POSITIONAL TIERS
These tiers will not be as extensive as my offseason tiers. During the season, I put players into three categories: Matchup Independent Starters, Matchup Dependent Plays, and Priority Watch List. Dynasty league owners should have an additional category: Stashes you must keep on your roster. In deeper leagues, the matchup dependent list will obviously need to be longer.
This week: Defensive Line
DEFENSIVE LINE TIERS
Matchup Independent Every-Week Starters
Khalil Mack, Jason Pierre-Paul, Everson Griffen, Carlos Dunlap, Danielle Hunter, Leonard Williams, Cameron Jordan, Olivier Vernon, Muhammad Wilkerson, Brandon Graham, Calais Campbell, Trey Flowers, Rob Ninkovich, Sheldon Richardson, Adrian Clayborn, Demarcus Lawrence
Rosterable Matchup Dependent Plays
Timmy Jernigan, Kyle Williams, Derek Wolfe, Robert Ayers, Jurrell Casey, DeForest Buckner, Chris Baker
Big Play Matchup Plays
Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Cameron Wake, Joey Bosa, Robert Quinn, Ezekiel Ansah, Brian Robison, Yannick Ngakoue
Dynasty Hold
J.J. Watt (IR), Jadeveon Clowney (2017 DL?), Jabaal Sheard, Dante Fowler, Cameron Heyward, Noah Spence
Dynasty Watch List
Vinny Curry, Hau'oli Kikaha, Henry Anderson, Randy Gregory, Carl Nassib, Mario Edwards, Will Clarke
Defensive Tackles to Roster
Aaron Donald, Marcell Dareus, Kerry Hyder, Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh, Damon Harrison, Gerald McCoy, Geno Atkins, Fletcher Cox, Michael Bennett (inj), Grady Jackson, Sheldon Rankins, Malik Jackson
EVERY-DOWN LINEBACKER PROJECTIONS
Additions to the every-down column in BOLD. Injury situations to monitor this week in italics.
|
TEAM
|
EVERY-DOWN LB
|
75-100% SNAPS
|
INJ | SUSP
|
NOTES
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ARIZONA
|
Chandler Jones : Markus Golden : Kevin Minter | |||
|
ATLANTA
|
none |
Deion Jones : DeVondre Campbell
|
Sean Weatherspoon (IR) | |
|
BALTIMORE
|
Zachary Orr : C.J. Mosley
|
|
|
|
|
BUFFALO
|
||||
|
CAROLINA
|
Luke Kuechly | Klein or Mayo may start for Kuechly | ||
|
CHICAGO
|
Danny Trevathan : Nick Kwiatkowski
|
|
Jerrell Freeman (susp), Leonard Floyd | |
|
CINCINNATI
|
Vinny Rey : Karlos Dansby | |||
|
CLEVELAND
|
Chris Kirksey : Jamie Collins
|
|||
|
DALLAS
|
|
|||
|
DENVER
|
none
|
Brandon Marshall | ||
|
DETROIT
|
DeAndre Levy | |||
|
GREEN BAY
|
Joe Thomas
|
Blake Martinez, Jake Ryan |
|
|
|
HOUSTON
|
Brian Cushing |
|
||
|
INDIANAPOLIS
|
D'Qwell Jackson | Trent Cole (IR) | ||
|
JACKSONVILLE
|
||||
|
KANSAS CITY
|
|
|||
|
LOS ANGELES
|
||||
|
MIAMI
|
|
Jelani Jenkins, Koa Misi (IR)
|
||
|
MINNESOTA
|
||||
|
NEW ENGLAND
|
none
|
Dont'a Hightower | ||
|
NEW ORLEANS
|
Dannell Ellerbe |
|
|
|
|
NEW YORK GIANTS
|
none | |||
|
NEW YORK JETS
|
Julian Stanford | Erin Henderson (NFI) |
Lee expected to return
|
|
|
OAKLAND
|
Perry Riley, Ben Heeney (IR) | |||
|
PHILADELPHIA
|
|
|||
|
PITTSBURGH
|
||||
|
SAN DIEGO
|
Korey Toomer : Melvin Ingram III
|
Jatavis Brown, Manti Te'o (IR) | Perryman likely to return, Brown out | |
|
SAN FRANCISCO
|
Ahmad Brooks : Gerald Hodges | NaVorro Bowman (IR) | ||
|
SEATTLE
|
||||
|
TAMPA BAY
|
||||
|
TENNESSEE
|
none
|
|||
|
WASHINGTON
|
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.
