Photo: USA Today Sports

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. 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.

Email: rudnicki@footballguys.com
Twitter/X: @a_rudnicki

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DEFENSIVE LINEMEN/EDGE RUSHERS

DE A.J. Epenesa, BUF (2 solos, 2 asst, 2 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 QH, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD on 67% of snaps)
With Greg Rousseau and Shaq Lawson sitting out this week, A.J. Epenesa received just the 4th start of his career and made the most of it. With injured players going down around him, Epenesa came through with a handful of huge plays, including 2 sacks and 3 pass deflections. None were bigger than a strip-sack and fumble recovery late in the first half that prevented the Jaguars from getting any points. Von Miller’s return and Epenesa’s emergence make this one of the deepest groups of edge rushers in the league.

DE Trey Hendrickson, CIN (2 solos, 2 asst, 2.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 QH, 1 FF, 1 PD on 70% of snaps)
Despite coming into the game with a questionable tag after missing practice on Friday with a back injury, he brought plenty of pressure against the Cardinals. With 2.5 sacks this week, he is now up to 6 on the season, and 5 of those have come in just the last 3 games.

DE Haason Reddick, PHI (2 solos, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QH on 68% of snaps)
After going sackless for the first 3 games of the year, Reddick has started to turn things around with 3 sacks in his past two games. He is not making much of an impact outside of rushing the passer, but at least he’s starting to make some contributions in the big play columns.

DE Nik Bonitto, DEN (2 solos, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 74% of snaps)
The Broncos traded away Randy Gregory as they decided to stick with their younger edge rushers like Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper, who continue to make plays. While the defense has not played well at all, the pass rushers are still finding a way to make plays. Bonitto is now up to 5.5 sacks on the season and has shown remarkable consistency with solid output for the past 4 weeks in a row.

DE Jermaine Johnson, NYJ (2 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 FF on 62% of snaps)
The Jets offense is not helping to create many favorable game scripts for their pass rush, but Johnson picked up his second sack of the year, with both coming in games the team won. He’s seeing the most defensive snaps among their edge rushers each week and should probably be considered lower-end DE2 in most weeks.

DE Marcus Davenport, MIN (2 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 3 QH on 79% of snaps)
Davenport is looking to turn his career around in Minnesota after struggling with the Saints last year. He only played a handful of snaps through the first 3 games of the year, but he has played 60+% of the snaps in each of the past two games and has 8 tackles with 2 sacks to show for it.

DT Ed Oliver, BUF (5 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 3 TFL, 2 QH on 81% of snaps)
Some questioned the contract extension that Oliver received in the offseason, but it may look like a bargain at the end of this year. He’s playing at an elite level every week and is headed for a breakout season with 24 tackles and 4 sacks through the first 5 games.

DT Jalen Carter, PHI (3 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH on 70% of snaps)
Carter has been playing well and is a strong candidate for Defensive rookie-of-the-year thanks to the pressure he’s been able to put on opposing quarterbacks. Fletcher Cox missing the game this week helped create an opportunity for Carter to play a heavier workload, and he broke out 4 tackles and a pair of sacks against the Rams. Next week’s matchup against the Jets also looks quite promising.

DT Zach Sieler, MIA (6 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 3 QH on 64% of snaps)
Sieler is known much more as a run defender, and his career high for sacks in a season is just 3.5. With 2 sacks this week, however, he’s already up to 3 for this season and is rewarding the Dolphins for giving him a 3-year contract extension during the preseason.

DT Zach Allen, DEN (4 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QH, 1 FF on 86% of snaps)
Allen has posted solid numbers so far this year, but he was missing the big plays that defensive linemen often need to stand out. He’s handling a heavy workload with 80+% of the snaps in 4 of the 5 games this year and also has 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks over the past 3 games.

LINEBACKERS

LB Fred Warner, SF (5 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 FF, 1 INT, 1 PD on 73% of snaps)
Warner probably doesn’t need an upgrade, as he’s already considered one of the elite linebackers in the game, but the strong 49ers defense sometimes limits his opportunities. He was everywhere against the Cowboys on Sunday night, though, and generated several big plays with a sack, interception, and forced fumble.

LB Quincy Williams, NYJ (5 solos, 4 asst, 2 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 QH, 1 FF on 100% of snaps)
Williams has often worked in the shadows behind his brother DT Quinnen Williams, as well as fellow linebacker C.J. Mosley. Through 5 games this year, however, Quincy Williams is looking like the star of the Jets defense and ranks as a top-5 linebacker in most scoring systems.

LB Ernest Jones, LAR (10 solos, 5 asst, 3 TFL on 100% of snaps)
The Rams defense had trouble getting off the field against a potent Eagles offense this week, and that meant plenty of tackle opportunities for Jones and company. While facing 39 rush attempts and 65 tackle opportunities, Jones was able to pile up 15 tackles, including 3 behind the line of scrimmage.