Identifying rising IDP is not an exact science, as my recommendation to pick up Michael Wilhoite last week proves. The good news is that there is another LB from San Francisco that you should be targeting this week, as discussed just a few inches below. Plenty of other options to pursue as well if you are in need of some defensive help in your efforts to capture your league's championship, together with a handful of players you should be prepared to move on from also.
Plus, Jacksonville is back from their bye week, and are once again a team to target for IDP production by their opponents. I realize I am picking on the Jags, but low hanging fruit is not something you should avoid when deciding upon your starting IDP lineup.
Teams on bye in Week 6: Minnesota and Tampa Bay
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Nick Bellore SF -- It turns out that Bellore was the 49er linebacker you should have been targeting off the wire in Week 5, not Michael Wilhoite. Bellore had a stat line well worth admiring in Week 5: 11 total tackles (seven solo, one for a loss), a forced fumble, a QH (quarterback hurry) and half a sack. He was an every-down linebacker in place of Navarro Bowman, and also contributed on special teams, add to his value.
Perry Riley OAK -- Riley was signed by the Raiders heading into their Week 5 contest against the Chargers, and assumed an every-down role. It helped his stat line that the Chargers decided to run at him all game, as he collect six solo tackles, one assist and also a forced fumble. So long as he is starting, he is a fine option if you are dealing with bye week absences or injuries to your linebackers.
Willie Young CHI -- Young picked up three sacks against the Colts, to go with his five total tackles (four solo, three for a loss of yards) and three QH. He is providing the bulk of the pass rush attack for Chicago, so numbers like he posted in Week 5 should be expected to continue. Watch to see his practice status, however, as he is listed as questionable with a knee issue currently.
Brian Orakpo TEN -- Orakpo had a juicy matchup against the struggling Dolphins, and came away with three sacks, five solo tackles, one assist, two QH and three TFL (tackles for a loss). The next three games on the Titan schedule are Cleveland, Indy and Jacksonville, a great chance for him to continue to put up big numbers.
Lorenzo Alexander BUF -- Alexander is now leading the NFL in sacks with seven, collected over the first five games of the season. He may be 33 years old, but he is certainly playing a lot younger.
Kyler Fackrell GB -- Fackrell did not see a ton of game action, playing just 14 snaps on defense, but he took advantage of his opportunity to put up excellent numbers: five total tackles (four solo), a sack, a QH and also forced a fumble. All he needs if a chance to play it seems, but he is behind Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Julius Peppers on the depth chart in Green Bay, so he is more of someone to put on your watch list or stash on your bench in case of an injury to one of those three players.
Markus Golden ARI -- Golden continued his consecutive game streak with at least one sack in Week 5, picking up two to go with his 10 total tackles (seven solo, two for a loss). He also tossed in three QH for good measure. It should be noted that with six sacks on the season, he trails league leader Alexander by just one. Get one or both of them if you league rewards for big plays.
Defensive Linemen
Joey Bosa DE SD -- We had to wait for Bosa to hit the field, but he is now ready to show what he can do when inserted in the lineup. He had two sacks against the Raiders, with five tackles (four solo three for a loss) plus two QH in just 27 snaps. His ownership percentage should let you add him to your roster if you act quickly.
Calais Campbell DE ARI -- Campbell had a slow start to the season, but he had a big game in Week 5, with a pair of sacks, an INT and four total tackles (three solo), which is nice for a defensive lineman, although some more sacks would certainly make him more attractive as an IDP to own.
Trent Murphy DE WAS -- Murphy is listed as either a LB/DL (Yahoo) or a DL (ESPN), but is playing as a linebacker. This is one of those players whose lineup designation can be a huge boost in value. He has 4.5 sacks on the season, after adding another half a sack in Week 5 to his stat sheet, along with three tackles (two solo). So long as he retains the DL tag, he is worth inserting in your lineup as a DL2/3.
Malcolm Brown DT NE -- Brown has not been noteworthy in his performance until last week against the Browns. He is coming off a four tackle effort (three solo, two for a loss) with two sacks and a pair of QH to boot. He could be ramping up his game, to match the fine performance he provided as a rookie in 2015, when he posted 48 combined tackles (31 solo) and three sacks in 16 games.
Jurrell Casey DT TEN -- Casey also picked up a couple of sacks in Week 5, harassing Ryan Tannehill along with teammates Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan, who also were credited with two sacks each. Week 6 he gets to take on the Browns, who are averaging the third most IDP points to DTs through the first five weeks of the season.
Bennie Logan DT PHI -- Logan collected his second sack in the past two games, and also racked up three solo tackles (2 TFL) and a pair of QH against Detroit. He provided consistent tackle production which is what you want from your DT if you league requires you to play a tackle position on defense.
Defensive Backs
D.J. Swearinger S ARI -- Swearinger is due to see plenty of snaps with Tyvon Branch out of action. He defended one pass, picked up seven tackles (six solo) and also was credited with a sack against the 49ers in Week 5. He gets to face the Jets in Week 6, a team ranked 11th in terms of points allowed to safeties this season.
Vonn Bell S NO -- The rookie looks to be the starting free safety for the Saints going forward, and in 69 snaps in Week 5, he grabbed six solo tackles and also forced a fumble. New Orleans has an awful defense, and their defensive backfield should see a lot of action going forward.
Duke Ihenacho S WAS -- Ihenacho got the chance to play due to the concussion suffered by David Bruton, and put up nine total tackles (eight solo) and a PD against the Ravens. So long as Bruton is out, he makes a nice fill-in at safety.
Darius Slay CB DET -- Slay gets matched up against the opposition's best wide receiver, making him a good source of tackles and other defensive stats. He had an INT, two pass defenses, a forced fumble and three solo tackles against the visiting Eagles last week, and he should continue to see plenty of action coming his way in the weeks to come.
Janoris Jenkins CB NYG -- Jenkins snagged a pair of interceptions against Aaron Rodgers on the road in Green Bay in Week 5, and also was credited with three PDs and a pair of tackles. He should continue to see plenty of teams attack his side of the field, and while the big plays in Week 5 are not a guarantee going forward, he should put up good numbers week in, week out.
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Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Anthony Barr MIN -- Barr is failing to produce up to his standards this season, having only collected six solo tackles and one sack so far in 2016. That is certainly not sufficient for him to crack your starting lineup, so get him to the bench until he shakes off this terrible start to the season.
Defensive Linemen
Mario Williams DE MIA -- Williams gave his owners a big fat zero in Week 16. He has only collected seven total tackles this season, with just a single sack. Looks as though it was not the system in Buffalo, it was the player that led to his poor production in 2015. Time to move on from the big fella.
Geno Atkins DT CIN -- Atkins was also shut out on the stat sheet last week against the Cowboys, and while he has been a consistent performer in the past, he is not looking good this season. He has only six solo tackles so far, and while the 2.5 sacks are nice, that is nothing close to what you were projecting from him when he was drafted in August.
Defensive Backs
Eric Weddle S BAL -- Weddle is on pace to put up his lowest tackle figures in his career if his season progresses as it has through the first five games. He has been credited with just a single solo tackle over the past two weeks, making him a risky start right now. The stellar play of C.J. Mosley and Zach Orr in front of him on the Raven defense is hurting his value, too.
Matchups to Exploit
Jacksonville @ Chicago
New York Jets @ Arizona
Houston vs Indianapolis
Green Bay vs Dallas
The Jaguars are a great source of IDP points for linebackers. Chicago is beat up at LB, but whoever starts or plays the majority of snaps, should have a good day.
The Jets rank right behind the Jags in terms of points allowed to opposing linebackers this season. You can expect the New York offense to continue to sputter, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is without that same magic that made him a decent QB2 in 2015. Plug in your Cardinal LBs for this contest.
The Colts and their patchwork offensive line are in for more of the same that they have experienced this season. Look for the Texans to pressure Andrew Luck and also to shut down a moribund rushing attack from Indy.
Green Bay is going to face a team that loves to run the ball, making this a great matchup for leagues that reward for tackles. The Cowboys will not expect Dak Prescott to do anything more than has been asked of him so far, and with their O-line working together well, this game should feature plenty of tackle opportunities for the front seven on the Packers.
Waiver Wire Targets
All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. Not all the players I comment on are here, however, as I am not going to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned. This group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.
Linebackers
Nick Bellore SF
Perry Riley OAK
Willie Young CHI
Brian Orakpo TEN
Markus Golden ARI
Defensive Linesmen
Joey Bosa DE SD
Calais Campbell DE ARI (owned in 21% of Yahoo league, 34% in ESPN)
Trent Murphy DE WAS
Malcolm Brown DT NE
Jurrell Casey DT TEN
Bennie Logan DT PHI
Defensive Backs
D.J. Swearinger S ARI
Vonn Bell S NO
Duke Ihenacho S WAS
Darius Slay CB DET
Janoris Jenkins CB NYG
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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
Paul Worrilow ATL groin
Deion Jones ATL ankle
De'Vondre Campbell ATL ankle
Elvis Dumervil BAL foot
C.J. Mosley BAL hamstring
Brandon Spikes BUF illness
Jamari Lattimore BUF nose
Zach Brown BUF foot
Willie Young CHI knee
Sam Acho CHI ribs
Jerrell Freeman CHI wrist
Leonard Floyd CHI calf
Jackson Jeffcoat CLE hamstring
Kyle Wilber DAL neck
DeMarcus Ware DEN forearm
DeAndre Levy DET quadriceps
Josh McNary IND shoulder
Tamba Hali KC knee
Sio Moore KC illness
Jelani Jenkins MIA groin
Dont'a Hightower NE knee
Shea McClellin NE concussion
Jonathan Freeny NE shoulder
Devon Kennard NYG concussion
David Harris NYJ hamstring
Malcolm Smith OAK quadriceps
Bryan Braman PHI shoulder-AC jint
Ryan Shazier PIT knee-MCL
Denzel Perryman SD shoulder
Ahmad Brooks SF groin
Trent Murphy WAS shoulder
Su'a Cravens WAS concussion
Defensive Linemen
DE
Ed Stinson ARI toe
Josh Mauro ARI chest
Brooks Reed ATL thumb
Charles Johnson CAR quadriceps
Xavier Cooper CLE shoulder
David Irving DAL concussion
Wallace Gilberry DET abdomen
Ezekiel Ansah DET ankle
Zach Kerr IND ankle
William Hayes LA ankle
Robert Quinn LS shoulder
Paul Kruger NO back
Jason Pierre-Paul NYG groin
Olivier Vernon NYG wrist
Cameron Heyward PIT hamstring
Quinton Jefferson SEA thumb
Frank Clark SEA hamstring
Glenn Dorsey SF knee
DeForest Buckner SF foot
Robert Ayers TB ankle
Chris Baker WAS foot
DT
Marcell Dareus BUF hamstring
Corbin Bryant BUF ankle
Paul Soliai CAR foot
Vernon Butler CAR ankle
Will Sutton CHI pectoral
Eddie Goldman CHI ankle
Haloti Ngata DET shoulder
A'Shawn Robinson DET shoulder
Roy Miller JAX hand
Michael Brockers LA hip
Sharrif Floyd MIN knee
Vincent Valentine NE back
Fletcher Cox PHI ankle
Jarran Reed SEA hip
Quinton Dial SF knee
Clinton McDonald TB hamstring
Gerald McCoy TB calf
Al Woods TEN calf
Defensive Backs
Aaron Williams BUF foot
George Iloka CIN shoulder
Don Carey DET ribs
Chris Banjo GB hamstring
Quintin Demps HOU calf
Tashaun Gipson JAX knee
Reshad Jones MIA groin
Isa Abdul-Quddus MIA knee
Erik Harris NO knee-ACL
Nat Berhe NYG concussion
Darian Thompson NYG foot
Nate Allen OAK quadriceps
Shamarko Thomas PIT groin
Jahleel Addae SD collarbone
Jaquiski Tartt SF quadriceps
Kyshoen Jarrett WAS shoulder
CB
Shareece Wright BAL back
Corey White BUF shoulder
Robert McClain CAR hamstring
James Bradberry CAR foot
Tracy Porter CHI knee
Bryce Callahan CI hamstring
Deiondre' Hall CHI ankle
Tramon Williams CLE shoulder
Orlando Scandrick DAL hamstring
Morris Claiborne DAL ankle
Kayvon Webster DEN hamstring
Sam Shields GB concussion
Damarious Randall GB groin
Johnathan Joseph HOU concussion
Kareem Jackson HOU hamstring
Darius Butler IND finger
Patrick Robinson IND knee
Jalil Brown IND ankle
Tevin Mitchel IND hamstring
Trumaine Johnson LA ankle
Xavien Howard MIA meniscus
Delvin Breaux NO lower leg
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie NYG groin
Eli Apple NYG groin
Darrelle Revis JYJ hamstring
Darryl Roberts NYJ shoulder
Leodis McKelvin PHI hamstring
Brandon Flowers SD concussion
Craig Mager SD shoulder
Jimmie Ward SF quadriceps
Cody Riggs TEN hamstring
Josh Norman WAS wrist
Bashaud Breeland WAS ankle
Dashaun Phillips WAS hamstring
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 match ups 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.