Whew, that was a lotta injuries in Week 2. Not totally unexpected given the limited training camp schedule and lack of preseason games, but still, woof. It is essential that as fantasy owners we make adjustments, and find replacements for those starting IDPs we were so excited that we landed in our drafts. Now the work begins…and the fun, to be quite honest.
Bye Weeks coming up: Do not concern yourself until Week 5.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Joe Thomas DAL
Thomas racked up double digit total tackles (TT) with six each solo and assisted, one being for a loss of yards (TFL). He also contributed a QB hit/hurry (QH) against the visiting Falcons. He should continue to see plenty of snaps on defense with Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee both sidelined.
Kyle Van Noy MIA
Van Noy was on the field for nearly every defensive down (95%) in Week 2, and managed to force a fumble (FF) against the Bills. He also had four solo tackles and a PD. He should continue to see plenty of game action, with corresponding fantasy production for his owners.
The veteran has never managed to stick around any team for long in his career, but he was nearly an every down LB in Week 2, playing 75 of the 77 defensive snaps against the host Cardinals. He had 15 TT (10 solo) along with a FF. He has a great matchup against Cleveland on tap, to boot.
Kenneth Murray LAC
Murray collected a team-high 10 TT against the Chiefs last week (six solo). He also had a PD in that contest. With Carolina coming to visit in Week 3, he has a decent matchup on the schedule to continue to provide tackle numbers for his fantasy owners.
Eric Wilson MIN
Anthony Barr is lost for the season in Minnesota, which will thrust Wilson into an every down role on the weakside. The Vikings have been struggling to open the season, but will look to get things going in Week 3 against the visiting Titans, and that should allow Wilson to continue to produce, as he did when he collected eight TT (five solo) with an INT and PD against the Colts last contest.
Defensive Linemen
Kerry Hyder DE SF
Our lone DE this week, he is thrust into a bigger role due to the edge rusher injuries plaguing the 49ers. He gets to face the Giants, who feature a weak offensive line at best, so for short term production, he is primed to produce.
Ed Oliver DT BUF
Oliver had a full stat line in Week 2: four solo tackles, one sack, two QH and a PD. Getting that production from a DT is incredibly valuable.
Grady Jarrett DT ATL
A second DT to consider picking up, he had five tackles two weeks in a row. The matchup against the Bears is not bad this coming week, either.
Defensive Backs
Justin Simmons S DEN
Simmons was a big-time producer in both tackles and big plays against the Steelers in Week 2, rolling up eight TT (seven solo, one TFL), with an INT and a pair of PDs as well. He has been a solid source of tackles over the past couple of seasons, and expect that production to continue as he plays out his franchise player season.
Ugochukwu Amadi S SEA
Amadi will benefit from the season-ending injury to Marquise Blair , returning him to the nickel back role he was expected to earn out of camp. He had eight solos (one TFL) this past contest, and should be in position to continue that production going forward.
Justin Reid S HOU
Reid finally put up some impressive numbers, with 10 TT (eight solo, one TFL) against the Ravens. Even heading to Pittsburgh, this is a good matchup on tap for another week of good production by the Texan safety.
Jeff Okudah CB DET
The rookie took the field in Week 2, and while he collected seven solo tackles, he was also attacked frequently. That in itself is a wonderful thing for fantasy owners to exploit, and until he adjusts, expect him to see plenty of activity in the coming weeks.
Holton Hill CB MIN
Another corner that is struggling to perform in his role, and that means plenty of potential fantasy production for the Viking starting right cornerback. He did pick up a sack against the Colts, to go with his seven solo tackles.
Mike Hilton CB PIT
The 5’9” nickel corner for the Steelers is seeing considerable time on the field, and due to his size, draws a lot of attention from opposing offenses. Good thing for his fantasy value. Witness last week’s stat line: eight solo tackles (two TFL), a sack, two QH, a PD and a fumble recovery (FR). He has a great matchup in store with the Texans visiting Pittsburgh in Week 3.
Marlon Humphrey CB BAL
Playing opposite Marcus Peters is likely to result in more action being directed toward the other CB on the field, and that showed up in Week 2. Humphrey had seven TT (six solo), a QH, a FF and half a sack against the host Texans. He has a good matchup coming up in Week 3 when the Ravens host the reigning champs, the Chiefs.
Quinton Dunbar CB SEA
The Seahawk DB has 10 TT over his first two games of 2020 (nine solo), and also picked off a pass this past game and deflected a pass (INT, PD). He has a history against the Week 3 opponent Cowboys, so if you are stretched thin at DB, this is a fine time to snap him up.
Troy Hill CB LAR
Hill plays opposite Jalen Ramsey , which means he is getting plenty of opportunity to defend opposing receivers that are being targeted. He had eight TT in Week 2 (seven solo), and also contributed a couple of big plays with an INT and a PD. He gets to face the Bills this coming week, who are ranked as the fourth most generous to opposing fantasy CBs.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Germaine Pratt CIN
Despite playing nearly ¾ of the defensive snaps against the Browns, who ran the ball a ton in Week 2, he managed just a pair of tackles (one solo). Poor effort and decision making on the field is not worth an IDP starting role for fantasy.
Duke Riley PHI
Riley is not alone in poor production in the Eagle linebacking corps, but a goose egg in the tackle column against the Rams in Week 2 is certainly grounds to avoid using him going forward. If you are considering using a Philly LB in your IDP starting lineup, please reconsider, at least for now.
Shaq Thompson CAR
Luke Kuechly may be gone, which would seem to open the door for Thompson to excel, but that has not been the case so far. Week 2’s trio of TT (one solo) is a far cry from a LB1. Unless his run support improves dramatically, he is unrosterable.
Matt Judon BAL
Judon’s production has been down, along with his decrease in playing time as part of the Raven defense in 2020. He managed just one assisted tackle and a QH against the Texans in Week 2. He has been a sack producer in the past, but without enough PT to generate decent tackle numbers, he is worthless unless and until he starts producing big plays.
Defensive Linemen
Josh Allen DE JAX
A huge zero in tackles this past week is certainly a sign that Allen has plenty of room to develop. Playing for the Jags is not exactly a stellar opportunity for his value to increase, although he is seeing plenty of snaps on defense. No sacks and only a pair of tackles in two games puts him on the sidelines for fantasy purposes.
Defensive Backs
Taylor Rapp S LAR
Rapp is out as the starter in LA after a weak four TT (all solo) effort in Week 2. Note that two of those tackles came on special teams, making his effort even more pathetic. Instead of Rapp, look at 6th round rookie Kyle Fuller who is putting up far better numbers currently.
Byron Murphy CB ARI
Murphy’s production has been putrid to open the season, with just three TT in two games, only one in Week 2 (solo). Before writing him off entirely, though, look to see how he performs against the Lion offense at home this coming Sunday. If the tackles are still mostly absent, time to look elsewhere for cornerback production.
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 Giants, but certainly you will do well if you own a top DT on either the Dolphins or Jaguars, or a Ram safety that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
New York Giants vs San Francisco
Washington @ Cleveland
Denver vs Tampa Bay
Defensive Ends
Seattle vs Dallas
Cincinnati @ Philadelphia
Los Angeles Chargers vs Carolina
Tennessee @ Minnesota
Defensive Tackles
Las Vegas @ New England
Miami @ Jacksonville
Jacksonville vs Miami
Dallas @ Seattle
Safeties
Buffalo vs Los Angeles Rams
Atlanta vs Chicago
Cornerbacks
Cincinnati @ Philadelphia
Indianapolis vs New York Jets
Detroit @ Arizona
Buffalo vs Los Angeles Rams
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
Joe Thomas DAL
Kyle Van Noy MIA
Kenneth Murray LAC
Eric Wilson MIN
Defensive Linemen
Kerry Hyder DE SF
Ed Oliver DT BUF
Grady Jarrett DT ATL
Defensive Backs
Justin Simmons S DEN
Ugochukwu Amadi S SEA
Justin Reid S HOU
Jeff Okudah CB DET
Holton Hill CB MIN
Mike Hilton CB PIT
Marlon Humphrey CB BAL
Quinton Dunbar CB SEA
Troy Hill CB LAR
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
Foyer Oluokun ATL hamstring
Tremaine Edmunds BUF shoulder
Del’Shawn Phillips BUF quadriceps
Matt Milano BUF hamstring
Brain Burns CAR thigh
Jason Ferris CAR undisclosed
Khalil Mack CHI knee
Mack Wilson CLE knee
Jacob Phillips CLE knee
Sean Lee DAL sports hernia IR
Leighton Vander Esch DAL collarbone IR
Mark Barron DEN hamstring
Von Miller DEN ankle
Randy Ramsey GB groin
Peter Kalambayi HOU hamstring
Matthew Adams IND ankle
Nick Kwiatkoski LV pectoral
Drue Tranquill LAC ankle IR
Vince Biegel MIA Achilles IR
Troy Dye MIN foot
Anthony Barr MIN pectoral
Chase Hansen NO hip
David Mayo NYG knee-meniscus IR
Blake Cashman NYJ groin IR
Bud Dupree PIT shoulder
Dre Greenlaw SF quadriceps
Bruce Irvin SEA knee-ACL IR
Derick Roberson TEN knee
Thomas Davis WAS illness
Ryan Kerrigan WAS toe
Cole Holcomb WAS knee
Defensive Linemen
DE
Jordan Phillips ARI ankle
Dante Fowler ATL ankle
Charles Harris ATL ankle
Takkarist McKinley ATL groin
Yetur Gross-Matos CAR concussion
Mike Daniels CIN groin
Olivier Vernon CLE abdomen
Adrian Clayborn CLE hip
Demarcus Lawrence DAL knee
DeMarcus Walker DEN calf IR
Jurrell Casey DEN undisclosed
Dre’Mont Jones DEN knee-PCL IR
J.J. Watt HOU groin
Akex Okafor KC hamstring
Frank Clark KC illness
Carl Nassib LV illness
Danielle Hunter MIN neck IR
Trey Hendrickson NO groin
Marcus Davenport NO elbow
Anthony Lanier NO undisclosed
Vinny Curry PHI hamstring IR
Solomon Thomas SF knee-ACL IR
Nick Bosa SF knee-ACL IR
Dee Ford SF back
Rasheem Green SEA neck
Jason Pierre-Paul TB knee
Ryan Anderson WAS leg
DT
Tyeler Davison ATL ankle
Marlon Davidson ATL knee
Justin Madubuike BAL knee
Ed Oliver BUF knee
Kawann Short CAR foot
John Jenkins CHI thumb
Geno Atkins CIN shoulder
Nick Williams DET shoulder
Montravius Adams GB toe
Kenny Clark GB Groin
Treyvon Hester GB undisclosed
Khalen Saunders KC elbow IR
Justin Jones LAC shoulder
Adam Butler NE shoulder
Malcolm Brown NO foot
Fletcher Cox PHI oblique
Jarran Reed SEA undisclosed
Defensive Backs
S
Jalen Thompson ARI ankle IR
Damontae Kazee ATL hamstring
Kendall Sheffield ATL foot
Ricardo Allen ATL elbow
Natrell Jamerson CAR illness
Shawn Williams CIN calf
Trey Marshall DEN undisclosed
Julian Blackmon IND knee
Malik Hooker IND Achilles IR
Jarrod Wilson JAX hamstring IR
Rayshawn Jenkins LAC groin
Clayton Fejedelem MIA pectoral
Nate Brooks MIA undisclosed
Adrian Colbert NYG quadriceps
Xavier McKinney NYG foot IR
Ashtyn Davis NYJ groin
Rudy Ford PHI groin
Marquise Blair SEA knee-ACL IR
Jamal Adams SEA finger
Chris Jackson TEN hamstring
CB
Byron Murphy ARI shoulder
Tavon Young BAL knee-ACL
Tre’Davious White BUF shoulder
Taron Johnson BUF groin
Josh Norman BUF hamstring IR
Greedy Williams CLE shoulder
Kevin Johnson CLE abdomen
Chidobe Awuzie DAL hamstring
Trevon Diggs DAL shoulder
Anthony Brown DAL ribs IR
Davontae Harris DEN hamstring
A.J. Bouye DEN shoulder
Desmond Trufant DET hamstring
Justin Coleman DET hamstring IR
Rock Ya-Sin IND illness
Charvarius Ward KC hand
Antonio Hamilton KC groin
Byron Jones MIA groin
Mike Hughes MIN neck
Cameron Dantzler MIN ribs
Monte Hartage NYG hamstring
Nate Hairston NYJ hip
Arthur Maulet NYJ groin IR
Quincy Wilson NYJ concussion
Craig James PHI thigh
Richard Sherman SF calf
Tre Flowers SEA finger
Malcolm Butler TEN quadriceps
Adoree’ Jackson TEN knee 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.