We’re one-third of the way into the season, and bye weeks are upon us. By now, you should have a good idea of your roster construction’s strengths and weaknesses. IDPs are one of the first drops you make to cover byes, which means you need to keep your eyes peeled to the waiver wire for players who shouldn’t have been cut.
Each week, we’ll highlight diamonds in the rough or some players that just need to be rostered in more leagues on the defensive side of the ball. Keep in mind your scoring system and roster restraints when heading to the waiver wire to grab these IDPs.
Defensive Linemen
DE Zach Allen, Arizona Cardinals
The 2019 third-round pick has been stuffing the stat sheet the last three weeks. He had 17 total tackles, two sacks and four pass defenses to be one of the top players at the position over the stretch. He had 48 tackles and four sacks last year, which lends us to believe his tackling numbers have some staying power.
DE Montez Sweat, Washington Commanders
Sweat was a big disappointment through the first four weeks of the season, and a lot of impatient owners let him go. He came alive in Week 5 with six tackles and his first two sacks of the year. Clearly, he has struggled without DE Chase Young on the other side, but the team has been happy with Sweat’s run-stopping ability. Young could be back in a matter of weeks, which means Sweat should be owned universally because of last week’s breakout and the future upside.
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Linebackers
LB David Long, Tennessee Titans
Long is on a bye this week – so keep that in mind. He had his best game of the season in Week 5 with 11 tackles and an interception. Yet, fantasy owners have been slow to the trigger to pick him up off waivers. He has at least seven tackles in four of five games, and this bye week should only make him more available. Grab him and stash him for a week if you can.
LB Darius Harris, Kansas City Chiefs
Harris exploded with 10 tackles in Week 3, but he followed it up with a goose egg in Week 4, which caused a surge of people hitting the drop button. He had just 15 tackles in two seasons in his career leading up to this year, which made the performance seem fluky. He responded with 10 tackles and his first career sack Monday night. He has to be part of the picture even when Willie Gay Jr. returns from suspension.
Defensive Backs
CB Cameron Dantzler, Minnesota Vikings
Dantzler had the play that iced the game in Week 5 when he stripped the ball away from a Bears receiver. However it’s what he has done in the tackle category that has made fantasy owners take notice. Dantzler has eight tackles in two of the last three games, and he has five or more in four of the five games. He’s at 30 tackles on the year and well on his way to shattering his career-high of 53 last year.
CB Deommodore Lenoir, San Francisco 49ers
It was really unfortunate that CB Emmanuel Moseley had arguably the best game of his career in Week 5 and left the contest with a torn ACL. Lenoir has been ballin’ out the last three weeks, and he only figures to see more action with Moseley lost for the year. Lenoir has 21 tackles, a sack and a pass defense over the stretch and should start being picked up with more playing time in store.