Thank goodness the bye weeks are now in the rear view mirror of the 2017 fantasy football season. There is a corresponding uptick in the number of IDP to consider adding to your roster, especially in the linebacker ranks. Let us get to the profiles of defensive players you may want to target off the wire or as free agents. As ever, remember that the Waiver Wire Target section shows those players discussed in the first three sections that have low ownership for your shopping convenience.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Vince Williams PIT
Patrick Onwuasor BAL
Calvin Munson NYG
Karlos Dansby ARI
James Burgess CLE
Williams has found his groove as the starting inside linebacker for the Steelers, with the second most tackles and sacks on the team heading into Week 12. He had a stellar Week 11 against the visiting Titans, with seven total tackles (six solo) and two of those being for a loss of yards (TFL). He also added a sack and three quarterback hits/hurries (QH). If you are looking to replace a linebacker on your roster, he is likely available on the wire with his low ownership percentages on the various platforms.
Onwuasor is coming off a 10 total tackle week (eight solo) against the Packers, and he also recovered a fumble in Week 11. He is a good LB in tackle-oriented leagues, but do not expect much in the way of big plays.
Ragland is similar toOnweasor in that he has more value in leagues that value tackles. He had nine total tackles (eight solo, one TFL) in Week 11 playing along side Derrick Johnson. He certainly has performed better since leaving Buffalo via a trade, and the KC defensive scheme makes him worth a look, but only if your league devalues big plays.
Munson is likely a short term add, and his playing time is highly dependent on the status of injured B.J. Goodson. He did have 13 combined tackles in Week 11 (eight solo), so if he gets the snaps, he is worthy of consideration, albeit in tackle-oriented leagues.
Dansby is a three-down LB, always a desired commodity in IDP leagues. Since the Week 8 bye, he has accumulated 23 total tackles (16 solo) and does have the ability to make the big play as well, with a sack, an interception (INT) and two passes defensed (PD) in Week 9, but pick him up for the tackle production.
Burgess will see more time on the field with Jamie Collins out for the season. He capitalized on the increased playing time with a 16 total tackle output in Week 11, with a sack added in as the cherry on top of the sundae. Do not expect double digit tackles every week, but do expect steady tackle numbers.
IDP to consider that have been previously profiled: Tahir Whitehead DET (Week5), Matt Judon BAL (Week 7)
Defensive Linemen
Derek Wolfe DE DEN
Derek Barnett DE PHI
Gerald McCoy DT TB
Davon Godchaux DT MIA
Malik Jackson DT JAX
Wolfe had a sack and five solo tackles against the Bengals in Week 11 (three TFL) as well as pair of QH. Cincinnati was not generous with the tackle opportunities, so Wolfe grabbing five solos is a good sign.
Barnett has been adapting to life as a NFL rookie, and burst out in Week 11with two sacks and forced fumble to go with three tackles, all solo. He is not a full-time player at this point, but in dynasty or keeper leagues he is worth targeting.
McCoy leads off the DTs this week, where we feature three. He picked up another sack last week, giving him three in his last two contests. He also had seven total tackles (three solo, one TFL) and three QH against the Dolphins. He is coming on and now would be a great time to consider him in leagues that require a DT, or in deeper DL leagues.
Godchaux is another rookie who is a part time player but putting up good results. He is arguably outplaying Ndamukong Suh recently, with 18 total tackles (13 solo) over his past four games. He is coming off a five total tackle game against the Bucs with one TFL.
Jackson is a big-play DT, with two sacks and a forced fumble in his last three games. The tackle numbers are not exceptional, although for a DT he is consistent with 14 combined tackles over his last five games.
IDP to consider that have been previously profiled: Yannick Ngakoue DE JAX (Week 5), Willie Henry DE/DT BAL (Week 6), Leger Douzable DT SF (Week 9)
Defensive Backs
Budda Baker S ARI
John Johnson III S LAR
Johnathan Cyprien S TEN
Eric Reid S SF
Darqueze Dennard CB CIN
Baker should have been profiled last week before he broke out with a 12 combined tackle effort (10 solo, one TFL), to complement his sack, QH, PD, fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. He is still under owned in most leagues and with Tyvon Branch out, he is a perfect candidate to add going forward, and potentially to keep into 2018.
Johnson is a safety to grab if your league values tackles, as he is coming off an eight solo tackle effort against the Vikings in Week 11. He has accumulated 15 solo tackles and four assists in his last three games, so the Week 11 effort is not a fluke.
Cyprien looks as though his hamstring problem that kept him on the sidelines for six weeks has been solved. He played 67 snaps in Week 11, with 10 total tackles (six solo). Assuming his health holds up, he is an excellent pickup in tackle-oriented leagues going forward.
Reid is now locked in at safety, aborting the plan to shift him to LB. He responded in Week 10 with an eight total tackle effort (seven solo), and is now coming off a bye week to face the Seahawks who are in the middle of the pack when it comes to allowing points to opposing safeties. He then has a couple of tasty matchups against the Bears and Texans, so now would be a great time to add him to your roster.
Dennard is our lone CB this week. He had a good eight solo tackle effort against the Broncos, with a PD thrown in for good measure. His next three opponents (Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Chicago are all in the top half of teams allowing points to opposing CBs, with the Browns topping the list for his Week 12 action.
IDP to consider that have been previously profiled: Jordan Poyer S BUF (Week 3), Adoree Jackson CB TEN (Week 6)
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Anthony Barr MIN
Barr has been in a slump of late, with just eight tackles over his past three games, although at least those were solo tackles. Still, that kind of production is not what you want from a starting LB, so bench or drop him for one of the guys profiled above.
Defensive Linemen
Ndamukong Suh DT MIA
Suh has been overshadowed by the rookie Godchaux playing opposite him recently. It is not as though Suh has become unownable, but there are better producing options out there on the wire. Do not be swayed by prior production or name recognition at DT.
Defensive Backs
Barry Church S JAX
Xavier Rhodes CB MIN
Church was always a dependable option in a not great Dallas defensive secondary, but in Jacksonville he has a great front defense stopping him from the production he saw in Dallas. He is in a great defense, but the secondary will suffer from the great line and linebacker play that limits his chances.
Rhodes has undoubtedly disappointed many that drafted him this past August/September. He is playing plenty of snaps, but teams are avoiding him in the passing game, depleting his value as an IDP option. Much like the situation with any shutdown corner, his opportunities to rack up the points will be lacking.
Matchups to Exploit
Remember, the second team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Ravenss, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB on the Texans, Bengals, Chiefs, Cardinals or Colts that you can plug in this week, for the most part. And do not miss out on the great Pittsburgh @ Green Bay cornerback matchup on both ends this week.
Linebackers
Houston @ Baltimore
Cincinnati v Cleveland
Kansas City v Buffalo
Arizona v Jacksonville
Indianapolis v Tennessee
Defensive Ends
Baltimore v Houston
Oakland v Denver
Tennessee @ Indianapolis
Minnesota v Detroit
Defensive Tackles
New York Giants @ Washington
Jacksonville @ Arizona
Carolina @ New York Jets
Safeties
Jacksonville @ Arizona
Miami @ New England
Seattle @ San Francisco
New England v Miami
Denver @ Oakland
New York Jets v Carolina
Cornerbacks
Cincinnati v Cleveland
Oakland v Denver
San Francisco v Seattle
Green Bay v Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh @ Green Bay
Waiver Wire Targets
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
Vince Williams PIT
Patrick Onwuasor BAL
Calvin Munson NYG
Karlos Dansby ARI
James Burgess CLE
Defensive Linesmen
Derek Wolfe DE DEN
Derek Barnett DE PHI
Gerald McCoy DT TB
Davon Godchaux DT MIA
Malik Jackson DT JAX
Defensive Backs
Budda Baker S ARI
John Johnson III S LAR
Johnathan Cyprien S TEN
Eric Reid S SF
Darqueze Dennard 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
Duke Riley ATLknee (Meniscus)
C.J. Mosley BAL ankle
Leonard Floyd CHI knee (MCL)
Danny Trevathan CHI calf
Vincent Rey CIN hamstring
Kevin Minter CIN elbow
Sean Lee DAL hamstring
Anthony Hitchens DAL groin
Shane Ray DEN ankle
Clay Matthews GB groin
Dylan Cole HOU hamstring
John Simon IND neck
Blair Brown JAX hamstring
Donald Payne JAX hamstring
Tamba Hali KC knee
Dee Ford KC back
Hayes Pullard LAC neck
James Onwualu LAC quadriceps
Brandon Watts MIA back
Stephone Anthony MIA knee
Chase Allen MIA concussion
Bryan Braman NO undisclosed
A.J. Klein NO ankle
Kelvin Sheppard NYG groin
B.J. Goodson NYG ankle
Calvin Munson NYG quadriceps
Corey Lemonier NYJ foot
James Harrison PIT back
Michael Wilhoite SEA calf
Elliot Lee SF knee
Brian Orakpo TEN leg
Zach Brown WAS Achilles
Martrell Spaight WAS ankle
Ryan Anderson WAS knee
Defensive Linemen
DE
Josh Mauro ARI ankle
Ezekiel Ansah DET back
Allen Bailey KC knee (MCL)
Brian Robison MIN back
Alex Okafor NO Achilles
Jason Pierre-Paul NYG knee
Olivier Vernon NYG shoulder
Anthony Johnson NYJ undisclosed
Aaron Lynch SF calf
Solomon Thomas SF knee (MCL)
William Gholston TB neck
Matta Ioannidis WAS hand
Anthony Lanier WAS knee
DT
Corey Peters ARI ankle
Miliek Collins DAL foot
Kenny Clark GB ankle
Corey Liuget LAC toe
Malcolm Brown NE ankle
Corbin Bryant NYGelbow
Damon Harrison NYG ankle
Dalvin Tomlinson NYG ankle
Beau Allen PHI knee
Jarran Reed SEA hamstring
Terrell McClain WAS toe
Defensive Backs
S
Micah Hyde BUF knee
Chris Brosinski CHI hamstring
Ed Reynolds CLE knee
Derron Smith CLE knee
Morgan Burnett GB groin
Clayton Geathers IND neck
Andrew Sendejo MIN groin
Kenny Vaccaro NO groin
Michael Mitchell PIT ankle
Kam Chancellor SEA neck
Adrian Colbert SF thumb
Kevin Byard TEN shoulder
Su'a Cravens WAS personal
Montae Nicholson WAS concussion
CB
Kyle Fuller CHIU hand
Bryce Callahan CHI knee
Adam Jones CIN concussion
William Jackson CIN toe
Jamal Agnew DET knee
Kevin King GB shoulder
Kevin Johnson HOU concussion
Chris Culliver IND undisclosed
Darryl Morris IND undisclosed
Kenny Moore IND head
Kayvon Webster LAR concussion
Nickell Robey LAR thigh
Troy Hill LAR hamstring
Eric Rowe NE groin
Marshon Lattimore NO ankle
Morris Claiborne NYJ foot
David Amerson OAK foot
Joe Haden PIT upper leg
Shaq Griffin SEA concussion
Vernon Hargreaves TB 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. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, I can be reached at ia@fantasyalarm.com.