Hip-hip-hooray! The bye week experience has ended for the 2015 season. That does not mean you can sit back on your heels and rest in your IDP leagues, however, not with injuries continuing to mount on a weekly basis. Fortunately for us that enjoy starting a slate of defensive players, there are always new names popping up or returning to action to get us through these next few weeks leading up to the playoffs.

Elevator Going Up

Linebackers

Brian Orakpo TEN

D'Qwell Jackson IND

Ben Heeney OAK

Kelvin Sheppard MIA

Lavonte David TB

Manti Te'o SD

It is great to see former insurance spokesperson Brian Orakpo arrive back on the IDP scene. Tennessee needs someone to cheer in their dismal season. Three total tackles (two solos), a sack, a pass deflection and a forced fumble certainly filled up the stat sheet in Week 11. He has collected six sacks in his past six games, and he is available, being owned in 2 percent of leagues on ESPN and Yahoo both. D'Qwell Jackson also had a stat sheet filling performance in Week 11: seven total tackles (six solo), a sack, a fumble recovery, an interception, a pass deflection and a TD to put the cherry on the sundae. With a suspect offense on the field so long as Andrew Luck is out of action, he should have ample opportunity to continue to shine brightly. Ben Heeney has been making his move to replace Curtis Lofton (more on him in the next section) and played in 53 percent of the snaps on defense against the Lions. He had seven combined tackles in Detroit, with a sack and a pass deflection to boot. Snatch him off the wire before your opponents realize that change is coming to the middle linebacker position in Oakland.

Kelvin Sheppard will benefit so long as Jelani Jenkins is out of action. He had 15 total tackles in Week 11 (11 solos), to build on his 11-tackle game in Week 10. Another under-owned LB that can help you going forward into playoffs. Lavonte David was undoubtedly one of the top IDP selected in your drafts, and if you took him in August, you have been waiting for the other shoe to drop as he has been extraordinarily pedestrian until recently. Two INT and pass deflections, six solo tackles and a TD go a long way toward restoring peaceful relations between a top IDP selection and his owner. Look for this type of production to continue onward. Manti Te’o came back from his ankle injury that had put him on the sidelines the prior four games with a nice game: five solo tackles and a sack. He will see the bulk of the snaps in the linebacking crew going forward for the Chargers, and is likely available on your wire due to his injury.

Defensive Linemen

Stephon Tuitt DE PIT

Charles Johnson DE CAR

Kony Ealy DE CAR

Corey Liuget DE SD

Aaron Donald DT StL

Damon Harrison DT NYJ

Stephon Tuitt is coming off the Steelers' Week 11 bye, and thus should be readily available on the waiver wire. He is a good DE2 going forward, building on his early season success. Charles Johnson is coming off of the Injured Reserve list this week, and is available in nearly 100 percent of leagues (99 percent in Yahoo, 97 percent of ESPN leagues). He is an elite pass rusher playing for a team that features an excellent secondary, which should let him unload on opposing QBs. Grab him before your leaguemates realize he is back in action. Kony Ealy has been profiled here previously, in my Week 10 IDP Report, but he deserves repeated mention. He has racked up a sack in each of his past four games, with three forced fumbles over the same period. His tackle numbers are weak, but if you need a big-play DL, he is a perfect waiver wire pickup.

Corey Liuget has almost reached this article several times recently, but I had suggested him as a good DT pickup back in October and I prefer to cover new arrivals in this article. Still, I cannot ignore him, as he returned in a big way after sitting out two games with a foot injury to collect a sack and five solo tackles against the Chiefs in Week 11. Grab him off the wire for your DT-mandatory leagues. Aaron Donald is apparently over his slump, as his last two weeks of production have been superb, with 17 total tackles (7 solos), 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. I liked him as a DL3 going into the season, and while the mid-season stumble has hurt, he is now back on the radar, and not just as a DT. Damon Harrison is another DT that should be considered in DT-mandatory leagues. His 12-tackle effort in Week 11 was likely fueled by the Jets' offense decision to run the ball aggressively, but then again, it is not easy to overlook 12 tackles from a nose tackle. If you do not need a DT for your DL positions, at least keep him on your watch list.

Defensive Backs

Jairus Byrd S NO

Bashaud Breeland CB WAS

Byron Jones CB DAL

Not so much to extol in the defensive back world this week. Jairus Byrd is likely on your waiver wire, as he is owned in just 2 percent of ESPN leagues and is virtually unowned in Yahoo. He has 15 total tackles in his past two games, and picked up his first sack against Washington in Week 10 prior to the Saints’ Week 11 bye. I have always liked to fill my DB slots with tackling safeties, and if they can get to the QB occasionally, all the better. Bashaud Breeland has been up and down this season, but with a banged up secondary in Washington, he will see plenty of snaps on defense. He had 11 combined tackles in Week 11 in Carolina, and looks to be a favored CB going forward for Washington, having supplanted DeAngelo Hall.

Byron Jones winds up the limited DB upside suggestions this week, and his role is the main thing to recommend him. He is listed as a CB in fantasy, but has also been playing as a safety. If you have ever read my preseason recommendations, you know I favor safety production over cornerbacks, and if you can plug a safety in at CB, it is a favorable situation. Dallas will be fighting to avoid missing the playoffs with Tony Romo back now, and they will continue to employ Jones all over the field with the result that his stats will be extremely valuable.

Escalator Going Down

Linebackers

Curtis Lofton OAK

Kwon Alexander TB

Vincent Rey CIN

I had thought that when the Raiders brought Curtis Lofton on board this season, that he would assume a big role on the defense. What we have seen, however, is that he is not trusted to be a three-down linebacker due to his pass-coverage skills (or lack thereof). Ben Heeney, who is discussed above, is stealing his playing time. Kwon Alexander is on the downside due to his pending four-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED rules. He will be playing while his appeal is being processed, but you have to worry about him not being on the field sooner if not later. Not the linebacker you want to trust going into the playoffs. Vincent Rey is now being used as the nickelback, due to the return of Vontaze Burfict to the lineup and the increased snap count he is seeing at Rey’s expense.

Defensive Linemen

Jared Allen DE CAR

Michael Bennett DE SEA

Carlos Dunlap DE CIN

I apologize for promoting Jared Allen earlier this season, but take solace in the fact that I act on my own advice and added him in several leagues. He is now gone from my rosters, due to his lack of sacks and limited tackle production. You should move on from him, too, and pick up a more productive DL. Michael Bennett has not been credited with a sack in his past three games, and has provided limited tackles during that time as well (six total, two solos). Carlos Dunlap has also fallen off his big production from earlier in the season, especially in his tackle numbers. Now is not the time to wait for his talent to shine through, you need a steady, reliable DE to push you through the next couple weeks and Dunlap is not getting it done, buddy.

Defensive Backs

Kenneth Acker CB SF

Acker did start in Week 11, but was benched in favor of Marcus Cromartie later in the contest in Seattle. Granted, there is not a lot to love on the 49ers on either side of the ball currently, but a non-starting corner is certainly someone to stay away from if at all possible.

Ouch (My Aching Roster)

All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff.  Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.

Linebackers

Jamie Collins NE (illness)

Jelani Jenkins MIA (ankle)

Spencer Paysinger MIA (neck)

DeMarcus Ware DEN (back)

Defensive Linemen

Allen Bailey DE KC (calf)

Mario Williams DE BUF (foot)

Cory Redding DE ARI (ankle)

Sheldon Richardson DE NYJ (hamstring)

Glenn Dorsey DE SF (torn ACL)

Robert Quinn DE StL (hip)

Sean Lissemore DT SD (concussion)

Defensive Backs

Micah Hyde S GB (hip)

Mike Adams S IND (ankle)

Antrel Rolle S CHI (ankle)

Vontae Davis CB IND (left knee)

Johnathan Joseph CB HOU (knee)

Patrick Peterson CB ARI (ankle)

Morris Claiborne CB DAL (hamstring/ankle)

Adam Jones CB CIN (foot)

Darrelle Revis CB NYJ (concussion)

Charles Tillman CB CAR (knee)

As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy matchups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, I can be reached at ia@fantasyalarm.com.