We are coming up on the six-team bye extravaganza foisted on the fantasy owners of the world by the NFL, with a typical four-team bye week on tap in Week 9. Time to scramble to the wire and fill those empty IDP slots, and fortunately, there are plenty of LB and DL options to consider. Things are considerably scarcer in the DB realm, sorry to report.
Bye Weeks coming up: Current Week Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints; Week 10 Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington; Week 11 Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Pierre-Paul is no stranger to making big time returns from injury (remember that horrific fireworks accident back in 2015? Hope not, actually), and now steps back in from a neck injury to make an immediate impact in Tampa Bay. He collected three solo tackles, all three for a loss of yards (TFL), to go with a sack and a QB hit/hurry (QH). His ownership percentage is low in both ESPN and Yahoo leagues at this point, and he is a dual-eligibility IDP who also can be slotted in at DL in both those platforms.
Matt Milano BUF
Milano racked up 13 total tackles (TT) in Week 8’s matchup against the visiting Eagles, three of those being for a loss of yardage. He is playing as an every-down LB in the Buffalo defensive scheme, and is on pace to set a career best tackle total.
Bruce Irvin CAR
While he is listed among the linebackers, note that he, too, as with Pierre-Paul above, has dual eligibility as a DL in both Yahoo and ESPN, making him a great addition to your IDP roster. He is coming off a two-sack effort, where he also collected five solos (three TFL) and a pair of QH against the 49ers.
Za’Darius Smith GB
Smith has netted five sacks in the past three games, including two against the host Chiefs last week. He is hassling opposing signal callers this season, with eight sacks on the season, and he did have a trio of QH in Week 8.
Jon Bostic WAS
Bostic is getting significant snaps on defense, and is averaging better than seven TT per game this season. He picked up his first sack of the season against the host Vikings, and now has a great matchup when he heads to Buffalo in Week 9 prior to the Washington bye week.
Jamie Collins , Sr. NE
Collins is that rare highly owned LB featured in this article this season, but he is potentially available for those of you playing on the ESPN platform. He looked rejuvenated in Week 8, gathering 13 TT (12 solo) and racking up a pair of sacks against the visiting Browns. The good news is that the Ravens are on the slate and provide another great matchup for opposing LBs.
Defensive Linemen
Brandon Graham DE PHI
Graham had a full stat line in Week 8, collecting six TT (five solo, two TFL) as well as forcing and recovering a fumble (FF and FR, respectively), getting a sack and also a QH. He has been sacking and tackling well over the past few weeks, after a slow start to the season, and has put up double-digit fantasy points in three of the past four weeks.
Kyle Phillips DE NYJ
So long as Henry Anderson is limited with his shoulder issue, Phillips should see significant time on the defensive squad for the Jets. He racked up five TT (three solo, three TFL) in Week 8 against Jacksonville, and was also credited on the stat sheet with half a sack and a QH. Keep an eye on the injury report to see if he continues to start and can help out your fantasy team.
Olivier Vernon DE CLE
Vernon has become an every-down player for the Browns, and has a great matchup in Week 9 against the host Broncos in Denver. He collected a sack last week in New England, and a QH, to go along with his six solo tackles (two TFL), so now is a fine time to pick him up for your IDP squad in preparation for the six team bye situation arriving in Week 10.
Emmanuel Ogbah DE KC
With both Frank Clark and Alex Okafor on the injury report for Week 9, expect Ogbah to again see significant defensive snaps for the Chiefs when they take on the Vikings at home. It is not the greatest matchup, but the playing time bodes well for defensive production. He had a sack and three QH in Week 8 playing 90% of the snaps on defense, and collected four TT (three solo, one TFL), which is useful for IDP purposes to be sure.
Jonathan Allen DT WAS
He is coming on strong of late, with seven TT in each of the last two contests. In Week 8 against the host Vikings, three of those were solo tackles (one TFL). He also was credited with a sack and a QH. The Week 9 opponent, Buffalo, is a fine opponent to continue his hot streak against.
Grady Jarrett DT ATL
Through Week 8, Jarrett ranks as the top DT in fantasy. He totaled eight TT against the visiting Seahawks (three solo, one TFL), along with a sack and two QH. In DT-mandatory leagues, he is an IDP to target immediately off the wire, and should be available in the majority of leagues. Note that the Falcons are on bye this week, so if you do not have bench spots, plop him onto your watch list for a Week 10 add.
D.J. Jones DT SF
The San Fran defense features a boatload of fine DL options, but their nose tackle Jones is seeing significant playing time (PT), and is producing great results for those who play in DT-required leagues. He had five TT against the Panthers (four solo, one TFL) with a sack and QH to help out in big-play leagues.
Defensive Backs
Roderick Teamer S LAC
Teamer was featured in this article way back in Week 2, but he should not be forgotten in the realm of available DBs for your IDP roster. He is fresh off a week that saw him make eight solo tackles, a QH, a pass deflection (PD) and a sack. He is still available in most leagues, so grab him if you want a steady strong safety for your team.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Roquan Smith CHI
Smith is not providing the big-play production he demonstrated in his rookie season, although he is still providing tackle production. Thus, he is still a useful LB but not if you expected to see some sacks or PDs on the stat sheet when you added him to your IDP roster.
Defensive Linemen
Marcus Davenport DE NO
Davenport saw his PT take a major hit this past week, and he is now on bye for Week 9. This is an opportune time to cut him and find another DE to swap into his place if you have been relying on him for your IDP roster.
Defensive Backs
Kemal Ishmael S ATL
Ishmael is another IDP who is sitting out on bye this week, and coming off a week that saw his snaps limited to just 30% and him putting up a huge goose egg on the stat sheet, you should consider dropping him and finding another better safety to start going forward.
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, Broncos or Panthers, but certainly you will do well if you own a top CB on either Seattle and/or Tampa Bay that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
New York Giants vs Dallas
Denver Broncos vs Cleveland
Carolina Panthers vs Tennessee
Cleveland Browns @ Denver
Defensive Ends
New York Jets @ Miami
Tennessee Titans @ Carolina
Houston Texans @ Jacksonville
Defensive Tackles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Seattle
Tennessee Titans @ Carolina
Safeties
Chicago Bears@ Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona
Cornerbacks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Seattle
Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets
Detroit Lions @ Oakland
Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago
Cleveland Browns @ Denver
Seattle Seahawks 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
Matt Milano BUF
Bruce Irvin CAR
Za’Darius Smith GB
Jon Bostic WAS
Jamie Collins , Sr. NE (Owned in only 39% of ESPN leagues, but likely unavailable in most Yahoo leagues where his ownership is at 72%)
Defensive Linemen
Brandon Graham DE PHI
Kyle Phillips DE NYJ
Olivier Vernon DE CLE
Emmanuel Ogbah DE KC
Jonathan Allen DT WAS
Grady Jarrett DT ATL
D.J. Jones DT SF
Defensive Backs
Roderick Teamer S LAC
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
Haason Reddick ARI knee
Dennis Gardeck ARI ankle
Cassius Marsh ARI concussion
Pernell McPhee BAL triceps IR
Patrick Onwuasor BAL ankle
Maurice Alexander BUF knee
Shaq Green-Thompson CAR ankle
Christian Miller CAR ankle
Isaiah Irving CHI quadriceps
Leighton Vander Esch DAL neck
Corey Nelson DEN biceps
Todd Davis DEN knee
Blake Martinez GB hand
Leon Jacobs JAX hamstring
Quincy Williams JAX hamstring
Najee Goode JAX toe
D.J. Alexander JAX foot IR
Clay Matthews LAR jaw
Bryce Hager LAR shoulder
Albert McClellan NYJ concussion IR
Neville Hewitt NYJ neck
C.J. Mosley NYJ groin
Nigel Bradham PHI ankle
Ulysees Gilbert PIT back
Jack Cichy TB elbow IR
Harold Landry TEN shoulder
Josh Harvey-Clemons WAS hamstring
Defensive Linemen
DE
Zach Allen ARI neck
John Cominsky ATL ankle
Carl Lawson CIN hamstring
Dorance Armstrong DAL neck
Robert Quinn DAL ribs
Michael Daniels DET foot
JJ. Watt HOU pectoral IR
Jabaal Sheard IND foot
Calais Campbell JAX back
Frank Clark KC neck
Chris Jones KC groin
Alex Okafor KC ankle
Avery Moss MIA ankle
Henry Anderson NYJ shoulder
Denico Autry IND neck
Carl Davis IND hamstring
Marcell Dareus JAX abdomen IR
Cortez Broughton LAC illness
Justin Jones LAC shoulder
Brandon Mebane LAC knee
Timmy Jernigan PHI foot
Hassan Ridgeway PHI ankle IR
Dan McCullers -Sanders PIT ankle
Quinton Jefferson SEA oblique
Defensive Backs
S
Earl Thomas BAL knee
Levi Wallace BUF sholder
Kurt Coleman BUF hamstring
Eric Reid CAR shoulder
Natrell Jamerson CAR foot IR
Darqueze Dennard CIN hamstring
Sheldrick Redwine CLE hamstring
Tracy Walker DET knee
Tashaun Gipson HOU back
Khari Willis IND foot
Jarrod Wilson JAX knee
D.J. Hayden JAX shoulder
Ronnie Harrison JAX neck
Bashaud Breeland KC shoulder
Nasir Adderley LAC hamstring IR
Reshad Jones MIA chest
Ken Webster MIA ankle
Patrick Robinson NO hamstring
Corey Ballentine NYG concussion
Tedric Thompson SEA shoulder IR
Lano Hill SEA elbow
Quandre Diggs SEA hamstring
Jeremy Reaves WAS concussion
Deshazor Everett WAS ankle
Montae Nicholson WAS ankle
CB
Demond Trufant ATL toe
Maurice Canady BAL hamstring
Jimmy Smith BAL knee-MCL
Dre Kirkpatrick CIN knee
Anthony Brown DAL hamstring
Bryce Callahan DEN foot
Darius Slay DET hamstring
Amani Oruwariye DET knee
Bradley Roby HOU hamstring
Johnathan Joseph HOU hamstring
Lonnie Johnson HOU concussion
Phillip Gaines HOU ankle IR
Kenny Moore IND knee
Pierre Desir IND hamstring
Kendall Fuller KC thumb
Aqib Talib MIA ribs IR
Xavien Howard MIA knee IR
Trumaine Johnson NYJ ankle
Avonte Maddox PHI concussion
Ahkello Witherspoon SF foot
Tre Flowers SEA neck
Malcolm Butler TEN hamstring
Chris Milton TEN calf
Adoree’ Jackson TEN foot
Quinton Dunbar WAS hamstring
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.