Week seven seemed like an extension of week six, with a lot of moving parts and injuries at the linebacker position in particular. This comes at a particularly tedious point in the season, with six teams off in week eight. Like week two, there will be a mad scramble to add players to cover injuries and bye weeks. The difference is that this time there are not as many options to choose from. Get busy early and fill those holes in the early waiver runs if possible, but stay focused later in the week, as there are likely to be impactful developments as situations are sorted out.
Guru's IDP Notes: Arizona Cardinals
Josh Sweat missed a few plays while being attended to by medical staff. He returned, so there may not be any physical issues. What may prove to be a concern is that after a strong and steady start to the season, he has whiffed on the stat sheet in consecutive weeks. Maybe the bye week will allow him to rest up and get back on track.
Mack Wilson Sr. was a disappointing 3-0, despite a plus matchup with the Packers. Meanwhile, Akeem Davis-Gaither posted a solid 4-4 with a forced fumble and a pass breakup. The important note here is that Davis-Gaither has seen at least 85% os the snaps in each of the last two games, with his highest snap counts of the season coming in those two games.
Guru's IDP Notes: Atlanta Falcons
Divine Deablo was taken to the locker room in the 2nd quarter and was eventually ruled out with a forearm injury. He was later diagnosed with a fracture. Diablo left the facility in a sling and is considered week-to-week, so he will miss at least a game or two.
JD Bertrand stepped in and performed well in Deablo's place, finishing 4-6 on the day. The Dolphins are not a great matchup for linebackers, but many managers will be happy to plug a hole with a player who at least stays on the field. I believe that Bertrand played every snap after coming into the game.
Guru's IDP Notes: Buffalo Bills
Corner Maxwell Hairston could be back on the field soon. The team opened his 21-day practice window on Monday.
Guru's IDP Notes: Carolina Panthers
One thing that we learned from week seven is to start our interior linemen when they face the Jets, at least if Justin Fields is still starting. Derrick Brown (4-3-2 with 3 PD) and A'Shawn Robinson (3-1-1) feasted on the matchup. As for Brown and Robinson, don't let the Bills' matchup scare you away. The interior line position is averaging a solid ten combined stops per week against them, and Buffalo has not done such a great job of keeping Josh Allen upright recently. They have allowed twelve sacks on the season, with eight of them coming over the last three games, and seven of the twelve credited to defensive tackles.
Trevin Wallace is the most useless three-down linebacker in the game. He's logged at least 94% of the snaps in four straight games with a season high of eight fantasy points, and just two solo tackles in each of the last three.
Guru's IDP Notes: Chicago Bears
After he left week seven with a shoulder injury, the Bears seem likely to be without Tyrique Stevenson when they face the Ravens this week. He is undergoing tests early in the week to determine the severity of the injury, but Ben Johnson said on Monday that they are thinking more like day-to-day than week-to-week on Stevenson. Nick McCloud stepped in versus the Saints and would be the expected replacement if needed.
Chicago got some good news on the injury front when Kyler Gordon was able to suit up in week six. The team's nickel corner came through that game healthy and saw his playing time increase to 75% against New Orleans, when he finished 4-0-1.
Montez Sweat went 4-0-1 with a forced fumble against the Saints, has double-digit points in each of his last two games, and has a good matchup with the Ravens in week eight. Baltimore is allowing 3.2 sacks per game and is expected to be without Lamar Jackson again.
Guru's IDP Notes: Cincinnati Bengals
Barrett Carter continues to impress with another strong outing. In two starts, he has gone 15-7 in the tackle columns, but has not yet delivered a splash play. A matchup with the struggling Jets could be just what the doctor ordered to fix that shortcoming.
The Bengals appear to be falling in line with the growing trend. Several teams have brought back the use of three linebacker personnel on a fairly regular basis. Cincinnati fielded three on nearly 50% of the plays in week seven, with Logan Wilson on the field for 26 of 57.
The shift to more three-linebacker looks could prove detrimental to the success of Dax Hill. The ripple from this adjustment saw Cam Taylor-Britt be a healthy inactive against Pittsburgh, which moved Hill to the outside for over half of the snaps. When the team went to a nickel, Josh Newton came on, and Hill shifted back to the slot most of the time. We will have to see if this was a change in philosophy for the defense or simply a game plan based on the matchup. With Taylor-Britt playing so poorly, this could become the norm going forward.
The Bengals had virtually no pass rush without Trey Hendrickson. Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai started with the entire edge position, combining for 3-2-0. There is optimism early in the week that Hendrickson might be available versus the Jets.
New York is giving up an average of 4.4 sacks per game, with interior linemen accounting for nearly 1.5 of them. The inside positions have consistently put up solid tackle totals with this matchup as well, so B.J. Hill is a strong starting option for us, and Kris Jenkins Jr. is a good sleeper option in this one.
Guru's IDP Notes: Cleveland Browns
Tyson Campbell continues to be Johnny on the spot with the big plays. In his two games with the Browns, he has forced a fumble, returned an interception off a deflected pass for a score, and broken up four passes. I am, however, concerned with the lack of tackle production. In those two games, Campbell has combined for 4-3 in those columns. The Patriots don't turn the ball over much, and corners don't tend to put up many stops against them. This will be a good test for Campbell.
Guru's IDP Notes: Dallas Cowboys
Juanyeh Thomas has done a solid job since taking over at free safety for the injured Malik Hooker. Thomas was a scratch for week seven after battling migraines leading up to the game. Marquese Bell made the start against Washington.
Week seven delivered confirmation that Shemar James has indeed passed Jack Sanborn on the depth chart. Sanborn was healthy and active versus the Commanders but saw no action on defense. Meanwhile, James turned in another strong stat line at 4-5-1 with a forced fumble.
The coaching staff may have a decision to make in the next couple of weeks. The team opened the practice window for DeMarvion Overshown and now has less than three weeks to decide if he will be activated.
Guru's IDP Notes: Denver Broncos
If Dre Greenlaw is available in your league, pick him up. He was on a pitch count in week seven, seeing 21 snaps. On more than 25% of those plays, he was in on the tackle, finishing 1-5 on the day. Greenlaw should see increasing action going forward and will likely be a full-time starter within the next two or three games.
Guru's IDP Notes: Detroit Lions
The performance of the injury-depleted Lions' secondary was nothing short of amazing on Monday night, and particularly that of safety Erick Hallett II, who had an even bigger impact on the game than his 6-2 on the stat sheet would suggest. Detroit should have most starts back after this week's bye, but tuck Hallett away in your memory just in case he gets another opportunity down the line.
Guru's IDP Notes: Green Bay Packers
Micah Parsons was a game-winner in week seven, with a season high 4-1-3. Don't expect anything close to a repeat this week when the Packers square off with the Steelers. For that matter, don't expect much from any of our Green Bay defenders outside of possibly Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker. While the Steelers are a mediocre matchup for linebackers. Aaron Rodgers is hard to sack, helping Pittsburgh to be the sixth-worst matchup for pass rushers. He is even tougher on the secondary, where three teams allow fewer points to the corner position, and no one is more stingy to safeties.
Guru's IDP Notes: Houston Texans
With Henry To'oTo'o continuing to see significant action, there is no reason to believe that E.J. Speed will land a full-time role anytime soon. That said, he may not need one to be roster-worthy for us. Speed has seen his snap share increase in each of the last five games, topping out at 67% against Seattle, yet he is 11-2 in the tackle columns over the last two games with at least 4 combined stops in each of the past four. Factor in a matchup with the 49ers, who have allowed the fourth most points to linebackers, and Speed is a guy who could help us through the bye week pinch and possibly beyond.
Guru's IDP Notes: Indianapolis Colts
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