NEWS AND NOTES
***There will be no Week 10 RTD. I'll be back with notes, defensive line tiers, and the every-down linebacker update in Week 11.
***If last week's trade of Kyle Van Noy was oddly surprising, this week's trade of Jamie Collins was frankly shocking. Since Bill Belichick moved Collins to New England, the spin has been that Collins wasn't trustworthy in run defense (somewhat true), would be difficult to re-sign (probably true), and already on his way to a reserve role anyway (likely true).
Whatever the reasons behind the deal, there's lots of fallout to consider.
Patriots: Collins was indeed seeing fewer and fewer snaps in the base defense, with Elandon Roberts drawing more and more praise. And the team just added Van Noy, who's no Collins but the same type of hybrid inside linebacker fit. Belichick does nothing without a larger plan. I think you'll see Roberts play every down -- though there is a chance guys like Trey Flowers and Van Noy and Ninkovich get used in different ways. Dont'a Hightower gets an upgrade, as do safeties Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty.
Browns: I'm not certain the Browns will have an every-down inside linebacker this week. I doubt Collins will be ready to assume a full-time role. Demario Davis has been slowly losing snaps as the Browns play more dime looks with three safeties. Chris Kirksey is the safety option for now, but there will be more competition for tackles in the back seven with Collins added and Ibraheim Campbell getting healthier.
***The safety depth charts around the league are getting decimated by injury. Already without Reshad Jones and Kam Chancellor, this week brings the loss of Tyrann Mathieu (shoulder subluxation, 3+ weeks), Barry Church (broken arm, 6+ weeks), Aaron Williams (neck injury, now to IR), and Mike Adams (groin, multiple weeks). The population has gotten stronger with the additions of Keanu Neal and Karl Joseph and Clayton Geathers and Morgan Burnett returning from injury.
Unlike the linebacker replacements, the safety reinforcements will have value. Robert Blanton looks like he'll play Corey Graham's productive former role. T.J. Green has been productive for Indianapolis. Tyvon Branch was very impressive earlier in the year and could come off injured reserve soon. And Daniel Sorenson has been an underrated part-time hybrid subpackage player in Kansas City. For now, I'd avoid J.J. Wilcox in Dallas, who's been too inconsistent in the past.
***The mess at linebacker in San Diego continues with Denzel Perryman likely to be out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury and Jatavis Brown likely to miss at least one week with a knee sprain. Korey Toomer and Josh Perry will play in the base defense, with Toomer seeing subpackage snaps last week after Brown left late in the fourth quarter. Perry has my interest, but Toomer is the better add. You can find the other linebacker depth chart movements in the every-down table below.
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. As the season progresses, the watch list shortens as we learn whether teams are willing to move off their early season starters for unproven talent or not. 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 Back
DEFENSIVE BACK TIERS
Matchup Independent Every-Week Safeties
Landon Collins, Keanu Neal, T.J. Ward, Morgan Burnett, Antoine Bethea, Barry Church (injured), Johnathan Cyprien, Tony Jefferson, Rodney McLeod, D.J. Swearinger Sr, Harrison Smith, Clayton Geathers, Karl Joseph, Bradley McDougald, Shawn Williams, Daniel Sorenson, Mike Adams (injured), Kam Chancellor (injured), Robert Blanton, Adrian Amos
Primary Streaming Options / Watch List
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Eric Weddle, Kurt Coleman, Isa Abdul-Quddus, Devin McCourty, Earl Thomas, Reggie Nelson, Malcolm Jenkins, Kenny Vaccaro, Eric Reid, Patrick Chung, Donte Whitner, Eric Berry, Corey Graham, T.J. Green, T.J. McDonald, Jahleel Addae (injured), Andrew Sendejo (injured)
Every-Week Cornerbacks
Casey Hayward, Robert Alford, Jason McCourty, Deshawn Shead, Leonard Johnson, Trumaine Johnson (injured), David Amerson, Xavier Rhodes, Lamarcus Joyner, Ronald Darby, Orlando Scandrick
Dynasty Hold
Reshad Jones (injured), Tyrann Mathieu (injured), Vonn Bell, Ibraheim Campbell, Jaquiski Tartt, Justin Simmons
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
|
Markus Golden : Kevin Minter | |||
|
ATLANTA
|
Deion Jones : DeVondre Campbell |
|
Sean Weatherspoon (IR) | Frequent dime last week w/ Campbell sitting |
|
BALTIMORE
|
Zachary Orr : Za'Darius Smith
|
|
||
|
BUFFALO
|
||||
|
CAROLINA
|
||||
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CHICAGO
|
|
|||
|
CINCINNATI
|
|
|||
|
CLEVELAND
|
none
|
Tentatively expect 3-man rotation for now | ||
|
DALLAS
|
|
|||
|
DENVER
|
Corey Nelson
|
Brandon Marshall | ||
|
DETROIT
|
DeAndre Levy | |||
|
GREEN BAY
|
none
|
|
|
|
|
HOUSTON
|
Brian Cushing : John Simon |
|
|
|
|
INDIANAPOLIS
|
D'Qwell Jackson | Trent Cole (IR) | ||
|
JACKSONVILLE
|
||||
|
KANSAS CITY
|
Justin Houston (PUP)
|
|||
|
LOS ANGELES
|
||||
|
MIAMI
|
|
Koa Misi (IR)
|
||
|
MINNESOTA
|
||||
|
NEW ENGLAND
|
Dont'a Hightower
|
Elandon Roberts | Roberts could play every down | |
|
NEW ORLEANS
|
|
Ellerbe and Stupar sharing sub duties
|
||
|
NEW YORK GIANTS
|
none | |||
|
NEW YORK JETS
|
Julian Stanford | Darron Lee, Erin Henderson (NFI) |
Stanford playing every down in Lee's place
|
|
|
OAKLAND
|
Ben Heeney (IR) | |||
|
PHILADELPHIA
|
|
|||
|
PITTSBURGH
|
||||
|
SAN DIEGO
|
Korey Toomer : Melvin Ingram III
|
|
Jatavis Brown, Denzel Perryman, Manti Te'o (IR) | Toomer and Perry in base, Toomer in dime |
|
SAN FRANCISCO
|
Ahmad Brooks : Gerald Hodges | NaVorro Bowman (IR) | ||
|
SEATTLE
|
||||
|
TAMPA BAY
|
||||
|
TENNESSEE
|
none
|
Williamson sitting in some subpackages | ||
|
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.