The hits just keep coming on the injury front, and there are six teams on bye this week. This will be a test of our league management skills for sure. No matter how weak your lineup may look, keep in mind that everyone else will have similar issues. This is the week that almost everyone is looking for someone to stream, so be diligent.
Arizona Cardinals
Do not look to the Cardinals for defensive back help this week. In fact, if you have any Arizona DBs, keep them on your bench if possible. Seattle is dead last in points allowed to opponents' corners and 26th in points allowed to safeties.
If you are desperate enough, K'Von Wallace and Andre Chachere look like the Cardinal starting safety tandem again. Budda Baker is close to getting back on the field and could practice at some point this week, but it would be a surprise if he were activated right away. If he is, we should not count on a normal workload right immediately. Jalen Thompson did not practice at all last week. The normal for players with sore hamstrings is to practice on a limited basis for a week and then get in some full practice sessions the following week before they return.
Injury woes continue in the Arizona secondary, with corner Antonio Hamilton coming up lame in week six. He is dealing with a sore/tight groin and is not practicing early on. Kei'Trel Clark could return to a full-time role if Hamilton is out against Seattle.
Krys Barnes was active for week six but never set foot on the field with the defense. Josh Woods has not been as fantasy-friendly as Barnes typically is, but he is the starter. The Cardinals had been using two linebackers roughly 80% of the time before week six, but Woods only saw a 60% play-share against the Rams.
Atlanta Falcons
Last week, I pointed out the great matchup for Atlanta's linemen and edge defenders. Calais Campbell took advantage, landing his 100th career sack. In all, four linemen accounted for five sacks versus Washington. Before you start thinking about going back to the well in week seven, be aware that the Buccaneers are as horrible a matchup as the Commanders were a good one, at least for edge defenders. Tampa Bay has allowed just five sacks on the season, with no more than two in any game, and has given up just two to the edge positions.
Kaden Ellis has been on the field for every defensive snap through six games. The playing time is there, but after a solid start that included double-digit points in the first three games, he has a high of 7.5 over the last three. With the Buccaneers ranking 28th in points allowed to linebackers, the chances of him getting back on track this week are slim.
Baltimore Ravens
Kyle Hamilton was ejected in the middle of the third quarter, but the bigger news is that he had just one tackle before the incident. With Marcus Williams likely back on the shelf for a while with a hamstring, Geno Stone becomes relevant again, at least for a minute. The Lions are a mediocre matchup for safeties, but with so many on bye, Stone might be an option.
Justin Madubuike blew up for the best game of his career in week six. Maybe we should have seen this coming, not so much for the average matchup, but because his production had been growing. Madubuike now has 20 combined stops and 4.5 sacks on the season, with at least eight fantasy points in five of six games. He is particularly valuable in those leagues that designate him as an interior lineman.
Patrick Queen beat the odds on a poor matchup and put up great numbers last week, while Roquan Smith had a below-average game at 4-5. The Lions have been a good matchup for linebackers, but they will be without David Montgomery this week so the ground attack could look much different.
Buffalo Bills
Dorrian Williams did not look ready to play when he entered the week five game as the replacement for Matt Milano. That resulted in Tyrel Dodson stepping in to finish the game. The Bills threw us a curve by going back to Williams against the Giants and the results were much different. With a week to prepare, he looked like a different player both on the field and in the box score, where he finished 6-4 on 84% of the snaps. The improved play and production should be enough to keep Williams in the lineup going forward and make him a hot pickup for week seven.
Ed Oliver was shut out on Sunday night, which was a shock considering the kind of impact he has shown. But then, no one expected the Giants to play so well, either. Oliver handled his normal workload but showed up with a toe injury on the early week practice reports, so that might have been a factor. It does not look like an injury that will keep him off the field, but it could slow what has been the most statistically productive season of his career. For what it's worth, the Patriots are a slightly above-average matchup for interior linemen.
A.J. Epenesa had a career day against the Jaguars in week five. After adding another sack in week six, he now has four in the last four games. Before you plug him in against New England with similar expectations, be aware that Epenesa returned to his limited role when Greg Rosseau came back last week, playing 21 snaps against New York.
Carolina Panthers
Frankie Luvu left Sunday's game with a hip injury and was replaced by Deion Jones. The Panthers are one of six teams on bye this week so chances are, we will not get much news on Luvu before week eight. If he is your guy, keep an eye out for possible options just in case the week off is not enough recovery time.
When watching the stats roll in on Sunday, I had to wonder, how does Jeremy Chinn not show up at all when the Panthers were without both starting safeties? It is puzzling enough that Chinn is not a full-time starter for this team. Upon learning that he played just 26 of 67 snaps in this situation, my initial reaction was that this helps to explain why the Panthers are the league's last winless team. Instead of playing their former second-round pick, the Panthers put journeyman Matthias Farley on the field to replace Vonn Bell.
On Wednesday, the news hit that Chinn will miss time with a quad injury, but that is not why his role was so small in week six. Chinn's role simply didn't change at all, and he remained a sub-package specialist. Dynasty managers might want to hold onto him if they can afford the dead roster spot. He will be a free agent at the end of this season, and either he or the coaching staff will be out of Carolina in 2024. Those in redraft leagues should already have moved on.
Chicago Bears
At 3-3-.5 with a forced fumble and a pass breakup, Jaquan Brisker finally showed up with a good bottom line. The question is, where have all the tackles gone? The answer, at least for the most part, is to the linebackers. The trio of Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and Jack Sanborn are a huge improvement over what Chicago had at the second level last year. Week six was Brisker's first game with double-digit points, and he barely reached the mark then. Five or six combined stops might be just who he is at this stage.
Eddie Jackson tried to go in week six, but his return was short-lived. He aggravated the foot injury and left after 14 snaps. Interestingly, Coach Eberflus called the injury minor and said that Jackson could have returned if needed. Umm, if needed? The final score was 19-13 Vikings, so he was probably needed. The bottom line here is that Jackson is a major risk until we see him make it through a game.
The Bears got Kyler Gordon back in time to face the Vikings. He finished 2-2 on 61% of the snaps but should be back in his normal, every-down role versus the Raiders.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are off this week, but I'll leave you with one short note. Cam Taylor-Britt is pretty darn good. He had yet another strong outing on the field, including an impressive diving catch on an interception. On the stat sheet, Taylor-Britt was just as impressive, adding seven solo tackles and three passes defended. If your league starts corners, put him on your roster if you still can.
Cleveland Browns
Talk about an unexpected game script. The Browns beat San Francisco with a backup quarterback? No one saw that coming, but if you read last week's edition of The Guru and The Godfather, you weren't totally surprised by Myles Garrett's lacking numbers. The Colts are a mediocre matchup for edge defenders, but that should be enough for a guy like Garrett to bounce back nicely.
The combination of strong defense and injuries to key players slowed the 49ers' offense and resulted in much lower-than-expected tackle totals for Browns defenders. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah collected a sack and a pass breakup to supplement his below-average tackle totals, while Anthony Walker left with a concussion after 23 snaps. The Colts are a pretty good matchup for linebackers so if Walker clears protocol, both of these guys might be worth a shot if you are in a pinch.
Dallas Cowboys
Leighton Vander Esch landed on IR late last week with his neck injury. That was expected, but there were questions about where the Cowboys would go to fill the void. The answer was Damone Clark, who played 72 of 73 snaps after not seeing 70% of the action in any previous game this year. Clark was solid on the field and the stat sheet, posting a team-high 7-1. There is hope within the organization that Vander Esch might return later in the season, but with his history of neck injuries, there is a good chance Clark will have the job the rest of the way.
Following the rest of the ripple effect from losing Vander Esch, Malik Jefferson was elevated from taxi to the 53-man roster, and the team kicked the tires with Rashaan Evans coming in for a visit. Against the Chargers, however, they turned to hybrid safety/linebacker Marquese Bell to fill the part-time role left behind by Clark.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos are not winning games and the offense is inconsistent at best, but this unit is playing good defense. Bradley Chubb is no longer in the house and Von Miller is long gone, but Jonathan Cooper and Nick Bonitto have stepped up, as has free agent addition Zach Allen. After getting to Patrick Mahomes II, possibly the toughest sack to get in the league, Cooper is 16-14-4 with a pair of turnovers on the year, while Bonitto is 14-4-5.5 with a forced fumble. We are seeing good things from these guys, but there may be no tougher schedule for pass rushers than that of the Broncos for the rest of the season.
We know that Alex Singleton produces when he plays enough. He was 10-1 versus the Chiefs, has now played every snap in three straight games, and is a must-start until/unless something changes. Meanwhile, Josey Jewell was a solid 7-2 on 76% but has not played 90% of the snaps in a game since week one.
Detroit Lions
Jack Campbell (3-4) outproduced Derrick Barnes (1-1) again, but the two have not yet swapped roles. Barnes logged 79% of the snaps in week six, to 52% for Campbell. At this stage, we should probably accept that Campbell will not be a major fantasy factor until 2024. That said, the Ravens are an excellent matchup for linebackers and have an offense that could allow the Lions to stay in their base, three-linebacker look more than normal.
Josh Paschal was designated to return from IR and is expected to practice this week. That's bad news for Romeo Okwara, who was limited to nine plays against the Buccaneers and could be on the roster bubble.
Tracy Walker went 4-1 with a pass breakup against Tampa Bay. He has been on the field full-time in four straight games, but the production is still not there. If you need a spot to add someone for the bye week, Walker's is an option.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers were a M.A.S.H. unit going into last week's bye, but good luck trying to figure out if many/any of those players will be available for week seven. Getting injury updates out of Green Bay is much like getting them from the Patriots; we don't. When last we saw the Packers, Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie were the linebackers, and Jonathan Owens was at one of the safety spots. All three of these guys are fill-in candidates this week if they are still in the lineup.
Continue reading this content with a ELITE subscription.
An ELITE subscription is required to access content for IDP (individual defensive players) leagues. If this league is not a IDP (individual defensive players) league, you can edit your leagues here.
Houston Texans
If Blake Cashman is still available in your league, he belongs at the top of your waiver request list this week. Denzel Perryman was removed from the injury report on Friday but was a healthy inactive on Sunday because Cashman appears to have taken over the starting job. In last week's column, I pointed out that Cashman is a starting quality player who battled injuries over most of his first four seasons in the NFL. DeMeco Ryans and the Texans staff looked at Cashman in week three. He responded with six tackles, two turnovers, and a pass breakup on a 63% play share. Cashman got the start for a banged-up Christian Harris in week five, and that was all it took for Ryans and his staff to make the change. He now has double-digit points in three of the last four games, with more than 20 in week six when he blew up for 9-6 with a pair of pass breakups.
Indianapolis Colts
Shaquille Leonard is still far from being the player he once was, but he put up his best numbers of the season versus the Jaguars, with a respectable 5-2. Leonard also played over 80% of the snaps for the first time since week one. It's hard to get excited about either his production or playing time at this point, but at least he's not nursing an injury - that we know of.
The ripple effect is that E.J. Speed went 2-0 and played his fewest snaps of the season (27). If you need a roster spot to fill a hole this week, Speed's might be the one available.
Kenny Moore's five solo stops are not at all unusual for him. The fact that three were for loss is a different story. That tells us the Colts are being aggressive with Moore. He is seeing time near the line in press coverage, is being used on the blitz, and is active in a run-support role. Meanwhile, Julius Brents was 5-2 with a pick and two pass breakups. I've not yet had time to watch more than a series or two from their game with Jacksonville, but what it looks like from that sample is very similar to what the Chiefs are doing with L'Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie. In nickel looks, Brents worked largely in the slot with Jaylon Jones outside. Indianapolis lined up this way on roughly 75% of the snaps. The bottom line is that Moore and Brents should be good options for those in corner-required formats.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Devin Lloyd returned to action after missing two games with a thumb injury. He wasted no time making an impact with nine tackles, including seven solo, and three passes defended. Some managers are still hesitant about Lloyd because he has been inconsistent. While it is true that he has two games with 15 fantasy points and two others with seven or fewer, we should not overlook the point that one of those seven-point games was in week three when he left early with the injury. He will continue to be second-fiddle to teammate Foye Oluokun, but the Jaguars have supported two quality options at linebacker for a long time. He should be fine this week against the Saints.
Kansas City Chiefs
Nick Bolton is still the leader of the Chiefs' defense and a quality IDP start every week, but he may not get back to the production we saw last year. Yes, he was returning from an ankle injury, but I don't think that is why he played less than 90% of the snaps. The reason for Bolton coming off the field for a few plays every game is the presence of Drue Tranquill, and it is likely to continue all season.
Las Vegas Raiders
Need a sleeper to play at tackle this week? Take a look at Bilal Nichols. He has not been flashy but has at least two solo stops in each of the last five games and is coming off a good performance versus New England. There is nothing special about any of that; it's a matchup with the Bears that makes Nichols interesting this week. I always give players a little boost when they face their old team, and he was a fifth-round pick of the Bears in 2018. With Chicago allowing 4.2 sacks per game, including 1.4 to interior linemen, and giving up the seventh most points to down linemen, Nichols could be in line for his most productive game of the year.
Los Angeles Chargers
When thinking of a matchup with the Chiefs, many managers will assume that playing corners against one of the league's best passing attacks would be fruitful. The numbers tell us otherwise, though. While Patrick Mahomes II has thrown seven interceptions on the season, he has yet to be picked off by a corner. Not to mention how he spreads the ball around. Thus, Kansas City has currently allowed the 23rd most points to corners.
Likewise, while the Chargers' pass rush produced five sacks against the Cowboys and Khalil Mack, in particular, has been on fire, avoid starting any of your Los Angeles pass rushers against a Chiefs offense that has allowed the fewest points to edge defenders thus far.
If you want to play a Chargers defender this week, make it one of their linebackers. Kansas City had allowed the fourth most points to the position.
Los Angeles Rams
With Bobby Brown on IR, Kobie Turner had a bigger workload against the Cardinals. His numbers were not particularly impressive at 2-3 with a swatted pass, but there is one other important number that could make Turner a bye-week flier. That is the 74% play share he saw last week. The Steelers are a middle-of-the-pack matchup for interior linemen but at least with Turner, you would get a guy that plays more than half of the defensive snaps with the possibility of seeing around 75%.
If you are digging for a safety to play this week, stay away from Jordan Fuller. Only five teams have allowed fewer points to safeties than the Steelers.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have a tough matchup with Philadelphia this week. It will be even tougher on defense if they are without their top corner and one of their starting linebackers. Xavien Howard is dealing with a groin injury, and Jerome Baker left last week's game with a back issue. Miami is already short-handed at corner with Jalen Ramsey and Nik Needham on IR. If Howard is out, Kader Kohou would be their number one corner, with Eli Apple and probably Parry Nickerson filling out the top three.
Whether Baker sits or not, start David Long in this one. He has been the Dolphins' most productive and consistent linebacker and, if not for a couple of blowout wins that had the starters on the sideline early, would be on a string of five consecutive games with at least an 84% share of the playing time. Philadelphia has given up the fifth most points to linebackers.
Minnesota Vikings
Well, that didn't last long. Marcus Davenport returned from injury in week four, recorded sacks in two straight games, and then was carted off with an ankle injury 17 plays into his third game. He left the game in a walking boot and landed on IR Wednesday.
Enter D.J. Wonnum, who replaced Davenport and finished the game at 3-1-1 with a batted pass. The Vikings pass rushers have a tough matchup this week with San Francisco, but they could get a big break if Trent Williams cannot play on his sore ankle.
There were no stats for Ivan Pace Jr in week six because he saw just 12 snaps in the game. Brian Asamoah played seven, the most action he had seen since week two. Could we see a change back to Asamoah soon?
New England Patriots
It's been a long time since we could say that the Patriots are a dumpster fire, but we are there. Injuries are mounting, and they are struggling on both sides of the ball. J.C. Jackson was benched by a Chargers team that can't stop the pass, so New England traded for him and made him a starter, just in time for their other starter, Jonathan Jones, to go down with a knee injury. New England generally gives us good production at the corner positions, but this is a moving target we should stay away from.
New England's best pass rusher, Matt Judon, is on IR. He'll be joined in the trainer's room this week by Josh Uche, who left in the first quarter with a foot injury, and rookie Keion White, who is in concussion protocol. That leaves Deatrich Wise and Anfernee Jennings as the last healthy edge defenders on the active roster at the moment. And that's if you consider Wise an edge defender with him seeing time on the inside.
Jahlani Tavai turned in his best production of the season at 6-1 with a pick. His 76% snap share was also the most he's seen this year. He has a limited ceiling, but the Bills are a pretty good matchup for a guy that's quietly put up at least nine points in four of his last five games.
New Orleans Saints
It was a slow day at the office for both Marcus Maye (2-2) and Pete Werner (4-2) against the Texans. Maye has another less-than-stellar matchup with the Jaguars who are a below-average matchup for safeties. Werner, on the other hand, has a great opportunity to break out of the funk that he's been in for much of the season. No one has given up more points to linebackers than Jacksonville. If you have Werner or Demario Davis on your roster, this is the week to play them.
New York Giants
Leonard Williams has two solid outings this year. In the other four games, he combined for 3-3-0. Interestingly, his two good games came against the 49ers and Bills, who are below-average matchups. If Williams is ever going to have a huge game this year, this week's matchup with the Commanders could trigger it. Washington is middle of the pack in terms of tackles allowed to interior linemen, but they are allowing almost six sacks per game, including four and a half to linemen on average. There was a time when Williams was one of the game's best interior pass rushers. This matchup could help remind everyone of that.
An even stronger play than Williams is Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Commanders are allowing nearly three and a half sacks per game to edge defenders and have given up the most points in the league to that position entering week seven.
Philadelphia Eagles
After going 4-1-2.5 against the Jets, it's time to say that Haason Reddick is back. I've not yet had time to watch the Jets game closely to see if there has been an adjustment to the scheme, but his production over the last three games (7-2-5.5) strongly suggests that someone turned on the light. This week's matchup with the Dolphins will be a good test for Reddick. Miami allowed four sacks to Buffalo in week four. In their other four games, they surrendered a total of two.
Nakobe Dean was back on the field against New York, but he was on a pitch count of sorts. Dean split time almost equally with Nicholas Morrow while Zach Cunningham continued in his usual role, logging about 75% of the snaps at the other linebacker spot. Dean finished at 3-1 on 32 plays and should have a bigger, likely full-time, role against Miami.
Cunningham might be getting the playing time, but he's not putting up the numbers. He has a big game versus Washington in week four but has fallen short of five points in three of the last five games. If you are still sitting on Cunningham, it's probably a good time to find a better use for the roster spot.
Injuries in the secondary have the Eagles in a precarious spot entering week seven. They were already without Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, Sydney Brown, and Justin Evans. Against the Jets, they lost Reed Blankenship to a rib injury, slot corner Bradley Roby to a pectoral, and backup Eli Ricks to a bum knee. So, against the most explosive passing game in the league, the Philadelphia secondary could be James Bradberry and Josh Jobe on the corners with Terrell Edmunds and Mario Goodrich at safety and Mekhi Garner as the nickel corner. From an IDP perspective, all this means is to stay away from the Eagles' defensive backs and start your Dolphins pass catchers.
Pittsburgh Steelers
With so many players on bye, the last thing anyone wants to hear is sit your stud safety, so I'll stop short of that, but you need to know that the Rams are a horrible matchup for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Los Angeles has given up the fewest points to safeties to date.
Seattle Seahawks
If you have been depending on Julian Love, there could be trouble in paradise. Heading into their week five bye, Love was on a roll with double-digit points in the first four games. Coming out of the bye, he played 24 of a possible 54 snaps and went 3-1 against the Bengals. Meanwhile, Jamal Adams jumped to 85% participation and recorded four tackles. I'm not going to give up on Love until we see another game like this, especially with the injury history of Adams, but he shouldn't be started this week unless you are desperate.
Week six was bad for Bobby Wagner (2-2) and Jordyn Brooks (4-2). The Bengals ran 13 times for 42 yards, so this was a simple lack of opportunity. The Cardinals should provide a better matchup but they too are below average for linebackers, especially with James Connor on the shelf.
San Francisco 49ers
Dre Greenlaw has been on the injury report virtually every week but was inactive for the first time in week six with his sore ankle. Oren Burks stepped in to replace him and played every snap, putting up respectable numbers at 4-4. He wouldn't be my first choice to pick up, but if Greenlaw misses another game, Burks could be a decent emergency stream.
Randy Gregory went 3-0-1 in his first game since joining the 49ers. Interestingly, his 26 snaps were third-most among the team's edge players, ahead of Drake Jackson, who has done nothing since his three-sack performance at the beginning of the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers finally got Kalijah Kancey on the field. The 19th overall pick wasted no time making an impact, with a sack in his first career game. It won't be his last. I'm not sure if Kancey was on the field for the first play, but only Vita Vea played more snaps among the team's interior linemen. It is too early to say pick him up but if you are short-handed at tackle, Kancey might be the answer.
Buccaneers safeties didn't do much, but there is nothing to see here beyond a strange game script.
Washington Commanders
Darrick Forest went to IR, so Percy Butler got the start at free safety. He was a non-factor with three combined tackles. Butler should fare a bit better against the Giants, but there is nothing to see here yet.
There is something to see in Washington if you are in need at the corner position. Benjamin St-Juste has quietly reached double-digit points in three of the last four games, including last week versus the Falcons when he was 5-1 with a pick and a pair to pass breakups. The Giants have been a strong matchup for corners, but much of that was with Daniel Jones under center and Saquan Barkley on the sideline. With Barkley back and Tyrod Taylor possibly making another start, the dynamic could be completely different. That said, the Giants are optimistic Jones will play.
The game between the Giants and Commanders probably sets a record for futility. It features two teams that have combined to allow 67 sacks through the first six games of the season. New York was a little better last week, giving up only two against the Bills, but the Commanders' front four can really get after the passer. Jonathan Allen, Da'Ron Payne, and Chase Young are all starters for us this week. Montez Sweat will be in the club as well, provided he can play through the thumb injury that cut his week six short. The injury was initially thought to be much worse but is now being called a minor sprain, suggesting Sweat could be available.
That does it for week seven as we cross the midway point in our regular season. Best of luck to you in your matchups!
Enjoy this article? Find more from John here.