This article immediately highlights 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 to explain why the stat lines may be misleading. It isn’t easy 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. I'm also going to try and group edge rushers together with the understanding that classification as a defensive end or linebacker will depend on your league setup/host. If you have any questions about specific players or situations, please email me or reach out via Twitter.
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Twitter: @a_rudnicki
UPGRADES
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN/EDGE RUSHERS
DT Shy Tuttle, NO (5 solos, 2 asst on 74% of snaps)
Tuttle warrants another upgrade this week after another strong performance with seven tackles, including five solo stops on an impressive 74% workload. He now has seven solos and nine assists over the past two games to make him one of the highest-scoring defensive tackles in the league.
DT Sheldon Rankins, NYJ (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH on 56% of snaps)
Rankins set a career-high with 7 tackles this week while also adding the Jets' only sack on the day. While he likely won’t get back to the form he showed with the Saints early in his career, he can be a productive player if his health holds up.
DT Kenny Clark, GB (3 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 77% of snaps)
Clark is a talented player but he has just six sacks over the last two seasons combined and his career-best is six in a year. His game this week warrants a mention because not only did he pick up two sacks but they also came against one of the toughest players in the league to bring down in Tom Brady.
DE Maxx Crosby, LV (5 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QH, 1 PD, 1 FF on 91% of snaps)
Crosby has been productive with 25 sacks in his first three seasons, but the underlying pressure data suggested he had untapped potential. Through three games, not much has gone right for the Raiders, but Crosby looks like an elite IDP. Surprisingly, he has been very productive against the run with 14 solos and 9 assists for an average of more than 7 tackles/game while also adding a pair of sacks.
DE Jerry Hughes, HOU (3 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 71% of snaps)
Hughes posted his second two-sack game of the young season and looks like he’s been rejuvenated by the move to his home state. Despite playing a huge role for the Bills, he only topped 4.5 sacks once in the past five seasons.
DE Gregory Rousseau, BUF (2 solos, 1 asst, 1.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 63% of snaps)
The second-year player is starting to look like a potential star for the Bills. The secondary was decimated by injuries this week, but he still managed to collect a sack for the third week in a row. He has been great against the run and is also showing improved ability to get after the quarterback with 3.5 sacks on the year.
DE Trey Hendrickson, CIN (2 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks, 4 QH, 2 FF on 59% of snaps)
Although Hendrickson saw a reduction in workload this week after playing 100% of the snaps last week, he was nearly unblockable. He posted 2.5 sacks with four quarterback hits to break out of an early season slump.
EDGE Deatrich Wise, NE (5 solos, 1 asst, 3 sacks, 4 TFL, 3 QH on 73% of snaps)
Wise has always been a promising player for the Patriots whose production rarely matched his ability. He has not been able to top the 4.5 sacks he posted as a rookie in 2018 and has often been held by a lack of playing time. This year, however, he’s playing nearly 80% of the snaps each week and rewarded the coaches with a huge 3-sack outing against Lamar Jackson.
EDGE Brandon Graham, PHI (4 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 5 QH, 1 PD, 1 FF on 35% of snaps)
Graham played just 27 snaps this week but still came through with one of the most dominant performances of the weekend. He led the Eagles defense with 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits as they piled up nine sacks and 17 hits on Carson Wentz. Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick regularly see more playing time, but Graham is showing he can still be effective as a pass-rush specialist.
EDGE Melvin Ingram III, MIA (3 solos, 2 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 QH, 1 FF, 1 FR on 62% of snaps)
At 33 years of age, Ingram has turned into a journeyman who has played on four teams in the past two years. While he has not been very productive since he was still with the Chargers in 2019, the fit in Miami looks good. He took advantage of an injury-depleted Bills offensive line this week to pick up his first two sacks as a Dolphin and can complement Jaelan Phillips and Emmanuel Ogbah, who are both off to slow starts.
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