DL TIERS
I'm going to continue rotating through the tier series once more and then focus on playoff matchups in Week 14 before cycling through the tiers one final time. Time limitations will prevent me from providing the same amount of context as I do in the offseason, but this should provide a snapshot of where I feel these players are currently. During the season, I approach my lineups and roster with three categories in mind -- matchup independent every week starter / matchup play / too much upside to cut. Everyone else is on the watch list.
I'm going to roll through these team-by-team.
EVERY-DOWN LINEBACKER PROJECTION
| TEAM | EVERY-DOWN LB | 75-100% SNAPS | INJ | SUSP | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARIZONA | Kevin Minter : Deone Bucannon | Daryl Washington (susp) | Okafor working back into condition | |
| ATLANTA | Paul Worrilow : Justin Durant | |||
| BALTIMORE | C.J. Mosley : Daryl Smith | Elvis Dumervil | Terrell Suggs (IR) | |
| BUFFALO | Preston Brown : Nigel Bradham | |||
| CAROLINA | Luke Kuechly : Thomas Davis | |||
| CHICAGO | Pernell McPhee | McClellin returned, played most downs until late, Anderson/Jones worked in | ||
| CINCINNATI | Now five man rotation w/ no every-down player, Burfict could ascend | |||
| CLEVELAND | Karlos Dansby | |||
| DALLAS | Sean Lee | Rolando McClain | Lee cleared to return, future note ~ Hitchens played every down last week | |
| DENVER | Brandon Marshall | Von Miller : Danny Trevathan | DeMarcus Ware | Trevathan and Marshall both in 85-90% range now |
| DETROIT | Tahir Whitehead | DeAndre Levy (IR) | Whitehead played nearly every down last week | |
| GREEN BAY | Clay Matthews | Julius Peppers : Nate Palmer | Sam Barrington (IR) | |
| HOUSTON | Brian Cushing | Whitney Mercilus | McKinney beginning to settle into role, could see more snaps soon | |
| INDIANAPOLIS | D'Qwell Jackson : Jerrell Freeman | |||
| JACKSONVILLE | Paul Posluszny : Telvin Smith Sr | |||
| KANSAS CITY | Derrick Johnson : Justin Houston | Tamba Hali | ||
| MIAMI | Jelani Jenkins | Koa Misi | Watch Jenkins injury, unclear who will replace him if needed | |
| MINNESOTA | Chad Greenway : Anthony Barr | Eric Kendricks | ||
| NEW ENGLAND | Jamie Collins : Dont'a Hightower | |||
| NEW ORLEANS | Stephone Anthony | Hau'oli Kikaha : Dannell Ellerbe | ||
| NEW YORK GIANTS | Devon Kennard : Jonathan Casillas | Jon Beason (IR) | Casillas played every down vs New England, watch for trend | |
| NEW YORK JETS | David Harris : Demario Davis | |||
| OAKLAND | Malcolm Smith | Khalil Mack | Aldon Smith (susp) | |
| PHILADELPHIA | Connor Barwin : Brandon Graham | Jordan Hicks (IR) | Ryans (72%), Kendricks (60%), Alonso (45%) rotated | |
| PITTSBURGH | Lawrence Timmons | Steelers bringing Shazier out in some packages now | ||
| ST. LOUIS | James Laurinaitis : Mark Barron | Alec Ogletree (IR-R) | ||
| SAN DIEGO | Melvin Ingram III | Donald Butler : Kavell Conner | Manti Te'o : Denzel Perryman | |
| SAN FRANCISCO | NaVorro Bowman | Aaron Lynch : Ahmad Brooks | ||
| SEATTLE | Bobby Wagner : K.J. Wright | Bruce Irvin | ||
| TAMPA BAY | Lavonte David : Kwon Alexander | |||
| TENNESSEE | Avery Williamson | Derrick Morgan : Brian Orakpo | ||
| WASHINGTON | Will Compton | Ryan Kerrigan | Keenan Robinson | Used dime with Robinson out, Compton will likely play over Riley long term |
I'll update this table every week between now and Week 17.
WAIVER WIRE PRIORITIES
I'm checking the waiver wire in a mix of my most and least competitive leagues, including expanded lineups. If there's someone on your list who hasn't made mine, shoot me a note and I'll add them here.
If still available, you should prioritize Mario Edwards over Cliff Avril and Olivier Vernon. You'll also need to consider adding Shea McClellin back (though I wouldn't dump Jonathan Anderson just yet). Otherwise, it looks like a streaming week. Look to Larry Thomas' matchup sheet and Dave Larkin's matchup feature for high variance, high upside options.
Subscribe to The Audible on iTunes or download our weekly IDP podcast here every Thursday for injury updates, player analysis and matchup discussion. Follow and ask questions on Twitter @JeneBramel.