Eyes of the Guru IDP Info: Week 7

One of the most intriguing things about this game we love is that the dynamics of a season can change completely in a single weekend. There will always be a few injuries to shake things up and keep the target moving. Between the surge of injuries and the shuffle by teams trying to get themselves on track, week six was closer to an upheaval. Let's dig in and see if we can turn this cow pie into a silk purse.

Guru's IDP Notes: Arizona Cardinals

It's hard to tell if it was a stuttering Rams offense or a more stubborn-than-usual Cardinals defense. Either way, the result was poor production by Cardinals defenders across the board. At 4-2-1 with a pass breakup, Budda Baker was the only member of this unit to reach double-digit points. On tap next is the matchup with a Denver offense that is playing as poorly as any in the league. Bo Nix is not throwing the ball down the field, and the lack of a passing game has opponents stacking the box against the run. The bottom line is, there are no must-start defenders on the Arizona roster this week. Even Baker is shaky.

With two safeties inactive, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson made the start next to Baker, but he was limited to 18 snaps, presumably due to the sore back he has been fighting over the last few weeks. Taylor-Demerson managed 3 tackles and an assist in the limited action. Kalen King saw the rest of the action and did nothing with his 36 snaps, finishing the game with 1 assist.

Josh Sweat went 2-2-1 against the Rams, giving him 2 sacks over the last 3 games. I wouldn't read much into it, except that his snap count jumped to 79% as well. Sweat had previously not reached a 60% share in any game. It was one outing, so it's hard to tell if this is a change that will stick or just a fluke to tease us. At 7-4-2 over the last three games, Sweat is a player we will want to keep an eye on.

Guru's IDP Notes: Atlanta Falcons

At 2-2 on 25 plays, Divine Deablo may have been headed for a productive day when he left the game with an arm injury. We might have expected Kendal Daniels or Harold Perkins Jr. to be the beneficiary, but that was not the case, or was it? The picture is fuzzy. Daniels went on to post a team-high 6 solo stops and an assist on 44 of a possible 77 snaps, but he might have played more had he not been dinged as well. Neither Deablo nor Daniels (neck) were at practice at the start of the week.

If both Deablo and Daniels are out, Perkins should see a leap in snaps in a strong matchup with  San Francisco. Josh Woods came off the bench to log 45 snaps and go 3-1 versus Chicago. The nine-year veteran would be an option for one of the starting spots, as would Jared Ivey, who made 3 stops on 19 plays. Picking up one of these guys without further updates from the team would be a crapshoot. Hopefully there will be more info to go on later in the week.

Guru's IDP Notes: Baltimore Ravens

Nnamdi Madubuike has been making an impact on the field since his return in week three. He finally showed up on the stat sheet in week six, posting 4-1-.5 against the Browns. Allowing under 2 sacks per game, the Bengals are not the candy store they once were for pass rushers. However, it is noteworthy that half of their 9 sacks allowed have gone to tackles.

Trenton Simpson managed to outproduce Roquan Smith again on fewer than 60% of the snaps. The good news for anyone rolling with Simpson is that the trend of Teddye Buchanan's snap count growing came to a halt. He saw action on five plays against Cleveland.

Trey Hendrickson returned after a two-game absence. He got back in the sack column but did nothing else on his 62% share of the action. Hendrickson will have the added incentive of playing his former team this week, so he should be pumped up if he plays. He was seen in line outside the X-Ray room after the game. Watch the practice reports just to be safe.

Guru's IDP Notes: Buffalo Bills

C.J. Gardner-Johnson did nothing for half of the game, then got ejected and suspended for a game for spitting at Brock Bowers. There is a reason this head case has been with 8 teams over the last nine seasons. Damar Hamlin replaced him and should get the start in week eight when the Bills return from their bye.

Remember early in the season when I kept talking about how Greg Rousseau would get hot for a minute and then vanish for stretches? After week three, he was the fantasy game's number one edge and was leading the league with 6 sacks. Over his last three games, Rousseau is 2-4-0 with 4 batted passes, and he hasn't recorded a full tackle since week 4. It looked as if he had turned over a new leaf, but in the end, a tiger can't change its stripes.

Guru's IDP Notes: Carolina Panthers

Rookie corner Will Lee III was a hot pickup after his week one showing. Most who added him had since thrown him back in the pool before last week's 6-0 and 3 passes defended. If you are among those of us streaming corners, this would be a good week to pick him up. We might even want to hang onto him for a bit. Over the next nine games, Carolina has five matchups with the Buccaneers x2, the Saints X2, and the Bengals. All three teams are top five matchups for corners.

Guru's IDP Notes: Chicago Bears

Kyler Gordon made a dramatic entrance, piling up 4-0-3 with 2 forced fumbles in his season debut. The production has many managers adding him this week. It's hard to argue against making that move. The guy has been productive when healthy for most of his career. The problem is the when healthy part of the statement, as that hasn't happened often. The other point to be aware of is that he played only 17 snaps. Gordon blitzed on 9 of those snaps, catching the Falcons unprepared. Now that it is on film for future opponents to study, his success will be tough to repeat.

Chicago's linebackers have been a major disappointment to date. Devin Bush showed signs of life with a season-best 4-3 and a fumble recovery against Atlanta. D'Marco Jackson made the start for the injured T.J. Edwards, posting 1 tackle on an 84% playshare. Noah Sewell was 4-2 in the third LB role, seeing most of his 25 snaps in base packages with 3 linebackers on the field. The Patriots are a middle-of-the-road matchup for linebackers, so avoid this mess altogether if possible.

Austin Booker failed to land another sack, but he did manage 3 solo stops on 75% of the snaps against Atlanta. The Patriots are a tough matchup for the edge position. After allowing 6 sacks over their first two games, they have allowed 2 in the last three contests. If you need to start Booker, take solace in the fact that the edge position is averaging a strong 12 tackles per game against them.

Daniel Hardy went 1-2-1 in his first start of the season. He was standing in for the suspended Montez Sweat, who remains on his commissioner-imposed vacation.

Safety Xavier Woods appears to have been benched in favor of Elijah Hicks.

Guru's IDP Notes: Cleveland Browns

Maliek Collins got to the quarterback again, going 1-2-1 against Baltimore. That makes him 5-6-3.5 in the three games following the injury to Mason Graham. Be wary of pushing your luck with him this week, though. Tennessee has allowed the fewest points to tackles thus far. They may have a pedestrian offense, but they don't give up many sacks and don't turn the ball over much. The tackle position as a whole averages 2.3 solos and 5 assists against them, and the Titans have allowed 1 sack to the position on the season.

Grant Delpit left week six with a concussion and is currently in protocol. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren took over and played full-time after Delpit departed. Unfortunately, the Titans are not much of a matchup for safeties either.

Guru's IDP Notes: Dallas Cowboys

Dee Winters lasted 16 plays before exiting with what is being called a strained Achilles. The good news is that it's not season-ending. The better news is that DeMarvion Overshown is expected back. Barring a setback, he should be in the lineup against Philadelphia. That said, Dallas has not yet had a linebacker play more than 80% of the snaps in a game this year. That could change with Overshown available, but I wouldn't count on it this week since he hasn't played in well over a month.

In last week's EOTG, I pointed out that Caleb Downs had moved to a more traditional safety role, which all but ruined his IDP value for a minute. The coaching staff helped us out by playing Marquese Bell at safety, allowing Downs to return to the slot role. The result was a 12-tackle performance by the rookie. Put him back in your lineup.

Guru's IDP Notes: Denver Broncos

Riley Moss returned to the field after missing week five with sore ribs. He saw action on 20 snaps against Seattle, though it is unclear if he was on a snap count or aggravated the injury. Either way, the long week should be enough to get him back in close to his normal role against Arizona. If he is good to go, put Moss in your lineup against an Arizona team that allowed the third most points to corners.

Devon Key stepped in when Talanoa Hufanga went down in week five and was expected to be the man in week six. That's not how it worked out, though. Key made the start and produced 5 solo stops, but it was Taylor Rapp who handled 76% of the playing time.

The Denver defense gets a boost this week with the return of Jonathon Cooper. There is something to be said about having fresh legs in week seven. On the other hand, Arizona is a weak matchup for edge defenders.

Guru's IDP Notes: Detroit Lions