IDP Upgrades: Week 13

This article immediately highlights defensive players whose production was significantly better or worse than normally expected for the prior week of games. Note there is sometimes limited information available when this article is written, but I will try to give everyone an early look at players who are moving up or down in value among IDP circles. It isn’t easy to give waiver advice for IDPs since there is such a wide variety of lineups and scoring systems, but hopefully, the information provided can help inform your waiver, trade, and upcoming lineup decisions. I'm also going to try and group edge rushers together with the understanding that classification as a defensive end or linebacker will depend on your league setup/host. If you have any questions about specific players or situations, please email me or reach out via Twitter.

Email: rudnicki@footballguys.com
Twitter: @a_rudnicki

UPGRADES

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN/EDGE RUSHERS

DE Marquis Haynes, CAR (2 solos, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QH, 2 PD on 47% of snaps)
Haynes is serving as the 3^rd defensive end in Carolina this year and he’s starting to produce as a pass-rush specialist now that the team has become more competitive. He picked up 2 sacks against the Falcons in week 10 and then added another this week.

DE Eyioma Uwazurike, DEN (4 solos, 1 asst on 38% of snaps)
The rookie has not played very much this year but saw a season-high 25 snaps this week and responded with five combined tackles.

DL Calais Campbell, BAL (2 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 3 QH, 1 FF on 62% of snaps)
At 36 years of age, Campbell is on a remarkable run right now. He has registered at least a partial sack in five straight games and has 4.5 sacks in his last five games played.

DT Ed Oliver, BUF (4 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 2 QH, 1 FF, 1 FR on 65% of snaps)
Oliver had one of the best games of his brief career on Sunday and could be headed for a strong finish. The injury to Von Miller leaves the Bills without their most impactful pass rusher, and that could force the Bills to give more playing time to Oliver as he’s the most disruptive player they have available.

DT Maliek Collins, HOU (4 solos, 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 2 QH on 55% of snaps)
Collins has been in the league since 2016 but hasn’t been able to match the five sacks he posted as a rookie. He had a strong game this week but seems unlikely to replicate this type of production in the weeks ahead.

LINEBACKERS

LB Jack Sanborn, CHI (10 solos, 5 asst, 1 TFL on 100% of snaps)
When Roquan Smith was traded, many thought the Bears didn’t have much depth behind him or a clear replacement, but Sanborn has changed the narrative. Since taking over a starting job in Week 9, he has been one of the most productive IDPs in the entire league and looks like an elite fantasy option. In four games, he has 34 solo tackles, 9 assists, 2 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery.

LB Chad Muma, JAX (4 solos, 5 asst on 100% of snaps)
LB Foye Oluokun, JAX (13 solos, 5 asst, 2 TFL on 100% of snaps)
The stat line for Oluokun will draw most of the attention, as it’s rare to see a player collect 18 combined tackles in a game. He’s proving that last year in Atlanta was not a fluke, and he’s an elite fantasy linebacker. What is most interesting here perhaps though is that Chad Muma played all 72 snaps in the game while fellow rookie Devin Lloyd only played 27. Muma was a sleeper in the draft who has taken advantage of some struggles for Lloyd.

LB Denzel Perryman, LV (4 solos, 5 asst, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PD on 83% of snaps)
Perryman has seen a drop in playing time this year due to injuries as well as increased competition at linebacker. This week marked a season-high workload for him, however, and he responded with 9 tackles plus an interception in an overtime win over Seattle.

LB Alex Anzalone, DET (7 solos, 2 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD on 100% of snaps)
Anzalone was the only Lions linebacker to play more than 50% of the snaps this week, and he put together a strong outing with 9 tackles plus an interception. While he isn’t known for making big splash plays, he has made more of them this year and given the Lions solid production in the middle of their defense.

LB A.J. Klein, BUF (6 solos, 3 asst, 1 TFL on 100% of snaps)
Klein was one of 5 Bills defenders to play at least 99% of the snaps in this game, which was surprising considering he was picked up off waivers only 1 week earlier. He had familiarity with the defense, though, and provided an upgrade from Tyrel Dodson. Middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds may be able to play on Thursday, but Klein appears to be back in his role as the primary backup.

LB Damone Clark, DAL (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 FF on 72% of snaps)
Clark is a rookie 5^th-round pick who has been filling in for Anthony Barr the past two games and played nearly as many snaps as Leighton Vander Esch. He was quiet against the Vikings in a blowout win last week but held up well against the Giants on Thursday. He is a better run defender than Jabril Cox and looks like a promising dynasty option.

LB Jaylon Smith, NYG (7 solos, 3 asst, 1 TFL on 91% of snaps)
Smith fell out of favor in Dallas but appears to have settled in as the only 3-down linebacker for the Giants. He played a season-high 68 snaps this week and has been at 84% or higher in 3 of the past 4 games. His production overall has been somewhat disappointing but more games like this could make him a clear every-week starting option.

LB Elandon Roberts, MIA (8 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH on 49% of snaps)
Roberts is averaging fewer than 40 snaps per game this year but has been surprisingly productive in a limited role. He is on pace to finish with more than 100 combined tackles and has 23 solos with 11 assists in his last 4.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

S Julian Love, NYG (6 solos, 4 asst, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PD on 100% of snaps)
Love continues to put up excellent numbers this year and is establishing himself as a top-10 fantasy safety while still only 24 years old. Playing behind a questionable linebacker group if allowing him to put up consistent tackle numbers each week and he’s now on pace for 80 solo tackles and nearly 50 assists.

S Rudy Ford, GB (6 solos, 3 asst, 1 FF on 100% of snaps)
With Darnell Savage exiting the game early with a foot injury, Ford was given an opportunity to play every snap. He took advantage and finished tied for second on the team in tackles with nine stops while also adding a forced fumble.

S Quandre Diggs, SEA (2 solos, 4 asst, 2 INT, 2 PD on 100% of snaps)
Diggs has been one of the best playmaking safeties in the league and has 19 interceptions over his past five seasons. Despite the strong start for the Seahawks this year, he had not picked off any passes until this week when he added his first two of the year.

S Darrick Forrest, WAS (8 solos, 3 asst on 100% of snaps)
Forrest was expected to take a back seat to Kamren Curl but he has carved out a role for himself. Over the past three weeks, he has played every snap and shown his value against both the run and pass. He picked off a pass in each of the past two weeks and this week wound up leading the team in tackles with 11 stops on 57 snaps.

CB Jonathan Jones, NE (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 3 PD on 72% of snaps)
Jones has been a productive nickel corner but his tackle output has been disappointing for much of this year. He filled up the box score on Thursday and added his third interception of the season. With the Bills and Cardinals coming up next on the schedule, he’s worth a look as a streaming option.

CB Michael Davis, LAC (5 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 2 PD on 100% of snaps)
Davis picked up a knee injury during practice last week but still managed to handle a full workload in a tight win over the Cardinals. He also responded with his most productive game of the season with 6 tackles, a sack, and 2 passes defended.

CB Nick McCloud, NYG (7 solos, 1 asst on 100% of snaps)
The Giants were missing starting cornerbacks Adoree Jackson and Fabian Moreau this week, so they turned to an undrafted rookie in McCloud for their matchup against Dallas. He has been targeted regularly since entering the lineup, and the Giants play a lot of man coverage. He could be a nice streaming option as long as he remains a starter.

DOWNGRADES

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN/EDGE RUSHERS

DE Darrell Taylor, SEA (0 tackles on 23% of snaps)
Taylor is a former high draft pick who was handling a heavy workload early in the season that he probably wasn’t ready for. He can struggle against the run but was an effective pass rusher and collected three sacks by Week 7. In his three games since then, however, he has seen his role greatly reduced and has just one assist.

EDGE Von Miller, BUF (1 solo, 1 QH on 28% of snaps)
Miller’s impact hasn’t always shown up on the box score, but he’s been a huge part of the Bills defense this year. He left the game early with a knee injury this week and avoided any ACL damage but may still miss the next couple of weeks while they decide if surgery is needed or not.

EDGE Travon Walker, JAX (1 asst on 75% of snaps)
Walker has shown flashes of his potential this year, but he’s struggling with consistency as expected. Although he was taken with the first overall pick and has handled a heavy workload, he likely needs more time to develop. Over his last three games, he has three solos, two assists, and no sacks.

DT Derrick Brown, CAR (1 solo, 1 QH on 85% of snaps)
Earlier this year, Brown looked well on his way to a breakout season, but he’s gone cold since then. Over his past two games, he has just 2 solo tackles despite playing 115 snaps combined.

DT Quinnen Williams, NYJ (1 solo, 1 QH on 68% of snaps)
This was most likely just an outlier game for Williams, who has been a dominant force for the Jets all season. He played a normal workload but was limited to a single solo tackle in a game where the Bears offense generated 29 rush attempts.

LINEBACKERS

LB Devin Lloyd, JAX (2 solos on 38% of snaps)
Lloyd was a 1^st-round pick who looked like a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate early on, but he’s seen a dramatic drop in playing time over the past two games. He appeared to have hit a rookie wall, so the team has lightened his workload while ramping things up for fellow rookie Chad Muma who added 9 tackles on 100% of the snaps this week.

LB Zaven Collins, ARI (2 solos, 1 asst, 1 TFL on 100% of snaps)
Collins has played nearly every snap for the Cardinals defense this year and has been productive, but he has seen a clear drop in his production over the past three games. For example, he averaged 4.3 solo tackles per game over the first nine games but just 2.3 over his last three games.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, PHI (1 solo on 22% of snaps)
Gardner-Johnson leads the league in interceptions and is also one of the leading tacklers at the safety position, but it looks like he could miss some time. He left the game with a rib injury and initial reports didn’t provide much clarity on the severity of the injury, which seems like a bad sign.

S Eddie Jackson, CHI (2 solos, 1 asst, 1 PD on 41% of snaps)
Jackson has put up elite numbers at the safety position all season, but he was forced to leave the game early with a foot injury. That left the Bears without both starting safeties, as Jaquan Brisker was also sitting out this week with a concussion. Elijah Hicks wound up replacing him and collected 6 tackles on 39 snaps.

S Darnell Savage, GB (0 tackles on 1% of snaps)
Savage hasn’t played up to his potential this year, but he left the game after just one snap this week with a foot injury. It was later diagnosed as a sprain, but this could provide more playing time for Rudy Ford in the short term.

CB Ahmad Gardner, NYJ (1 solo, 2 asst on 100% of snaps)
Gardner has been a huge upgrade for the Jets this year, and he has been a productive fantasy option as well. It’s possible that opposing teams are starting to recognize how good he is and avoiding him where possible, however, as his production has fallen off the past two weeks. Those games came against the Patriots and Bears, though, so it’s likely he’ll be tested much more often against the Vikings and Bills, who are next on the schedule.