- The Cincinnati Bengals turn to their rookie linebackers: There have been warning signs surrounding Logan Wilson’s usage in recent weeks, but none more concerning than this week, when he was demoted to the Bengals’ No. 3 linebacker behind Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight.
- Alex Highsmith returned to the Steelers’ lineup but played in more of a rotational role than usual: Nick Herbig recorded two sacks in a favorable matchup, as the Steelers appeared more comfortable giving him opportunities despite Alex Highsmith’s return to the lineup.
- Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool. Get 25% off your PFF+ annual subscription with code PFFFANTASYPODCAST25.
Week 6 Takeaways
Waiver wire
- LB Shaq Thompson, Buffalo Bills: Thompson replaced Terrel Bernard as the team’s lone every-down linebacker. Thompson was already working as the LB2 with Matt Milano out, and if Milano and Bernard both miss at least another game, Thompson will be the top option while Dorian Williams plays more in the non-full-time LB2 role.
- LB Barrett Carter, Cincinnati Bengals: Carter took over as the team’s lead linebacker this week, operating as the lone every-down player and wearing the green dot while replacing the now-demoted Logan Wilson. If this usage holds, Carter should be considered a top option in most IDP formats.
- LB Ventrell Miller, Jacksonville Jaguars: If Devin Lloyd misses time, Ventrell Miller becomes an intriguing option in deeper leagues. While he’s unlikely to see a full-time role, he could offer value as a short-term fill-in for IDP managers in need of a spot starter.
- LB Drake Thomas, Seattle Seahawks: After splitting time with Tyrice Knight last week, Thomas took on the majority of the team’s LB2 snaps and should be considered a valuable asset in deeper IDP formats, assuming his role remains steady moving forward.
- LB Tatum Bethune, San Francisco 49ers: Bethune stepped into Fred Warner’s full-time role and is expected to maintain that workload for now, making him a top waiver-wire target this week.
- S Kyle Dugger, New England Patriots: With Jaylinn Hawkins sidelined, Kyle Dugger played an every-down role for the first time this season. He saw snaps in the box and, while his production was limited, the role puts him in IDP starting consideration if Hawkins remains out.
- EDGE Jermaine Johnson, New York Jets: Johnson returned to the lineup for the first time since Week 2 and was immediately trusted as the snap leader among the edge rushers. He responded with a sack in a tough matchup and could offer IDP streaming value going forward, especially with more favorable pass-rush matchups ahead.
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) |
| 59 (19) | 74.1% (13) | 18.2% (20) |
Edge
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Baron Browning | 62.7% | 61.5% | 36.4% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 60.7 |
| Josh Sweat | 57.6% | 53.8% | 60.6% | 15.0% | 15.0% | 62.4 |
| Zaven Collins | 49.2% | 42.3% | 36.4% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 74.9 |
| Jordan Burch | 28.8% | 30.8% | 27.3% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 58.4 |
| Xavier Thomas | 6.8% | 7.7% | 6.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 59.7 |
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Dante Stills | 66.1% | 92.3% | 45.5% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 60.2 |
| Dalvin Tomlinson | 54.2% | 57.7% | 51.5% | 0.0% | 5.9% | 51.1 |
| Calais Campbell | 52.5% | 46.2% | 57.6% | 15.8% | 26.3% | 66.6 |
| Zach Carter | 40.7% | 50.0% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 51.8 |
| PJ Mustipher | 32.2% | 42.3% | 24.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 56.4 |
| Anthony Goodlow | 15.3% | 3.8% | 24.2% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 52.5 |
Linebacker
| Player | Total defensive snap share | 1st/2nd down snap share | 3rd/4th down snap share | Tackle efficiency | Total Tackles (PFF) |
| Mack Wilson Sr. | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 15.3% | 9 |
| Akeem Davis-Gaither | 84.7% | 86.3% | 75.0% | 12.0% | 6 |
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Budda Baker | 100.0% | 3.4% | 0.0% | 52.5% | 18.6% | 28.8% |
| Jalen Thompson | 100.0% | 1.7% | 0.0% | 16.9% | 37.3% | 45.8% |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | 45.8% | 3.7% | 0.0% | 37.0% | 44.4% | 18.5% |
| Kitan Crawford | 3.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
- Point of interest: Budda Baker has maxed out at six tackles in each of the past four games, but his usage remains strong for IDP purposes—though ideally, he’d deliver bigger tackle numbers. While some regression from last season’s production was expected, his consistent deployment suggests he’ll still have plenty of high-end IDP performances the rest of the way.
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Max Melton | 96.6% | 0.0% | 7.0% | 0.0% | 93.0% | 3 |
| Will Johnson | 84.7% | 0.0% | 34.0% | 0.0% | 66.0% | 5 |
| Kei'Trel Clark | 15.3% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 1 |
| Denzel Burke | 3.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 0 |
Atlanta Falcons
Team Ranks
| Defensive snaps (Weekly rank) | Zone coverage rate(NFL rank) | Man coverage rate(NFL rank) |
| 57 (22) | 77.6% (9) | 20.6% (18) |
Edge
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| Jalon Walker | 54.4% | 47.4% | 44.7% | 18.8% | 31.3% | 64.0 |
| Leonard Floyd | 52.6% | 47.4% | 52.6% | 20.0% | 10.0% | 65.4 |
| James Pearce Jr. | 50.9% | 52.6% | 44.7% | 20.0% | 6.7% | 67.0 |
| Arnold Ebiketie | 42.1% | 42.1% | 31.6% | 0.0% | 10.0% | 54.7 |
| DeAngelo Malone | 3.5% | 0.0% | 2.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 59.1 |
Defensive interior
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Run down snap share | Pass down snap share | Win rate | Pressure rate | Pass-rush grade |
| David Onyemata | 61.4% | 68.4% | 57.9% | 19.1% | 19.1% | 81.6 |
| Ruke Orhorhoro | 52.6% | 42.1% | 57.9% | 15.0% | 15.0% | 64.5 |
| Zach Harrison | 47.4% | 73.7% | 34.2% | 16.7% | 25.0% | 71.2 |
| Sam Roberts | 40.4% | 73.7% | 23.7% | 0.0% | 14.3% | 73.8 |
| Brandon Dorlus | 28.1% | 21.1% | 31.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 51.4 |
- Point of interest: The interior of the Falcons defensive line delivered three sacks this week between David Onyemata, Ruke Orhorhoro, and Sam Roberts. Neither player is particularly interesting for the rest of the season at the moment.
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% | 8.8% | 5 |
| Kaden Elliss | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7.0% | 4 |
Safety
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Defensive line % | Box % | Deep safety % | Slot % |
| Jessie Bates III | 100.0% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 40.4% | 38.6% | 21.1% |
| Xavier Watts | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 50.9% | 26.3% | 22.8% |
Cornerback
| Player | Total defensive snap share | Blitz rate | Box snap % | Slot snap% | Wide Corner % | Targets faced |
| Mike Hughes | 100.0% | 0.0% | 15.8% | 1.8% | 82.5% | 9 |
| A.J. Terrell | 100.0% | 1.8% | 7.0% | 0.0% | 93.0% | 4 |
| Dee Alford | 66.7% | 10.5% | 15.8% | 78.9% | 2.6% | 5 |
Baltimore Ravens
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