IDP Dynasty Sleepers, Week 5

Linebackers

Jaylon Smith (NYG): Don’t look now, but Jaylon Smith’s back! He had struggled mightily, especially in coverage, when he was last on the field, but he did put up six solos and an assist with only half the defensive snaps for the Giants. The G-men have been horrid in run coverage, so there could be some tackles to be had here. He’s still just 27, so there may be a couple of years’ worth of production here if he has the wheels under him. Tread carefully, though.

Jahlani Tavai (NEP): As incredibly difficult as it is to trust a Patriot linebacker for fantasy purposes, we do like Tavai’s skill-set as it compares to the rest of his cohorts on the Pat line. He had eight total tackles this past Sunday while getting 75% of the snaps, second only to the fairly uninspiring Ja’Whuan Bentley, who doesn’t do much more than rack up assisted tackles. Tavai could prove useful as a bye-week filler later in the season if the snap counts remain over 75% per week.

Joe Schobert (TEN): First it’s Jaylon Smith, now it’s Joe Schobert coming back onto the scene! Zach Cunningham is on the mend. Schobert filled in admirably with four solos, a couple of helpers, and a forced fumble against the Colts last week. And he did that with only 24 of the 66 defensive snaps. If Cunningham remains out (or proves ineffective upon his return), we all know what Schobert is capable of. Definitely worth a speculative add based on those facts.

Defensive Linemen

Jihad Ward (DE - NYG): Interestingly enough, upon the return of the best edge defenders the Giants have in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, Ward’s been at his best, tallying six solos, four assists, a forced fumble, a sack and a pass breakup in the past two weeks. The rangy Ward is worth a look, especially with the DL spot razor-thin available talent on the wire.

Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu (DE - SFO): Nick Bosa demands double and sometimes triple teams, leaving these guys with one-on-ones. Hard to say which one will do damage in a given week, and they’re only worth grabbing in big-play formats, but they’re worth watching.

Dalvin Tomlinson (DT – MIN): For those of you in leagues that force you to start defensive tackle independently, the 28-year-old Tomlinson is fitting in nicely with the Vikings, gobbling up tackles and does have 1.5 sacks so far on the season. With the Bears set to run a bunch up the gaps, Tomlinson is a fine Week 5 start that could become a weekly defensive tackle starter for those in need.

Defensive Backs

DeShon Elliott and Kerby Joseph (S – DET): Last week we featured JuJu Hughes here after he had stepped in for the injured Tracy Walker during Week 3, but it ended up being Elliott and Kerby Joseph taking all of the snaps at safety for the Lions. Joseph’s numbers weren’t great but Elliott had a fine outing. Those in deeper formats may wish to roll the dice on Joseph, but anyone needing a defensive back could plug Elliott in right away and see production.

Jack Jones (CB – NEP): The Patriots do a great job of finding corners like Jones, who end up being super fantasy-relevant. In his first real action of the season, Jones came up with 25.1 points last week, completely filling up the stat sheet. He may be a high-volume tackler this week if Amon-Ra St. Brown returns to action. The rookie corner rule definitely applies here. Get him into your lineup if you must start a CB in your league.

Myles Hartfield (S – CAR): We’re not sure how badly Jeremy Chinn is injured, but if he’s out any extended time, Hartfield would be a good bet to fill in at least for the majority of the time. He came through with six solos and a forced fumble last week in Chinn’s stead. If you have the room, the undrafted third-year pro from Ole Miss is worth a speculative add.