Some fantasy players were eliminated in a weird Week 14, but for those of you still in the hunt for the league championship, there are a handful of LBs and DLs to target on the free agent market. Plus, a much healthier group of potential DBs to help you in your quest for fantasy glory.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Tremaine Edmunds BUF
The rookie linebacker is a valuable asset in a tackle-oriented IDP league, as he has amassed 90 total tackles (TT) over the 12 games he has played in 2018. He is averaging just over five solo tackles per contest. He is not only a tackle machine, but also has contributed 10 pass deflections (PD) this season, with a pair of fumbles forced (FF) as well. The home stat crew is one of the most generous in handing out tackle counts, which plays well in Week 15 against the visiting Lions.
Jarrad Davis DET
Speaking of the Detroit squad, Davis gets to face off against the team that allows the most fantasy points to opposing linebacking crews when the Lions head to Buffalo in Week 15. Davis is coming off an eight TT effort (seven solo) in the desert against the Cardinals, where he also had a sack and a PD.
Neville Hewitt NYJ
Hewitt benefitted from facing those generous Bills last week to the tune of eight TT (five solo), and now gets to face an almost as delectable squad in the form of the Texans. With Darron Lee on the sidelines, suspended due to violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, he projects to play the bulk of the snaps at left inside LB, which should lead to another big fantasy-point game.
Defensive Linemen
Michael Bennett DE PHI
Bennett was the beneficiary of the prolific tackle opportunities offered by the Eagles’ Week 14 opponent, the Cowboys, racking up seven TT (five solo) with two of those for a loss of yards (TFL). He also added 1.5 sacks, five QB hits (QH) and forced a fumble. He has eight sacks over his last 10 contests played, making him a value in big-play formats. He did not practice on Wednesday, however, so keep an eye on his status for this week.
Da'Ron Payne DT WAS
If you play in a DT-mandatory league, Payne has been a consistent tackle producer and plays nearly every snap on defense. He also has five sacks this season, so has the ability to provide a big play to increase his IDP productivity.
Defensive Backs
Damarious Randall S CLE
Despite playing as free safety, Randall is racking up the tackles for the Brown defense, averaging 5.5 solos per game. He is also showing a nose for the ball, with four interceptions on the season, including two in his past three contests. He has a great matchup against the Broncos in Week 15, and the next week against the Bengals is not shabby, either.
Michael Thomas S NYG
Thomas has stepped into the starting strong safety position for the Giants, with Landon Collins landing on the IR in Week 13. He should continue to see a significant uptick in snaps through the balance of the season, and will be a productive IDP asset should you be in search of a DB late into the season.
D.J. Reed S SF
Reed has shifted to cornerback, the position he played in college. He had a superb Week 14, rolling up 12 TT (10 solo, three TFL) with a QH, a FF and a sack. His Week 15 opponent, Seattle, is a much better matchup for a corner than a safety, by the bye.
Mike Hilton CB PIT
Hilton led the Steelers in tackles last week with eight TT (six solo, two TFL). He had an extremely productive week overall, with a fumble recovery (FR), two QH and a sack to go along with the tackles. He is taking on a couple of pass-oriented offenses in the next two weeks in the form of the Patriots and Saints, so expect his production to continue.
Trumaine Johnson CB NYJ
Johnson missed five games in the middle of the season, but has returned with a vengeance, providing decent tackle numbers to go along with big plays. He has racked up three INT and PD both over the last two weeks. He has a so-so matchup against the Texans in store this week, but then gets a better opportunity to shine against the Packers in Week 16.
Rasul Douglas CB PHI
Douglas had nine solo tackles against the prolific Dallas offense in Week 14, building on the seven TT he had in Week 13 against the visiting Washington attack. Facing the Rams this week is a nice matchup for cornerbacks.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Shaq Thompson CAR
Thompson has seen his snaps on defense drop dramatically the past two weeks, and his production has taken a hit. He has collected just five TT (four solo) over the past two weeks, and that will not cut it for a linebacker on an IDP roster, especially in the playoffs.
Foyesade Oluokun ATL
The rookie linebacker has been relegated to a part-time role now that Deion Jones is back in action. Note, however, that Jones is listed as questionable for Week 15’s tilt against the Cardinals, so he could see more action and potentially return to useful status for IDP purposes.
Nick Vigil CIN
Despite playing significant snaps in the Bengal defensive scheme since his return to action, he has been, to put it bluntly, a huge disappointment. One solo tackle among five TT over two games is not the kind of output you want from a starting LB. Do not be fooled by the name value, look to his actual value, which is frankly nil at this point.
Vince Williams PIT
L.J. Fort ’s development as a three-down LB for the Steelers has shiftEd Williams to a reduced role. He is not contributing with sacks the past two weeks, and had just one solo tackle in Week 14 against the Raiders. Do yourself a favor and swap out Williams for Fort if you are intent on starting a Pittsburgh LB.
Defensive Linemen
None of note, save for those listed below in the injury report.
Defensive Backs
See note above for DLs.
Matchups to Exploit
Remember, the first team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Bills, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB on the Seahawks or Lions that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
Detroit Lions @ Buffalo
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco
Washington @ Jacksonville
New York Jets vs Houston
Defensive Ends
Cincinnati Bengals vs Oakland
Baltimore Ravens vs Tampa Bay
Buffalo Bills vs Detroit
New York Jets vs Houston
Defensive Tackles
Indianapolis Colts vs Dallas
Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco
New York Jets vs Houston
Philadelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams
Safeties
Cleveland Browns @ Denver
Dallas Cowboys @ Indianapolis
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Washington
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco
Cornerbacks
Arizona Cardinals @ Atlanta
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh
Baltimore Ravens vs Tampa Bay
Waiver Wire Targets
This section is intended to serve as a shortened cheat sheet listing those waiver wire targets you should be considering if you need to plug a hole in your starting lineup. All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. Not all the players commented on are here, however, as there is no need to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned. This group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.
Linebackers
Tremaine Edmunds BUF
Jarrad Davis DET
Neville Hewitt NYJ
Defensive Linemen
Michael Bennett DE PHI
Da'Ron Payne DT WAS
Defensive Backs
Damarious Randall S CLE
Michael Thomas S NYG
D.J. Reed S SF
Mike Hilton CB PIT
Trumaine Johnson CB NYJ
Rasul Douglas CB PHI
Ouch (My Aching Roster)
All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff. Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.
Linebackers
Deone Bucannon ARI chest
Tim Williams ATL ankle
Matt Milano BUF leg
Vontaze Burfict CIN concussion
Sean Lee DAL hamstring
Brandon Marshall DEN knee
Shaquil Barrett DEN hip
Devon Kennard DET hip
Trevor Bates DET ankle
Jalen Reeves-Maybin DET neck (IR)
Brennan Scarlett HOU ankle (IR)
Leon Jacobs JAX quadriceps
Kyle Wilber OAK hamstring
Jordan Hicks PHI calf
K.J. Wright SEA knee
Kevin Minter TB calf
Brian Orakpo TEN elbow
Ryan Anderson WAS hamstring
Zach Brown WAS illness
Shaun Dion Hamilton WAS shoulder
Defensive Linemen
DE
Kerry Hyder DET illness
Ezekiel Ansah DET shoulder
Da'Shawn Hand DET knee
Tashawn Bower MIN coach’s decision
Shilique Calhoun OAK neck (IR)
Josh Sweat PHI ankle
Cassius Marsh SF concussion
Branden Jackson SEA coach’s decision
DT
Robert Nkemdiche ARI knee (IR)
David Irving DAL ankle
Abry Jones JAX shin
Marcell Dareus JAX illness
Brandon Mebane LAC personal
Jalyn Holmes MIN coach’s decision
Maurice Hurst OAK ankle
Timmy Jernigan PHI back
Defensive Backs
S
Tony Jefferson BAL ankle
Deon Bush CHI hamstring
Tramaine Brock DEN ribs
Charles Washington DET hamstring
Marcus Cooper DET back
Raven Greene GB ankle (IR)
Mike Mitchell IND calf
Eric Berry KC heel
Curtis Riley NYG wrist
Landon Collins NYG shoulder (IR)
Reggie Nelson OAK shoulder (IR)
Avonte Maddox PHI knee
K'Waun Williams SF knee
Jaquiski Tartt SF shoulder
Kalan Reed SEA coach’s decision
Isaiah Johnson TB concussion
Justin Evans TB toe
Dane Cruikshank TEN knee
CB
Ryan Lewis BUF concussion
Taron Johnson BUF shoulder
Bryce Callahan CHI foot
Dre Kirkpatrick CIN ankle
Tony McRae CIN concussion
Phillip Gaines CLE knee
Denzel Ward CLE concussion
Chris Harris DEN lower leg
Isaac Yiadom DEN shoulder
Kevin King GB hamstring (IR)
Trevor Williams LAC knee
Dominique Hatfield LAR ankle
Xavien Howard MIA knee-meniscus
Trae Waynes MIN concussion
Sidney Jones PHI hamstring
Jalen Mills PHI foot (IR)
Carlton Davis TB knee
Quinton Dunbar WAS shin (IR)
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. FANation Chat is now live on the site, to help you work through your fantasy football dilemmas. Or if you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, you can also send a message to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a personal response from the writer of this article. Naturally, the more detail you can send about your league, such as number of teams, platform you play in (Yahoo, ESPN, etc.), scoring and roster system, the better the ability to provide accurate advice.
Player News
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports there are “multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne.”
Fowler also noted Tank Bigsby’s fumbling issue but didn’t directly relate that to the feelings of the new brain trust in Jacksonville. The Jags clearly felt they were lacking at running back this offseason and addressed that opening via the draft with Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. The pair of additions complicate an already-messy backfield by committee. Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a long-shot to be brought back in 2026. The Jags could opt to move on early by trading him, clearing $6.1 million in cap space in the process. If the team does trade Etienne, Tuten would likely be the team’s top back in the long run, making him a high-upside bet in early fantasy drafts.
Broncos signed third-round pick WR Pat Bryant to a four-year contract.
The deal includes $1.4 million guaranteed and is worth $6.6 million in total. Sean Payton compared aspects of Bryant’s game to those of Michael Thomas in his post-draft press conference and there are at least a few similarities in their profiles. Bryant stands at 6'2/204 and ran a 4.61-second Forty at the combine. Thomas measured in at 6'3/212 and clocked a 4.57-second Forty. Though the two have similar physical characteristics, Thomas was known for his proficiency from the slot while Bryant primarily played on the outside as a field-stretcher at Illinois. Bryant’s transition to slot duties may take some time, but third-round draft capital makes him worth a shot in dynasty leagues.
Colts EDGE Samson Ebukam (Achilles) said he is expected to be cleared for training camp.
Ebukam suffered a torn Achilles in training camp last year and did not play in the 2024 season. He broke out in 2023 with a career-high 9.5 sacks in his first season with the Colts. He now has one year left on his deal and will be looking for a rebound season as he stares down free agency in 2026