UPGRADES
DE Everson Griffen, MIN (5 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
Griffen is turning into one of this year’s biggest breakout players in IDP leagues. He had been productive as a part-time player behind Jared Allen and Brian Robison in the past, but now he’s emerging as one of the most productive pass rushers in the league. He plays nearly every snap, which is somewhat rare in today’s NFL for a defensive lineman, and is putting up big numbers week after week despite playing on one of the league’s weaker teams. Over his last 4 games, he has collected 20 solo tackles, 4 assists, with 6 sacks and a forced fumble.
DE Cameron Jordan, NO (3 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
One of last year’s breakout players was off to a slow start with just 1 sack in his first 6 games, but he is starting to turn things around. Over his last 2 games, he has posted 5 solos, 2 assists, and 3 sacks. At just 25 years of age, there’s plenty of potential here so hopefully patient owners who stuck with him are being rewarded now.
DE Cliff Avril, SEA (3 solos, 1 sack, 1 FF)
Avril has likely been playing better than his raw numbers indicate this year. Through the first 6 games, he was only credited with 4 solos, 2 assists, and a sack. While it probably doesn’t hurt to face the Raiders, he seems to have turned things around a bit the past couple weeks with 5 solos, 2 assists, plus a sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery. The Seahawks defense doesn’t tend to face many snaps in any given week, but Avril is seeing a lot of playing time and generating a lot of pressure so the sacks should come.
DE Eugene Sims, STL (2 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 FR)
The Rams defense terrorized Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers on Sunday as they piled up 8 sacks. Robert Quinn led the way with 2 sacks, but they also loaded the other side of the line with blitzes that helped free up a player like Sims. Even though he is the Rams 3rd DE, he typically plays about half the game and saw more playing time this week after starter William Hayes left with an ankle injury. Might be worth a look if you are desperate for pass rushing help.
DT Gerald McCoy, TB (2 solos, 2 sacks)
If there is any bright spot for Tampa this year, it might be the play of McCoy in the middle of their defensive line. With 2 more sacks this week, he’s up to 4.5 sacks in basically 6 full games since he missed time with an injury earlier. Tampa rewarded him and locked him up long term with a huge 7-year, $98 million contract extension last week that included $51.5 million guaranteed. Despite facing constant double teams and playing on a team that rarely has a lead, he is still proving to be a disruptive presence.
LB Chris Borland, SF (15 solos, 3 asst)
In just his 2nd NFL start, Borland was credited with an amazing 18 tackles in a tough loss to the Rams this week. The rookie 3rd round pick has been brought along slowly despite the absence of Navarro Bowman, but the injury to Patrick Willis created an opportunity for him and he has made the most of it. In week 7 against the Broncos, he also posted 8 tackles and a sack so it certainly looks like the 49ers have a long-term keeper for the middle of their defense. Unfortunately, he did make a mistake in coverage that led to a Rams touchdown and he could lose his starting spot once Willis and/or Bowman return to the lineup but clearly the potential is there.
LB Whitney Mercilus, HOU (5 solos, 4 asst, 2 sacks)
There was some concern that Mercilus could be headed for a reduction in playing time following the return of Jadeveon Clowney, but Clowney was inactive this week. In any event, Mercilus had a dominant showing against the Eagles that figures to keep him in the starting lineup anyway. He racked up 9 combined tackles and 2 sacks, and it’s looking like the Texans are going to make things difficult for a lot of QBs once they have him, Watt, and Clowney all playing together.
LB Mychal Kendricks, PHI (5 solos, 7 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF)
Kendricks returned to action a week ago, but only saw about 20 snaps as he wasn’t fully recovered from a calf injury that had kept him out for over a month. Despite coming into the game with some question marks about how much he’d contribute, he managed to play a full game and exploded for 12 tackles with a sack and forced fumble. Obviously, it’s safe to put him back in the lineup and count on LB2-type numbers going forward.
LB James Harrison, PIT (4 solos, 3 asst, 2 sacks)
Harrison has been an impressive story so far this year as the 36 year old was planning to retire following a down year with the Bengals in 2013. The Steelers were dealing with some injuries and talked him into returning about 6 weeks ago, and he has seen a steady rise in his playing time since. Now with multiple sacks in back to back weeks, he’s also leading the team in sacks.
LB Sio Moore, OAK (8 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack)
The Raiders defense sees a ton of snaps every week and he doesn’t get as many pass rush opportunities since they are often playing from behind, but Moore is producing like an elite fantasy LB this year. He missed some time early in the season, but has been averaging nearly 9 solo tackles/game while also adding a pair of sacks. With him and rookie Khalil Mack, the Raiders have a solid young LB tandem to build their defense around.
S Donte Whitner, CLE (5 solos, 3 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Whitner came home to Cleveland this offseason and it certainly seems to be doing wonders for his production. He averaged just under 60 solo tackles during his 3 years with the 49ers, but is on pace to break 80 this year. He also came up with an interception off a tipped pass week, which is a nice bonus considering playmaking has been a weakness of his.
S Patrick Chung, NE (6 solos, 2 asst, 3 PD)
Chung was a bust during his last tenure with the Patriots, but he is quietly emerging as a very reliable fantasy option in 2014. He has seen his playing time increase to nearly a full-time role and his tackle numbers have risen accordingly. Over his last 5 games, he has been credited with 22 solo tackles and 15 assists. The big plays haven’t been there which limits his upside, but it’s nice to count on 5+ tackles as a floor each week.
S Reshad Jones, MIA (5 solos, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Jones sat out the first 4 games of the year on a PED suspension, but he’s been the #1 safety in the league since he entered the lineup for Miami. In his 4 games, he has posted an amazing 27 solo tackles along with 2 interceptions and a sack. He has really helped solidify things in the back of the Dolphins defense and was instrumental in shutting out the Chargers this week with his play against the run and pass.
CB A.J. Bouye, HOU (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD)
The Texans lost both starting cornerbacks to injury in the first quarter this week, which forced Bouye into a full-time role. He appeared to be up to the challenge as he finished with 7 tackles and a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown, although he was victimized several times as well. Both starters are considered day-to-day and have a bye week to recover, so don’t overreact too much to this game.
CB Corey White, NO (3 solos, 1 INT, 2 PD)
White has been putting up some of the most consistent numbers among all corners in the league this year. He has 35 solo tackles in 8 games and has been on a hot streak of late with 2 INTs, a sack, and 4 passes defended over his past 3 games. The upcoming matchups don’t appear great, but he’s producing like a low-end CB1.
CB Bashaud Breeland, WAS (4 solos, 1 asst, 2 PD)
Breeland has really emerged as the best corner in Washington over the past few weeks. The rookie 4th round pick has been forced into a big role after the injury to DeAngelo Hall but he has held up very well. He also had a scare in practice on Friday as he went down with a knee injury, but the MRI came back clear and he still managed to play the entire game against the Vikings.
DOWNGRADES
DE Michael Johnson, TB (0 tackles)
Johnson signed a big contract to upgrade the Buccaneeers pass rush this offseason, but all he’s provided through the halfway mark of the season is one big game. He posted 2 sacks in week 4 and had 6 tackles in the opener, but otherwise has been mostly a non-factor. Although he missed some time with an injury, playing time hasn’t been an issue as he’s been averaging well over 50 snaps/game. With 4 solos, 0 assists, and 0 sacks in his last 4 games, it’s very hard to rely on him for anything right now.
DE Vinny Curry, PHI (0 tackles)
Curry warranted some attention earlier this year when he posted 4 sacks over a 3-game stretch, but it turned out to be unsustainable. He’s mainly serving as a pass-rush specialist so his production will be feast or famine. Over the past 2 games, he has zero tackles combined while only averaging about 25 snaps/game.
DE Justin Smith, SF (1 solo)
Considering Smith is 35 years of age, it was probably expected that his production and playing time would trail off at some point. We may be seeing the decline right now as he started out on fire with 3 sacks in his first two games, but has zero in the six games since then. His play against the run has also slipped a bit, and he was held to just a single tackle against the Rams this week.
LB Kevin Minter, ARI (0 tackles)
In what has been a dream season for the Cardinals, it’s shocking that they are getting so little from a player like Minter. He didn’t play much as a rookie, but the suspension to Daryl Washington and loss of Karlos Dansby figured to open up a huge opportunity for last year’s 2nd round pick. Instead, he is seeing little more than a handful of snaps each week as the team relies on veteran Larry Foote and their safety depth.
LB Ahmad Brooks, SF (1 asst)
Brooks is playing a 3-down role for the 49ers this year, but his production has been underwhelming. Apart from the 3 sacks he has, he’s only been credited with 11 solo tackles and 3 assists in 8 games. The more advanced stats don’t seem to indicate he’s creating much pressure on QBs either. Coming off a 9.5 sack season in 2013, a lot more was probably expected of him and it sounds like he was almost traded to the Browns at the deadline.
LB Ryan Shazier, PIT (2 asst)
When he’s been healthy, Shazier has looked promising but he’s had trouble staying in the lineup. The rookie missed 4 games earlier this year with an MCL sprain and returned to a limited role last week. He looked like he might be ready for a full-time role this week but then left the game with a sprained ankle. While these seem more like bad luck than anything else, it’s been a tough start to his career. The ankle injury isn’t expected to be serious, but keep an eye on his practice time this week as next week’s matchup with the Jets could be productive.
LB Christian Kirksey, CLE (1 solo, 1 asst)
Even though Kirksey has flashed his potential at times this year and remains a solid long-term buy, the Browns appear to be bringing him along more slowly than expected. He only saw about 25 snaps in each of the past two games as the team gave more snaps to Craig Robertson. As long as he’s in a time share for what is primarily running situations, Kirksey will be a very risky fantasy option.
LB DeMeco Ryans, PHI (5 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
The veteran Ryans was placed on IR on Monday after suffering a torn Achilles in Sunday's game. He had served as the anchor of the Eagles defense while Mychal Kendricks was out, and will be a tough loss. Emmanuel Acho is likely to step into the lineup, but will likely remain a 2-down player at best.
S Dashon Goldson, TB (1 asst)
Tampa traded former 1st round pick Mark Barron to the Rams at the trade deadline, which figures to shake things up a bit. Although Goldson was very productive earlier this year, he only played in 47 of 67 snaps this week as the team took a look at young player Bradley McDougald. Major Wright is a favorite of coach Lovie Smith and he wound up leading the team in tackles while Goldson was held to just a single assist. The 5-year, $41 million contract Goldson signed sure looks like a mistake at this point and it’s hard to know what to expect from him going forward.
S Troy Polamalu, PIT (1 solo, 1 asst)
The hard hitting safety sprained his knee on Sunday night and was limited to just 2 tackles on 31 snaps. Will Allen took over for him and posted 5 tackles in the game. Although it’s early to know for sure, it does seem like Polamalu might be forced to miss some time.
S Dawan Landry, NYJ (2 solos)
While the wheels seem to be coming off the Jets season, Landry has also seen a dropoff in his production. Despite averaging almost 60 snaps per game, he has only managed 3 solos and 4 assists in the past two weeks. That being said, his numbers this week came in front one of the toughest stat crews in the league (KC) and his home games are playing in front of a very favorable crew so you need to keep that in mind when making your lineup decisions each week.
CB Cortez Allen, PIT (0 tackles)
Allen has been a reliable source of tackles this year despite playing mostly as the Steelers nickel corner. The main reason for his production has been how poor he was in coverage, however, and the Steelers finally made the move to bench him. He didn’t see a single snap this week and the Steelers defense looked better as a result.
CB Leon Hall, CIN (2 solos, 3 asst)
Hall hasn’t been putting up huge numbers this year with just 1 interception, but he’s been a reliable source of tackles. Unfortunately, he left the game with a concussion this week and it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to return to action in time for Thursday night’s game against the Browns.
If you have any questions on any players that were not covered here, feel free to reach out to me at rudnicki@footballguys.com.