- Aidan Hutchinson comes through for IDP managers in Round 1: Hutchinson’s sack and interception break a two-game cold streak as he draws decent matchups in the next two weeks.
- The New England Patriots pull the rug on IDP managers: Robert Spillane was active but didn’t play a single defensive snap as the team only had him active for emergency purposes, and created a massive hole in starting IDP lineups.
- Get PFF+ for 30% off: Use promo code HOLIDAY30 to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season.
Estimated Reading Time: 75 minutes
Week 15 takeaways
Waiver wire
- LB Akeem Davis–Gaither, Arizona Cardinals: With Cody Simon injured, Davis-Gaither stepped into a full-time role for the rest of this game. Interestingly, Davis-Gaither was operating as the team’s LB2 after seemingly being demoted for Owen Pappoe last week. It isn’t easy to know if Simon will miss more time, but with Mack Wilson potentially returning next week as well, Davis-Gaither should be treated as a speculative add only.
- LB Trenton Simpson, Baltimore Ravens: Simpson replaced the injured Teddye Buchanan, making Simpson a viable deep-league option. The Ravens have one of the more favorable tackle schedules for the linebacker position in Weeks 16 and 17.
- LB DeMarvion Overshown, Dallas Cowboys: Overshown finally played a (near) every-down role following his return from injury and is a more viable option in most IDP formats now. The Cowboys’ linebackers have a favorable tackle schedule over the next two weeks, making Overshown a solid potential starting option for IDP managers in need.
- LB Henry To’oTo’o, Houston Texans: For the second week in a row, To’oTo’o played an every-down role and should be a much safer option for IDP rosters in need. The Texans have been a little inconsistent with their second linebacker usage this year, but this is a positive trend for To’oTo’o to be a trustworthy option again.
- LB Darius Muasau, New York Giants: After missing the last four games, Muasau returned to the lineup and immediately regained his LB2 role, playing 80% of the defensive snaps and even leading the team in tackles. Muasau should be viewed as a deep-league option, given his snap share.
- LB James Williams, Tennessee Titans: Williams played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps once Cedric Gray (concussion) left the game and should be a top waiver option, especially on Sleeper, where he holds DB eligibility, assuming that Gray will miss next week’s game.
- S Zayne Anderson, Green Bay Packers: Anderson stepped into an every-down role following Williams’ injury and is the most likely replacement should Evan Williams continue to miss time. The Packers don’t have a great safety tackle schedule these next two weeks, though Anderson can still be a deep league option with good usage for teams in need.
- ED Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings: Turner should see a volume-heavy role if Jonathan Greenard is going to miss more time, and he draws at least one positive matchup against the New York Giants in Week 16 that IDP managers may be able to get some use out of if Greenard misses time.
- ED Nick Herbig, Pittsburgh Steelers: After a surprise injury incident last week, T.J. Watt is already out for Week 15 and at risk of missing Week 16 as well. For IDP managers who have not yet grabbed Herbig where he’s available, now is the time to make sure he’s on your roster on the chance Watt is going to be out again.
Be sure to check out last week’s waiver wire targets and team usage here.
JUMP TO A TEAM:
ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Arizona Cardinals
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 67 (13th) | 73.9% (14th) | 16.6% (25th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Baron Browning | 47.8% | 42.4% | 29.4% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 60.2 |
| Jordan Burch | 47.8% | 54.5% | 32.4% | 0.0% | 9.1% | 53.2 |
| Josh Sweat | 43.3% | 30.3% | 55.9% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 53.0 |
| Zaven Collins | 43.3% | 36.4% | 32.4% | 27.3% | 27.3% | 90.1 |
| BJ Ojulari | 29.9% | 42.4% | 8.8% | 50.0% | 50.0% | 56.6 |
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Walter Nolen | 61.2% | 51.5% | 70.6% | 13.0% | 21.7% | 74.4 |
| Darius Robinson | 47.8% | 60.6% | 35.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 52.7 |
| Dante Stills | 40.3% | 57.6% | 23.5% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 64.6 |
| Calais Campbell | 38.8% | 21.2% | 55.9% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 61.9 |
| Dalvin Tomlinson | 34.3% | 39.4% | 29.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 55.6 |
| PJ Mustipher | 34.3% | 48.5% | 20.6% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 65.8 |
- Rookie watch: Walter Nolen returned to the lineup after missing a few games due to injury and immediately delivered for IDP again, landing his second sack of the year in this one. Nolen has been incredibly productive on a very small sample size in his rookie year, which is going to naturally create excitement about his dynasty potential, though it also likely creates room for regression on a larger sample size. For now, however, Nolen looks like a solid DT-required option to target/value in dynasty formats.
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Akeem Davis-Gaither | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 16.4% | 11 |
| Owen Pappoe | 73.1% | 73.6% | 71.4% | 8.2% | 4 |
| Cody Simon | 11.9% | 13.2% | 7.1% | 0.0% | 0 |
| Channing Tindall | 4.5% | 5.7% | 33.3% | 1 |
- Injury: Cody Simon left this game in the first quarter and did not return.
- Waiver wire: With Cody Simon injured, Davis-Gaither stepped into a full-time role for the rest of this game. Interestingly, Akeem Davis-Gaither was operating as the team’s LB2 after seemingly being demoted for Owen Pappoe last week. It isn’t easy to know if Simon will miss more time, but with Mack Wilson potentially returning next week as well, Davis-Gaither should be treated as a speculative add only.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Budda Baker | 100.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 59.7% | 16.4% | 20.9% |
| Darren Hall | 62.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 23.8% | 71.4% | 4.8% |
| Kitan Crawford | 37.3% | 4.0% | 8.0% | 40.0% | 28.0% | 24.0% |
- Point of interest: With Jalen Thompson out for this game, Darren Hall and Kitan Crawford shared the starting safety duties, essentially sapping any IDP potential out of this spot for now, as long as Thompson is out.
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Garrett Williams | 100.0% | 0.0% | 16.4% | 31.3% | 52.2% | 3 |
| Will Johnson | 100.0% | 0.0% | 20.9% | 0.0% | 79.1% | 6 |
| Denzel Burke | 38.8% | 0.0% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 92.3% | 1 |
| Kei'Trel Clark | 3.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 50.0% | 0 |
Atlanta Falcons
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 69 (7th | 75.5% (12th) | 20.0% (18th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| James Pearce Jr. | 68.1% | 59.1% | 72.3% | 11.1% | 22.2% | 62.9 |
| Jalon Walker | 60.9% | 59.1% | 57.4% | 8.0% | 16.0% | 62.6 |
| Leonard Floyd | 50.7% | 50.0% | 44.7% | 15.0% | 10.0% | 57.0 |
| Arnold Ebiketie | 21.7% | 22.7% | 21.3% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 51.4 |
- Rookie watch: James Pearce Jr. continues to put together an excellent second half of his rookie season. Pearce added two sacks to his totals this week, bringing his sack streak to six games. Pearce and fellow first-rounder from the 2025 rookie class have both been improving their dynasty stock in Year 1, though Pearce has reached the point where he has likely made his way into starting lineups this year already as well.
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| David Onyemata | 55.1% | 72.7% | 46.8% | 9.5% | 9.5% | 66.4 |
| Brandon Dorlus | 50.7% | 27.3% | 61.7% | 17.4% | 26.1% | 60.7 |
| Ruke Orhorhoro | 40.6% | 31.8% | 44.7% | 13.3% | 6.7% | 71.7 |
| Kentavius Street | 39.1% | 63.6% | 27.7% | 16.7% | 8.3% | 66.7 |
| LaCale London | 21.7% | 40.9% | 12.8% | 20.0% | 20.0% | 81.1 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Divine Deablo | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 4.3% | 3 |
| Kaden Elliss | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 8.7% | 6 |
| Ronnie Harrison | 7.2% | 7.0% | 9.1% | 0.0% | 0 |
| Josh Woods | 1.4% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0 |
- Point of interest: The Falcons’ linebackers were relatively quiet in this game, though interestingly enough, Divine Deablo ended up picking up a half-sack this week with a lower tackle total than Kaden Elliss. Due to the nature of their roles, Elliss has typically been the low-floor tackler with sack upside, while Deablo is more likely to come away with more tackles. This week was more of an outlier in terms of their source of production.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Jessie Bates III | 100.0% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 56.5% | 30.4% | 10.1% |
| Xavier Watts | 98.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 61.8% | 23.5% | 13.2% |
- Point of interest: It was a much more productive game from Atlanta’s safeties this week after quiet performances last week. Both Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts spend a high rate of defensive snaps in the box, so pushing for the team lead in tackles each week is no real surprise, and it should continue to be a possibility through the remainder of the year.
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| A.J. Terrell | 98.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 5 |
| Dee Alford | 87.0% | 5.0% | 11.7% | 83.3% | 5.0% | 8 |
| Cobee Bryant | 84.1% | 0.0% | 3.4% | 5.2% | 91.4% | 9 |
| Mike Hughes | 13.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| Natrone Brooks | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 |
Baltimore Ravens
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 76 (1st) | 61.4% (27th) | 32.6% (4th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Dre'Mont Jones | 67.1% | 60.7% | 62.5% | 28.6% | 21.4% | 88.7 |
| Mike Green | 52.6% | 64.3% | 41.7% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 58.0 |
| Tavius Robinson | 44.7% | 14.3% | 62.5% | 3.6% | 7.1% | 57.2 |
| Kyle Van Noy | 43.4% | 25.0% | 52.1% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 50.5 |
| David Ojabo | 23.7% | 42.9% | 12.5% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 64.1 |
- Rookie watch: Mike Green added a sack this week, bringing him to 3.5 on the year, as he continues to get decent playing time in Year 1 with a strong chance of developing into a weekly IDP starting option in the years ahead. For now, all of the Ravens’ defensive linemen should be viewed as matchup-dependent options.
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Travis Jones | 71.1% | 57.1% | 77.1% | 14.7% | 11.8% | 70.9 |
| John Jenkins | 43.4% | 64.3% | 31.3% | 7.1% | 0.0% | 58.7 |
| Brent Urban | 30.3% | 46.4% | 20.8% | 11.1% | 0.0% | 61.0 |
| Basil Okoye | 21.1% | 28.6% | 16.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 53.7 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Roquan Smith | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 17.1% | 13 |
| Trenton Simpson | 46.1% | 54.5% | 23.8% | 20.0% | 7 |
| Teddye Buchanan | 15.8% | 20.0% | 4.8% | 16.7% | 2 |
- Injury: Teddye Buchanan suffered a torn ACL in the first quarter of this game and did not return.
- Waiver wire: Trenton Simpson replaced the injured Buchanan, making Simpson a viable deep-league option. The Ravens have one of the more favorable tackle schedules for the linebacker position in Weeks 16 and 17.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Alohi Gilman | 100.0% | 1.3% | 5.3% | 28.9% | 61.8% | 3.9% |
| Kyle Hamilton | 100.0% | 3.9% | 14.5% | 39.5% | 7.9% | 35.5% |
| Malaki Starks | 94.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 31.9% | 51.4% | 13.9% |
| Ar'Darius Washington | 19.7% | 0.0% | 13.3% | 6.7% | 26.7% | 53.3% |
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Nate Wiggins | 100.0% | 0.0% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 92.1% | 9 |
| Marlon Humphrey | 94.7% | 0.0% | 1.4% | 25.0% | 72.2% | 3 |
| Chidobe Awuzie | 21.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 87.5% | 1 |
| T.J. Tampa | 10.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
Buffalo Bills
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 52 (29th) | 69.8% (19th) | 23.7% (14th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Greg Rousseau | 76.9% | 56.5% | 89.7% | 28.0% | 20.0% | 80.1 |
| Joey Bosa | 75.0% | 60.9% | 79.3% | 13.6% | 9.1% | 64.1 |
| A.J. Epenesa | 44.2% | 43.5% | 37.9% | 10.0% | 0.0% | 55.9 |
- Point of interest: Joey Bosa returned to the lineup after missing last week’s game. Bosa came up with his first career batted pass in this game to effectively end the game on defense.
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| DaQuan Jones | 67.3% | 65.2% | 69.0% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 58.8 |
| Larry Ogunjobi | 48.1% | 56.5% | 41.4% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 49.0 |
| Deone Walker | 38.5% | 43.5% | 34.5% | 10.0% | 0.0% | 61.7 |
| T.J. Sanders | 26.9% | 43.5% | 13.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 54.3 |
| Jordan Phillips | 17.3% | 30.4% | 6.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 58.6 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Shaq Thompson | 98.1% | 97.5% | 100.0% | 5.9% | 3 |
| Matt Milano | 86.5% | 97.5% | 50.0% | 15.6% | 7 |
| Dorian Williams | 36.5% | 30.0% | 58.3% | 5.3% | 1 |
| Joe Andreessen | 1.9% | 2.5% | 0.0% | 0 |
- Point of interest: Matt Milano delivered his best IDP performance in a very long time, as he not only led the team in tackles this week but also added two sacks to his day. Milano’s outlook as a deep-league LB4-5 doesn’t really change after this performance, but this was obviously a welcome LB1 performance for IDP managers who had him in lineups.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Cole Bishop | 100.0% | 1.9% | 3.8% | 28.8% | 57.7% | 9.6% |
| Jordan Poyer | 76.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 72.5% | 25.0% | 2.5% |
| Cam Lewis | 23.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 16.7% | 66.7% | 8.3% |
| Jordan Hancock | 3.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Tre'Davious White | 100.0% | 0.0% | 3.8% | 1.9% | 94.2% | 4 |
| Maxwell Hairston | 100.0% | 1.9% | 9.6% | 9.6% | 75.0% | 4 |
| Taron Johnson | 78.8% | 2.4% | 4.9% | 85.4% | 2.4% | 4 |
Carolina Panthers
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 69 (7th) | 82.1% (1st) | 12.1% (32nd) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| D.J. Wonnum | 65.2% | 58.3% | 60.0% | 0.0% | 3.9% | 56.2 |
| Nic Scourton | 62.3% | 45.8% | 68.9% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 62.4 |
| Trevis Gipson | 34.8% | 58.3% | 22.2% | 33.3% | 22.2% | 81.8 |
| Princely Umanmielen | 17.4% | 8.3% | 22.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 51.6 |
| Thomas Incoom | 1.4% | 4.2% | 0.0% |
- Point of interest: The Panthers’ defensive line was able to take advantage of a favorable pass-rush matchup this week, landing five sacks against the New Orleans Saints. D.J. Wonnum, in particular, had a nice day with two sacks, as he continues to be a volume-based matchup-dependent option for these final two weeks, though he doesn’t draw strong pass-rush matchups against Tampa Bay and Seattle.
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Derrick Brown | 87.0% | 79.2% | 88.9% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 54.0 |
| A'Shawn Robinson | 81.2% | 75.0% | 84.4% | 8.3% | 5.6% | 61.9 |
| Bobby Brown III | 46.4% | 70.8% | 33.3% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 72.3 |
| LaBryan Ray | 13.0% | 12.5% | 11.1% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 64.3 |
| Cam'Ron Jackson | 7.2% | 8.3% | 4.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 57.6 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Trevin Wallace | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 4.3% | 3 |
| Christian Rozeboom | 71.0% | 75.0% | 53.8% | 10.2% | 5 |
| Isaiah Simmons | 1.4% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0 |
- Point of interest: The Panthers’ linebacker corps returned to normal this week with Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom both healthy again. Wallace has been greatly inefficient as a tackler this season, coming in below 10% on the year, and a very low-end full-time linebacker for IDP purposes.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Nick Scott | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 14.5% | 78.3% | 7.2% |
| Tre'von Moehrig | 100.0% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 34.8% | 14.5% | 44.9% |
| Lathan Ransom | 29.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 90.0% | 10.0% |
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Mike Jackson | 100.0% | 0.0% | 21.7% | 0.0% | 78.3% | 4 |
| Jaycee Horn | 100.0% | 0.0% | 11.6% | 0.0% | 88.4% | 7 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | 79.7% | 5.5% | 18.2% | 52.7% | 0.0% | 3 |
| Akayleb Evans | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
Chicago Bears
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