- Carson Schwesinger has been automatic: The second half of the season has led to elite IDP linebacker production from the rookie, and he will have one more week of the fantasy season to solidify his defensive rookie of the year bid.
- Key injuries at linebacker create several potential fill-in options heading into Week 17: DeMarvion Overshown and Nakobe Dean are among the most recent linebackers lost to injury, which could have IDP managers scrambling for a replacement.
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Estimated Reading Time: 75 minutes
Week 16 takeaways
Waiver wire
- LB Shemar James, Dallas Cowboys: With DeMarvion Overshown likely out in Week 17 due to a concussion, Shemar James became an option after he ended up playing an increased role while Kenneth Murray and Logan Wilson continued to share snaps throughout the game. The Cowboys’ linebackers draw a decent tackle matchup against Washington, so James could deliver for deep rosters in need.
- LB E.J. Speed, Houston Texans: With Azeez Al-Shaair out this week, E.J. Speed moved into an every-down role alongside Henry To’oTo’o. Both players were underwhelming in terms of production, though they can be fine fill-in options next week in a positive matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
- LB Jack Gibbens, New England Patriots: With Robert Spillane actually inactive this week, Gibbens manned the green dot as the team’s lone every-down linebacker. Gibbens led the team in tackles once again and has been an efficient player in that regard this season. Gibbens will remain in this role if Spillane misses another game, putting him in play for Week 17 IDP managers.
- LB Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles: Campbell should be considered as a potential fill-in option for IDP managers in need, as Nakobe Dean is likely to miss next week. Campbell should play close to an every-down role and draw a positive matchup against the Buffalo Bills to potentially deliver.
- S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Arizona Cardinals: With Jalen Thompson out again, Taylor-Demerson moved into a full-time role and led the team in tackles (11) this week. The Cardinals have missed Taylor-Demerson since Week 10 and had to replace Thompson by committee last week, though if Thompson misses one more game, Taylor-Demerson can be viewed as a possible fill-in option next week.
- S Javon Bullard, Green Bay Packers: Bullard moved back to a full-time safety role for the first time this season after spending the majority of his time recently in the slot. With Evan Williams injured and potentially at risk of missing next week as well, Bullard could be a viable streaming option for those in need.
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) |
| 77 (3rd) | 73.6% (14th) | 16.9% (25th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Zaven Collins | 54.5% | 53.8% | 34.2% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 56.8 |
| Jordan Burch | 50.6% | 51.3% | 50.0% | 5.6% | 0.0% | 54.0 |
| Baron Browning | 46.8% | 43.6% | 34.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% | 56.2 |
| BJ Ojulari | 41.6% | 41.0% | 36.8% | 23.1% | 15.4% | 66.1 |
| Josh Sweat | 9.1% | 10.3% | 7.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 54.5 |
- Injury: Josh Sweat suffered an injury on the second snap of the game. He came back in for a handful of snaps in the second quarter but was unable to finish the game after that.
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Darius Robinson | 55.8% | 71.8% | 39.5% | 7.1% | 0.0% | 57.6 |
| Dalvin Tomlinson | 49.4% | 51.3% | 47.4% | 16.7% | 11.1% | 80.6 |
| Calais Campbell | 46.8% | 38.5% | 55.3% | 5.3% | 10.5% | 60.7 |
| Dante Stills | 45.5% | 59.0% | 31.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 52.5 |
| PJ Mustipher | 36.4% | 46.2% | 26.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 55.8 |
| Walter Nolen | 35.1% | 20.5% | 50.0% | 11.1% | 27.8% | 66.7 |
- Injury: Walter Nolen suffered a knee injury early in the third quarter of this game and did not return. Nolen has had a productive rookie year when he’s on the field; however, he hasn’t been on the field very much as he’s dealt with a string of injuries.
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Cody Simon | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7.8% | 6 |
| Akeem Davis-Gaither | 88.3% | 89.5% | 85.0% | 14.7% | 10 |
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | 97.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 40.0% | 54.7% | 5.3% |
| Budda Baker | 88.3% | 4.4% | 7.4% | 69.1% | 13.2% | 10.3% |
| Kitan Crawford | 14.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 18.2% | 81.8% | 0.0% |
- Waiver wire: With Jalen Thompson out again, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson moved into a full-time role and led the team in tackles (11) this week. The Cardinals have missed Taylor-Demerson since Week 10 and had to replace Thompson by committee last week, though if Thompson misses one more game, Taylor-Demerson can be viewed as a possible fill-in option next week.
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Will Johnson | 100.0% | 0.0% | 22.1% | 0.0% | 77.9% | 3 |
| Denzel Burke | 90.9% | 0.0% | 11.4% | 0.0% | 88.6% | 4 |
| Jaden Davis | 33.8% | 3.8% | 11.5% | 84.6% | 0.0% | 3 |
| Garrett Williams | 15.6% | 0.0% | 8.3% | 50.0% | 41.7% | 1 |
- Injury: Garrett Williams suffered an Achilles injury early in this game and did not return.
Atlanta Falcons
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 57 (25th) | 76.1% (10th) | 19.5% (20th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| James Pearce Jr. | 59.6% | 56.5% | 61.8% | 5.0% | 0.0% | 56.8 |
| Jalon Walker | 54.4% | 43.5% | 55.9% | 5.6% | 0.0% | 51.1 |
| Leonard Floyd | 40.4% | 30.4% | 44.1% | 21.4% | 7.1% | 63.0 |
| Khalid Kareem | 19.3% | 21.7% | 14.7% | 60.0% | 40.0% | 67.6 |
| Arnold Ebiketie | 7.0% | 8.7% | 5.9% | 50.0% | 50.0% | 90.4 |
- Rookie watch: James Pearce Jr. just barely kept his sack streak alive, landing a half-sack Sunday, extending to seven consecutive games where he’s taken down the quarterback. Pearce has earned his way into ED2 range for IDP purposes and will draw one more tough matchup against the Los Angeles Rams next week.
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Kentavius Street | 57.9% | 69.6% | 50.0% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 55.6 |
| David Onyemata | 56.1% | 69.6% | 47.1% | 12.5% | 6.3% | 55.4 |
| Brandon Dorlus | 45.6% | 34.8% | 52.9% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 58.7 |
| LaCale London | 40.4% | 47.8% | 35.3% | 16.7% | 8.3% | 66.1 |
| Ruke Orhorhoro | 35.1% | 34.8% | 35.3% | 9.1% | 27.3% | 62.7 |
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% | 12.3% | 7 |
| Kaden Elliss | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 8.8% | 5 |
| Ronnie Harrison | 40.4% | 46.5% | 21.4% | 8.7% | 2 |
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Jessie Bates III | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 43.9% | 26.3% | 29.8% |
| Xavier Watts | 96.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 61.8% | 20.0% | 18.2% |
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| A.J. Terrell | 93.0% | 0.0% | 17.0% | 0.0% | 83.0% | 3 |
| CJ Henderson | 64.9% | 0.0% | 5.4% | 0.0% | 94.6% | 2 |
| Dee Alford | 43.9% | 8.0% | 4.0% | 92.0% | 0.0% | 4 |
| Cobee Bryant | 42.1% | 0.0% | 8.3% | 0.0% | 91.7% | 2 |
| Natrone Brooks | 3.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 |
Baltimore Ravens
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 75 (4th) | 61.4% (29th) | 32.3% (4th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Tavius Robinson | 70.7% | 85.7% | 55.6% | 0.0% | 7.4% | 46.4 |
| Dre'Mont Jones | 60.0% | 23.8% | 70.4% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 58.9 |
| Kyle Van Noy | 48.0% | 19.0% | 51.9% | 11.5% | 11.5% | 52.9 |
| Mike Green | 45.3% | 71.4% | 31.5% | 17.6% | 23.5% | 70.7 |
| David Ojabo | 1.3% | 0.0% | 1.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 60.0 |
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Travis Jones | 76.0% | 71.4% | 74.1% | 13.5% | 18.9% | 58.5 |
| John Jenkins | 49.3% | 90.5% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 5.9% | 52.0 |
| Josh Tupou | 40.0% | 61.9% | 31.5% | 11.8% | 5.9% | 63.1 |
| Brent Urban | 34.7% | 61.9% | 24.1% | 7.7% | 15.4% | 64.4 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Roquan Smith | 98.7% | 100.0% | 94.1% | 14.9% | 11 |
| Trenton Simpson | 70.7% | 78.9% | 41.2% | 11.3% | 6 |
| William Kwenkeu | 2.7% | 1.8% | 5.9% | 0.0% | 0 |
| Jake Hummel | 2.7% | 1.8% | 5.9% | 0.0% | 0 |
| Carl Jones Jr. | 1.3% | 5.9% | 0.0% | 0 |
- Point of interest: With Teddye Buchanan sidelined for the rest of this season, Trenton Simpson stepped into the team’s part-time LB2 role and had a solid IDP performance, which included a sack. Simpson will remain just a deep-league IDP option for those in need next week.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Kyle Hamilton | 98.7% | 6.8% | 18.9% | 43.2% | 0.0% | 35.1% |
| Alohi Gilman | 97.3% | 1.4% | 9.6% | 28.8% | 52.1% | 9.6% |
| Malaki Starks | 76.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 21.1% | 59.6% | 19.3% |
| Ar'Darius Washington | 29.3% | 22.7% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 86.4% |
| Keondre Jackson | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Nate Wiggins | 94.7% | 0.0% | 7.0% | 0.0% | 91.5% | 6 |
| Marlon Humphrey | 89.3% | 1.5% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 94.0% | 13 |
| T.J. Tampa | 5.3% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 25.0% | 0.0% | 0 |
| Keyon Martin | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 |
- Point of interest: Marlon Humphrey has been an excellent IDP cornerback this year, coming through with another good game this week thanks to six solo tackles and an interception. Humphrey gets a poor tackle matchup next week to potentially overcome.
Buffalo Bills
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 67 (12th) | 69.2% (20th) | 23.9% (14th) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Greg Rousseau | 67.2% | 46.4% | 76.9% | 23.3% | 33.3% | 79.7 |
| Joey Bosa | 59.7% | 46.4% | 64.1% | 16.0% | 8.0% | 65.5 |
| A.J. Epenesa | 38.8% | 60.7% | 20.5% | 16.7% | 33.3% | 67.1 |
| Andre Jones Jr. | 34.3% | 46.4% | 25.6% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 64.2 |
- Point of interest: Greg Rousseau made the most of this great matchup against the Cleveland Browns, landing 2.5 sacks this week. Rousseau has been playing well recently, though he hasn’t gotten great sack luck, as he had just four sacks coming into this game. He’ll draw a more difficult matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles next week.
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| DaQuan Jones | 61.2% | 42.9% | 74.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% | 68.7 |
| Deone Walker | 53.7% | 46.4% | 59.0% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 74.1 |
| T.J. Sanders | 50.7% | 60.7% | 43.6% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 55.2 |
| Phidarian Mathis | 37.3% | 57.1% | 23.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 53.5 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Matt Milano | 91.0% | 90.4% | 93.3% | 13.1% | 8 |
| Terrel Bernard | 91.0% | 88.5% | 100.0% | 9.8% | 6 |
| Dorian Williams | 32.8% | 34.6% | 26.7% | 22.7% | 5 |
| Shaq Thompson | 16.4% | 19.2% | 6.7% | 9.1% | 1 |
| Joe Andreessen | 1.5% | 1.9% | 0.0% | 0 |
- Trending up: Matt Milano played a season-high 92% of the defensive snaps this week, coming through with another solid IDP performance after his massive two-sack game last week. Milano is still more of an option for non-shallow formats, but it was a positive to see him more involved after a strong showing last week. Terrel Bernard was back from injury as well.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Cole Bishop | 98.5% | 1.5% | 10.6% | 36.4% | 40.9% | 10.6% |
| Jordan Poyer | 86.6% | 3.4% | 10.3% | 63.8% | 22.4% | 3.4% |
| Cam Lewis | 13.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 22.2% | 66.7% | 11.1% |
| Sam Franklin Jr. | 1.5% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Jordan Hancock | 1.5% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Christian Benford | 98.5% | 1.5% | 21.2% | 0.0% | 71.2% | 1 |
| Tre'Davious White | 70.1% | 0.0% | 10.6% | 2.1% | 80.9% | 2 |
| Taron Johnson | 65.7% | 2.3% | 13.6% | 77.3% | 0.0% | 3 |
| Maxwell Hairston | 26.9% | 0.0% | 11.1% | 0.0% | 83.3% | 0 |
Carolina Panthers
Team ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 64 (17th) | 81.8% (1st) | 12.4% (32nd) |
EDGE
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Nic Scourton | 84.4% | 83.9% | 66.7% | 9.5% | 9.5% | 59.9 |
| D.J. Wonnum | 67.2% | 64.5% | 63.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 47.4 |
| Trevis Gipson | 21.9% | 29.0% | 15.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 63.7 |
| Princely Umanmielen | 10.9% | 6.5% | 15.2% | 25.0% | 0.0% | 65.6 |
| Thomas Incoom | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 67.3 |
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Derrick Brown | 84.4% | 80.6% | 87.9% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 57.9 |
| A'Shawn Robinson | 67.2% | 54.8% | 78.8% | 13.0% | 13.0% | 64.4 |
| Bobby Brown III | 48.4% | 61.3% | 36.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 52.5 |
| LaBryan Ray | 20.3% | 29.0% | 12.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 58.5 |
| Cam'Ron Jackson | 20.3% | 25.8% | 15.2% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 69.8 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Christian Rozeboom | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 12.5% | 8 |
| Claudin Cherelus | 71.9% | 76.0% | 57.1% | 15.2% | 7 |
- Point of interest: Christian Rozeboom has been much more effective when given a full-time role compared to Trevin Wallace this season, and with Wallace out, Rozeboom came through with a great game, which included a sack. If Wallace misses another game, Rozeboom should be considered an improvement in terms of IDP value for next week’s game against Seattle.
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Tre'von Moehrig | 100.0% | 3.1% | 14.1% | 48.4% | 6.3% | 31.3% |
| Nick Scott | 93.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 21.7% | 71.7% | 6.7% |
| Lathan Ransom | 28.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 94.4% | 5.6% |
- Point of interest: Nick Scott has been on a hot streak recently, as he’s delivered at least nine total tackles in three consecutive games and has hit double-digit tackles, leading the team in tackles in each of the last two games since its bye week. Nothing has changed usage-wise with Scott, as Tre'von Moehrig remains in the box-heavy role, but Scott is getting plenty of action to be an IDP option for us.
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Mike Jackson | 100.0% | 0.0% | 7.8% | 1.6% | 90.6% | 8 |
| Jaycee Horn | 100.0% | 1.6% | 4.7% | 0.0% | 93.8% | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | 78.1% | 0.0% | 20.0% | 64.0% | 2.0% | 3 |
Chicago Bears
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