Linebackers
Akeem Davis-Gaither (CIN): If Germaine Pratt is set to miss additional time, Davis-Gaither is a must-add in pretty much all formats. He gobbled up nine solos and assisted on four tackles last week. He won’t stuff the stat sheet from his position, but tackles could be plentiful. The 25-year-old linebacker from Appalachian State had a few fill-in games last season where he was very productive.
Darius Harris (KCC): It was Harris, not Leo Chenal, who saw Willie Gay Jr’s snaps in Gay’s absence. In the short term, Harris is worth grabbing and entering into your lineup as an LB3/4. Gay’s play has been fairly uninspiring, so there’s an outside chance Harris just retains the weakside linebacker spot once Gay returns. Harris had a boatload of tackles against the Colts, and his projections for his SNF matchup against the Bucs are favorable.
Jacob Phillips (CLE): Anthony Walker is done for the season, and with a rash of other injuries along the Brown front seven, Phillips stepped up in a big way last Thursday night. He won’t pile up a ton of solos but can stuff the stat sheet. The 23-year-old ex-LSU Tiger is in line for a ton of snaps and could really produce quality, across-the-board numbers for the remainder of the season.
Defensive Linemen
Deatrich Wise (DE - NEP): Wise had three sacks against Lamar Jackson last week, and the big dude out of Arkansas has been seeing the majority of the snaps as the defensive end in the Patriots' defensive scheme. Not in love with his matchup this week, but some juicier matchups are coming up. Even in not-so-great matchups, Wise has been serviceable.
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Shy Tuttle (DT - NOS): Tuttle is worth grabbing in leagues that force you to start defensive tackles independently. He’s racking up tackles (five solos last week and seven assists the previous) and even has a half-sack and pass defense to his credit. He eats up a ton of space on the inside part of the Saints’ front seven and will be a good bet for tackles at this position moving forward.
Adetokunbo Ogundeji (DE – ATL): A bit of a deeper dive here, but the Falcons have absolutely no pass rush right now; the only glimmer of hope is Ogundeji. He will be hit-or-miss, but given his time in the NFL, he’s a solid taxi squad stash.
Defensive Backs
JuJu Hughes (S – DET): Tracy Walker is done for the season, and it looks like it’ll be Hughes stepping in for him on the back end of the Lion D. He had five solos and three helpers last week after Walker went out.
Josh Metellus (S – MIN): Metellus stepped in for Harrison Smith last weekend and crushed it. If Smith continues to miss time, Metellus could be a big-time add. For now, he’s worth stashing since the matchup against the Saints is favorable. The third-year pro from Michigan has excellent size and showed a nose for finding the ballcarrier this past Sunday.
Roger McCreary (CB – TEN): We all know about the rookie corner rule, yeah? Here it is in its most raw of forms. McCreary has 20 solos in the past two weeks, and while he only has one pass breakup, more of those will happen as he continues to get tested by opposing quarterbacks.