyton and the boys to test his skills, likely resulting in good tackle numbers, and perhaps a big play or two.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Uani Unga NYG
Armonty Bryant CLE
I promoted Unga earlier this season, but with Jon Beason splitting time with him, he is now too inconsistent to trust in your starting lineup. Johnson is also an up and down player, putting up a good game followed by a stinker. Until he can do it every week, avoid him. I would not suggest dropping David at this point, but I also would not be starting him until he gets over his funk. If you have the bench space, hold on to him, as I feel certain he will rebound soon. Bryant had zero tackles in Week 4, and is being used as a pass rush specialist. Since the sacks did not materialize in last week’s effort, either, feel free to drop him until he can start offering decent tackle numbers.
Defensive Linemen
Cameron Jordan DE NO
Jason Hatcher DE WAS
Oliver Vernon/Cameron Wake DE MIA
Ndamukong Suh DT MIA
Sharrif Floyd DT MIN
The Saints talked about finding ways to get Jordan involved on defense, but that has yet to materialize so far this season. He has only accumulated six tackles and one sack in 2015, and has been a huge disappointment to date. Hatcher is another DL that is not putting up stats, despite getting plenty of playing time on defense. You can do better. Speaking of doing better, did we not all expect great things out of Miami with Vernon, Wake and Suh on the D-line? Think again, as all have been huge busts. Perhaps the coaching change for the Dolphins will shake things up, but none of this trio is worth rostering based on their production so far this season. Floyd has been a productive DT in the past, but with one solo tackle, five assists and part of a sack in 2015 he is not worth your consideration.
Defensive Backs
Nothing of note this week, aside from those suffering through injuries listed below.
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
Mychal Kendricks PHI (hamstring)
Sean Lee DAL (concussion)
Alec Ogletree StL (ankle)
Paul Posluszny JAX (ankle)
Kiko Alonso PHI (knee)
Jerrell Freeman IND (hamstring)
David Harris NYJ (knee)
Ryan Shazier PIT (neck, shoulder)
Jelani Jenkins MIA (neck)
Justin Durant ATL (elbow)
Devon Kenard NYG (hamstring)
DeAndre Levy DET (hip)
Defensive Linemen
Robert Ayers DE NYG (hamstring)
Desmond Bryant DE CLE (shoulder)
Kedric Golston DE WAS (hand)
Randy Gregory DE DAL (ankle)
Cedric Thornton DE PHI (hand)
Haloti Ngata DT DET (calf)
Defensive Backs
Antrel Rolle S CHI (ankle)
Morgan Burnett S GB (calf)
Calvin Pryor S NYJ (knee)
Andrew Sejdejo S MIN (knee)
Dion Bailey S NYJ (elbow)
Johnthan Banks CB TB (knee)
Brandon Flowers CB SD (concussion)
Brent Grimes CB MIA (knee)
Joe Haden CB CLE (ribs, finger)
DeAngelo Hall CB WAS (toe)
Adam Jones CB CIN (groin)
Byron Maxwell CB PHI (quad)
Jabari Price CB MIN (shoulder)
Gregory Toler CB IND (neck)
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.