The trade deadline has come and gone, and there was some movement on the defensive side of the ball. We have begun the stretch run in Week 9 as we try to separate with the contenders from the pretenders.
Defensive Linemen
DE Dean Lowry, Green Bay Packers
The 27-year-old Lowry has at least a half-sack in four consecutive games. He also has 13 tackles over the last three games. He’s a big, 296-pound, high-motor player, and even though the sacks may come back to the mean, he is still around the ball.
DE D.J. Wonnum, Minnesota Vikings
Stud DE Danielle Hunter (pectoral) is out for the season, and the former fourth-round pick Wonnum is set to replace him. He’s a deep-league, speculative pickup, but he had three sacks in limited action as a rookie last year. He has eight tackles and a sack over his last three games combined in limited action.
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Linebackers
LB Damien Wilson, Jacksonville Jaguars
The 28-year-old veteran has played opposite of Myles Jack on the interior and posted some solid tackle numbers. He hasn’t contributed anywhere else, though. He had eight tackles last week and has had three games of at least that many stops in a game. His bye week is behind him, and he’ll provide quality depth.
LB Von Miller, Los Angeles Rams
Miller (ankle) is a bigger name than a fantasy asset, but he wreaks havoc in opposing backfields. He’ll line up with Leonard Floyd on the other side tearing it up, Aaron Donald up front, and Jalen Ramsey behind him. That defense is going to be scary, and Miller should have enough opportunities for sacks to be a worthwhile pickup.
Defensive Backs
FS Marcus Epps, Philadelphia Eagles
Epps has broke out the last two weeks with 11 and nine tackles, respectively. In fact, he has at least eight tackles in three of the last four. The Eagles aren’t going anywhere, and teams are dominating time of possession against them, which leads to ample tackle changes for Epps.
CB Josh Norman, San Francisco 49ers
The former All-Pro has put up some absurd numbers the last two weeks. He has 17 tackles, three forced fumbles, an INT and two pass defenses. He’ll take on the Arizona Cardinals with a gimpy Kyler Murray (ankle) who may not even be able to suit up. Ride his hot streak at least another week.