Let's take a quick look at a few linebackers, defensive linemen, and defensive backs who are either good grab-and-stash types or those you should target in trades. Hope you enjoy the article and that it opens your eyes to some of the gems that can be found on your leagues' waiver wires!
Defensive Backs
Josh Metellus (S – MIN): Yes, Harrison Smith is the leader of the defensive backfield, and Camryn Bynum has put up some solid numbers. But the Vikings have been implementing a lot of three-safety sets, resulting in Metellus logging around 90% of the snaps every week. All but one week has resulted in double-digit fantasy points. He's proven he can do more than just tackle, logging a pair of pass breakups and a sack thus far. His play is making Harrison Smith, at 34 years old, look quite expendable.
Cam Taylor-Britt (CB - CIN): You can probably keep Taylor-Britt on your shortlist for a week, as the Bengals are on bye this week, but keep him as a potential add for when the Bengals face the Niners and Bills and even into the second half of the season. He's proven to be a volume tackler and a guy who breaks up passes, a combination that makes for a solid fantasy cornerback.
Jabrill Peppers (S – NEP): Don't look now, but Peppers is basically outplaying fellow safety and one-time fantasy darling Kyle Dugger. At a minimum, he's keeping up snap-wise and has regularly been putting up 14-17 fantasy points every week. This week's tilt against the Bills should be another fruitful outing. Peppers is still just 28, so there may be a few more usable years left here.
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Linebackers
Nate Landman (ATL): Not sure why, but this guy continues to appear on free-agent lists across a few of my leagues. He is mostly in 12-team formats, but if you're in a big-play scoring system, he could be available there, too. He's scored in double digits each of the past three weeks, and he will be a cheap source of steady tackles for the remainder of the season. Probably a one-year rental as Troy Andersen is the future here, and Kaden Elliss was a big free agent addition by the Falcons, although his play has slipped. Landman is about as safe as possible and should be rostered everywhere.
Zack Baun (NOS): Pete Werner is the linebacker to own for New Orleans, and of course, Demario Davis has been a steady presence there for many years. But managers in larger leagues might want to keep an eye on this ex-Wisconsin Badger. With only a third of the defensive snaps this past week, Baun totaled five tackles and a pick. If either Davis or Werner were to go out with injury, there's really no one else on the Saints roster that would challenge Baun for time.
K.J. Britt (TBB): MyFantasyLeague shows Britt as logging 3 solos last week, but snap count resource sites show him with no snaps on the defensive side. Either way, Britt is a young prospect to keep an eye on since he would see a big role if Lavonte David or Devin White were to go out with an injury. And we all know how productive the two Buccaneer linebacker spots are. Not worth rostering just yet unless you have a deep bench and own either David or White.
Defensive Linemen
D.J. Wonnum (DE – MIN): Last week, we highlighted Wonnum's teammate, Marcus Davenport, who is now dealing with a bum ankle. In his absence, Wonnum got 71% of the snaps and came through with four tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection. With Danielle Hunter a possible trade target for other NFL teams, Wonnum stands to get a ton of snaps for this Vikings defense.
Carl Granderson (DE – NOS): Granderson's probably rostered in bigger formats, but if you're in a 12-team league, odds are he's sitting there unowned. He's stuffing the stat box with tackles (and tackles for loss, in leagues that give bonuses for those) and has 4.5 sacks six weeks into the season. He has a great three-game stretch upcoming with games against (potentially) a Trevor Lawrence-less Jaguar team, the Colts, and a Justin Fields-less Bear squad. He should log at least 2-3 sacks over that span.
Justin Jones (DT– CHI): With Justin Fields on the shelf for the time being, it stands to reason many of the Bears' opponents will find themselves in a run-first game script by halftime. That means guys like Jones could see plenty of tackling opportunities. He logged a season-high five solos last week and added a couple of assists to boot. Look for the Bears' upcoming opponents to run directly at Jones in the coming weeks.