The first quarter frenzy is over. It's time to settle in for the mid-season grind. From now until the playoffs, it's all about roster management while navigating bye weeks and injuries. For most of us, that is going to mean grabbing injury replacements and key use of short-term streamers. Let's get busy!
Guru's IDP Notes: Arizona Cardinals
It was rather surprising when undrafted rookie Wydett Williams Jr. got the call over Dadrion Taylor-Demerson when Andrew Wingard went down in week four. The audition didn't last long, though. Williams is currently in concussion protocol after leaving in the first half of the Lions game. Taylor-Demerson came on to record six stops on a 70% playshare. Wingard is nursing a sore knee and is questionable for week six. As of Wednesday, all three players have a chance to start against the Rams, who have been a plus matchup for the position on most weeks.
Jack Gibbens turned in a disappointing 0-3 against the Lions. One reason is that his snap count was down to 76%. There is no word of an injury, though Gibbens has been playing through a sore shoulder. Look for answers late in the week before playing him in what is a mediocre matchup anyway.
Guru's IDP Notes: Atlanta Falcons
Why did Divine Deablo turn in his best game of the season by far in week five? Because I cut him in the Footballguys staff dynasty league, of course. At 5-7, it was a productive day for Deablo and rookie Kendal Daniels, who totaled 7-1-1 with a pass breakup. In the previous three games combined, Deablo produced 5 tackles and 2 assists. I'll be surprised if week five is not his most productive game of the season when it is all over. The point is, don't be an ambulance chaser.
In week four, it was Harold Perkins Jr. with more playing time and better numbers. Week five was Daniels' turn. The two players shared time in both games, with Daniels seeing most of the action on running downs and Perkins working in passing situations. The Saints threw often; Baltimore did not. The result in week five was a 66% share for Daniels and 33% for Perkins. It looks like matchups and game flow will decide who is more productive on any given week.
Now that he's finally healthy, Samson Ebukam's playing time increased to 76% against Detroit. He landed one of the team's 4 sacks, but did nothing else, finishing 1-1-1 on the day. He's not a player we can count on every week, but Ebukam is capable of quality production with the right matchup.
After being a hot pickup a couple of weeks back, C.J. Henderson left Sunday's game with a groin injury. Rookie Avieon Terrell stepped in to finish and would be the starter if Henderson misses time. You know the drill on rookie corners, and three of the next four matchups are good ones for whoever is playing the position.
Guru's IDP Notes: Baltimore Ravens
Nnamdi Madubuike is not yet producing on the stat sheet, but he is making an impact on the field. That impact should eventually translate to points for us, especially considering his snap count has grown from 64% to 83% over his three games.
Trey Hendrickson remained out with a finger injury. Tavius Robinson and Mike Green took advantage of the extra playing time against Atlanta, with both getting to the quarterback once. Robinson now has 3 sacks in five games, while Green has 2 sacks over the last three games. That is enough to put them both on our radar and is particularly interesting when we consider this week's matchup. After allowing a whopping 8 sacks to the Jets, Cleveland has sprung past the Buccaneers and is now last in the league with 19 sacks allowed.
Kyle Hamilton missed a few snaps while being checked for a concussion. He returned to finish 6-0 with a pick, but don't be surprised if he lands in concussion protocol this week. It looked almost as if he was knocked out for a few seconds.
Trenton Simpson is killing it on a per-snap basis and is consistently outproducing Roquan Smith, who never comes off the field. Simpson was 5-2-1 on 36 plays versus Atlanta while Smith went 5-3 on 64. It's also interesting that Teddye Buchanan's playing time continued to increase slowly but steadily. He was up to 30% in week five.
Guru's IDP Notes: Buffalo Bills
Christian Benford led the Bills in solo stops, going 7-3 on Monday night. That happens when you are the #1 corner on your team and the other team's #1 receiver is targeted 22 times with 17 catches. Benford is capable of solid numbers in most matchups, but there is no Puka Nacua on the Raiders roster. The question is, will Benford shadow Brock Bowers this week? The Rams throw to tight ends often, which is largely why safety Cole Bishop led the team in total stops at 6-5.
Las Vegas has been a pedestrian matchup for all DB positions thus far, but be sure to plug in Terrel Bernard. The linebacker position is averaging a stellar 10.2 tackles, 10 assists, and a splash play against the Raiders.
Guru's IDP Notes: Carolina Panthers
The Eagles are giving up a lot of sacks (13) for a team that can't throw the ball. There were no updates during the bye week, so keep an eye out for an update on Jaelan Phillips' hamstring injury. Don't forget Princely Umanmielen either. The guy has 11 tackles and 3 sacks in four games.
Guru's IDP Notes: Chicago Bears
If Austin Booker is available, pick him up. After missing half of 2025, he made some noise late in the year with 3.5 sacks over the final four games. He is 10-4-4 with 2 forced fumbles over the last month, including 4-1-2 and a FF against the Packers. Booker also took a clear lead in snaps (72%) over Dayo Odeyingbo in week five. Odeyingbo will get a reprieve with the two-game suspension handed down to Montez Sweat for performance-enhancing drugs. According to Sweat's stat sheet, the drugs weren't working anyway.
Chicago's linebackers have been among the season's biggest IDP disappointments. It is still noteworthy that T.J. Edwards left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. D'Marco Jackson is the next man up.
Tyrique Stevenson Sr. was back in action but was not in his normal role against the pass-happy Packers. After logging about half the snaps in that game with no setbacks, he should be full go against Atlanta.
Cam Lewis and Xavier Woods shared time at FS virtually equally.
Guru's IDP Notes: Cleveland Browns
Cleveland added 4 more sacks in week five. Jared Verse went 1-2 and is still looking for his first of the season. In his defense, Isaiah McGuire was no better in this one at 2-0.
Three of those sacks were credited to interior linemen, including another 1.5 to Maliek Collins. Since shifting to the 3-technique following the injury to Mason Graham, Collins is 4-4-2.5 in two games.
Despite playing on a sore ankle for part of the game, Carson Schwesinger woke up with a strong 5-3-1, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. That's a big sigh of relief for those who tagged him as their LB1. On the other hand, he was still second fiddle to teammate Quincy Williams at 7-4 with 3 forced fumbles and a pass breakup. If Schwesinger is healthy enough to play, both linebackers should be busy this week with the Ravens coming to town. Schwesinger was seen in a walking boot ahead of the team's Wednesday practice.
Guru's IDP Notes: Dallas Cowboys
Dee Winters had a productive outing at 6-4, but keep your expectations in check. He still saw just 64% of the snaps while Jaishawn Barham (2-5) played 79%, and Shemar James 42%. The good news for Dallas is that DeMarvion Overshown is close to a return. He is expected to practice this week and test the hamstring. Even if he plays, I would not count on a full workload right away, but this could be your opportunity to pick him up in some leagues.
Caleb Downs put up excellent numbers in the slot role where he was free to move around. With injuries forcing a shuffle that has him working in more of a traditional safety role, the numbers have slipped considerably. It might be a bit before they come back in full force. Downs is covering one safety spot. Malik Hooker (68%) and Marquese Bell (33%) are sharing time at the other. The team hopes to get Jalen Thompson back in early November.
Guru's IDP Notes: Denver Broncos
Talanoa Hufanga has not produced in the tackle columns the way most of us expected, but he's been a huge factor in the splash play columns. We will see if Devon Key can do any better. Hufanga is expected to miss a few weeks with an ankle injury that ended his week five early.
As for Key's prospects, the cards are stacked against him this week. Seattle has been a below-average matchup in terms of tackles, and they tend to take care of the ball. The safety position has 1 sack and one fumble recovery against them in five games.
Nik Bonitto (3-1-2) and Zach Allen (1-2-1 FF) took advantage of a great matchup last week. They will have to overcome a tough one to be productive in week six. The defensive line positions have produced good tackle totals against Seattle, but the Seahawks don't allow many sacks.
Denver faced the Chargers with both starting corners in street clothes. It may be more of the same this week. Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine did solid jobs on the outside, while Ja'Quan McMillian remained in his normal slot position. The secondary held up well against a Chargers team hurting at receiver. They will be tested often this time by Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Denver fielded 2 linebackers on 90% of the snaps in week five against a struggling Chargers offense. Seattle is not struggling, but they do lean heavily on the run if they can get anything going. Alex Singleton is an every-week play for most of those who have him. Justin Strnad should be a decent stream in this one as well.
Guru's IDP Notes: Detroit Lions
The Lions hope to have Brian Branch back at practice over the bye week, but he is far from a lock to be ready for week 7. The coaching staff threw us a screwball when rookie corner Keith Abney II made the start at safety against Arizona. He replaced Christian Izien in the lineup and on the stat sheet with a solid 5-1 and a pick. With Detroit off, updates on this situation are likely to be scarce until next week.
The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for Aidan Hutchinson, who has turned in three stinkers in a row. Hopefully, a little time to rest and recharge will do the trick. It doesn't hurt that D.J. Wonnum has overcome low snap counts to provide 5 sacks over the last three games. That should be enough to keep opponents honest in their blocking schemes. As for Wonnum, ride the wave if you must, but seeing less than half of the snaps each week is going to catch up with him.
Derrick Barnes was back to 82% of the snaps and a solid 3-2-1 in week five. What we have learned, some of us the hard way, is that he will be productive most of the time, but playing him comes with the risk of a nothing-burger on any given week.
Guru's IDP Notes: Green Bay Packers
As anticipated, the loss of Edgerrin Cooper put Zaire Franklin in the lead role. The 6-3 with a forced fumble and a pass breakup are probably a good measure of his value the rest of the way. The surprise here was Ty'Ron Harper not just sharing time with Isaiah McDuffie, but out-snapping him by a count of 39 to 32. I'll not suggest cutting McDuffie just yet, but keep him on the bench and see what happens this week.
Lukas Van Ness was impressive over the first two-plus games. Not so much over the last two. The kicker is that his snap count took a hit in week five, falling below 60% for the first time on the season. The Mikah Parsons watch is on, but he is not yet close to getting back on the field.
Guru's IDP Notes: Houston Texans
Have the Texans found their LB2 in Jake Hansen? We never know what coaches are thinking. Every year, guys get on the field and appear to play very well, but are relegated to water cooler duty as soon as the team has another option. It's a small sample size, but thus far, Hansen has looked far better to me than Henry To'oto'o ever did. The Texans fielded two linebackers on 95% of the snaps in week five, which is another good sign.
Guru's IDP Notes: Indianapolis Colts
Even the injury to Jaylon Carlies was not enough to force the hand of the Colts coaching staff. CJ Allen finally got a few snaps on defense, but his 24 plays were second fiddle to Austin Ajiake's 32. There was some expectation that Bryce Boettcher could slide into a bigger role. To the contrary, his 11 snaps against the Steelers were a season low.
There is one rookie starting to emerge. Safety A.J. Haulcy recorded a modest 4-2 with a pass breakup on a 93% share of the playing time. Those are not flashy numbers, but it's important to note that he led the team in solo tackles. This might be a good time to sneak him onto your roster.
With Arden Key on IR, Jaylahn Tuimoloau moved into the starting lineup. Colts edge defenders have been a major disappointment thus far, but it's noteworthy that both Tuimoloau and Laiatu Latu were north of an 80% snap count.
Guru's IDP Notes: Jacksonville Jaguars
For all the talk about how well the Jaguars are playing, they still can't generate a pass rush. The Eagles started four backup offensive linemen, and Jacksonville had 1 sack.
The coaching staff told us that Travis Hunter would concentrate on defense this year. This time, they didn't lie. Over the last four games, Hunter has 18 tackles, 5 passes defended, and a pick. Meanwhile, he played 6 offensive snaps against Philadelphia.
Rayuan Lane III replaced the injured Eric Murray at safety.
Guru's IDP Notes: Las Vegas Raiders
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