This week’s article is chock full of the usual information provided every week, including the handy cheat sheet of waiver wire targets and exploitable matchups. Plenty of rising IDP are profiled for your consideration, but not too many defensive players trending downward, aside from those on the injury report.
Bye Weeks coming up: This Week: Carolina, Washington; Next Week (Week 5): Chicago, Tampa Bay; Week 6: Detroit, New Orleans
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Fred Warner & Justin Houston SF
This week’s profiles lead off with a pair of teammates on the 49er squad in Warner and Houston. The rookie Warner played all the team’s snaps against the host Chiefs in Week 3, despite the return of Reuben Foster to action, and collected 11 total tackles (TT) with nine of those being of the solo variety and two for loss of yards (TFL). He also tossed in a pass deflection (PD) for good measure. Houston was active as well, with five TT (four solo, two TFL) and a pair of sacks and two forced fumbles. Houston’s production will not always be this dynamic, but he is an edge rusher who will be valuable in big play leagues.
Anthony Walker IND
Walker saw a huge uptick in snaps this past week, which led to an improved stat line: nine TT (seven solo), an INT and a PD. Assuming he remains close to an every down LB, he is a low ownership percentage player to snag off the wire.
Leighton Vander Esch e DAL
The rookie in Dallas now gets a chance to shine with Sean Lee on the sidelines with yet another injury. He collected double digit tackles in Week 3 (nine solo, two assists) with one of those being a TFL. He is now going to see significant playing time for the Cowboys, and has decent matchups in the coming weeks against the Lions, Texans and Jags, at least in terms of points allowed to opposing LBs through the first three weeks of play.
Eli Harold DET
The Lions pass rush corps were depleted by the absence of both Ezekiel Ansah and Kerry Hyder , Jr., but the Patriots would not realize that with Harold tearing all over the gridiron on Sunday night. He picked up a pair of sacks and a couple of QB hits (QH) to go with his three solo tackles (two TFL). The Lions now look smart in picking him up last August, with three sacks in limited action to date (just 46 snaps on the season).
Wesley Woodyard TEN
Woodyard put up 12 TT in Week 3 against the Jaguars (10 solo, two TFL). He also stuffed the stat sheet with a sack, a QH and a PD. He is playing as an every down LB1 and should not be available for much longer on your waiver wire.
Defensive Linemen
Kerry Wynn DE NYG
Wynn benefited from an increased snap count this past week, playing in 65% of the plays on defense. With the increased action, he was able to put up six TT (five solo, one TFL), together with a forced fumble (FF) and a PD. He was the top defensive end for the Giants with his increase in playing time.
Derek Barnett DE PHI
Barnett had a big week as the Eagles hosted the Colts in Week 3, collecting 1.5 sacks along with his five TT (three solo, one TFL) and pair of QH. Unfortunately, the team is employing a steady rotation of options at DE, which limits any one player’s snaps, and will lead to a guessing game as to which among Barnett, Michael Bennett , Chris Long and Brandon Graham will shine each week.
Jonathan Allen DE WAS
Allen missed much of last season due to a Lisfranc injury, but the second-year player is now healthy, and playing nearly every snap on defense. He collected a couple of sacks in Week 3 against the Packers, as well as a trio of QH, to go along with his five TT (three solo, two TFL). Grab him now before your competition figures out that he is back in action.
Akiem Hicks DE CHI
Hicks’ value as a DE has been buried while he played for bad Chicago teams the past couple of seasons, but he now has better talent surrounding him in the Windy City, notably Khalil Mack who will draw attention away from Hicks. He had four TT in Week 3 (three solo) with a sack, a FF and three QH, making him a steal to target on the wire.
Kenny Clark DT GB
Clark nearly reached double digit tackles in Week 3 (six solo, three assists) and was also credited with a PD against the host Redskins. He had a sack in Week 2 and now has 16 TT on the season. He carries tremendous value in DT-mandatory leagues, but with those tackle numbers, is also valuable generally as DL in tackle-heavy IDP formats.
Defensive Backs
Clayton Geathers S IND
Geathers was credited with double digit tackles on the road in Philly (10 solo, one assist), which made him a standout DB for fantasy purposes. He also collected a PD against the Eagles. He has 30 TT this season through the first three weeks, and is thus a valuable asset in tackle-oriented IDP leagues.
Tre Boston S ARI
Boston is playing significant snaps on defense for the Cards, after having productive seasons previously with the Panthers and Chargers. He had seven TT against the Bears (five solo) and tossed in a pair of PD and an INT to pad his defensive stat line in Week 3. You may want to stash him on your bench, as his Week 4 opponent (Seattle) is playing stingy against opposing safeties, but in Week 5 things look more promising against the 49ers in San Francisco.
Terrance Mitchell CB CLE
Mitchell has already collected 15 solo tackles through the first three weeks of the season, picking up four this past week against the visiting Jets as part of his five TT in Week 3. He also was credited with an INT and a PD, making him a valuable asset in CB-mandatory leagues, although with his tackle production, he is useful in as a DB in any league.
Brian Poole CB ATL
Poole is being targeted by opposing offenses, but that simply means he can provide excellent tackle numbers as a corner in IDP leagues. He also has collected two sacks this season so far, making him worth rostering in any format.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Whitney Mercilus HOU
Mercilus has started the season ice cold, with just seven TT to date despite high snap counts on defense. He collected just two assists in Week 3, and is not worth a roster spot until he heats up.
Defensive Linemen
Mike Daniels DE GB
Daniels was shut out in Week 3 on the stat sheet, and only has 4 TT on the season. Despite the sack he collected in Week 1, he has been a huge disappointment both in real life and fantasy and should be dropped immediately.
Defensive Backs
Kurt Coleman S NO
Coleman is taking a backseat to Vonn Bell in the Big Easy as the preferred option at strong safety. He played in less than a third of the defensive snaps this past contest, and only had two TT (one solo) to show for his limited playing time. Unless and until he sees more snaps on defense, he is not worth having in your starting lineup.
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 Seahawks, but certainly you will do well if you own a top DE on the Colts, Saints or Ravens that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
Arizona v Seattle
Oakland v Cleveland
Defensive Ends
Indianapolis v Houston
New Orleans @ New York Giants
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
Defensive Tackles
Jacksonville v New York Jets
Minnesota @ LA Rams
Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Safeties
Tampa Bay @ Chicago
Green Bay v Buffalo
Pittsburgh v Baltimore
Los Angeles Chargers v San Francisco
Cornerbacks
New York Giants v New Orleans
Indianapolis v Houston
Tennessee v Philadelphia
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 will be here every week, however, as there is no need to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned (although that is not the case this week). 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
Fred Warner SF
Anthony Walker IND
Leighton Vander Esch e DAL
Eli Harold DET
Wesley Woodyard TEN
Defensive Linesmen
Kerry Wynn DE NYG
Derek Barnett DE PHI
Jonathan Allen DE WAS
Akiem Hicks DE CHI
Kenny Clark DT GB
Defensive Backs
Clayton Geathers S IND
Tre Boston S ARI
Terrance Mitchell CB CLE
Brian Poole CB ATL
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
C.J. Mosley BAL knee
Preston Brown CIN ankle
Christian Kirk sey CLE shoulder
James Burgess CLE knee-ACL
Sean Lee DAL hamstring
Nick Perry GB concussion
Dylan Cole HOU wrist
Ben Niemann KC hamstring
Mark Barron LAR ankle
Dominique Easley LAR knee
Manti Te’o NO knee
Olivier Vernon NYG ankle
Josh Martin NYJ concussion
K.J. Wright SEA knee
Jermaine Grace SEA undisclosed
Kamalei Correa TEN back
Defensive Linemen
DE
Takkarist McKinley ATL groin
Derrick Shelby ATL groin
Shaq Lawson BUF hamstring
Trent Murphy BUF ankle
CIN knee
Emmanuel Ogbah CLE ankleDatone Jones DAL knee
Ezekiel Ansah DET shoulder
Muhammad Wilkerson GB ankle
Denico Autry IND ankle
Joey Bosa LAC foot
William Hayes MIA knee-ACL
Andre Branch MIA knee
Everson Griffen MIN personal
Trey Flowers NE concussion
DT
Olsen Pierre ARI toe
Willie Henry BAL abdomen
Fyan Glasgow CIN knee-ACL
Maliek Collins DAL knee
Hassan Ridgeway IND calf
Theler Davison NO foot
Justin Ellis OAK foot
Vita Vea TB calf
Beau Allen TB foot
Defensive Backs
S
Rudy Ford ARI ankle
Ricardo Allen ATL Achilles
Justin Bethel ATL knee
Phillip Gaines BUF elbow
Da’Norris Searcy CAR concussion
DeAndre Houston-Carson CHI forearm
Marcus Cooper CHI hamstring
Prince Amukamara CHI hamstring
Dymonte Thomas DEN abdomen
Adam Jones DEN hamstring
Tramaine Brock DEN groin
Josh Jones GB ankle
Kayvon Webster HOU Achilles
Aaron Colvin HOU chest
D.J. Hayden JAX toe
Eric Berry KC heel
Aqib Talib LAR ankle
Reshad Jones MIA shoulder
Anthony Harris MIN hamstring
Marcus Sherels MIN ribs
Eric Rowe NE groin
Patrick Chung NE concussion
Patrick Robinson NO ankle
Marcus Maye NYJ foot
Karl Joseph OAK hamstring
Rodney McLeod PHI knee
Morgan Burnett PIT groin
Marcus Williams TB hamstring
Chris Conte TB knee
Kendrick Lewis TEN foot
Troy Apke WAS hamstring
CB
Maurice Canady BAL thigh
Kevin King GB groin
Quincy Wilson IND concussion
Marcus Peters LAR calf
Rae Waynes MIN ankle
Eli Apple NYG groin
Antonio Hamilton NYG groin
Buster Skrine NYJ knee
Nick Nelson OAK hamstring
Mike Hilton PIT elbow
JaquiskiTartt SF shoulder
Richard Sherman SF calf
Adrian Colbert SF hip
Tarvarius Moore SF wrist
Adoree’ Jackson TEN 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. 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 toia@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.