Fantasy Football IDP Report: Elevator System
Published: Sep 23, 2021
And the injuries begin to accumulate, leading to opportunities on the IDP front developing. There are a fine group of defensive players that are available on many waiver wires and free agent pools that are profiled below. Not so many that are trending downward, yet, although the injury report is chock full of players to be cautious about inserting into your starting fantasy roster this week.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Justin Strnad DEN
Strnad gets his opportunity to show he is worthy of some of the pre-season hype he received, with Josey Jewell out for the season. He collected seven total tackles (TT) in limited action in Week 2, with four of those being of the solo variety. He is not locked in as a three-down LB…yet.
Another beneficiary of an injury, Al-Shaair will move into an every-down role for the immediate future in the 49er defense with Dre Greenlaw sidelined after core muscle surgery. He only had a five TT effort in Week 2, so those who seek IDP help solely by examining total stat production may have skipped over a potential waiver wire gem.
Malcolm Smith CLE
A third injury beneficiary at LB, Smith picked up eight TT against the visiting Texans (four solo) with one of those being for a loss of yards (TFL). He also snagged an INT and was credited with a pass deflection/defense (PD). Anthony Walker is on the IR, so he has some time to produce for those who trust the veteran, who should be close to an every-down IDP.
Logan Wilson CIN
Wilson also picked up an INT and PD in Week 2, and had nine TT (three solo) in a losing effort in Chicago. He offers both big play value (three INT on the season) as well as the tackle production his owners seek.
Alex Singleton PHI
The Eagles had three IDP reach double-digit TT numbers, but Singleton is the three-down LB which allowed him to rack up 11 TT (five solo) against the visiting 49ers. He has another great matchup in store, with the Cowboys playing host to their division rivals this week.
Jaylon Smith DAL
Speaking of Dallas, with an injury shifting rookie Micah Parsons to DE, Smith benefitted to the extent of playing 76% of the snaps on defense in Week 2. He collected nine TT against the host Chargers (six solo).
Nick Bolton KC
Bolton is a rookie that is generating some interest, playing a majority of the snaps on defense against Baltimore, and grabbing nine TT (sight solo, one TFL). With the Chargers on tap, he should see plenty of action working to contain Austin Ekeler when he goes over the middle against the Chief defense.
Alex Anzalone DET
If you live in Detroit or follow the Lions, you will not find much love for Anzalone among the Lion faithful, especially after the three TD game put up by Aaron Jones last Monday night. The fact remains, the five-year veteran has been an every-down LB for the Lions so far, and now gets to take on Baltimore who should provide ample opportunities to collect tackles. He is coming off a 10 TT effort (eight solo) against the Packers.
Defensive Linemen
Josh Sweat DE PHI
Philly thinks highly of Sweat, signing him to a lucrative new contract, and now that Brandon Graham is out for the balance of the season, he should see significant PT on defense. This week’s matchup against the Cowboys is poised for good things, perhaps his first sack of the season.
Gregory Rousseau DE BUF
The Buffalo rookie has been a shining IDP for the Bills through the first two contests in 2021. He collected a pair of sacks and two QB hits/hurries (QH) against the host Dolphins. Add in five TT (three solo, two TFL) and we have a burgeoning superstar on defense, despite the deep rotation at DL for the Bills.
Payton Turner DE NO
Marcus Davenport was placed on IR, so that opens the door for the rookie DE to see more PT going forward in the Big Easy. He is not likely an every-down player but could see significant time on the field, and is coming off a five TT effort (four solo, three TFL) where he also snagged a sack. He has a pair of good to great matchups on the slate, facing off against the Pats and then the Giants.
Jonathan Allen DT WAS
Allen filled up his stat sheet Week 2 against the visiting Giants, collect six TT (five solo, three TFL0, while also being credited with two sacks and a trio of QH. His snap count improved in Week 2 as well, being on the field for 81% of the defensive plays.
Defensive Backs
Ronnie Harrison S CLE
The first of two Brown DBs to be featured here, Harrison rebounded from his ejection early in Week 1 to play 87% of the defensive snaps against the visiting Texans, which allowed him to rack up seven TT (five solo). He is being used to stop the run, so his tackle numbers should continue to be substantial.
Grant Delpit S CLE
Despite playing less than half the defensive plays in Week 2 (43%), he still managed to collect five TT (three solo, one TFL). He also picked off a pass (INT) and was able to sack the Texan’s QB, as well as QH. A matchup against the Bears who will likely have their rookie QB Justin Fields under center is promising.
Nasir Adderley S LAC
Adderley was effective against the Cowboys, collecting nine TT (eight solo) with a PD to help his big play production. He has a good matchup in store with the pass-happy Chiefs hosting and Travis Kelce roaming over the middle of the field, allowing for tackle opportunities.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Chandler Jones ARI
Arizona is seeing some limited production from anticipated top performers (see the J.J. Watt discussion below). Certainly, he was not expected to repeat his five sack, two fumble recovery (FR) effort from Week 1, but zero tackles hurts. He was likely a huge add off the wire heading into Week 2, but he was at least an every-down IDP against the Vikings, so things should shift more to the mean going forward.
Rashan Evans TEN
Evans suffered from a reduced role on the defense, playing just 57% of the defensive snaps against the Seahawks. He was limited to a meager four TT (only one solo), making him expendable if this situation persists.
Defensive Linemen
Arik Armstead DE SF
Despite playing 2/3 of the snaps while the defense is on the gridiron, Armstead has just three TT on the season, and no sacks. This start is not leading to his usage in your starting lineup, but if you think he can turn things around, he is likely to stick on the wire if you were to move him for a more productive DL.
J.J. Watt DE ARI
Watt likewise has underwhelmed so far through the first two games, collecting merely four solo tackles and failing to notch a sack so far. Unlike Armstead, though, he is better suited to sit on your bench that be dropped, at least for now, given his track record and his PT (83% of defensive snaps to date).
Defensive Backs
Xavier McKinney S NYG
The Giants seem intent on increasing Jabrill Peppers role in the defensive backfield at the expense of McKinney. His snap percentage dropped dramatically between Week 1 and 2, from 95% to just 55% last game. If he is relegated to the dime coverage unit, his value is depressed unless and until injury calls him back to a nearly full time PT status.
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 Cardinals, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB on the Steelers, Raiders or Rams that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Inside Linebackers
Arizona Cardinals @ Jacksonville
Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh
Tennessee Titans vs Indianapolis
Outside Linebackers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins @ Las Vegas
Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia
Washington Football Team @ Buffalo
Defensive Ends
Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco
Los Angeles Rams vs Tampa Bay
New York Jets @ Denver
Defensive Tackles
Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants
Tennessee Titans vs Indianapolis
Safeties
Baltimore Ravens @ Detroit
Denver Broncos vs New York Jets
Cornerbacks
Buffalo Bills vs Washington
New England Patriots vs New Orleans
Las Vegas Raiders vs Miami
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. Although going forward not all the players commented on are here, that is not the case this week. In future editions, however, some will not be included in this list 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
Justin Strnad DEN
Malcolm Smith CLE
Logan Wilson CIN
Alex Singleton PHI
Jaylon Smith DAL
Nick Bolton KC
Alex Anzalone DET
Defensive Linemen
Josh Sweat DE PHI
Gregory Rousseau DE BUF
Payton Turner DE NO
Jonathan Allen DT WAS
Defensive Backs
Ronnie Harrison S CLE
Grant Delpit S CLE
Nasir Adderley 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
Devon Kenard ARI hamstring
Dennis Gardeck ARI knee IR
Daelin Hayes BAL knee
L.J. Fort BAL knee-ACL IR
Tremaine Edmunds BUF undisclosed
Danny Trevathan CHI knee IR
Anthony Walker CLE hamstring IR
Jacob Phillips CLE biceps IR
Montrel Meander CLE Achilles IR
Keanu Neal DAL undisclosed IR-COVID
Francis Bernard DAL hamstring IR
Bradley Chubb DEN ankle IR
Josey Jewell DEN pectoral IR
Natrez Patrick DEN leg IR
Shaun Dion Hamilton DET undisclosed IR
Za’Darius Smith GB back IR
Randy Ramsey GB leg IR
Kamu Grugier-Hill HOU knee
Kevin Pierre-Louis HOU hamstring IR
Dylan Moses JAX knee
Willie Gay Jr. KC toe IR
Tanoh Kpassagnon NO calf
Davion Taylor PHI calf
Alex Highsmith PIT groin
Devin Bush PIT groin
T.J. Watt PIT groin
Dre Greenlaw SF groin IR
Ben Durr-Kirven SEA knee-ACL IR
Jason Pierre-Paul TB shoulder
Kevin Minter TB illness IR-COVID
Cam Gill TB undisclosed IR
Jayon Brown TEN hamstring
B.J. Bello TEN ankle IR
Defensive Linemen
D- End
Derek Wolfe BAL back
Efe Obada BUF calf
Bryan Cox BUF Achilles IR
Morgan Fox CAR ankle
Yetur Gross-Matos CAR ankle
Austin Larkin CAR groin
Khalid Kareem CIN undisclosed IR
Joseph Ossai CIN knee-Meniscus IR
Wyatt Hubert CIN pectoral
Dorance Armstrong DAL ankle
Carlos Watkins DAL knee
Randy Gregory DAL illness IR-COVID
Demarcus Lawrence DAL foot IR
Shelby Harris DEN wrist
Da’Shawn Hand DET groin IR
Joel Heath DET knee-ACL
Dayo Odeyingbo IND Achilles
Jordan Smith JAX knee
Lerentee McCray JAX hamstring
Malik Herring KC knee-ACL
Everson Griffen MIN concussion
Janarius Robinson MIN lower body IR
Marcus Davenport NO shoulder IR
Kyle Phillips NYJ ankle PUP
Vinny Curry NYJ illness
Carl Lawson NYJ Achilles IR
Brandon Graham PHI Achilles IR
Tyson Alualu PIT ankle IR
Calvin Taylor PIT undisclosed
Stephon Tuitt PI undisclosed IR
Jordan Willis SF suspension
Matthew ioannidis WAS knee
Jalen Jelks WAS undisclosed IR
D-Tackle
Xavier Williams ARI undisclosed
Jordan Phillips ARI undisclosed IR
Jack Crawford ARI undisclosed IR
Deadrin Senat ATL undisclosed IR
Brandon Williams BAL neck
Xavier Kelly BAL Achilles IR
Star Lotulelei BUF groin
Eddie Goldman CHI knee
Neville Gallimore DAL elbow IR
Trysten Hill DAL knee-ACL PUP
Mike Purcell DEN knee
Kevin Strong DET concussion
Jashon Cornell DET suspension (out until Week 4)
Vincent Taylor HOU ankle IR
Rob Windsor IND hip IR
Gerald McCoy LV knee IR
Justin Jones LAC calf
Raekwon Davis MIA knee IR
Jaylen Twyman MIN pelvis
Byron Cowart NE undisclosed PUP
Jalen Dalton NO triceps IR
Davis Onyemata NO suspension (out until Week 8)
Carlos Davis PIT knee
Kevin Givens SF ankle
Maurice Hurst SF ankle IR
Bryan Mone SEA elbow
Marcus Webb SEA undisclosed IR
Sam Renner TB undisclosed
Trevon Coley TEN foot IR
Defensive Backs-
Safety
Kendall Sheffield ATL undisclosed IR
DeShon Elliott BAL concussion
Khalil Dorsey BAL undisclosed IR
Myles Hartsfield CAR wrist IR
Ricardo Allen CIN hand IR
Donovan Wilson DAL groin
Essang Bassey DEN knee-ACL PUP
Duke Dawson DEN knee-ACL/MCL PUP
Vernon Scott GB hamstring
Justin Reid HOU knee
A.J. Moore HOU undisclosed IR
Roderic Teamer LV shoulder
Dayan Ghanwoloku LAR undisclosed
Joshuah Bledsoe NE wrist
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson knee
Joshua Kalu NYG pectoral IR
Saquan Hampton NYJ Achilles PUP
Lamarcus Joyner NYJ triceps IR
Sharrod Neasman NYJ hamstring
Ashtyn Davis NYJ undisclosed IR
Rodney McLeod PHI knee
Nathan Meadors PHI hamstring
Emmanuel Moseley SF knee
Jason Verrett SF knee-ACL IR
Tarvarius Moore SF Achilles PUP
Nigel Warrior SEA knee IR
Curtis Riley TB Achilles IR
Maurice Smith TEN undisclosed
Brady Breeze TEN ankle IR
Amani Hooker TEN foot IR
Darrick Forrest WAS hamstring IR
Cornerback
Marco Wilson ARI ankle
A.J. Terrell ATL concussion
Jimmy Smith BAL ankle
Chris Westry BAL knee-Meniscus IR
Marcus Peters BAL knee-ACL IR
Iman Marshall knee IR
Troy Pride CAR knee-ACL IR
Trae Waynes CIN hamstring
Kelvin Joseph DAL groin IR
Reggie Robinson II DAL toe IR
Ronald Darby DEN hamstring IR
Michael Ojemudia DEN hamstring IR
Ifeatu Melifonwu DET thigh IR
Jeff Okudah DET Achilles IR
Will Redmond GB toe IR
Terrance Mitchell HOU concussion
Xavier Rhodes IND calf
Tre Herndon JAX knee
C.J. Henderson JAX groin
Chris Harris LAC shoulder
Ryan Smith LAC undisclosed IR
Harrison Hand MIN undisclosed IR-COVID
Stephon Gilmore NE quadriceps PUP
Marshon Lattimore NO hand
Keith Washington NO wrist
Ken Crawley NO hamstring IR
Brian Poole NO undisclosed IR
Aaron Robinson NYG abdomen PUP
Quincy Wilson NYG ankle IR
Zane Lewis NYJ knee-MCL IR
Josiah Scott PHI hamstring IR
Joe Haden PIT groin
DeMarkus Acy PIT knee-ACL IR
Josh Norman SF ankle
Davontae Harris SF hamstring IR
Tre Brown SEA knee IR
Sean Murphy-Bunting elbow IR
Caleb Farley TEN shoulder
Kevin Peterson TEN undisclosed
Greg Mabin TEN undisclosed
Greg Stroman WAS undisclosed
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. 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.