This article attempts to immediately highlight defensive players whose production was significantly better or worse than normally expected for the prior week of games. Note there is sometimes limited information available when this article is written, but I will try to give everyone an early look at players who are moving up or down in value among IDP circles. When warranted, I'll also call out some players under No Change that tries to explain why the stat lines may be misleading. It’s difficult to give waiver advice for IDPs since there is such a wide variety of lineups and scoring systems, but hopefully, the information provided can help inform your waiver, trade, and upcoming lineup decisions. If you have any questions about specific players or situations, feel free to email me or reach out via Twitter.
Email: rudnicki@footballguys.com
Twitter: @a_rudnicki
ATLANTA @ CAROLINA
Upgrades:
S Tre Boston, CAR (6 solos, 2 asst, 1 TFL)
Jeremy Chinn (10 tackles) and Shaq Thompson (6 tackles) collect most of the tackles on this team but Boston ranks third with 32 solo tackles and 15 assists through eight games played. That puts him on pace to finish with the best tackle numbers of his seven-year career and he’s been trending up following the injury to Juston Burris with 16 solos and 7 assists over his last three games.
Downgrades:
CB Kendall Sheffield, ATL (1 solo)
Sheffield replaced Darqueze Denard in Week 4 and has played nearly every snap until this week. He was injured on his first snap and left to be checked for a head injury. Sheffield briefly returned to the game only to suffer a second head injury that kept him out for good. He wound up playing just 20 snaps (37%) in the game and was replaced by Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who came up with a game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter.
PITTSBURGH @ BALTIMORE
Upgrades:
DE Stephon Tuitt, PIT (8 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 3 QH)
With another huge game this week, Tuitt is clearly on the way to the best season of his seven-year career. He finished second on the team in tackles this week with nine combined while also adding a pair of sacks. With six sacks in seven games, he’s only a half-sack behind T.J. Watt for the team lead.
LB Robert Spillane, PIT (10 solos, 1 asst, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR, 1 TD)
Spillane opened up the game with a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown and took full advantage of a matchup that saw the Ravens offense generate 47 rush attempts and 64 tackle opportunities overall. He played 71 of 82 snaps (87%) and was extremely productive with 11 tackles plus a fumble recovery and another pass breakup. The Steelers did add Avery Williamson at the trade deadline so Spillane’s hold on a starting job may not be as secure as it was previously.
Downgrades:
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