Leagues with a 13 week regular season are now nearly a third into their fantasy schedule. It's not time to panic yet -- don't dump underperforming studs who have shown any signs of life -- but it's prime time to re-evaluate and consider changes to your lineup structure, tiers, and streaming philosophy. I'll go team-by-team later in the column, but here's a quick look at my positional tiers. They're based on the 2013 season only. Later updates will include watch list players and pre-emptive adds for dynasty leaguers.
defensive line
Elite DL1:
J.J. Watt, Cameron Wake, Robert Quinn, DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen
Every-Week Starter | DL1 Upside:
Chandler Jones, Mario Williams, Charles Johnson, Cameron Jordan, Carlos Dunlap, Osi Umenyiora, Greg Hardy, Ndamukong Suh (DT), Rob Ninkovich, Jason Hunter, Jason Pierre-Paul, Ezekiel Ansah, Michael Johnson, Derrick Morgan, Julius Peppers
High Floor DL2:
Calais Campbell, LaMarr Houston, Muhammad Wilkerson, Arthur Jones
Matchup DL2 With Upside:
Chris Clemons, Geno Atkins (DT), George Selvie, Cliff Avril, Adrian Clayborn, Justin Tuck, Chris Long, Corey Wootton, Jason Babin, Robert Ayers, Justin Smith
Boom-Bust Depth:
Brian Robison, Olivier Vernon, Fletcher Cox, Willie Young, Dion Jordan
Rosterable DT:
Jason Hatcher, Dontari Poe, Marcell Dareus, Haloti Ngata, Jurrell Casey, Nick Fairley
linebacker
Elite LB1:
NaVorro Bowman, Luke Kuechly, Paul Posluszny, Sean Lee, Brian Cushing, Daryl Washington, Derrick Johnson, James Laurinaitis
Every-Week Starter | LB1 Upside:
Bobby Wagner, D'Qwell Jackson, Patrick Willis (inj), Kiko Alonso, Lavonte David, Jerod Mayo, Chad Greenway, Brad Jones, Lawrence Timmons, Daryl Smith, Vontaze Burfict, Alec Ogletree
Steady LB2:
Karlos Dansby, Dannell Ellerbe, London Fletcher, Lance Briggs, Jerrell Freeman, Stephen Tulloch, Curtis Lofton
Elite Rush LB:
Von Miller (susp), Justin Houston, Terrell Suggs, Robert Mathis, Aldon Smith (NFI), Clay Matthews
High Upside LB3:
Wesley Woodyard, Mychal Kendricks, Mason Foster, Zach Brown, Nick Roach, Bruce Carter, Erin Henderson, Donald Butler, Demario Davis, Sean Weatherspoon (inj)
Low Ceiling LB3:
Perry Riley, James Anderson, Moise Fokou, DeMeco Ryans, Pat Angerer, Kevin Burnett, Philip Wheeler, Donta Hightower
Boom-Bust Depth:
Ryan Kerrigan, Whitney Mercilus, Arthur Brown, Paul Worrilow, Barkevious Mingo, Manti Te'o, Brian Orakpo
DEFENSIVE back
Elite Safety:
Harrison Smith, Duke Ihenacho, Mark Barron, Eric Weddle, Reshad Jones, Eric Berry, Morgan Burnett (inj)
Every-Week Starter | DB1 Upside:
Barry Church, LaRon Landry (inj), Bernard Pollard, Tyrann Mathieu, Kam Chancellor, William Moore, Charles Woodson, Glover Quin, Tyvon Branch (inj)
Prime Matchup Cloud Safety:
Nate Allen, Da'Norris Searcy, Roman Harper (inj), Major Wright, Earl Thomas, Kenny Vaccaro, Aaron Williams, Jonathan Cyprien, Malcolm Jenkins, Ryan Mundy, Ryan Clark
Every Week Cornerback | DB2+ Upside:
Charles Tillman, Alterraun Verner, Buster Skrine, DeAngelo Hall, Josh Robinson
ATLANTA
I wrote Sunday morning that Paul Worrilow was the Riverboat Gambler Play of the Week, expecting that the Falcons would continue to use him in subpackages and give him 50+ snaps against the New England Patriots. Instead, Atlanta used Stephen Nicholas heavily and kept Akeem Dent on the field more than they had in Week 2. Joplo Bartu again played nearly every down but again proved he'll have a low floor. The Jets won't use many multi-wide receiver sets this week, but there may not be a trustworthy fantasy linebacker on this roster for some time.
ARIZONA
Daryl Washington is back for the Cardinals this week and will immediately resume his every-down role. Jasper Brinkley will be a base defensive rotational body at best. Washington's presence will cut into the numbers of Karlos Dansby, who continues to lead the league in solo tackles. With Rashad Johnson out with a finger injury, Tyrann Mathieu moved into the starting lineup and continued his strong run of numbers. He's again closer to winning me over, but it'll be interesting to see how his numbers are affected against three potentially run-heavy matchups without many spread offensive sets (CAR, SF, SEA) in the next three weeks. Start Calais Campbell one more week -- the Panthers are a solid matchup -- but he's on the verge of falling into matchup DL2 status. And keep an eye on the snap count and play of Matt Shaughnessy. He's getting linebacker snaps but listed at defensive line in many league management systems.
BALTIMORE
Terrell Suggs has clearly fully recovered from his Achilles injury and has cemented himself as an every-week LB2+ (LB1 in sack-heavy leagues) alongside Justin Houston, Von Miller and Aldon Smith. You can now expect Arthur Jones to play 40+ snaps a week and that should be enough to give him DL2 value in most balanced scoring leagues. James Ihedigbo had another strong week in both run support and coverage and should be considered an every-week starter.
BUFFALO
Manny Lawson had a second consecutive strong week against the Ravens, despite Baltimore refusing to run the ball for much of the game. Some of Lawson's increased snap count has to do with the injuries in the Bills' secondary. With Jairus Byrd getting closer to a return and Leodis McKelvin likely to get back soon, too, Lawson remains a high-risk option. Consider him a boom-bust LB4 against Cleveland Thursday night. Kiko Alonso is on pace for a monster season. He's benefiting from excellent play in coverage and a back seven that isn't providing much competition for tackles. There may still be some variance in Alonso's tackle stats, but he's a very good every-week option.
CAROLINA
The Panthers were on bye in Week 4. Teams generally don't like early season bye weeks, but it came at a perfect time for Carolina. They should be more healthy in the secondary this week. It's still not clear how the safety rotation will break down between Quintin Mikell and Mike Mitchell when both are healthy. I don't expect either player to hold up over a long run of games playing 60+ snaps, so don't invest much in either even if there becomes a clear starter.
CINCINNATI
Geno Atkins finally broke through with a solid week. The Browns didn't -- and in some cases, by Cincinnati's scheme -- couldn't send multiple blockers at Atkins last week and his pass rush was more successful. I'd still like to see Atkins in the backfield more often against the run, but he's back to boom-bust every-week DL2 / DT1 status for now. With Reggie Nelson out, Taylor Mays played every down at safety. The ripple effect of that move thrust Rey Maualuga into a near every-down role. The team also signed Chris Crocker last week, however. If Nelson misses more games, we may see Crocker get more safety snaps, Mays back into his situational role and Maualuga out of subpackages. In any case, the only back seven player with fantasy value will continue to be Vontaze Burfict.
CLEVELAND
Jabaal Sheard missed last week's game with a knee injury and has a short week to prepare for the Bills Thursday night. We should continue to see lots of Barkevious Mingo. Like last week, Mingo looks unstoppable in pass rush when his technique and explosiveness work together. And he flashed strong play against the run at times against Cincinnati. But he's still light and easy to move when engaged, which still happens much more often than not. Those in big play leagues can use him as a boom-bust option, but he needs time to develop to reach his full potential -- as so many similar players do -- before he's a clear every-week starter.
DALLAS
Sean Lee is still warming to Monte Kiffin's run defense philosophy, but his coverage hasn't suffered. And his tackle numbers (15 solos, 18 total) finally met the expectations of owners who drafted him as an anchor LB1. All is not necessarily well in the Cowboys' linebacker group, however, as Bruce Carter played only 48 of 72 snaps and was sitting for long periods of the second half. Kiffin said there were heat-related issues, Jason Garrett denied that was a problem. Carter has been inconsistent in coverage and was involved in both wheel route touchdowns to Danny Woodhead last week. The team wouldn't commit to a game plan this week, but it's possible that Ernie Sims will see lots of time in the Dallas subpackages this week. With luck, we'll get some indication before gametime as the Dallas matchup would be favorable for Carter. Barry Church also continues his unexpected DB1 run and should be in your lineup every week.
DENVER
Duke Ihenacho showed no ill effects from the ankle injury that had nagged him for two weeks and is again a trustworthy DB1. Wesley Woodyard saved his owners with a sack last week, but the success of the Denver offense may limit his tackle upside as drop him into a high variance LB2 tier. Don't expect Woodyard to get many sack opportunities, however. There will be some delayed blitzes but the Broncos won't use their nickel backers in pass rush much, at least not until Champ Bailey returns to full health. Danny Trevathan led the team in tackles, but his numbers will continue to be situation dependent. Consider him when he'll likely see lots of rangy, nickel opportunity against teams that will challenge the flat and curl zones and like to run outside the tackles.
DETROIT
Ndamukong Suh has had two consecutive strong weeks in the box score, but he's been flat dominant all season. His run of good numbers should continue this week against a Green Bay offensive line that is prone to giving up pressure. Ezekiel Ansah didn't look as explosive this week -- possibly due to an abdominal injury that had him on the injury report as questionable -- but continued to work his way to the pocket. The strength of the line will continue to give him opportunities. Glover Quin managed only one solo tackle despite a good opportunity profile (16 rushes, 14 completions to backs and tight ends) but an interception buoyed his stat line. I still like him as an every-week starter, but there may be more variance in his tackle numbers than expected.
GREEN BAY
I'm still waiting for a positive status update on Morgan Burnett. A healthy Burnett and Clay Matthews will be a big help to a back seven still looking to round into form. Burnett and Brad Jones are going to be your anchor IDP options, but continue to watch for cornerback trends once all hands are healthy. Though he's not ready yet, it could be Casey Hayward that emerges as a strong DB option later in the season.
HOUSTON
Regression? What regression? J.J. Watt is on pace to finish with 68 solos, 14 sacks and 12 passes defensed. He's rewarding owners who risked the high draft pick on him this year and carrying his dynasty owners again. The only thing that's held Brian Cushing back as an elite fantasy option has been durability. After a tremendous start to the season, Cushing left last week's game with a concussion. Early reports suggest that the Houston medical staff erred on the side of caution last week, suggesting that Cushing performed well enough on his sideline assessment that he was close to being cleared to return. With luck, his recovery will be quick and he'll be ready for another good matchup on the road in San Francisco. If he doesn't go, the alternatives -- Darryl Sharpton, Jessie Tuggle or Joe Mays -- will be worth watching. Sharpton will likely get the most snaps, but there's risk in all three options. It feels like the majority of the "young pass rusher" buzz in fantasy leagues is on Barkevious Mingo right now, but Whitney Mercilus is more deserving. While he's clearly benefiting from teams game planning to deal with Watt, Mercilus has shown a consistent first step, a strong bull rush and quick counter moves over the past two weeks. He's also been decent against the run. He's a strong play in big play leagues right now and is moving into boom-bust LB3 consideration in balanced leagues.
INDIANAPOLIS
There's not much to take away from the stat lines of a defense playing the Jaguars right now, but there's some movement on the linebacker depth chart in Indianapolis. Pat Angerer started but the Colts pulled him in subpackages. Some of the passing down looks were dime defenses, others were more traditional nickel looks. On those nickel snaps, the Colts used Kavell Conner and there were a lot of them in the second half. As yet, I haven't seen anything confirming whether that was a permanent change or related to Angerer's recovery from knee and concussion related issues. I'll have more on Sunday on the linebackers and LaRon Landry, who missed a second game with an ankle injury. The Seattle matchup is very favorable for tackles, although the assist-happy home stat crew may again put a damper on the Indianapolis tackle numbers.
JACKSONVILLE
Paul Posluszny is in a perfect situation right now. His offense can't move the ball, his pass rush can't get the defense off the field on third down and the competition for tackles is marginal at best. He's an elite fantasy option. Geno Hayes and Russell Allen will ride on his coat tails until Jonathan Cyprien begins to play with more consistency. Jason Babin continues to get to the quarterback, but he'll be a boom-bust option due to the relatively few pass rush chances he'll get.
KANSAS CITY
I'm often asked why I don't tier the elite rush linebackers as LB1 values or rank them in my top 15. As much as I love Justin Houston (and Aldon Smith, etc) they're prone to extreme variance. If you're playing in a balanced scoring system and only starting 1-2 linebackers a week, you have to decide whether you're willing to risk a near zero 4-6 times a season. This week, the Giants ran at Houston early and rarely allowed him a one-v-one opportunity against an offensive lineman. Meanwhile, Tamba Hali was destroying the New York line on the other side on the occasions Houston did produce a strong pass rush.
MIAMI
Cameron Wake lobbied to play after a Week 3 MCL sprain but was inactive Monday night. Though it's painful to get a zero from him for three straight weeks now, the rest will get him back in form more quickly and the New Orleans matchup is notoriously tough for opposing pass rushers. Derrick Shelby again took the majority of the snaps in Wake's absence -- Dion Jordan will continue to be a rotational player despite what most local media and other observers want until he's fully ready -- and didn't provide any pass rush. Olivier Vernon had his second strong pass rush effort in a row and is back on the boom-bust radar in redraft leagues. I still don't think much of Dannell Ellerbe in run support, but it's hard to argue with his tackle numbers right now.
MINNESOTA
Hope you had Jared Allen back in your lineup last week. Even the elite defensive ends are affected by matchups and the Week 4 matchup against Pittsburgh was clearly more favorable than the battle Allen had against Joe Thomas in Week 3. Allen gets three more strong matchup coming out of his bye. If Desmond Bishop is going to make a move for playing time, it'll come during the bye this week when the Vikings are reassessing their personnel and planning for the next three months. The Vikings haven't been high on Erin Henderson at any point in his career and there have been issues with durability. If Bishop comes out of the bye as a starter at outside linebacker, he should be kept on your watch list as an option if Henderson misses time with injury. If not, it's a strong sign that Bishop doesn't have the wheels to play any longer. The other names to watch are Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges. Both are now making the active roster and contributing to special teams. Either could force himself into a larger role if the team falls out of playoff contention quickly.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Brandon Spikes went from a 5-2 line in Week 3 in rotational duty to a six snap workload on Sunday night. Dont'a Hightower hasn't been great, but he's entrenched as the long term favorite to have a fantasy role in New England. Let Spikes languish on your waiver wire in dynasty leagues, but put a star by his name to sneak back onto your roster in the hopes that he signs with a team that will give him a role with fantasy value in 2014. He can still play the run effectively and is better than some of the linebackers currently playing every-down in this league. And, yes, I know I'm stubborn.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
The tier lists above answer one of the more common questions I've gotten this week, "Do you think Cameron Jordan can be a better fantasy play than Charles Johnson, Jason Pierre-Paul, Carlos Dunlap, etc. now?" The answer is yes. It's a very different flavor of 3-4 in New Orleans this year under Rob Ryan. Aggressive, 1-gap, with a variety of coverages and blitzes designed to confuse quarterbacks and put the team's playmakers in a position to succeed. Jordan was a strong 5-technique last year, but Ryan seems to have set Jordan's pants on fire this year. I liked Jordan on tape at Cal and felt he was versatile enough to play any role. But he didn't show this kind of first step or closing speed until this year. There's an argument that he's not providing enough non-sack tackles to belong in the elite tier. While he may never be J.J. Watt or Lamarr Houston in that regard, I think the upside is there. I'm still patiently waiting for Martez Wilson to see more time. For now, Ryan is erring on the side of an extra defensive back and coverage in subpackages.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Hooray! Giants' linebackers with fantasy value! Mark Herzlich 7-1 with a pass defensed on 64 of 75 snaps. Spencer Paysinger 7-0 with a sack and fumble recovery playing every down. Sounds promising, but don't buy in yet. There's still room for the New York offense to improve, Jacquian Williams could see more snaps when his knee cools down and neither linebacker played well last week. Still, it's a trend to watch. If the trend continues, it will come at the expense of Ryan Mundy. Mundy's numbers -- like that of Stevie Brown and many others before him -- are sensitive to the play in front of him. Antrel Rolle gets enough looks in the slot on nickel downs that he's immune to that effect.
OAKLAND
Kaluka Maiava filled in for a dinged-up Kevin Burnett; their combined tackles numbers were impressive. If Burnett can't go this week, though, Maiava isn't a high-priority add. Sio Moore continues to see his snap count increase but he's not yet an every-down player and he's not providing enough in run support to be a spot bye week starter. Charles Woodson again outplayed and outproduced Brandian Ross at safety. If you're getting desperate in deep DT-required leagues, consider Pat Sims. His rotational time increased last week and there's some pass rush upside to go with his usual solid run defense.
PHILADELPHIA
Each week I hope to see Mychal Kendricks put it all together with a performance that's more under control and fundamental but it hasn't happened yet. There's enough opportunity for him to stick as a LB3 in your lineup, but it's hard to see him hit LB2+ upside after a month's worth of evaluation. If the up-and-down play of the linebackers continues, Nate Allen may hold his DB2 value over the long term. Be prepared for some durability issues and variance if you're rolling with him. Oh, and Free Brandon Graham!!
ST. LOUIS
Last week proved why you cannot just blindly look at the box score and a handful of plays and expect to have a handle on a player. James Laurinaitis had similar numbers in Weeks 1-3, but his play suggested that his Week 1-2 was there but not rewarded in the box score while his Week 3 play and post-game injury news suggested caution. Though he was listed probable and fully practiced before last week's game, it was hard to know what to expect but he was back in fantasy form against San Francisco in Week 4. He's still not moving as well as he was earlier in the season, so hopefully the extra time to heal will help him. This week's matchup against the Jaguars isn't very favorable unfortunately, but there's a run of solid matchups to follow. I thought Alec Ogletree looked a little better last week. His numbers should remain strong given the lack of competition along the line and secondary. The Rams re-signed Jo-Lonn Dunbar, but he's no threat to Ogletree's every-down status.
SAN DIEGO
The Chargers had both Donald Butler and Manti Te'o in the lineup against Dallas, but neither played every down. Te'o played only in true base defensive situations and didn't reach 20 snaps. He'll likely see more snaps against Oakland, but isn't a fantasy option until he's playing every down. When the Chargers used a dime package, nickel backer Reggie Walker stayed on the field as the lone linebacker. He and Butler essentially played the same number of snaps. Butler had a nice fantasy day, but his run support continues to leave a lot to be desired and he may be at risk of variable snap counts if the subpackage rotation continues.
SAN FRANCISCO
Michael Wilhoite played every down against St. Louis for the injured Patrick Willis and managed just four solos. There's no early word on Willis' Week 5 status yet, but Wilhoite isn't a great option. Corey Lemonier (subpackages) and Dan Skuta (base) rotated as expected. Lemonier was okay, but couldn't beat his strong teammates to the quarterback. I thought Eric Reid would benefit from the loss of Patrick Willis but he was a non-factor. He didn't play poorly or miss any tackles, so his rough night is likely more fluke than trend.
SEATTLE
All is not lost for Bobby Wagner owners. Despite a dominant Chris Clemons performance and the presence of a healthy Cliff Avril and Brandon Browner, the Seahawks may still give themselves weeks of above-average tackle opportunity. Last week brought 70 tackle opportunities and, not surprisingly, Wagner (6-2, FR) and Kam Chancellor (7-0) responded. The Seahawks get Bruce Irvin back this week and are on the road. Usually, the road matchup would mean a break from their assist-heavy home stat crew. But Seattle goes to Indianapolis in Week 5, whose stat crew is the most assist-heavy stat crew in the league. Keep your Seahawks in your lineup and hope for the best. Clinton McDonald is turning heads for his pass rush numbers over the past weeks. He's been very good at times, but still struggles with consistency. He's not yet more than a boom-bust DT1 / DT2.
TAMPA BAY
Mark Barron played only ten snaps last week before leaving with a hamstring injury. Ahmad Black replaced him but wasn't used in the same hybrid linebacker role. That put Mason Foster on the field for a few more snaps than usual. Barron has a bye this week to recover. His availability will affect how the Buccaneers approach the Philadelphia offense in Week 6.
TENNESSEE
Ah, the Titans. Another week, another game with Moise Fokou as the lone every-down linebacker. Zach Brown had a nice line, but again sat when the Titans went with a dime subpackage. Consider this situation similar to that of Mason Foster. Brown should be in your lineup most weeks, but expect some variance. Thankfully, the run of matchups on the schedule and the unlikelihood that the Titans will get a big lead on anyone will limit the number of dime snaps.
WASHINGTON
Not much to say about the Washington defense other than I'm happy to see one of my all-time favorites try to make a liar out of me. London Fletcher still isn't what he was two seasons ago, but he looked better last week. And the numbers are likely to be there in any week where the Washington defense is challenged between the tackles. Washington is on bye this week, but matchups in Dallas and at home against Chicago in Weeks 6 and 7 should be favorable for Old Man Fletcher.
Subscribe to The Audible on iTunes or download our weekly IDP podcast here every Thursday for injury updates, player analysis and matchup discussion. Check my article page on Sunday morning for notes on every team's key injuries, depth chart changes and IDP expectations. Follow and ask questions on Twitter @JeneBramel.