RADIO
This week could see several prominent IDP names come off of IR, further crowding position groups as we get six teams back from a bye. The instinct of many will be to grab these big names from waivers the second they are activated. Some players merit such a move, while others won’t in standard or shallow leagues.
One name worth stashing is Nick Bolton. The Missouri product returned to practice last week and could return to the field as soon as this week. When Bolton is healthy, he can be a fantasy difference-maker. In four games this year, Bolton is averaging seven tackles and 0.25 turnovers per game, but his pace in 2022 was even better (10.5 tackles per). The Chief is rostered in just 17% of leagues, and his schedule in the fantasy playoffs (NE, LV, and CIN) is very favorable.
One name who isn't a must-roster is Jeremy Chinn. A favorite of mine dating back to when he was drafted, Chinn's role with Carolina was limited before his injury. He played fewer than 40% of the Panthers' defensive snaps in his final two games before injury. That's troubling. While his snaps could spike with Frank Reich gone, the defensive staff is largely the same. The downside is too low to stash Chinn in shallow leagues, even if he returns in Week 14.
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IDP Scoring System for Rankings:
6-points per Defensive Touchdown
4-points per Forced Turnover (FF/INT)
3-points per Sack
2- points per PD, FR, Safety
1-point Solo Tackle
0.5-points Assisted Tackle
Note: These rankings are also based on leagues that start one player at each defensive position (DL, LB, DB) and two DFLEX.
Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week
| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent |
| 1 | T.J. Watt | Steelers | Patriots |
| 2 | Micah Parsons | Cowboys | Eagles |
| 3 | Myles Garrett | Browns | Jaguars |
| 4 | Nick Bosa | 49ers | Seahawks |
| 5 | Danielle Hunter | Vikings | Raiders |
| 6 | Josh Allen | Jaguars | Browns |
| 7 | Maxx Crosby | Raiders | Vikings |
| 8 | Aidan Hutchinson | Lions | Bears |
| 9 | Rashan Gary | Packers | Giants |
| 10 | Brian Burns | Panthers | Saints |
| 11 | Khalil Mack | Chargers | Broncos |
| 12 | Trey Hendrickson | Bengals | Colts |
| 13 | Alex Highsmith | Steelers | Patriots |
| 14 | Haason Reddick | Eagles | Cowboys |
| 15 | Andrew Van Ginkel | Dolphins | Titans |
| 16 | Javon Hargrave | 49ers | Seahawks |
| 17 | Bradley Chubb | Dolphins | Titans |
| 18 | Christian Wilkins | Dolphins | Titans |
| 19 | Harold Landry III | Titans | Dolphins |
| 20 | Justin Madubuike | Ravens | Rams |
| 21 | Byron Young | Rams | Ravens |
| 22 | Chris Jones | Chiefs | Bills |
| 23 | Aaron Donald | Rams | Ravens |
| 24 | Chase Young | 49ers | Seahawks |
| 25 | Will Anderson Jr. | Texans | Jets |
| 26 | Carl Granderson | Saints | Panthers |
| 27 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | Giants | Packers |
| 28 | Kwity Paye | Colts | Bengals |
| 29 | Montez Sweat | Bears | Lions |
| 30 | Cameron Heyward | Steelers | Patriots |
| 31 | Preston Smith | Packers | Giants |
| 32 | Jonathan Cooper | Broncos | Chargers |
| 33 | Josh Sweat | Eagles | Cowboys |
| 34 | Dexter Lawrence (Q) | Giants | Packers |
| 35 | Deforest Buckner | Colts | Bengals |
| 36 | Boye Mafe | Seahawks | 49ers |
| 37 | Michael Hoecht | Rams | Ravens |
| 38 | Denico Autry | Titans | Dolphins |
| 39 | Jalen Carter | Eagles | Cowboys |
| 40 | Shaquil Barrett | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| 41 | Leonard Floyd | Bills | Chiefs |
| 42 | Quinnen Williams | Jets | Texans |
| 43 | Jadeveon Clowney | Ravens | Rams |
| 44 | Harrison Phillips | Vikings | Raiders |
| 45 | David Onyemata | Falcons | Buccaneers |
| 46 | Vita Vea (Q) | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| 47 | YaYa Diaby | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| 48 | Demarcus Lawrence | Cowboys | Eagles |
| 49 | Ed Oliver | Bills | Chiefs |
| 50 | Derrick Brown | Panthers | Saints |
DL Riser of the Week:
YaYa Diaby, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week, Shaquil Barrett was pegged as the week's biggest riser, noting his plus matchup with the Carolina Panthers. It was Diaby who exploded in that contest, however.
The Louisville product made my Players to Add column earlier this year, primarily as a dynasty and long-term stash. He is seeing an uptick in playing time sooner than we anticipated. The Buccaneers seem to recognize that Diaby is one of their best pass rushers, considering they’ve given him over 60% of the snaps in the past two games. The rookie has four sacks in his past four games.
Fair warning: Diaby does not have an ideal matchup this week. The Falcons are the seventh-lowest pass volume offense in the league, have allowed just 106 quarterback pressures, and Desmond Ridder spends the fifth-lowest time in the pocket amongst starting quarterbacks. However, Atlanta still allows the tenth-most sacks per game and Diaby is ascending, so he merits consideration in deeper leagues.
DL Disappointment of the Week:
Josh Sweat, Philadelphia Eagles
Sweat spent a good chunk of this season in our DL2 tier, but we faded him hard ahead of his matchup with Trent Williams. That fade proved prescient as Sweat struggled against San Francisco. Some of that was likely fatigue, as Philly's defense led the NFL in snaps over the prior two weeks. However, Sweat has struggled against premium offensive tackles, registering zero sacks against Tyron Smith, Williams, and Tristan Wirfs.
While Sweat produced solid stats against the Cowboys in Week 9, his lone sack came in a rare snap against Terence Steele. The Florida State alum spends 85.7% of his time lined over an offense’s left edge, though. That should put him on Tyron Smith for the majority of Week 14. Smith is PFF's highest-graded pass-blocking tackle this season, allowing just one pressure per game and zero sacks.
Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week
| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent |
| 1 | Foyesade Oluokun | Jaguars | Browns |
| 2 | Roquan Smith | Ravens | Rams |
| 3 | T.J. Edwards | Bears | Lions |
| 4 | Zaire Franklin | Colts | Bengals |
| 5 | Jordyn Brooks (Q) | Seahawks | 49ers |
| 6 | Ernest Jones | Rams | Ravens |
| 7 | Terrel Bernard | Bills | Chiefs |
| 8 | Nick Bolton (Q) | Chiefs | Bills |
| 9 | C.J. Mosley | Jets | Texans |
| 10 | Quay Walker | Packers | Giants |
| 11 | Lavonte David (Q) | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| 12 | Bobby Okereke | Giants | Packers |
| 13 | Bobby Wagner | Seahawks | 49ers |
| 14 | Logan Wilson | Bengals | Colts |
| 15 | Patrick Queen | Ravens | Rams |
| 16 | Alex Singleton | Broncos | Chargers |
| 17 | Fred Warner | 49ers | Seahawks |
| 18 | Eric Kendricks | Chargers | Broncos |
| 19 | Blake Cashman | Texans | Jets |
| 20 | Devin Lloyd | Jaguars | Browns |
| 21 | Ivan Pace Jr. | Vikings | Raiders |
| 22 | Devin White (Q) | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| 23 | Quincy Williams | Jets | Texans |
| 24 | Dre Greenlaw | 49ers | Seahawks |
| 25 | Robert Spillane | Raiders | Vikings |
| 26 | Tremaine Edmunds | Bears | Lions |
| 27 | Azeez Al-Shaair | Titans | Dolphins |
| 28 | T.J. Watt | Steelers | Patriots |
| 29 | Mykal Walker | Steelers | Patriots |
| 30 | Micah Parsons | Cowboys | Eagles |
| 31 | Frankie Luvu | Panthers | Saints |
| 33 | Kenneth Murray Jr. | Chargers | Broncos |
| 34 | Demario Davis | Saints | Panthers |
| 35 | E.J. Speed | Colts | Bengals |
| 36 | Shaquille Leonard | Eagles | Cowboys |
| 37 | Kaden Elliss | Falcons | Buccaneers |
| 38 | Josey Jewell | Broncos | Chargers |
| 39 | Drue Tranquill (Q) | Chiefs | Bills |
| 40 | De’Vondre Campbell (Q) | Packers | Giants |
| 41 | Elandon Roberts (Q) | Steelers | Patriots |
| 42 | Alex Anzalone (Q) | Lions | Bears |
| 43 | Divine Deablo | Raiders | Vikings |
| 44 | Markquese Bell | Cowboys | Eagles |
| 45 | Denzel Perryman | Texans | Jets |
| 46 | Pete Werner (Q) | Saints | Panthers |
| 47 | Nate Landman (Q) | Falcons | Buccaneers |
| 48 | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | Bengals | Jaguars |
| 49 | Germaine Pratt | Bengals | Colts |
| 50 | Micah McFadden | Giants | Packers |
LB Riser of the Week:
Mykal Walker, Pittsburgh Steelers
We play this game with Pittsburgh every week, don't we? Each week, Coach Tomlin’s squad loses another starting linebacker. Then it's on us to hype the next man up, given that high-volume on the inside of this defense often translates to solid fantasy production.
Elandon Roberts exited Sunday's game with a groin injury and never returned. He was listed as a non-participant on Monday and a limited participant on Tuesday, which is concerning since the Steelers have a quick turnaround before playing New England on Thursday. That could mean Walker gets most of the interior snaps on running and passing downs against a Patriots offense that feeds opposing linebackers.
LB Disappointment of the Week:
De’Vondre Campbell, Green Bay Packers
In 2021, Campbell put forth a career season as the Packers’ lead enforcer. It rocketed him into LB1 territory for most. However, that production wasn’t consistent with his career production, in which he produced one triple-digit tackle season in the previous five years. In 2022, we saw his production dip back to the norm, and injuries began to play a factor. Those trends have carried into this year two-fold.
Campbell has played just seven full games this year, leaving two contests early and missing four more. He's notched seven or fewer tackles in five of those seven full games. While he is the 24th most rostered LB in fantasy, Campbell is the 54th highest scorer on a fantasy ppg basis. That number actually drops if you just count the full games Campbell has played, too. In those contests, Campbell is the 57th-best LB in fantasy ppg.
Considering the potential for injury and Campbell's declining production this season, he is rostered and played in far too many leagues. While the Giants are a tremendous matchup that keeps him in our LB3 discussion, far too many people still consider Campbell a high-end LB2 option each week. He hasn't returned that kind of production this year, though.
Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week
| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent |
| 1 | Antoine Winfield Jr. | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| 2 | Derwin James | Chargers | Broncos |
| 3 | Jalen Pitre | Texans | Jets |
| 4 | Kyle Hamilton | Ravens | Rams |
| 5 | Devon Witherspoon | Seahawks | 49ers |
| 6 | Camryn Bynum | Vikings | Raiders |
| 7 | Jevon Holland (Q) | Dolphins | Titans |
| 8 | Jaquan Brisker | Bears | Lions |
| 9 | Reed Blankenship | Eagles | Cowboys |
| 10 | Minkah Fitzpatrick (Q) | Steelers | Patriots |
| 11 | Kenny Moore II | Colts | Bengals |
| 12 | Dax Hill | Bengals | Colts |
| 13 | Xavier McKinney | Giants | Packers |
| 14 | Daron Bland | Cowboys | Eagles |
| 15 | Jessie Bates III | Falcons | Buccaneers |
| 16 | Grant Delpit | Browns | Jaguars |
| 17 | Kevin Byard | Eagles | Cowboys |
| 18 | Jordan Battle | Bengals | Colts |
| 19 | Jonathan Owens | Packers | Giants |
| 20 | Julian Blackmon | Colts | Bengals |
| 21 | Jordan Poyer | Bills | Chiefs |
| 22 | Paulson Adebo | Saints | Panthers |
| 23 | Kyle Dugger | Patriots | Steelers |
| 24 | Rayshawn Jenkins | Jaguars | Browns |
| 25 | Justin Reid | Chiefs | Bills |
| 26 | Charvarius Ward | 49ers | Seahawks |
| 27 | Nate Hobbs | Raiders | Vikings |
| 28 | Josh Metellus | Vikings | Raiders |
| 29 | Brian Branch | Lions | Bears |
| 30 | Tre’von Moehrig | Raiders | Vikings |
| 31 | Justin Simmons | Broncos | Chargers |
| 32 | L’Jarius Sneed | Chiefs | Bills |
| 33 | Kerby Joseph | Lions | Bears |
| 34 | Derek Stingley | Texans | Jets |
| 35 | Jalen Ramsey | Dolphins | Titans |
| 36 | Tyrann Mathieu | Saints | Panthers |
| 37 | Jamal Adams | Seahawks | 49ers |
| 38 | Rasul Douglas | Bills | Chiefs |
| 39 | Ji’Ayir Brown | 49ers | Seahawks |
| 40 | Taron Johnson | Bills | Chiefs |
| 41 | Alohi Gilman | Chargers | Broncos |
| 42 | Harrison Smith | Vikings | Raiders |
| 43 | Roger McCreary | Titans | Dolphins |
| 44 | Trent McDuffie | Chiefs | Bills |
| 45 | Jayron Kearse (Q) | Cowboys | Eagles |
| 46 | Ryan Neal | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| 47 | Geno Stone | Ravens | Rams |
| 48 | Marlon Humphrey (Q) | Ravens | Rams |
| 49 | Darious Williams | Jaguars | Browns |
| 50 | Cory Ballentine | Packers | Giants |
DB Riser of the Week:
Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans
I listed Stingley as a player to stash on your bench a month ago. We noted he was widely available, had a favorable schedule ahead, and still had strong ball skills. Since then, he's notched four interceptions in his past three games.
While Stingley's turnover pace is almost as unsustainable as Daron Bland's, his matchup with the Jets is positive. He has shadowed an opponent's best receiver before, and Garrett Wilson begs for that treatment with ten targets per game. Better yet, the Jets moved on from the conservative Tim Boyle, who was both bad for Wilson’s volume and for turnover potential. Stingley should have a shot at double-digit fantasy opportunities here.
DB Disappointment of the Week:
L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs
I've traditionally been lower on Sneed in fantasy than many. He moves all over the formation, but he's not a shadow corner or consistent in fantasy production. Sneed is currently the 67th highest-scoring fantasy DB per game, yet he is the eighth most rostered. He has three or fewer total tackles in four of his past five games, and he has scored four or fewer Standard IDP Points in seven games this year.
Fair warning: fading Sneed is risky since the Bills are a positive matchup. Against Josh Allen, the probability of multiple turnovers is better than usual. That said, far too many people are comfortable relying on Sneed as the guy who will get that turnover. Players with a better ceiling and floor combo who are more available include Devon Witherspoon, Kyle Hamilton, Camryn Bynum, and Jevon Holland.
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