As the early season cranks up, there are plenty of options to consider adding to your roster in the event early injury has struck your defensive squad, or if you find that an IDP you drafted a few weeks ago is not playing up to expectations. Plenty of early injuries to deal with, as is to be expected with the nature of the game, as set forth further down in the injury report.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Barrett has close to a three-down role now that he is out of Denver and playing for the Bucs, and racked up three solo tackles, all for a loss of yards (TFL) against Carolina in Week 2. He also collected four QB hits/hurries (QH) and a trio of sacks to pad his stat line.
Note that he was limited in practice on Wednesday and is listed as questionable for the Week 3 contest against the Giants.
Preston Brown CIN
Brown is coming off a tremendous tackle-production game against the visiting 49ers, with 14 total tackles (TT), although 10 of those were only assists, which limits the fantasy value. It is looking like the Bengals will be on defense a whole bunch this season, so the middle linebackers for the Bengals should continue to be useful in tackle-oriented leagues.
Jerome Baker MIA
Miami is shaping up as defense that is also going to be on the field plenty of snaps, and Baker should be the recipient of plenty of tackle opportunities as a result. He is coming off a 12 TT effort against the Patriots (seven solo).
Quincy Williams JAX
The weak-side LB for the Jags is schemed to produce IDP results, and that is where the rookie Williams plays. He recently put up a nine TT effort in Week 2, with six of those tackles of the solo variety.
Defensive Linemen
Benson Mayowa DE OAK
Mayowa has collected 3.5 sacks while playing just 43 snaps on defense for the Raiders in 2019. He forced a fumble (FF) in the contest against KC last week, as well as contributing two QH and three TT (one sol, one TFL), along with 1.5 sacks. The sacks may trail off, although his production may lead to increased playing time, and increased chances to get to opposing QBs.
Trey Hendrickson DE NO
Hendrickson picked up another sack last week, giving him three on the season, and also forced a fumble from the visiting Ram offense. He is not a great source of tackles, having collected just five TT this season, though, so he is much more attractive in big-play leagues to date.
Arik Armstead DE SF
The fifth-year veteran has played the most snaps of any San Francisco DL through two games, and has collected a sack in each contest. This week, he gets to take on a QB making his first start when Pittsburgh comes to visit.
Chase Winovich DE NE
The Patriot rookie gets to face off against a third-string QB in the form of Jet Luke Falk . He is another DL that is not much in terms of a tackle-producer, but is coming off a two-sack effort against another sub-par offense in Miami, so big play potential exists.
Defensive Backs
Tracy Walker S DET
Walker has played every snap on defense for the Lions, and has 19 TT on the season, collecting 10 last week (seven solo, one TFL). The Detroit secondary looks strong out of the gate, and Walker in his second season seems to be coming on with the Detroit D.
Ronnie Harrison S JAX
Harrison will be relied upon to provide run support for the depleted Jaguar linebacking crew, and picked up a sack and eight TT in Week 2 against the Texans (four solo).
Eddie Jackson S CHI
Jackson is an athletic IDP, and he put up two pass deflections (PD) against the host Broncos last week, as well as racking up 10 TT (six solo). He has the potential to be of value in both tackle-oriented and big play leagues in an IDP secondary.
Justin Simmons S DEN
On the other side of the field in Week 2, Simmons was also busy with a pair of PDs himself, as well as nine TT (eight solo).
Terrell Edmunds S PIT
Pittsburgh is likely to see more defensive time per game with their starting QB sidelined for the season, which will lead to more opportunity for production by this second-year defensive back. He is building on an 11 TT effort in Week 2, and while he does not look to be a big-play DB, the tackles are what you usually seek in a safety in IDP leagues.
Darnell Savage S GB
The first-round pick has begun the season as an every-down strong safety in Green Bay. The Packers’ linebacking corps are not a strength of the defense, so he should see plenty of tackle opportunities given his time on the field. He collected six solo tackles and a FF against division-rival Minnesota last week.
Note that Savage is on the injury report with a shin issue and is listed on Wednesday as questionable for Week 3 against the Broncos.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
None to speak of, except for those linebackers listed below in the injury listing below.
Defensive Linemen
None to write about, save for those in the injury report below.
Defensive Backs
Earl Thomas S BAL
Thomas put up just a single assisted tackle in Week 2, and has a mere 2 TT on the season, despite playing over 100 defensive snaps in two games. That sort of production is the sort that leads to benching in for fantasy purposes, if not an outright drop.
Clayton Geathers S IND
The veteran’s snap count is declining over the first two games this season, and while that is a small sample size, the Colts without their preferred starting QB due to Andrew Luck ’s retirement may see them showcase their young talent, such as fourth round pick Khari Willis. Keep an eye on his stat line and snap count going forward, but with just three TT in Week 2 (two solo), it would be prudent to show him your bench for the present.
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 Colts, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB on the Raiders, Giants or Green Bay that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina
LA Rams @ Cleveland
Defensive Ends
New Orleans Saints @ Seattle
New England Patriots vs New York Jets
Green Bay Packers vs Denver
New York Giants @ Tampa Bay
Defensive Tackles
Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tennessee
Safeties
Indianapolis Colts vs Atlanta
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New York Giants
Washington vs Chicago
Cornerbacks
LA Rams @ Cleveland
Carolina Panthers @ Arizona
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. 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
Preston Brown CIN
Jerome Baker MI
Quincy Williams JAX
Defensive Linemen
Benson Mayowa DE OAK
Trey Hendrickson DE NO
Arik Armstead DE SF
Chase Winovich DE NE
Defensive Backs
Tracy Walker S DET
Ronnie Harrison S JAX
Eddie Jackson S CHI
Justin Simmons S DEN
Terrell Edmunds S PIT
Darnell Savage S GB
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
Jordan Hicks ARI groin
Zeke Turner ARI hand
Christian Kirk sey CLE undisclosed
Adarius Taylor CLE ankle
Luke Gifford DAL ankle
Joe Jones DEN triceps
Jarrad Davis DET ankle
Blake Martinez GB shoulder
Kyler Fackrell GB shoulder
Oren Burks GB pectoral
Darius Leonard IND concussion
D.J. Alexander JAX hamstring
Chase Allen MIA undisclosed
Quentin Poling MIA undisclosed
Anthony Barr MIN groin
Kentrell Brothers MIN wrist
Ben Gedeon MIN groin
Alex Anzalone NO undisclosed (IR)
Kareem Martin NYG knee (IR)
C.J. Mosley NYJ groin
Jordan Jenkins NYJ calf
Vontaze Burfict OAK shoulder
Nate Gerry PHI knee
Kamu Grugier-Hill PHI knee-MCL
Anthony Chickillo PIT foot
Vince Williams PIT hamstring
Davante Bond TB hamstring
Shaquil Barrett TB groin
Carl Nassib TB calf
Devin White TB knee-MCL
Wesley Woodyard TEN quadriceps
Cassanova McKinzy WAS hip
Defensive Linemen
DE
Jonathan Bullard ARI hamstring
Bruce Irvin CAR hamstring
Kerry Wynn CIN concussion
Carl Lawson CIN hamstring
Da’Shawn Hand DET elbow
Kemoko Turay IND neck
Jabaal Sheard IND knee
Trent Harris MIA foot
Jonathan Ledbetter MIA ankle (IR)
Ade Aruna MIN knee
Derek Barnett PHI shoulder
Dee Ford SF quadriceps
Nick Bosa SF ankle
Jonathan Allen WAS knee-MCL
DT
Corey Peters ARI knee
Ra’Shede Hageman ATL undisclosed (IR)
Kawann Short CAR shoulder
Bilal Nichols CHI wrist
Ryan Glasgow CIN thigh
Larry Ogunjobi CLE undisclosed
Tyrone Crawford DAL hip
Antwaun Woods DAL knee
Montravius Dams GB shoulder
Al-Quadin Muhammad IND shoulder
Aaron Donald LAR back
Shamar Stephen MIN knee
Sheldon Rankins NE Achilles
Quinnen Williams NYJ ankle
Corey Liuget OAK knee
Fletcher Cox PHI toe
Timmy Jernigan PHI foot
Quinton Jefferson SEA hip
Poona Ford SEA calf
Beau Allen TB illness
Caleb Brantley WAS ankle (IR)
Defensive Backs
S
Keanu Neal ATL groin
Brynden Trawick BAL arm
Rashaan Gaulden CAR groin
Morgan Burnett CLE quadriceps
Damarious Randall CLE concussion
Xavier Woods DAL ankle
C.J. Moore DET heel
Raven Greene GB ankle (IR)
Darnell Savage GB shin
A.J. Moore HOU knee
Josh Robinson JAX foot
Cody Brown JAX undisclosed
Adrian Phillips LAC forearm (IR)
Ken Webster MIA illness
Bobby McCain MIA shoulder
Reshad Jones MIA ankle
Jayron Kearse MIN hip
Grant Haley NYG illness
Rontez Miles NYJ hip
Curtis Riley OAK hip
Johnathan Abram OAK shoulder-labrum (IR)
Johnathan Cyprien PHI knee
Rudy Ford PHI hamstring
Sean Davis PIT shoulder-labrum (IR)
Jaquiski Tartt SF toe
Tedric Thompson SEA hamstring
Neiko Thorpe SEA hamstring
Jamel Dean TB ankle
CB
Jimmy Smith BAL knee
Tre’Davious White BUF neck
Taron Johnson BUF hamstring
B.W. Webb CIN arm
Bryce Callahan DEN foot
Pierre Desir IND knee
A.J. Bouye JAX hip
Michael Davis LAC hamstring
Trevor Williams LAC quadriceps (IR)
Mackensie Alexander NIM elbow
Gareon Conley OAK neck
Joe Haden PIT shoulder
Jimmie Ward SF hand
Chris Milton TEN collarbone
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie WAS ankle (IR)
Quinton Dunbar WAS knee
Fabian Moreau WAS ankle
Greg Stroman WAS undisclosed (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.