The first week with four teams on byes, which will lead to some waiver wire and free agent market scrambling to keep a solid IDP squad in place. Fortunately, there are plenty of options to choose from, especially among the linebackers listed below.

Bye Weeks coming up: Week 6 Buffalo, Chicago, Indianapolis, Oakland; Week 7 Carolina, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay; Week 8 Baltimore, Dallas, 

Elevator Going Up

Linebackers

Uchenna Nwosu LAC

An injury to Melvin Ingram III has opened up an every down role for the second year player. He played 93% of the defensive snaps in Week 5, racking up seven total tackles (TT), five of those solos and one for a loss of yardage (TFL). Add in a sack, a QB hit/hurry (QH) and forced fumble and he managed to put up value in every kind of IDP league. He is the top free agent grab here this week.

Troy Reeder LAR

So long as Bryce Hager is on the sidelines (he is listed as questionable for Week 6), UDFA Reeder becomes an IDP option. He put up double digit tackles in Week 5 against the Seahawks (eight solo).

Nick Vigil CIN

The veteran LB is coming off a 13 TT (six solo) effort against the visiting Cardinals. This week’s opponent, the Ravens, are a good matchup for opposing LBs, and the struggling offense in Cincy lends itself to extra playing time (PT) for Bengal defensive players.

Josh Bynes BAL

Bynes became a starter after joining the Raven defense, and collected five TT (three solo) in the game against the host Steelers. He also picked off a pass (INT) and also defended a pass (PD), making him valuable in big play leagues.

Vince Williams PIT

Williams returned after missing time with a balky hamstring, and immediately made an impact with nine TT (four solo, one TFL). He added big plays with a sack, a QH and PD. Be aware that Pittsburgh will be on bye in Week 7 if you add him for this week’s action.

Harold Landry TEN

leagues (a sack and a QH) leagues with his performance last week at home against the Bills. His matchup in Week 6 is superb, with the Broncos giving up the third most points on the season to opposing linebackers, so pick him up if you have an open slot at LB due to injury or bye week issues.

Damien Wilson KC

Wilson is seeing action as a three-down LB, and collected 12 TT in Week 5 against the visiting Colts, seven of those of the solo variety. The Texans are a so-so matchup for opposing linebackers in Week 6, but Week 7 sees the Broncos with their LB-friendly status on deck.

A.J. Johnson DEN

In Johnson’s first start in the NFL, he collected nine TT with an INT and a pair of PD on the road against the Chargers. He is readily available on the wire in all league platforms. As a replacement for Josey Jewell , who is listed as questionable for the Week 6 contest at home against Tennessee, look for him to see plenty of PT again.

David Mayo NYG

Mayo is benefitting from the banged up linebacker corps on the Giant roster, being a nearly every-down LB. Playing in a short week Thursday night matchup against the Patriots, look for him to see plenty of action again on the defensive side of the ball. He is coming off a nine TT effort in Week 5 and should see similar results in this upcoming contest.

Defensive Linemen

Marcus Davenport DE NO

The pass-rush aspect of the young DL’s game is starting to become evident, as he collected two sacks in Week 5’s game against the visiting Bucs, to go along with two solo tackles (one TFL), three QH and a forced fumble (FF).

Dexter Lawrence DE NYG

The first-round pick is gearing up nicely, with five TT (three solo, one TFL) against the Vikings. He also collected a QH, a sack and a FF to fill out the stat line. Grab him now as the Giants play on Thursday against the Patriots in Week 6.

Brandon Graham DE PHI

Granted it took place against the lackluster Jets, but Graham showed off his pass rusk skills with a trio of sacks in Week 5. He also had six TT (four solo, two TFL). The five (!) QH are unlikely to be repeated soon, though. This week’s opponent, the Vikings, are ranked highly in terms of allowing points to opposing DEs, by the bye.

Matt Ioannidis DE WAS

The Dolphins, the Week 6 opponent for the four-year veteran lineman, are a tasty matchup. He is averaging nearly five TT per contest, which is what he collected last week when facing the Patriots. He is not exciting, but could provide a strong bye-week fill-in presence.

Jarran Reed DT SEA

Reed arrives fresh off suspension next week, and it should be recalled that he was a valuable DL, let alone a DT, with 10.5 sacks and 50 TT in 2018. Be ready to add him for Week 7, especially in DT-required leagues.

Johnathan Allen DT WAS

Allen has a nice matchup in store this week, with a trip to Miami in store. He is coming off a fine performance by a DT, with four solo tackles and a sack against the Patriots. In DT-required leagues, he is a potential shining star for Week 6.

Jordan Phillips DT BUF

Phillips was working with trinities in Week 5, collecting three sacks, three solo tackles (three TFL) and a trio of QH as well. Unfortunately, the Bills are on bye this week, but do have a good matchup for opposing DTs with Miami on the slate for Week 7. No need normally to stockpile DTs on your IDP bench, but in mandatory-DT leagues, this is a nugget to store for future action.

Defensive Backs

Eric Reid S CAR

Reid is still available in most leagues, and is putting up superb numbers, with 10 TT in Week 5 (five solo). He also contributed some big plays with a couple of PDs and a fumble recovery (FR).

Montae Nicholson S WAS

Nicholson is shaping up as a fine counterpoint to his teammate Landon Collins in the Washington defensive backfield. He is coming off a seven TT effort (five solo) effort against the visiting Patriots, with an INT and PD tosses in for good measure. This week’s matchup is just average, but certainly not terrible.

Justin Simmons S DEN

Simmons had a PD and an INT against the Chargers in Week 5, to go with four TT. His tackle production is inconsistent, and the Week 6 matchup is just average with the Broncos hosting the Titans, but the next two weeks after that feature good teams as far as allowing points to opposing safeties.

Byron Murphy CB ARI

The rookie is being targeted heavily by offensive coordinators and is therefore putting up good to great fantasy results. He had nine TT (eight solo) in Week 5 against the Bengals, and also added in a PD. Rookie CBs that see significant snaps are good IDP to add to your roster until they hit the bench, as a rule of thumb.

Kevin King CB GB

King rebounded from a groin injury to pick up six solo tackles in limited (51% of snaps) PT. He also had an important late game INT, a FF and two PDs to fill out his stat sheet. He is not on the injury report this week, please note.

Isaiah Oliver CB ATL

Oliver has a superior matchup in line with the Falcons heading to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. He should be in line for significant tackle production in the desert, and his Week 7 and 8 matchups promise good results as well, if you are looking for a replacement CB due to injury or bye week issues.

Escalator Going Down

Linebackers

Leonard Floyd NYJ

Floyd had a single solo tackle in Week 5, and that follows a trend where he has collected just five TT in his last four contests. After the pair of sacks in Week 1, he has been a major disappointment as a LB.

Kyle Van Noy NE

Dont’a Hightower’s return to action caused a dip in his PT, and he collected zero tackles in Week 5, although he did not go entirely empty, picking up a QH and PD. If he is being rotated out of primary PT, however, his value will take a significant hit.

Denzel Perryman LAC

Perryman was benched in favor of rookie Drue Tranquill, as a result of a couple of misplays early on in Week 5. He ended up with just four TT (three solos), which is not adequate for use as a starter in nearly all IDP-leagues.

Defensive Linemen

Leonard Williams DE NYJ

Despite significant PT, he is providing minimal production for his owners. Coming off a week with just one solo tackle, he is not worth the space he is taking up on rosters.

Linval Joseph DT NYG

Joseph has contributed a mere five TT over the past three weeks, with just one assist in Week 5. Feel free to drop him, even in DT-mandatory leagues.

Defensive Backs

None to speak of save from those listed in the Injury Report below.

Matchups to Exploit

Remember, the first team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Panthers, but certainly you will do well if you own a top DL on the Broncos, or on the other side of the field, a top Titan LB to use against the Broncos that you can plug in this week, for the most part.

Linebackers

Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay

Denver Broncos vs Tennessee

Cleveland Browns vs Seattle

Arizona Cardinals vs Atlanta

Defensive Ends

Tennessee Titans @ Denver

Miami Dolphins vs Washington

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore

Defensive Tackles

New York Jets vs Dallas

Tennessee Titans @ Denver

Safeties

Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona

San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams

Cornerbacks

Miami Dolphins vs Washington

Arizona Cardinals vs Atlanta

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay

Cleveland Browns vs Seattle

Waiver Wire Targets

This section is intended to serve as a shortened cheat sheet listing those waiver wire targets you should be considering if you need to plug a hole in your starting lineup. All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. 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

Troy Reeder LAR

Nick Vigil CIN

Josh Bynes BAL

Vince Williams PIT

Harold Landry TEN

Uchenna Nwosu LAC

Damien Wilson KC

A.J. Johnson DEN

David Mayo NYG

Defensive Linemen

Marcus Davenport DE NO

Dexter Lawrence DE NYG

Brandon Graham DE PHI

Matt Ioannidis DE WAS

Jarran Reed DT SEA

Johnathan Allen DT WAS

Jordan Phillips DT BUF

Defensive Backs

Eric Reed S CAR

Montae Nicholson S WAS

Justin Simmons S DEN

Byron Murphy CB ARI

Kevin King CB GB

Isaiah Oliver CB ATL

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

Dennis Gardeck ARI ankle

Zeke Turner ARI hand

Patrick Onwuasor BAL ankle

Otaro Alaka BAL hamstring IR

Corey Thompson BUF ankle

Joel Iyeigbuniwe CHI hamstring

Willie Harvey CLE shoulder IR

Christian Kirk esy CLE pectoral IR

Josey Jewell DEN hamstring

Justin Hollins DEN knee

Bradley Chubb DEN knee-ACL IR

Darius Leonard IND concussion

Dorian O’Daniel KC hamstring

Bryce Hager LAR shoulder

Clay Matthews LAR jaw

Kentrell Brothers MIN hamstring

Lorenzo Carter NYG neck

Ryan Connelly NYG knee-ACL IR

Jordan Jenkins NYJ calf

C.J. Mosley NYJ groin

Anthony Chickillo PIT foot

Jack Cichy TB elbow

Cameron Wake TEN hamstring

Josh Harvey-Clemons WAS hamstring

Defensive Linemen

DE

Zach Allen ARI neck

Trent Murphy BUF concussion

Kerry Wynn CIN concussion

Da’Shawn Hand DET elbow

Tyquan Lewis IND ankle

Lerentee McCray JAX oblique

Chris Jones KC groin

Alex Okafor KC hip

Melvin Ingram LAC hamstring

Shilique Calhoun NE ankle

Trey Hendrickson NO neck

Henry Anderson NYJ sholder-AC joint

John Franklin-Myers NYJ undisclosed IR

Ardenn Key OAK kneecap

Clelin Ferrell OAK concussion

DT

Kawaan Short CAR shoulder IR

Bilal Nichols CHI hand

Antwaun Woods DAL knee

Timmy Jernigan PHI foot

Defensive Backs

S

Charles Washington ARI shoulder

Johnathan Cyprien ATL foot IR

Blidi Wren-Wilson ATL groin

Tony Jefferson BAL knee-ACL

Brynden Trawick BAL elbow

Sheldrick Redwine CLE hamstring

Kavon Frazier DAL pectoral IR

Quandre Diggs DET hamstring

Tony Brown GB hamstring

Rolan Milligan IND knee

Clayton Geathers IND concussion

Ronnie Harrison JAX neck

Nasir Adderley LAC hamstring

Taylor Rapp LAR ankle

Bobby McCain MIA hamstring

Patrick Chung NE heel

Nate Ebner NE groin

Jason Verrett SF knee IR

CB

Trevor Williams ARI quadriceps

Jimmy Smith BAL knee

Taron Johnson BUF hamstring

Donte Jackson CAR groin

Denzel Ward CLE hamstring

Greedy Williams CLE hamstring

DeVante Bausby DEN neck

Bryce Callahan DEN foot

Darius Slay DET hamstring

Jalen Ramsey JAX back

Jomal Wiltz MIA groin

Mackensie Alexander MIN elbow

Avonte Maddox PHI concussion

Ronald Darby PHI hamstring

Steven Nelson PIT groin

Ahkello Witherspoon SF foot

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.FANation Chat is now live on the site, to help you work through your fantasy football dilemmas. Or if you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, you can also send a message toia@fantasyalarm.com for a personal response from the writer of this article. Naturally, the more detail you can send about your league, such as number of teams, platform you play in (Yahoo, ESPN, etc.), scoring and roster system, the better the ability to provide accurate advice.