A quick note to everyone: The EOTG is officially a Thursday post on the site. I try to get it done early enough to be posted late afternoon on Wednesdays, so it can be available before waivers for most of you. It generally doesn't make it for the first two or three weeks of the season because there is so much to cover. It won't get called out on our articles list until Thursday, but now that things have slowed down a little, check and see if it's up between 6 & 7 PM EST on Wednesdays.
Guru's IDP Notes: Arizona Cardinals
Jalen Thompson was tended to for a hand injury at the end of Sunday's game. There has been no update from the team on it, so it may not be an issue going forward. If he's your guy, check the practice reports.
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson continues to work as the third safety, seeing action on about 65% of the snaps most weeks. Despite the limited role, his numbers have been rather consistent and somewhat IDP-relevant. If Thompson misses time, Taylor-Demerson would step into the starting role. Even if Thompson is not injured, keep in mind that he is a free agent at the end of this season. I'll mention it now and likely again later in the year to remind dynasty managers to pick up Taylor-Demerson for safekeeping.
Tennessee has not been a great matchup for linebackers, so it is not a surprise that Mack Wilson Sr. (4-2 PD) and Akeem Davis-Gaither (2-3) had a slow day at the office. It is worth pointing out, however, that Davis-Gaither had his playing time slashed, seeing action on 37 of 67 plays. That makes three times in five games that he's seen less than 65% of the action.
Not only did Josh Sweat continue to roll in week five, but he is picking up steam. At 3-1-2 with a pair of swatted passes, it was his most productive game of the season, giving him five sacks and two forced fumbles over the last four games. If he has not already been grabbed up, now is the time.
Guru's IDP Notes: Atlanta Falcons
The bye week allowed A.J. Terrell Jr. to recover from his sore hamstring. He returned to practice on Tuesday and has a good shot at playing against Buffalo.
Guru's IDP Notes: Baltimore Ravens
The injury-riddled Ravens are a mess, and it may not get much better for a while. In the absence of Roquan Smith, both Teddye Buchanan (8-7) and Trenton Simpson (5-5-1) put up strong numbers for us. Buchanan assumed the lead role, playing every snap while Simpson missed just four. This situation has an expiration date. The team said that Smith would miss a few weeks with the hamstring injury. The fact that he was not placed on IR suggests optimism that it might not be more than two or three, but hamstrings often linger.
Kyle Hamilton came up lame with a sore groin last week and was unable to go. With Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie joining him on the inactive list, Baltimore moved Reuben Lowery III into the lineup at safety with Nate Wiggins, Keyon Martin, and T.J. Tampa working the corners. After getting blown out again, the team traded Odafe Oweh to the Chargers for Alohi Gilman. This move has marginal fantasy impact, but it might be a sign that Baltimore is concerned about the injury to Hamilton.
Guru's IDP Notes: Buffalo Bills
Matt Milano returned in week five, only to aggravate his strained pectoral and leave early. With Dorian Williams also sidelined by a sore knee, Shaq Thompson played virtually every snap after Milano left. Thompson proved he can still get it done with a solid performance on the field and 4-1-1 with a forced fumble on the stat sheet. Williams is expected to play this week in what is a plus matchup with the Falcons, but keep an eye on his progress. Buffalo plays on Monday and has a week seven bye.
Guru's IDP Notes: Carolina Panthers
Lathan Ransom saw his most playing time of the season against Miami, going 4-1 on a 65% play share. That is a situation to keep monitoring, but the more important note here is at linebacker, where Christian Rozeboom was limited to 69% of the playing time. There is no word on a potential injury, leaving us to assume that his role was reduced. Trevin Wallace played every snap, posting a weak 2-2, while Rozeboom had a solid game at 5-4. This week's game should shed some light on the situation, but beware if Rozeboom is your guy.
Guru's IDP Notes: Chicago Bears
T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon returned to practice this week and are expected to play in week six.
Guru's IDP Notes: Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati actually played fairly well on defense against the Lions. Yes, they gave up 37 points, but much of that was due to the offense turning the ball over on the Bengals' side of the field three times.
Jordan Battle was credited with nothing but six assists against Detroit. It is situations like this that are maddening. The guy should have been credited with at least three solo stops and possibly a pass breakup. I don't know what game the stat crew was watching; maybe one of them was playing against Battle in their fantasy league?
Logan Wilson had modest tackle numbers again at 3-5, but he finally showed up in the big-play column with a fumble recovery. While Wilson continues to hold the lead role and play virtually every snap, there may be something brewing at the other linebacker spot. Barrett Carter is beginning to make some noise. He recorded six combined stops on just over half of the snaps against Detroit. Meanwhile, Demetrius Knight Jr. managed eight combined stops but saw his lowest snap count of the season at 57%. Both Knight and Oren Burks lost playing time to Carter, who has seen his snap count steadily rise from 14 to 18, 20, and reached 33 last week.
Guru's IDP Notes: Cleveland Browns
The numbers pointed to a monster week five for Myles Garrett, but the Vikings had different plans. The best thing that can happen for a player like Garrett is for his teammates to step up when an offense commits to slowing him down. Maliek Collins and Alex Wright answered the call, posting three sacks between them.
Wright has been hit or miss and will likely continue to be. Collins may prove to be no better, but because he plays tackle, where good production is hard to come by, he is worth taking a closer look at. Collins did literally nothing on 78 snaps over the first two games. On 127 snaps over the last three games, he is 5-7-3.5. This is a player who has shown spurts of production over his nine NFL seasons, but has never managed to sustain quality production. That said, he is on pace to crush his previous career best in tackles and sacks. With the Browns' defense playing so well, he could be worth a shot.
Another player we might want to keep an eye on is safety Ronnie Hickman, who put up a career best ten tackles against Minnesota. What makes him watch-worthy is the fact that Hickman has seen his tackle totals go up four games in a row.
Devin Bush has been surprisingly solid for us so far. If he is on your roster or you can get him there, don't miss the opportunity to start him against his former team, even though the Steelers have not been a great matchup.
Guru's IDP Notes: Dallas Cowboys
On a per-snap basis, James Houston IV might be the most productive defensive lineman in the league through five games. With a 2-1-1.5 against the Jets, he leads the Cowboys with 3.5 sacks and has a season total of eleven tackles, three and a half sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovery. That has a good number of fantasy managers looking to add him this week. I'll not be the one to argue against that, but be aware that he is averaging fewer than 18 snaps per game.
Sometimes, all a player needs is a chance to play. Jack Sanborn got his opportunity with the Bears a few years back when Roquan Smith was injured. You can bet the Cowboys remembered that stint when they signed him. The concussion suffered by Sanborn in the first quarter versus the Jets may prove to be the opportunity that rookie Shemar James needed. The Cowboys' fifth-round pick was everywhere, racking up 15 stops on 73% of the snaps. It might have been the adrenaline rush of his first start as a pro, and it's only one game, but if this was a preview of how this guy plays, Dallas could have something. The vibes around Sanborn playing in week six are not good as of mid-week. James might get his shot at an encore.
James was the most impressive, but he was not the only Cowboy to make the most of an opportunity. Safety Juanyeh Thomas got the call when Malik was ruled out with a turf toe injury. Thomas stepped up to perform well on the field while putting ten tackles on the stat sheet. He will get an opportunity right away to prove it was not a fluke. Hooker landed on IR, so Thomas is the man for at least four games.
Guru's IDP Notes: Denver Broncos
Those who have Alex Singleton are likely starting him every week. If you happen to be among those with a roster full of stud linebackers, be sure to get him into your lineup this week against the Jets. In New York's last three games, Lavonte David was 7-4-1, Jordyn Brooks 15-3-0, Tyrel Dodson 5-4-1 with a forced fumble, and Shemar James 8-7 against them.
Get Nik Bonnito or Jonathon Cooper in your lineup this week as well. The Jets have surrendered at least 4 sacks in three of their last four games.
Guru's IDP Notes: Detroit Lions
Aidan Hutchinson is definitely back! With his 2-2-1 and a forced fumble, he now has five sacks over the last four games. What the stat sheet doesn't show is the two sacks and a safety he had against the Bengals, which were nullified by penalties. He will be tested this week against Patrick Mahomes II, who is arguably the toughest quarterback to catch.
Terrion Arnold was knocked out of Sunday's game with a shoulder injury that will cause him to miss significant time. With D.J. Reed already on IR, Amik Robertson, Rock Ya-Sin, and Avonte Maddox are the Lions' top three corners.
Guru's IDP Notes: Green Bay Packers
No position has put up good tackle totals against the Bengals' sputtering offense. Don't let that keep any of your Packers defenders out of the lineup this week, though. The offense showed signs of life in the second half last week, and they have a new quarterback for opponents to beat up on in Joe Flacco. It is hard to say if he will start after spending less than five days with the team, but he certainly could not be any worse.
The main reason to keep your Green Bay defenders in the lineup is big plays. While there may not be a ton of tackles to go around, Cincinnati is giving up 3 sacks and 3.6 turnovers per game.
Guru's IDP Notes: Indianapolis Colts
With Xavien Howard, Kenny Moore II, and Mike Hilton sidelined, Mekhi Blackmon has claimed the starting job opposite Chavarius Ward. Blackmon has quietly been posting solid numbers, despite limited playing time. He had 19 tackles and a sack over the first four games, despite seeing more than 35 snaps in only one of them. He was full-time in week five, finishing at 4-1 with a pick.
The Colts placed Joe Bachie on IR on Wednesday with a quad injury. Chad Muma collected a few snaps in last week's game and was expected to have a bigger role until the Colts claimed Germaine Pratt off waivers from the Raiders. Having played under Lou Anaroumo in Cincinnati, Prat is not only familiar with the scheme, but he is a good fit in it. This will likely allow him to step right in and not miss a beat. The Colts' linebacker positions are not the goldmine of fantasy value that they once were, but the change could be an upgrade for Pratt's fantasy stock.
Guru's IDP Notes: Jacksonville Jaguars
Maybe it's the motivation of not having his fifth year picked up and playing for next year's contract. Maybe he's still mad about playing 22 snaps in week one, and maybe it's just sheer dumb luck. Whatever the reason, Devin Lloyd is playing like a man possessed. His tackle production is mediocre, but the guy has five turnovers and a 99-yard interception return for a score. All I have to say is ride the wave as long as it lasts, but understand that Lloyd has two or fewer solo stops in three of five games. Sooner or later, his luck will run out, and a lot of IDP managers will be caught holding the bag.
Guru's IDP Notes: Kansas City Chiefs
No one makes many splash plays against the Lions. Detroit is allowing about a sack and a half and less than one turnover per game. Maybe the most impressive, or at least the strangest stat, is that opponents have been credited with five total pass breakups on the year. Keep your Kansas City pass rushers and corners on the bench for this one.
On the other side of the coin, start those linebackers and safeties. Even Drue Tranquill, who should be well rested after doing nothing on Monday night. There will be few big plays, if any, but the linebacker position averages 20 tackles and safeties 16, versus Detroit.
Guru's IDP Notes: Las Vegas Raiders
The surprise of the week comes from Las Vegas, where Germaine Pratt was released on Monday. The team is mum on exactly what led to the release. All we know is that Pratt did not travel with the team for week five and was let go on Monday morning. All Pete Carroll had to say about it is that the team is going in a different direction.
No Raiders linebacker did much on the stat sheet in the blowout loss. It is important to note, however, that Elandon Roberts saw his snap count jump to 94% with Jamal Adams' participation up to 55%. Unless the coaches elect to get Tommy Eichenberg or Cody Lindenberg more involved, this could be the trend going forward.
Guru's IDP Notes: Los Angeles Chargers
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