More COVID news floods the world of the NFL and fantasy football. Below in the Injury Report, you may note that some of the damaged warriors have a COVID designation following their IR status notice. Now is the time to fill your rosters with players from teams that are likely to suit up and play. Take a gander below to see which IDP to add from free agency or the wire.
Bye Weeks coming up: Week 5-Detroit, Green Bay; Week 6-Las Vegas, New England, New Orleans, Seattle; Week 7- Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Tennessee
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Josey Jewell DEN
Jewell has been close to an every down LB for the Broncos this season, and filled up the stat sheets against the Jets in Week 4: 10 Total tackles (TT), eight of those solos and two for a loss of yards (TFL), two sacks, a pair of QB hits/hurries (QH) and a pass defended (PD). This week’s matchup is not as tasty when the Broncos head to Foxboro, but the opponent has not seemed to matter so far this season for the third-year player, who leads the team in tackles to date.
K.J. Wright SEA
Wright has been coming on of late, rebounding from his shoulder surgery, and put up an eight TT effort in Week 5 in Miami (six solo). He also contributed a trio of PDs and also forced a fumble (FF). He has a good matchup against the Vikings on tap prior to a Week 6 bye.
Kyler Fackrell NYG
The Giant defense is spending significant time on the field, which means that if Fackrell can continue to see increased playing time on defense, his stat line should continue to improve. He has two sacks and 10 solo tackles over the last three weeks. Note that Fackrell is listed as a DE only in the ESPN system.
Roquan Smith CHI
Smith may not be available in your leagues, as he is the rare player this week with 50% or better ownership in ESPN and Yahoo leagues. He is taking advantage of his opportunity to collect tackles, coming off double digit TT in Week 4: 11 solo, two TFL, two assisted. He should continue to produce with Tampa Bay coming to visit this coming week.
Anthony Walker IND
Walker saw an increase in defensive snaps played due to injuries in the linebacking crew for the Colts last week, and made the most of his chance, collecting 11 TT (nine solo). He has the run-heavy Browns on the schedule in Week 5, and that bodes well for continued value in tackle-oriented IDP schemes.
Defensive Linemen
Yetur Gross-Matos DE CAR
The rookie is starting to show his value, picking up a strip sack in Week 4, to go along with three solo tackles. He is not seeing significant playing time, but expect that to change as he demonstrates his pass rushing skills going forward.
Yannick Ngakoue DE MIN
The Vikings have a couple of good to great matchups for Defensive End production on the slate, with the team heading to Seattle and then hosting the Falcons prior to the Week 7 bye. Ngakoue is coming off a five solo tackle effort (one TFL), where he collected a sack and a QH to pep up his big play value.
Arik Armstead DE SF
The first of our duo of 49er DEs profiled this week, Armstead is now going to be a target on defense for opposing offenses now that Nick Bosa is sidelined. Does not seem to be impacting his performance, though, as he racked up five TT (four solo, one TFL) against the visiting Eagles in Week 4, to go with a half a sack and six (!) QH. On the schedule is a good DE point production matchup against the visiting Dolphins.
Kerry Hyder DE SF
As noted just above, Hyder has a great matchup this coming week, and he has accumulated sacks in three of the first four games this season. He also has 18 TT on the season, making him a dual production threat on defense for his fantasy owners. He is worth a second mention, having been profiled last week, too.
Leonard Williams DE NYG
Williams is another DE that is providing value in both tackle-heavy and big play leagues. He has two sacks on the season, and has collected five TT in three of the four games he has been in this year. The Cowboys are a good matchup in Week 5 to boot.
Defensive Backs
Delonte Thompson S ARI
The surgery that sidelined Budda Baker opened up a starting role for Thompson, who immediately demonstrated his value. He had nine TT against the host Panthers in Week 4 (four solo) and also added a PD to his stat line. He is a short-term pickup while Baker is out, and/or new signee T.J. Ward graduates from the practice squad.
Donovan Wilson S DAL
Wilson stepped up in Week 4’s loss to Cleveland after the team sat Darian Thompson on the bench, and he responded with double digit TT (six solo, one TFL). Add in a sack and a QH, and he immediately becomes a valued IDP going forward.
Jeremy Chinn S CAR
The rookie leads the Panther defense with 35 TT to date, and has not collected fewer than seven tackles in a contest yet. He is strictly of value in tackle-oriented leagues, though, as his stat line has not yielded a big play so far.
Josh Jones S JAX
Jones has collected the third most solo tackles at his position this season. With the injuries to top DBs mounting, he is a low-owned option to snag off the wire.
Juan Thornhill S KC
Thornhill has been an every down DB for the Chiefs, which is playing out well for his owners, limited though they be so far. He snagged his first INT in Week 4, with a PD, and also had six solo tackles in the contest. Week 5 shows up with a good matchup against the Raiders, who rank 10th on the season in terms of points allowed to opposing safeties.
LeShaun Sims CB CIN
Our lone cornerback in this week’s IDP Report, Sims stepped in when starter Mackensie Alexander took a seat with a rib injury, and in full time action, collected eight TT (six solo) and a PD against the visiting Jags. It will be tougher to come by points this coming week, as the tilt against the host Ravens will not be as promising for production, but full-time action holds promise.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Alec Ogletree NYJ
Despite playing significant snaps on defense in Week 4, he came away with just one solo tackle, albeit one for a loss of yards. He is due to see a reduction in playing time with that level of production, and is not worth a roster slot.
Tahir Whitehead CAR
Whitehead is another LB that is seeing his PT drop as the season progresses. You want to find the IDP that are seeing more time on the field, not less. Look elsewhere for linebacker depth.
Jerome Baker MIA
The Dolphins are cutting back on his time on the field, and thus Baker is losing cachet as a useful IDP. He had a mere two TT in Week 4’s contest at home against the Seahawks, and Elandon Roberts looks to be the beneficiary of Baker’s declining usage.
Defensive Linemen
No one to talk about in depth, just those who appear on the Injury Report below.
Defensive Backs
Julian Love CB NYG
Apologies for profiling Love as a rising DB last week. If you took the advice to turn to him, you ended up with a big fat goose egg on the stat sheet. Playing just 30% of the snaps on defense undoubtedly contributed to his sad stat line, but his short-term value has run its course.
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 Washington Football Team, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB or CB on the Cowboys, or a Raven DL or CB that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
Washington vs Los Angeles Rams
New York Giants @ Dallas
San Francisco vs Miami
Defensive Ends
Philadephia @ Pittsburgh
Cincinnati @ Baltimore
Seattle vs Minnesota
Defensive Tackles
Las Vegas @ Kansas City
Cincinnati @ Baltimore
Dallas vs New York Giants
Minnesota @ Seattle
Safeties
Atlanta vs Carolina
New England vs Denver
Buffalo @ Tennessee
Arizona @ New York Jets
Carolina @ Atlanta
Cornerbacks
Dallas vs New York Giants
Cincinnati @ Baltimore
Minnesota @ Seattle
Denver @ New England
Chicago 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
Josey Jewell DEN
K.J. Wright SEA
Kyler Fackrell NYG
Anthony Walker IND
Defensive Linemen
Yetur Gross-Matos DE CAR
Yannick Ngakoue DE MIN
Arik Armstead DE SF
Kerry Hyder DE SF
Leonard Williams DE NYG
Defensive Backs
Delonte Thompson S ARI
Donovan Wilson S DAL
Jeremy Chinn S CAR
Josh Jones S JAX
Juan Thornhill S KC
LeShaun Sims CB CIN
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 Kennard ARI calf
Matt Milano BUF pectoral
Del’Shawn Phillips BUF quadriceps
Khalil Mack CHI knee
Logan Wilson CIN concussion
Tae Davis CLE elbow
Jeremiah Attaochu DEN quadriceps
Krys Barnes GB shoulder
Rashan Gary GB ankle
Kamal Martin GB knee-meniscus IR
Christian Kirk sey GB pectoral IR
Peter Kalambayi HOU hamstring
Bobby Okereke IND thumb
E. J. Speed IND elbow
Darius Leonard IND groin
Myles Jack JAX ankle
Quincy Williams JAX abdomen IR
Tanner Muse LVR toe IR
Micah Kiser LAR groin
Chase Hansen NO hip IR
David Mayo NYG knee-meniscus IR
Oshame Ximines NYG shoulder
Patrick Onwuasor NYJ knee IR
T.J. Edwards PHI hamstring
Dre Greenlaw SF quadriceps
Jordyn Brooks SEA knee MCL
Jason Pierre-Paul TB knee
Derick Roberson TEN knee
Kamalei Correa TEN illness- IR COVID
Cole Holcomb WAS knee
Reuben Foster WAS knee IR
Defensive Linemen
DE
Takkarist McKinley ATL groin
Derek Wolfe BAL elbow
Adrian Clayborn CLE hip
Chris Jones KC groin
Michael Danna KC hamstring
Shaq Lawson MIA shoulder
Marcus Davenport NO elbow
Jordan Willis NYJ ankle
Jabari Zuniga NYJ quadriceps IR
Ezekiel Ansah SF biceps
Dee Ford SF neck IR
Chase Young WAS groin
DT
Justin Madubuike BAL knee
Geno Atkins CIN shoulder
Mike Daniels CIN elbow IR
Larry Ogunjobi CLE oblique
Kenny Clark GB groin
Sheldon Day IND knee IR
Daniel Ekuale JAX ankle
Maurice Hurst LVR illness IR COVID
Maliek Collins LVR shoulder
Daniel Ross LVR foot IR
Beau Allen NE undisclosed IR
Michael Barnett NE undisclosed IR
Steve McLendon NYJ knee
Jeffery Simmons TEN illness IR COVID
Defensive Backs
S
Budda Baker ARI thumb
Chris Banjo ARI hamstring
Keanu Neal ATL hamstring
Ricardo Allen ATL elbow
Damontae Kazee ATL Achilles
Jaylinn Hawkins head
Sherrick McManis CHI hamstring
Deon Bush CHI hamstring
C.J. Moore DET calf
T.J. Carrie IND hamstring
Lamarcus Joyner LVR ribs
Jordan Fuller LAR shoulder
Kavon Frazier MIA shoulder
Kris Boyd MIN hamstring
Myles Dorn MIN undisclosed IR
Cody Davis NE ribs IR
Jabrill Peppers NYG ankle
Adrian Colbert NYG neck
Ashtyn Davis NYJ groin
Will Parks PHI hamstring IR
Marcus Allen PIT foot
Jamal Adams SEA groin
Lano Hill SEA back
Neiko Thorpe SEA hip
Chris Jackson TEN hamstring
Dane Cruikshank TEN undisclosed IR
CB
A.J. Terrell ATL illness IR COVID
Levi Wallace BUF ankle
Eli Apple CAR hamstring
Mackensie Alexander CIN ribs
Greedy Williams CLE shoulder
Davontae Harris DEN hamstring
Desmond Trufant DET hamstring
Mike Ford DET leg IR
Kevin King GB quadriceps
Chandon Sullivan GB concussion
Kabion Ento GB undisclosed IR
Rock Ya-Sin IND undisclosed
C.J. Henderson JAX shoulder
D.J. Hayden JAC hamstring
Damon Arnette LVR thumb IR
Byron Jones MIA groin
Mike Hughes MIN neck
Stephon Gilmore NE illness IR COVID
Marshon Lattimore NO hamstring
Janoris Jenkins NO shoulder
Biessuan Austin NYJ calf
Avonte Maddox PHI ankle
Trevor Williams PHI ribs IR
K’Waun Williams SF knee-ACL
Emmanuel Moseley SF concussion
Ahkello Witherspoon SF hamstring
Dontae Johnson SF groin
Quinton Dunbar SEA knee
Kristian Fulton TEN illness IR COVID
Adoree’ Jackson TEN knee IR
Greg Stroman WAS foot
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.