UPGRADES
DE Chris Canty, BAL (3 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 2 FF)
Canty was injured in week 2 and sat out week 3 but he returned to post some impressive numbers against the Bills in a tough loss this week. Despite playing only about two thirds of the snaps in the game, Canty managed to collect 5 combined tackles, a sack, and two forced fumbles. The Ravens have some playmakers on defense and Canty could provide solid depth at DE for your fantasy team, especially with the Dolphins coming up next on the schedule.
DE Julius Peppers, CHI (4 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF)
Peppers had a fumble recovery touchdown last week, but that was the only glimmer of hope for fantasy owners until he finally showed signs of life this week. Coming into the game, he had been credited with just 1 solo tackle and 1 assist but he exploded for 6 combined tackles and his first sack of the year. Although he’s not the same dominant player he used to be and only averaging about 50 snaps per game, you have to think he’s not washed up yet at just 33 years old so don’t be surprised if he starts turning things around and putting up these types of games more consistently.
DE George Selvie, DAL (4 solos, 1 sack, 1 PD)
With Anthony Spencer going on IR for the year, Selvie finds himself with a great opportunity to start and play a big role opposite DeMarcus Ware in the new Cowboys defense. Although he hasn’t shown much in previous years, Selvie is a good pass rusher and he’s looked impressive so far with 3 sacks in 4 games plus some decent tackle numbers. Tough matchup with Peyton Manning next week, but he could be a nice find for owners who need help at DE.
DE Cedric Thornton, PHI (4 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
While the Eagles defense continues to struggle trying to slow anybody down and get off the field, Thornton has been a pleasant surprise up front. He led all Eagles defensive linemen in snaps this week and even picked up a sack in the game. He has 10 solo tackles over the past two games and could be a low price pickup to help get you through the bye weeks.
DE Chris Clemons, SEA (3 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack)
After a brief cameo last week, Clemons returned to action this week and wound up playing nearly 70% of the snaps in a game that Seattle won in overtime. He looked pretty good in his return from ACL surgery, coming up with 5 combined tackles and a sack but there were plenty of other plays when he created pressure on Matt Schaub as well. Looks like it could be safe to put him back in your lineups.
DT Marcell Dareus, BUF (5 solos, 2 asst, 2 sacks)
Dareus hasn’t generally been the dominant force he was expected to be, but he has been productive this year and he might have played one of the best games of his career on Sunday. Despite playing a little more than half the snaps, he posted 7 combined tackles and came up with a pair of sacks. The Bills dominated the game early on and shut down the Ravens run game, and it was thanks in large part to the disruptive presence of Dareus.
ILB Sean Lee, DAL (15 solos, 3 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD)
The Cowboys couldn’t hold onto a second half lead and wasted an incredible performance from Sean Lee on Sunday. He played every snap (which he’s done in 3 of 4 games so far) and picked up an amazing 18 combined tackles while also picking off a pass that he returned 52 yards for a touchdown. Despite some underwhelming numbers coming into this game, Lee should still be considered a strong LB2 play in most weeks with LB1 upside.
OLB Robert Mathis, IND (4 solos, 1 asst, 3 sacks)
Few players have played as consistently well as Mathis has this year. The former DE has made a smooth transition to OLB under Chuck Pagano and he has looked dominant while making life miserable for opposing QBs. He terrorized Blaine Gabbert this week with 3 sacks to give him at least 1 sack in all 4 games this year and bring him up to 7.5 on the season. Mathis has become one of the highest scoring fantasy linebackers in the league, regardless of scoring system and you pretty much have to start him every week at this point.
OLB Whitney Mercilus, HOU (4 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks)
Last year’s first round pick had a solid rookie campaign but was mostly lost in the huge shadow created by J.J. Watt. He’s been playing just about every snap for the Texans this year and showed off his potential this week with a very strong performance against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. In addition to his 6 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks, he was also credited with 5 QB hurries in the game. This looks like a player on the rise and the Texans could use a complementary pass rusher to take advantage of all the attention Watt receives.
ILB Spencer Paysinger, NYG (7 solos, 1 sack, 1 FR)
Paysinger is the starting MLB for the Giants this year and playing a 3-down role. While that Giants linebackers haven’t been a great source of fantasy production in recent years, this year looks different considering how terrible they have been on both sides of the ball. Given that he’s played 70+ snaps in 3 of 4 weeks, you can probably expect more stat lines like the one he put up this week in the weeks ahead. Next week’s matchup with the Eagles looks particularly favorable.
S Charles Woodson, OAK (4 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack)
Woodson lined up at strong safety last week to replace Tyvon Branch and posted 10 combined tackles. The Raiders moved him back to free safety this week alongside Brandon Ross and he still posted 7 combined tackles and a sack. Even though he’s 36 years old, Woodson is healthy and showing solid range for a defense that lacks playmakers. He should be a solid #1 safety as long as he can stay healthy now that Branch is out of the lineup and not competing with him for tackles.
S Duke Ihenacho, DEN (9 solos)
The week 1 sensation left the game early in week 3 with an ankle injury and was a game-time decision in week 4. He decided to play through the pain and wound up piling up 9 solo tackles against the Eagles anyway. With the way the Broncos defense is scoring on everybody, Ihenacho figures to remain very busy each week and looks like a must-start whenever he is healthy enough to play.
S Earl Thomas, SEA (7 solos, 1 FF, 1 INT, 2 PD)
Thomas is putting up great numbers early this season and is on pace to finish as one of the most productive safeties in the league. With 7 solos on Sunday in an overtime win over the Texans, he’s up to 23 solos on the year. Thomas is also one of the league’s best playmakers who has 2 INTs and 2 FF on the year but he could get even better there once the Seahawks get all their pass rushers fully healthy.
CB Josh Robinson, MIN (12 solos)
The Vikings secondary is a mess right now and Robinson was picked on repeatedly on Sunday by the Steelers. He finished the game with an amazing 12 solo tackles to give him 28 for the season. As a 2nd year player, the Vikings are hoping he can learn from his mistakes and grow into a solid starter. For the time being though, he looks like a fantasy goldmine as he’s getting beat and thrown at a lot but still able to make the tackle. The main concern here is that the Vikings might decide to bench him or at least give him some safety help if this trend keeps up.
DOWNGRADES
DE Jason Hunter, OAK (DNP)
Hunter has been one of the most pleasant surprises at DE this year but he was questionable with a quad injury this week and wound up missing the game against Washington. Brian Sanford started for him but only wound up playing a limited number of snaps. Hunter has a week 5 bye to heal up and get ready for Cam Newton and the Panthers in week 6.
DE Fletcher Cox, PHI (1 asst)
Fletcher Cox was the 12th pick overall last year and expected to take another step in his development to hopefully become an anchor for the Eagles defensive line. While he’s shown some flashes with a pair of sacks this year, he’s also been almost a complete non-factor in several games. The matchup against the Broncos this week was very tough, but he played nearly 50 snaps and finished with just a single assisted tackle credited to his name, although he did have a couple of pressures.
DE Michael Bennett, SEA (1 asst)
Bennett is a key player for the Seahawks defense this year, but he was taken off the field on a stretcher this week in what was originally feared to be a neck injury. Fortunately, the news on Monday was much more positive and it sounds like he’ll be able to return to practice this week. With some of the players like Cliff Avril and Chris Clemons getting healthier though, he might wind up with fewer snaps and pass rush opportunities.
DE Justin Tuck, NYG (1 solo)
Tuck is getting plenty of playing time for the Giants, but he’s just not doing much with it over the past couple weeks. He started out looking good with 16 combined tackles in the first two games of the year, but he’s only managed 3 solos and no sacks in the last two games. Tuck did generate some pressure on Alex Smith this week but he doesn’t seem to have the closing speed he used to. The Giants have a lot of problems right now, but the ineffectiveness of their defensive line is a big part of their struggles.
DE Jeremy Mincey, JAX (1 solo)
Mincey posted 40 solo tackles and 8 sacks in 2011 and looked like he’d provide a steady pass rush presence for the Jaguars. Since then, however, he’s posted just 4 sacks and has fallen way off the fantasy radar. At this point, he’s not even starting and only plays about half the snaps as Jacksonville is going with a converted DT in Tyson Alualu at LE. If you haven’t done so already, it looks like safe to dump Mincey from dynasty rosters.
DT Kyle Williams, BUF (0 tackles)
Williams had a good game on Sunday, but unfortunately he had nothing to show for it from a fantasy perspective. He played a high percentage of snaps and helped completely shut down the Ravens running game while also getting into the backfield on several occasions to put some pressure on Joe Flacco. Don’t overreact over this game though as he is still capable of putting up very solid numbers from the DT position.
DT Vince Wilfork, NE (0 tackles)
Wilfork was not off to a very good start this year with 0 sacks and just 9 combined tackles in his first 3 games, but things took a turn for the worse on Sunday. He left the game early with an injury that was later diagnosed as a torn Achilles. Wilfork will be placed on IR and the Patriots don’t really have a replacement who can fill in for him so they’ll likely try to use a committee approach for the time being.
OLB Bjoern Werner, IND (0 tackles)
The rookie hasn’t been as big of a contributor as some expected when the Colts drafted him in the first round. Not it looks like he’ll have to develop on the sidelines for a little while as he suffered a foot injury this week that is expected to keep him out for 4 to 6 weeks. Probably shouldn’t expect much from the rookie until 2014 at this point.
ILB Brandon Spikes, NE (1 solo)
Spikes has seen a big reduction in playing time this year as he’s lost a spot in the team’s nickel package to Dont’a Hightower. The impact was very dramatic this week as Spikes was only on the field for 6 of 76 snaps in a loss to the Falcons. Probably safe to sit him unless they play a very run-heavy offense.
OLB Paul Kruger, CLE (2 asst, 1 PD)
After giving Kruger a big contract this offseason, the Browns were probably hoping to see more than 1 sack through the first four games of the season. He’s been getting some pressure on opposing QBs but hasn’t been nearly as effective rushing the passer as he was last year with the Ravens. The tackle numbers have also been underwhelming with just 13 combined so far. He’ll get a chance to turn things around on national television with a matchup this Thursday night against the Bills.
OLB Elvis Dumervil, BAL (2 solos, 1 asst)
The player who replaced Kruger in the Ravens lineup is also struggling to get to the QB lately. He posted a sack in each of his first two games but has been shut out the past two weeks. Making matters worse, he has picked up just 2 solos and 3 assists in those games. It was easier to put up with those types of games when he was classified as a DE in Denver, but his low tackle numbers make him almost unstartable unless you are in a pretty deep league with scoring weighted heavily towards big plays.
S Troy Polamalu, PIT (2 solos)
Polamalu has been an elite fantasy safety at times based primarily on his big play numbers. Through 4 games this year, he has yet to make any type of big plays so that has left him as little more than a replacement-level player. The Steelers are struggling to make plays on both sides of the ball and until that changes, it looks like you should consider benching him for a better option. Looking ahead, however, you may want to wait through the upcoming bye to consider using him against Geno Smith and the Jets in week 6.
S Ed Reed, BAL (2 solos, 1 asst)
Reed played the entire game for the Texans this week but only managed to come up with 3 tackles. Like Polamalu, his value as a fantasy option always came as a result of his big play potential. At this point of his career though, he doesn’t seem to have the same type of range he used to.
S T.J. McDonald, STL (2 solos, 1 asst)
The rookie safety suffered a fractured leg in the Thursday night game against the 49ers and was placed on short-term IR. He reportedly will not need surgery, but will obviously be out of action for awhile. The Rams were happy with the play of McDonald and will now likely turn to veteran Matt Giordano.
CB Cortland Finnegan, STL (1 solo)
Finnegan has been one of the most productive fantasy corners for a long time, but he just isn’t producing the type of numbers we’ve come to expect from him this year. After posting 7 solo tackles in the opener, he has just 7 solos in the 3 games since then. He’s yet to post an interception or even a single pass defensed. Making matters worse, he left the game early with a hamstring injury this week and is considered day-to-day.
