Eyes of the Guru IDP Info, Week 6

Arizona Cardinals

If Budda Baker was cut in your league after his injury, now is the time to pick him up. Baker is eligible to return from IR after week six and is anxious to get back on the field. For those who picked up K’Von Wallace and have benefited from his solid production, don’t be in too big of a hurry to let him go. Wallace will get at least one more start for Baker and could then slide over to cover for Jalen Thompson for a few games. Thompson left the game against Cincinnati with a hamstring injury that could keep him on the sideline for a while.

For this week, we could see Wallace and Andre Chachere at the safety positions. Chachere was seeing action as the fifth DB in nickel packages and is listed as the backup to Thompson on the team’s depth chart.

After playing virtually every snap over the first four games, Kei’Trel Clark was bumped down the pecking order by Antonio Hamilton in week five. Clark saw less than half of the action, while Hamilton played 80% and would have seen nearly 100% of the snaps had he not been banged up a couple of times. He returned after having his knee looked at and then was checked out for a possible concussion later in the game.

Josh Woods returned to action and got the start at linebacker. His numbers were modest at 3-2, but he was on the field for nearly 85% of the plays. The team’s depth chart lists Woods as a starter so he should continue in the role even when Krys Barnes returns from his finger injury.

Atlanta Falcons

Jeff Okudah worked his way back to a full-time role in week five. His 5-1 in the win over Houston was respectable and Okudah has been a decent option in the past for those of us in leagues starting two corners. Washington has been a plus matchup for corners thus far.

Nate Landman’s numbers were nothing to speak of in week five at 3-4, but it was his first game with 100% participation. Considering that Kaden Ellis put up marginal numbers against Houston as well (4-2), the matchup and game script were probably more to blame for the marginal production than the players. That should not be an issue this week against the Commanders.

There are not many Atlanta linemen or edge guys on rosters in IDP leagues, so if you need a streamer to cover week six, take a look at Bud Dupree, Calais Campbell, or, in tackle-required leagues, Grady Jarrett or David Onyemata this week. Washington is allowing 5.8 sacks per game, including 3.2 to the edge positions and 1.2 to interior linemen.

Baltimore Ravens

Marcus Williams returned to action against the Steelers, which should have been a plus for Kyle Hamilton. After a pair of big games, Hamilton’s numbers slumped to three solo stops (two for loss) against the Steelers. If Hamilton is your guy, there is no reason for concern. The poor numbers came mostly because the Pittsburgh offense was not good in this game. That said, the Titans have been a below-average matchup for defensive backs as well.

Marlon Humphry returned in week five, posting four solo stops on a 56% play-share. He should see a bigger workload this week and is a worthy addition in corner-required formats.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills lost more than a game in week five. Matt Milano suffered a broken leg that will end his season. Dorian Williams entered the game at the position initially but struggled and was replaced by Tyrel Dodson. Dodson looked much better, finishing at 4-1 with a fumble recovery and a pass defended. Nothing is certain here, but from what we saw over three-plus quarters of action, Dodson could be a solid waiver target.

Milano was the biggest but not the only injury Buffalo suffered. Da’Quan Jones is also heading for surgery with a torn pectoral. Jordan Phillips will be his replacement and could also be a decent pickup for those in leagues starting two tackles.

A.J. Epenesa got the start for Greg Rosseau and had a great game. He was a one-man wrecking crew with four combined tackles, a pair of sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovery. Rosseau’s availability for week six is in question, so Epenesa could be in line for another start - just in time to face the Giants. New York has allowed seven or more sacks in three of their five games, including 18 in their last two outings. If Rosseau is out, Epenesa and Leonard Floyd are must-starts.

Von Miller returned to action in week five but on a very limited basis, seeing 20 snaps. He could play a little more this week, but we should not expect a full workload for a while as he is eased back in.

Carolina Panthers

Sam Franklin has racked up over 40 fantasy points in his two starts as the replacement for Xavier Woods. That will have a lot of managers looking to pick him up. Buyer beware of this, though. He was only 2-2 in week four, with the rest of his points compliments of a pick-six. Panthers free safeties rarely give us good tackle totals, so his 7-1 versus the Lions might have been a fluke.

Jeremy Chinn was on the field for all of 18 snaps against Detroit. I’ve seen nothing early in the week to suggest there is an injury. This is the second time this season he’s seen such a minimal workload in a game, making it hard to trust him as more than a bye-week flier at this point.

Chicago Bears

Tremaine Edmunds was down and walked off with a slight limp. He did not return to the game, but there is speculation that he could have had the outcome still been in question. Keep an eye on his practice status this week. If Edmunds were to miss a game, Jack Sanborn would make a good stream option.

Cincinnati Bengals

It is hard to say if we should read anything into this, but the Bengals might be looking to get rookie safety Jordan Battle more involved. Battle saw 22 snaps against the Cardinals, all at the expense of Nick Scott. The snap numbers were similar in week two, but that was because Scott was out of the game being looked at for a concussion. There does not seem to be an injury involved this time.

Chidobe Awuzie was a scratch for week five after showing up on the injury report late in the week with a back issue. Rookie D.J. Turner got the start and made a good showing on the field. Turner was mediocre in the box score.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns had a lot of defenders banged up heading into their bye week. Most significantly, Myles Garrett came out of week four with a sore foot. Since they were on a bye, there was not much news coming out of Cleveland last week. If Garrett is your guy, check on his status when we get some practice reports.

There is also some consideration to be given to the matchup when it comes to Cleveland’s pass rushers. San Francisco has allowed eight sacks on the season but only five in the last four games. Even if the foot is good, Garrett could have a slow week.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys took a beating from San Francisco on the scoreboard, but it is the injuries added to the insult that hurt even worse. Earlier in the year, we were wondering what Damone Clark would look like if he had a bigger share of the playing time. With Leighton Vander Esch suffering another neck injury, we are going to find out. This is not the first neck injury for Vander Esch, who missed most of 2019 and 2020 with the first one, which included surgery. Right now, we are hearing everything from "He could return later this year." to "He is an IR candidate." All we know for certain is that he will miss some time, and with his history, we can expect extreme caution from the team. Damone Clark has been highly productive on a per-snap basis and should be at the top of the linebacker waiver list this week.

The injury to Vander Esch creates a big problem for the Cowboys. Their current depth chart shows just three players at the linebacker position. Vander Esch, Clark, and Micah Parsons. They don’t even have another off-ball linebacker on the 53-man roster. Dallas features three starting safeties, so it would make sense that Donovan Wilson would get more time as a box safety at linebacker depth. The problem there is that Wilson also left the game with an injury. He limped off late in the game after turning his ankle. Look for safety Marquese Bell to have a big role in week six and possibly beyond.

Denver Broncos

Entering the season, we wondered where the pass rush would come from for Denver. Jonathan Cooper and Nick Bonitto have answered that question. Cooper with three sacks and Bonitto with five and a half, including a pair against the Jets. If you need help at the position, jump on these guys for the long haul, but keep in mind that Denver plays the Chiefs twice in the next three weeks. Kansas City has given up a league-low four sacks over five games.

With Josey Jewell coming back from an injury, there may be nothing to see here, but it is worth mentioning that Alex Singleton was the Broncos' full-time linebacker in week five.

Frank Clark played for the first time since week one but was limited to eleven snaps. The way Cooper and Bonitto are performing, we should not count on more than a third-man role for Clark even when he is full go.

Detroit Lions

The Lions keep losing defensive backs to injury, but they don’t miss a beat. With Brian Branch nursing an ankle injury, Will Harris played 96% of the snaps, working mostly in the slot role. If not for the number on the jersey, we would not have known the difference. Harris stepped up with seven solo stops, two assists, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. The availability of Branch for week six remains up in the air. If he sits, Harris could be a good short-term stream.

Both Kerby Joseph (4-1) and Tracy Walker (3-1) were on the field for every defensive play against the Panthers. I had high hopes for Walker, who has been very productive in the past, but so far, he has been rather disappointing.

Romeo Okwara saw his largest share of playing time to date in week five, at 55%. Unfortunately, it resulted in no stats. The fact that only Aiden Hutchinson (86%) played more among the team’s edge defenders is enough to make Okwara someone to keep an eye on.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers opened the season with De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker at inside linebacker. They finished week five with Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie at those spots. Campbell suffered a high ankle sprain in August and aggravated it on the first play of week three. It’s unclear how much longer he will be out, but the feeling is pessimistic about his being ready when the team returns from bye in week seven.

As for Walker, he left Monday night’s game with a knee injury. There has not yet been an update on the severity of the injury, but the fact he was not able to get back in the game doesn’t bode well for his short-term availability.

Green Bay also lost Darnell Savage, who came up gimpy just before the half with a strained calf. Those injuries tend to linger, so we might not see him for a few games either.

Houston Texans

There is some mystery with the Texans linebacker position after week five. Henry To’oto’o seems to have settled into the lead role, but even that is not a sure thing. He had another strong game at 6-6 on 97% of the snaps and has been rock solid since taking over in week two. The problem is that Houston has been juggling injuries at linebacker all season so there is still at least some question about what they will look like when everyone is healthy.

The mystery deepened in week five when Denzel Perryman returned to the field, but in a part-time role, while Blake Cashman started and played full-time next to To’oto’o. Perryman opened as the every-down starter in weeks one and two before missing weeks three and four. So was his 45% play share as the third linebacker in base personnel a reflection of him coming back from the injury and being on a pitch count, or was it a view of his new role going forward? The situation is clear as mud, but what I can tell you is that Cashman is a very good player who won a starting job with the Jets as a rookie in 2019 but has not been able to stay healthy. If you need a linebacker, Cashman might be a sneaky good addition.

Jalen Pitre returned to form in week five, going 7-4 with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. It’s a great sign for those of us sitting on him, but let’s see another good game before we relax.

Jonathan Greenard was back over 70% of the snaps against the Falcons.

Indianapolis Colts

The downside of getting the EOTG done and posted before Wednesday waivers is that it’s written early in the week before some information is available. Last week I pointed out that E.J. Speed played more snaps than Shaquille Leonard for the first time this year. While that statement was technically correct, it didn’t cover the fact that Leonard injured his groin during the game.

That news puts a different spin on things, but it doesn’t change the fact that Leonard is not the same player he once was or the point that he is dealing with more injuries. Speed’s production was rather disappointing at 3-4 with a pass breakup, but he did play 59 of 60 snaps against the Titans. I expect much better results this week against the Jaguars. Providing, of course, that Leonard is not available.

Jacksonville Jaguars

When Devin Lloyd had surgery on his thumb, the Jaguars told us he would miss two games. Those games were in London and are over, but so far, the team has been mum on his recovery or the possibility he will return to action this week. Chad Muma has played well in relief but not well enough to think he will keep the job once Lloyd is ready.

Kansas City Chiefs

L’Jarius Snead shadowed Justin Jefferson for much of the time before Jefferson’s injury, while Trent McDuffie continued in the slot role. This is the best possible news for those with either of these guys as it will allow both to be relevant. Sneed had a strong game at 8-0 with two pass breakups, while McDuffie went 6-0 with 3 passes defended.

Leo Chenal played just 13 snaps against the Vikings. This is presumably a matchup situation as the Chiefs were in passing down personnel packages a lot more than normal.

Los Angeles Chargers

The bye week came at a good time for the battered Chargers defense. They had a lot of gimpy players going into the bye but got good news coming out of it. Derwin James and Alohi Gilman returned to practice and are good to go. The week off was good for Joey Bosa and Eric Kendricks as well. They were both playing at less than 100% in week four.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins’ defense could get a boost this week. Jaelen Phillips was inactive for the Giants game, but he was practicing last week. That suggests he was close. In Phillips’ absence, Andrew Van Ginkle stepped up big time with four sacks and double-digit fantasy points in four straight games. The return of Phillips will curb the value of Van Ginkle but is unlikely to ruin it completely. Unlike many teams, the Dolphins don’t use a line change rotation on the edge. With everyone healthy in week one, Phillips, Van Ginkle, and Bradley Chubb all played at least 51 snaps.

Minnesota Vikings

Harrison Smith started slowly, with 20 fantasy points over the first three games combined. In the last two games, he is 15-9-3 with a forced fumble and almost 43 points. Early on, Harrison was working off the ball a lot, in more of a centerfield role. He is still seeing time in that role, but the Vikings defense is moving guys around more now in an effort to stop the bleeding. They are being gashed against both pass and run, so the secondary has been a target-rich environment.

Akayleb Evans left Sunday’s game with a leg injury. There has been no update beyond that. If he is unable to go, Mekhi Blackmon will move into the starting lineup against the Bears this week.

If you need a good play at the edge position this week, check out Marcus Davenport. After missing the first three games, he has a sack in each of his first two back. He even has one of the four sacks the Chiefs have given up to date. After going 2-2-1 in that tough matchup, he should have a field day against the Bears, who are allowing an average of four sacks per game and have allowed at least three in each of them.

New England Patriots

Ja’Whaun Bentley finally had the production that should come with playing every snap. The 5-6-1 versus the Saints was by far Bentley’s best game of the season. Unfortunately, he left in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. The injury happened late in a lopsided game so we don’t know if he could have returned under different circumstances, and we never know what is really going on behind the scenes with a Belichick team. If Bentley is out, chances are the Patriots will replace him with a committee.

Josh Uche replaced Matt Judon as the starter but was unable to take advantage of the situation on the stat sheet. As feared, Judon’s playing time was spread among the other four edge players with no one logging more than 46 snaps.

New Orleans Saints

Marcus Maye has served his three-game suspension and will be back on the field in week six. In the two games he played at the start of the season, Maye was 5-1 with an interception and 6-1 with a sack. The Texans are a good matchup for safeties in terms of tackle opportunities and production, so snap Maye up if available, and don’t hesitate to plug him in this week.

Peter Werner had a slow day at the office against the struggling Patriots offense. With three combined tackles, he salvaged the day for IDP managers with an interception. At least this time, it is easy to put a finger on why his numbers were low. Simply put, the Patriots were horrible. New England ran the ball 17 times for 45 yards and completed 15 passes. Werner was pulled early, after 31 plays, because the score was out of hand. He should have a much better day against the Texans this week.

New York Giants

Micah McFadden missed week five with a sore ankle, so we finally got to see Isaiah Simmons in an every-down role. The results were mixed in that the Giants were beaten soundly but Simmons was productive on the stat sheet and looked pretty good in general on the field. At 7-2, he tied Xavier McKinney for the team lead in solo stops. McFadden showed up on the injury report late last week before being inactive. We’ll have to see if he practices this week ahead of a strong matchup with Buffalo.

New York Jets

Carl Lawson was a healthy scratch against Denver. The Jets still used five players in the edge rotation with everyone seeing at least 17 snaps, but it was Jermaine Johnson leading the group with a 62% playshare. Johnson added 2-1-1 with a forced fumble to his stats and had an even bigger impact on the field. The future looks bright for the second-year pro, but we might want to keep him on the bench this week against an Eagles offense that has given up just five sacks over their last three games.

Tony Adams returned to the lineup at strong safety. He played every snap against Denver but has still not shown anything to explain why he is starting ahead of Adrian Amos.

Philadelphia Eagles

What projected as a quality matchup for Eagles linebackers in week five turned out to be anything but. The Rams had 14 rushing attempts in the game. With so little opportunity, Zach Cunninghan was 1-3 and Nick Morrow 4-1 on the day. Week six brings the potential for a similar game script.

The Eagles have designated Nakobe Dean for return from IR, opening the 21-day practice window. He is unlikely to play in week six, but if things progress well, he could be active for the showdown against Miami in week seven. It will be interesting to see who goes to the bench when Dean returns. That said, It was Cunningham next to Dean in the opener, suggesting Morrow would be the odd man out.

After recording one assist over the first three games, Haason Reddick is coming to life. He has three sacks in the last two games. With no other production to compliment the sacks, it is still hard to get excited about Reddick, but he is at least back on the radar. Another good game will make him a factor again.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Matchups are important, and the Ravens have been a great one for linebackers. Baltimore managed just ten points in Sunday’s game, but they moved the ball. Ten completions to tight ends and running backs, along with 25 rushes, were enough to help Kwon Alexander go 6-0-1, Cole Holcomb 8-1, and Elandon Roberts 5-3. There is still plenty of concern with playing time for Alexander and Roberts, who saw 29 and 31 snaps, respectively. Holcomb, however, is emerging in the lead role. He has played at least 89% of the snaps in three of the last four games. Pittsburgh is off this week, but when they return, they have a string of quality matchups that should make Holcomb a solid LB3.

Seattle Seahawks

When last we saw the Seahawks in action, Jamal Adams wobbled off the field into concussion protocol. There is optimism that he will clear protocol this week and be on the field against the Bengals. While we didn’t get to see much of him in week four, the eleven-snap sample suggests that Adams will not be on the field full-time but rather will be used largely as a box defender in three safety sets. The role should be fantasy-friendly but will hinge greatly on how much he is on the field. Anything over 75% would be a welcome sight.

San Francisco 49ers

The Browns have been a strong matchup for every position over their first four games. Linemen, both interior and edge, have recorded a lot of tackles against them, and Cleveland is giving up almost four sacks per game. The off-ball linebacker positions have averaged over 18 total tackles, safeties over 14, and corners almost 16. To top it off, the Browns are turning the ball over at a rate of almost two and a half times per game. All that, and they might be starting a backup quarterback. Juicy!

Tennessee Titans

Heading into last week, I had a feeling Azeez Al-Shaair was ready for a breakout. He made me proud with 15 combined stops, which were by far his best numbers of the year. That was with a good matchup. This week, he has the best matchup in the game for linebackers. When facing the Ravens, the off-ball linebacker positions are averaging almost 16 solo stops, 6.5 assists, and half a sack. I like Al Shaair’s chances of putting up even better numbers this week.

Washington Commanders

On Sunday, Darrick Forest played 61 of 64 snaps, totaling six tackles and an assist against the Bears. On Monday, he was sent to IR with a shoulder injury, along with backup safety Jeremy Reeves, who was injured on special teams. That left Kamren Curl and Percy Butler as the only two healthy safeties. The team promoted Terrell Burgess to fill the backup role.

That does it for the week six offering. It’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through the fantasy regular season already. Best of luck this week!

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