Week 3 brought a few significant injuries that will certainly impact production for at least the next few weeks. I’ll mention a few players to add off of waivers, as well as some players to exercise caution with for the time being.
EDGE Alex Wright played 80% of defensive snaps for Cleveland.
With teammate EDGE Jadeveon Clowney out Week 3 with an ankle injury, Wright was given an opportunity to play a more significant portion of snaps for the Browns. While he only tallied up one tackle, his two pressures should give managers optimism that upside exists for the day-two rookie. Teammate EDGE Myles Garrett was taken to the hospital on Monday afternoon from a reported car accident. While fortunately, he sustained no life-threatening injuries, his status for Week 4 is not certain. If either Clowney or Garrett misses time, Wright should be in consideration for a start in deep IDP leagues.
LB Rashaan Evans saw 100% of snaps for Atlanta for the first - and probably last - time this season.
Evans played 98% and 86% of defensive snaps in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Here’s the kicker: teammate Linebacker Deion Jones could return from the PUP list as soon as Week 5. Upon Jones’ return, either Evans or fellow starting Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker will see a significant reduction in snaps. Since Walker has been wearing the green dot and calling defensive plays for Atlanta, expect Evans to lose his starting role.
LB Josey Jewell played 95% of defensive snaps for Denver.
After missing the first two weeks due to injury, Jewell made his season debut for the Broncos in Week 3 and immediately inherited defensive playcalling duties. With Jewell’s return, teammate LB Alex Singleton reverted to a backup role and played 0% of defensive snaps. Singleton also played 79% of special teams snaps - his highest rate of the season. Expect Jewell to be the most consistently productive linebacker for Denver henceforth.
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LB Darius Harris saw 87% of defensive snaps for Kansas City.
After last week, Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr was suspended for four games. Before that suspension, he saw 79% of defensive snaps through two weeks. In Gay’s absence, Harris was elevated to a starting role. Expect him to be moderately productive for the next three weeks until he is once again relegated to backup status.
LB Jacob Phillips played 78% of defensive snaps for Cleveland.
This was his highest rate of the season so far, and this increase in usage can be credited to two major injuries to Browns teammates LB Anthony Walker and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Walker suffered a quad injury and will likely miss the remainder of the season after being placed on IR. Owusu-Koramoah suffered a groin injury and his status for Week 4 is in question. Expect Phillips to maintain a higher rate of snaps going forward, with an opportunity for a massive workload next week should Owusu-Koramoah be forced to sit out.
LB Quincy Williams saw 69% of defensive snaps for the New York Jets.
Williams had to be carted off the field with an ankle injury suffered during the Week 3 game against the Bengals. His week-to-week return status means an opportunity exists for a backup to play an increased role. Teammate LB Kwon Alexander has seen the third-most snaps at linebacker for the Jets so far this season, but teammate LB Marcell Harris was the player who filled in for Williams after his injury. One of those two players should see a nearly 100% snap share in Williams’ absence.
Detroit S Tracy Walker suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3.
Walker played only eight snaps before having to exit Sunday’s game against the Vikings, and teammate Juju Hughes played every snap afterward. Of those 63 snaps, Hughes played in the sweet spot 43% of the time. Expect Hughes to continue playing a similar percentage of snaps in that area as a full-time starter for the remainder of the season. He should be added in leagues where at least three safeties are rostered on average per team.
S Darrick Forrest played 49% of defensive snaps for Washington.
Some managers were optimistic that Forrest might have secured a full-time role after playing nearly every defensive snap for the Commanders while teammate S Kamren Curl was out with an injury. Curl returned in Week 3 and immediately saw 87% of defensive snaps. Forrest’s production on the field just muddies the waters for the other IDP-relevant safeties on the team. Exercise caution before placing trust in anyone from that unit until it becomes clear whether or not a player will emerge as a high-snap volume option.
S Rodney McLeod played 100% of defensive snaps for Indianapolis.
In my Week 2 analysis, I mentioned that McLeod split time with teammate S Nick Cross before Cross was outright benched in the third quarter. In Week 3, McLeod had the starting strong safety role completely to himself. Of his 64 defensive snaps, McLeod played a staggering 64% of them in the sweet spot. Even though he only tallied five tackles, he should be in consideration as a starting safety in most IDP formats should this usage continue.