IDP Upgrades: Week 4

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. When warranted, I'll also call out some players under No Change to explain why the stat lines may be misleading. 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

DT Shy Tuttle, NO (5 solos, 2 asst on 74% of snaps)
Tuttle warrants another upgrade this week after another strong performance with seven tackles, including five solo stops on an impressive 74% workload. He now has seven solos and nine assists over the past two games to make him one of the highest-scoring defensive tackles in the league.

DT Sheldon Rankins, NYJ (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH on 56% of snaps)
Rankins set a career-high with 7 tackles this week while also adding the Jets' only sack on the day. While he likely won’t get back to the form he showed with the Saints early in his career, he can be a productive player if his health holds up.

DT Kenny Clark, GB (3 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 77% of snaps)
Clark is a talented player but he has just six sacks over the last two seasons combined and his career-best is six in a year. His game this week warrants a mention because not only did he pick up two sacks but they also came against one of the toughest players in the league to bring down in Tom Brady.

DE Maxx Crosby, LV (5 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QH, 1 PD, 1 FF on 91% of snaps)
Crosby has been productive with 25 sacks in his first three seasons, but the underlying pressure data suggested he had untapped potential. Through three games, not much has gone right for the Raiders, but Crosby looks like an elite IDP. Surprisingly, he has been very productive against the run with 14 solos and 9 assists for an average of more than 7 tackles/game while also adding a pair of sacks.

DE Jerry Hughes, HOU (3 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 71% of snaps)
Hughes posted his second two-sack game of the young season and looks like he’s been rejuvenated by the move to his home state. Despite playing a huge role for the Bills, he only topped 4.5 sacks once in the past five seasons.

DE Gregory Rousseau, BUF (2 solos, 1 asst, 1.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 63% of snaps)
The second-year player is starting to look like a potential star for the Bills. The secondary was decimated by injuries this week, but he still managed to collect a sack for the third week in a row. He has been great against the run and is also showing improved ability to get after the quarterback with 3.5 sacks on the year.

DE Trey Hendrickson, CIN (2 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks, 4 QH, 2 FF on 59% of snaps)
Although Hendrickson saw a reduction in workload this week after playing 100% of the snaps last week, he was nearly unblockable. He posted 2.5 sacks with four quarterback hits to break out of an early season slump.

EDGE Deatrich Wise, NE (5 solos, 1 asst, 3 sacks, 4 TFL, 3 QH on 73% of snaps)
Wise has always been a promising player for the Patriots whose production rarely matched his ability. He has not been able to top the 4.5 sacks he posted as a rookie in 2018 and has often been held by a lack of playing time. This year, however, he’s playing nearly 80% of the snaps each week and rewarded the coaches with a huge 3-sack outing against Lamar Jackson.

EDGE Brandon Graham, PHI (4 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 5 QH, 1 PD, 1 FF on 35% of snaps)
Graham played just 27 snaps this week but still came through with one of the most dominant performances of the weekend. He led the Eagles defense with 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits as they piled up nine sacks and 17 hits on Carson Wentz. Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick regularly see more playing time, but Graham is showing he can still be effective as a pass-rush specialist.

EDGE Melvin Ingram III, MIA (3 solos, 2 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 QH, 1 FF, 1 FR on 62% of snaps)
At 33 years of age, Ingram has turned into a journeyman who has played on four teams in the past two years. While he has not been very productive since he was still with the Chargers in 2019, the fit in Miami looks good. He took advantage of an injury-depleted Bills offensive line this week to pick up his first two sacks as a Dolphin and can complement Jaelan Phillips and Emmanuel Ogbah, who are both off to slow starts.

LINEBACKERS

LB Jacob Phillips, CLE (2 solos, 5 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 PD on 78% of snaps)
Phillips stepped in at middle linebacker after Anthony Walker went down with an injury and played great with seven tackles plus a sack and third-down pass breakup. He had earned some first-team reps in training camp so he should be ready for the opportunity and appears likely to wear the green dot as the defensive signal caller.

LB Darius Harris, KC (7 solos, 6 asst, 1 TFL on 87% of snaps)
With the four-game suspension handed down to Willie Gay Jr, Harris moved into the starting lineup and was very active. He was credited with 13 combined tackles on 62 snaps, and the team feels confident in his ability to handle the role after developing him in their system for the past three years.

LB Pete Werner, NO (6 solos, 5 asst on 97% of snaps)
Werner is proving that his Week 1 explosion was no fluke and he could be headed for a huge breakout as the new leader of the Saints defense. He saw his playing time increase to 97% of snaps this week and now has 24 solos and 8 assists through the first three weeks of the season. For comparison, Demario Davis has played every snap this year but has been credited with just 8 solos and 8 assists (with a sack).

LB T.J. Edwards, PHI (9 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 96% of snaps)
Through three weeks of the season, we have a clear understanding of the linebacker picture in Philadelphia. Edwards is playing just about every snap and making the most of them with 27 combined tackles and a sack and a forced fumble. Kyzir White continues to sit in some situations but has played in 75% of the snaps. Rookie Nakobe Dean, however, has only seen three defensive snaps all year.

LB Josey Jewell, DEN (5 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 2 QH, 1 FR on 95% of snaps)
After sitting out the first two games with a calf injury, Jewell made his season debut on Sunday night and put together an impressive showing. He led his team in tackles with nine stops while adding a sack and a fumble recovery. Alex Singleton went back to the bench after playing nearly every snap the past two games, while Jonas Griffith and Baron Browning split time at the other inside linebacker spot.

LB Roquan Smith, CHI (6 solos, 10 asst, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PD on 100% of snaps)
Smith missed practice all week while dealing with a hip injury, but it clearly didn’t slow him down on Sunday as he collected 16 tackles on just 45 tackle opportunities. He moved into a tie for the league lead in tackles and once again clearly belongs among the truly elite IDP options.

LB Alex Anzalone, DET (9 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QH on 99% of snaps)
While rookie Malcolm Rodriguez earned plenty of hype during the preseason, Anzalone has provided a steady presence in the middle. With a strong game this week, he’s now up to 20 solo tackles on the year, and that would put him on pace to break 100. While that’s unlikely to happen, he could be one of the year’s bigger breakout players on a rejuvenated Lions team.

LB Devin Bush, PIT (6 solos, 5 asst on 76% of snaps)
Bush saw a large increase in playing time this week, and his production spiked as well. A closer look at the matchup, however, suggests this was likely driven by the fact the Browns offense ran the ball 38 times. He could have improved value in favorable matchups like this moving forward but will likely be inconsistent.

LB DeVondre Campbell, GB (8 solos, 6 asst, 1 TFL, 1 PD on 100% of snaps)
Campbell bounced back from a slow Week 2 to pile up 14 tackles. This was impressive considering Tampa only ran the ball 14 times in the game, and the Packers had struggled stopping the run.

LB Dre Greenlaw, SF (5 solos, 5 asst on 100% of snaps)
Greenlaw has played every single defensive snap for the 49ers this year alongside Fred Warner, and he’s been productive with 23 combined tackles. The team also rewarded him with a contract extension recently that locks him up through the 2024 season.

LB Zaire Franklin, IND (8 solos, 4 asst, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 PD on 100% of snaps)
Franklin has filled in capably for the injured Darius Leonard and now has 22 solo stops with eight assists in the first three games. He was one of only two Colts defenders to play all 63 snaps this week and came up big in a surprising upset of the Chiefs. Leonard was not expected to miss this much time and has been practicing with the team but is still trying to recover from offseason back surgery.

LB Rashaan Evans, TEN (9 solos, 3 asst, 1 TFL, 2 PD on 100% of snaps)
Evans has been outplayed by Mykal Walker this season but showed off some of his potential with a strong game this week that included 12 tackles and a pair of pass breakups while playing all 71 snaps.

LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, CIN (9 solos, 4 asst, 1 TFL on 69% of snaps)
Davis-Gaither made just his third career start this week and led the team in tackles with 13 combined stops on 54 snaps. He was filling in for an injured Germaine Pratt, who sat out with a knee injury, so this may wind up being short-lived but demonstrates his potential.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

S Jeremy Chinn, CAR (6 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, and 2 PD on 100% of snaps)
Chinn was expected to produce like an elite fantasy safety this year but got off to a quiet start with just eight solos and four assists in the first two games. He looked more like himself this week, though as he piled up eight tackles with a sack and two pass deflections in a game where the Saints offense generated just 48 tackle opportunities.

S Jevon Holland, MIA (9 solos, 1 asst, 1.5 sacks, 1 QH, 2 PD, 1 FF on 100% of snaps)
Brandon Jones has proven to be one of the best blitzing safeties in the league, but it was his partner who got after the quarterback this week. Holland came up with a huge play for Miami early in the game when he sacked Josh Allen to force a fumble that was quickly converted into a touchdown. The Bills offense generated 69 tackle opportunities in this game so there were plenty of tackles to go around, but Holland stood out for his playmaking.

S Jalen Pitre, HOU (5 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QH, 2 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR on 100% of snaps)
The rookie second-round pick had a breakout performance against the Bears this week as he exploded for two interceptions and a sack. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider Justin Fields finished with just 17 official pass attempts in the game, and no Bears player caught more than two passes.

S Jonathan Owens, HOU (6 solos, 5 asst on 100% of snaps)
Owens spent most of the past few years on the practice squad, but he earned a starting safety job this year and has been piling up tackles ever since. He has played 100% of the snaps (alongside rookie safety Jalen Pitre) and has been credited with a remarkable 23 solos and 13 assists. While he’s yet to record any big plays, he is tied with Roquan Smith for the most tackles in the league with 36.

S Kamren Curl, WAS (5 solos, 3 asst, 1 TFL on 95% of snaps)
Curl returned to the starting lineup this week at strong safety and wound up playing all but three snaps. Meanwhile, his replacement Darrick Forrest still saw regular playing time in three-safety packages and finished with three solos on 53% of the snaps.

S Rodney McLeod, IND (2 solos, 2 asst, 1 INT, 2 PD on 100% of snaps)
McLeod replaced rookie Nick Scott in the starting lineup this week and came up with a clutch game-sealing interception at the end of regulation. The 32-year-old has not been very fantasy relevant for the past several years, but he has a favorable situation here in the short term.

S Eddie Jackson, CHI (5 solos, 3 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 FF on 88% of snaps)
Jackson was an elite playmaker earlier in his career but was somehow held without an interception in each of the past two seasons. Although the Bears played most of the game with three rookies in the secondary, Jackson rose to the occasion and added eight tackles with a forced fumble and interception.

S Mike Edwards, TB (9 solos, 4 asst, 1 TFL on 100% of snaps)
In a game where Tampa’s defensive stars didn’t do very much, Edwards stood out and made plays everywhere. One week after returning an interception for a touchdown against the Saints but posting no solo tackles, he filled up the stat sheet with 13 tackles on 62 snaps this week. He’s one of 6 players who have played every single defensive snap for Tampa so far this season.

S Josh Metellus, MIN (10 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 2 PD on 100% of snaps)
Metellus filled in for Harrison Smith, who could not clear the concussion protocol in time to play this week. In his first career start, Metellus rose to the occasion and made plays all over the field. He was supposed to split time with rookie Lewis Cine, but Cine wound up seeing zero snaps on defense.

CB LJarius Sneed, KC (5 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 QH, 1 FF, 1 FR on 100% of snaps)
Sneed has posted strong numbers in the past but appears to have taken things to a new level in 2022. Through three games, he has already been credited with 20 solo tackles and now has a pair of sacks as well.

CB Roger McCreary, TEN (9 solos, 1 asst, 1 PD on 100% of snaps)
The rookie corner had a rough outing against the Bills last week, but that’s not unusual. However, he was much better this week against the Raiders, as the Titans picked up their first victory of the year. When the Titans played in nickel, McCreary moved inside to cover the slot with Terrance Mitchell working outside. That bodes well for his fantasy prospects as he now has 20 solos in the past two games alone and should remain a popular target for opposing quarterbacks.

DOWNGRADES

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN/EDGE RUSHERS

DT Jeffery Simmons, TEN (2 asst, 1 QH on 91% of snaps)
Since his two-sack game in Week 1, Simmons has been very quiet in the past two games. Despite seeing a season-high 64 snaps this week and playing nearly the entire game with a lead, he couldn’t generate even a single solo tackle for the second week in a row.

DL Lawrence Guy, NE (1 asst on 30% of snaps)
Guy has been extremely reliable and consistent for the Patriots with 34+ solo tackles in four of the past five seasons. He left the game early with a shoulder injury and wasn’t able to return, which resulted in Davon Godchaux seeing his playing time increase from 44% last week to 73% this week.

DE Montez Sweat, WAS (1 solo, 1 asst on 78% of snaps)
Although has played nearly 80% of the snaps for Washington this year, he has yet to record a sack and has just six solo tackles plus one assist to his credit. The team is having trouble generating pressure up front without Chase Young, and Sweat was nearly invisible this week.

DE Carl Lawson, NYJ (2 QH on 66% of snaps)
Lawson was credited with two quarterback hits this week, but he has been relatively quiet for the Jets with just four tackles and a half sack through three games.

EDGE Joey Bosa, LAC (1 solo on 17% of snaps)
Bosa left the game very early this week with a groin injury that appears likely to sideline him for some time. He’s considered “week-to-week” and figures to be replaced primarily by Kyle Van Noy.

EDGE Von Miller, BUF (1 PD on 74% of snaps)
Miller had a strong debut with the Bills in Week 1 but has been very quiet since, with just one tackle and two passes defensed in the last two games. He’s averaging just a little more than 30 snaps per game, which is partly a function of the Bills offense controlling each game but also leaves him limited opportunities to make an impact.

LINEBACKERS

LB Anthony Walker, CLE (2 solos, 4 asst, 1 TFL on 53% of snaps)
Walker suffered a torn quad on Thursday night, which will put an end to his season. Jacob Phillips replaced him in the game and looked impressive, so there is a chance Walker may not have a starting job waiting for him next year.

LB Isaiah Simmons, ARI (1 asst on 33% of snaps)
Simmons is a very strange situation since the Cardinals tried to move him into a new role this year. After playing 87% of the snaps in Week 1, he saw just 22% and 33% in the past two games. The coaches don’t appear to know what to do with the former first-round pick. Simmons is clearly behind Zaven Collins and now seeing a similar workload to players like Nick Vigil, Tanner Vallejo, and Ben Niemann.

LB Alex Singleton, DEN (3 tackles on 0% of snaps)
Singleton had played nearly every snap at inside linebacker for the Broncos in the first two weeks of the year and was credited with five solos and nine assists. The return of Josey Jewell this week, however, pushed him to a special teams role, where he collected three solo tackles on 22 plays.

LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, CLE (1 solo on 37% of snaps)
The Browns lost both of their top-2 linebackers to injury this week, but early reports indicated that Owusu-Koramoah avoided a serious injury. He left the game with a groin injury and his status for next week remains in doubt. When both players were lost, that pushed strongside linebacker Sione Takitaki (53%) into nickel packages even though he had played just 20% of the snaps in the first two weeks.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

S Tracy Walker, DET (1 solo, 1 asst on 11% of snaps)
Walker has been one of the best Lions defenders over the past three seasons despite often getting very little help from the players around him. Unfortunately, the team will be without him for the rest of the year as he left the game early this week with an injury that was later confirmed to be a torn Achilles. JuJu Hughes filled in for him and added eight tackles on 88% of the snaps, but rookie third-round pick Kerby Joseph also could be a player to watch here.

S Nick Cross, IND (0 tackles on 2% of snaps)
The rookie often looked overwhelmed in the first two weeks and lost his starting job as a result. He was replaced by veteran Rodney McLeod, who now has 11 tackles with an interception in just 100 snaps.

S Kyle Hamilton, BAL (2 solos, 1 asst, and 1 FF on 24% of snaps)
The rookie safety saw a drop in playing time from 54% of snaps last week to just 24% this week. He is having trouble finding a clear role in the Ravens defense as they are very comfortable with Chuck Clark playing up in the box and Marcus Williams playing deep.

S Lewis Cine, MIN (0 tackles on 0% of snaps)
The rookie had a great opportunity this week due to the absence of Harrison Smith. While he was expected to share time on defense with Josh Metellus, he never saw the field at all on defense and only played special teams. That is a clear concern for a player the Vikings just drafted in the first round.

CB Marshon Lattimore, NO (0 tackles on 100% of the snaps)
Lattimore played all 61 defensive snaps in the game and helped limit D.J. Moore to just one catch for two yards on six targets. That type of shutdown performance did not do any favors to his fantasy production as he was kept off the scoresheet with no tackles or passes defensed in the game.

CB Kenny Moore, IND (2 solos, 1 PD on 97% of snaps)
Moore came into the year as one of the truly elite players at his position after breaking 100 combined tackles with four interceptions a year ago. Adding Stephon Gilmore on the opposite side should have also helped funnel more plays to his side of the field. The Colts hired a new defensive coordinator this offseason, though, and it appears the new system is not quite as favorable to him since he’s posted just 14 tackles overall and 7 in the past two games.

CB Jaire Alexander, GB (0 tackles on 9% of snaps)
Alexander left the game after playing just six snaps with a groin injury. Initial reports said he had likely avoided a major injury, however, and hopefully will not miss any time.