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 often 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
Upgrades
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN/EDGE RUSHERS
DE Danielle Hunter, MIN (6 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH, 1 PD on 85% of snaps)
Through 6 weeks of the season, Hunter is the highest-scoring defensive end in the league. Despite playing for one of the weakest defenses in the league, he’s already up to 8 sacks on the season and is on pace for 60+ solo tackles.
DE Haason Reddick, PHI (4 solos, 1 asst, 2.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QH on 72% of snaps)
The slow start is certainly behind him now. With 2.5 sacks this week, Reddick is now up to 5.5 over his last 3 games and close to averaging 1 per game.
DE Byron Young, LAR (3 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 2 QH, 1 FF on 86% of snaps)
Young continues to be one of the most productive rookie IDPs in the league. In addition to handling a heavy workload each week, he’s been able to take advantage of the attention that Aaron Donald draws and now has at least a partial sack in 4 out of 6 games.
DE Sam Hubbard, CIN (4 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 5 QH on 88% of snaps)
The Bengals defense has played lights out of late and continued that trend against a high-powered Seattle offense this week. Hubbard led the way with 7 tackles, a sack, and 5 quarterback hits.
DE Bradley Chubb, MIA (4 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH on 71% of snaps)
While Chubb has had an up-and-down start to the season, he’s been more consistent of late. Over his last two games, he has combined for 9 solos, 4 assists, and a sack.
DE Carl Granderson, NO (3 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QH on 79% of snaps)
Cameron Jordan is showing signs of slowing down this year with just 1 sack through 6 games, but Granderson is helping to pick up the slack. He’s collected a sack in 4 of 6 games and is also averaging a solid 4 combined tackles per game.
DE Bryce Huff, NYJ (2 solos, 1 asst, 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 QH on 50% of snaps)
Huff is likely one of the most underrated pass rushers in the league. Per NextGen Stats, he ranks first in the league with a 26% pressure rate since 2022. He was also credited with 9 pressures on just 28 pass rushers against the Eagles this week. He now has 2.5 sacks over his last two games and also saw a season-high workload with 50% of the snaps this week.
DE Anfernee Jennings, NE (5 solos, 1 asst, 1 TFL on 81% of snaps)
Since Matthew Judon went down with a season-ending injury in week 4, Jennings has seen his playing time increase each week. He led all Patriots defensive linemen with 81% of the defensive snaps this week and has 11 combined tackles over the past two games.
DE Randy Gregory, SF (3 solos, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 3 QH on 34% of snaps)
The Broncos decided to give up on Gregory and shipped him to the Broncos for a limited return. Despite joining the team just a week ago, he quickly made an impact with a sack and 3 quarterback hits on just 26 snaps. If he can earn a bigger role here, there is some upside, given the strength of the defense.
DT Justin Madubuike, BAL (4 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 4 QH on 78% of snaps)
The Ravens interior pass rusher added two more sacks this week to give him 4.5 on the year. He’s in the last year of his contract so a big season will likely lead to a big contract next offseason.
DT Sheldon Rankins, HOU (5 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QH on 59% of snaps)
Rankins was once a highly-regarded prospect, but he’s never come close to matching his career-high of 8 sacks from back in 2018. He’s had a relatively quiet start for the scrappy Texans this year but came up with a big game against his former team this week.
Continue reading this content with a ELITE subscription.
An ELITE subscription is required to access content for IDP (individual defensive players) leagues. If this league is not a IDP (individual defensive players) league, you can edit your leagues here.
"Footballguys is the best premium
fantasy football
only site on the planet."
Matthew Berry, NBC Sports EDGE
-png)