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Week 5 IDP Hits

Is He Gonna Play?

Let’s start this week by hitting on some key “questionable” defenders.

Figuring out how to plan for such situations is one of the biggest challenges in setting your weekly fantasy lineups. And the dearth of information on defensive players only makes it harder.

Of course, we’ll get official word on all these players 90 minutes before their games kick off – and you’ll find updates in our projections and fantasy football news.

But hunting down insight ahead of time can help us plan accordingly and potentially turn us on to sleeper options for the week

Here’s what I’ve found …

Julian Love Says He’ll Play

Seahawks S Julian Love is officially questionable after leaving the Detroit loss early with a thigh injury.

But he managed full practices Thursday and Friday and said, “I feel good; I’m ready to go.”

Plan to start him.

Fred Warner Looks Risky

I haven’t seen anything on Warner’s likelihood to play. But here’s 20 seconds of him moving pretty well Friday on the ankle he hurt last week.

That was the only day Warner took the field this week, but he missed just one game across his first six seasons in the league. The Niners are likely to let him play if he says he’s ready.

Of course, they’re also facing a Cardinals team that looked overmatched vs. Washington last week. I’d have to guess that Warner would top the list of guys to pull early if/when San Francisco takes control Sunday.

I just knocked Warner’s projected playing time down to 80% for Week 5. If he’s active, he’ll have to be a personal call for lineups. There’ll be risk both to playing him and sitting him.

I’d likely sit him if I have another attractive option rostered but not reach too far down for a replacement.

Who’s Deciding on Maxx Crosby?

Crosby missed a game last week for the first time in his six years with the Raiders. Someone obviously had to make him do that. The guy last season played through a knee injury that rendered him “doubtful” against the Chiefs.

Crosby put in just a limited Friday practice this week and is officially questionable. Here’s what HC Antonio Pierce said about Crosby earlier this week …

That bye doesn’t come until Week 10. Even if Crosby plays this week, I’d have to guess it’ll be less than full duty.

He played through this high ankle sprain for 82% snap share in Week 3 against the Panthers and uncharacteristically produced 0 QB hits. Against the Panthers.

This week brings the Broncos. Rookie QB Bo Nix hasn’t looked especially good so far, but has eluded sacks well: just four total through four games.

You’ll find Crosby much lower in our rankings than usual. I’d try to sit him if possible … even though it’ll be uncomfortable.

Doug Pederson ‘Optimistic’ on Key Defender

Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen has yet to clear the concussion protocol. But HC Doug Pederson said Friday he’s “optimistic” that will happen ahead of Sunday’s game against the Colts.

If it does, I’m playing Hines-Allen. Much easier call than guys running around on sprained ankles.

Expect Devin Lloyd to Return

Pederson also said Friday that he expects LB Devin Lloyd and S Darnell Savage to return after missing last week. (Both are officially questionable.)

Lloyd will cut into the playing time for either Chad Muma or Ventrell Miller – perhaps both.

Muma played 95% of Jacksonville’s snaps last week with Lloyd and LB Foye Oluokun out. Miller played 84%. Lloyd played just 75%, 67%, and 66% the first three weeks, with Miller and Muma rotating in more than reserve LBs did the past couple of years.

I’m betting Lloyd will lead the group in Week 5 playing time, though, with Miller ahead of Muma as Oluokun’s primary fill-in.

The nebulous situation makes them all risky, and Jaguars LBs haven’t given us big points so far this year.

Get a Dugger Replacement

ESPN’s Mike Reiss called it “likely” that Patriots S Kyle Dugger will miss Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.

I’ll obviously check for confirmation Sunday, but that’s enough for me to make sure I have a replacement before then.

Now let’s get to more notes around the league …

Baltimore Ravens

Let’s check in on the playing time of second-year LB Trenton Simpson in his first season starting next to Roquan Smith:

There’s intriguing long-term upside in Simpson’s athleticism, but he doesn’t appear close to helping our IDP lineups this year.

Carolina Panthers

S Nick Scott played every snap last week in the first game since S Jordan Fuller landed on IR with a hamstring injury. 

That included spending 44.8% of his snaps at deep safety and 17.9% in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus.

That positions him and S Xavier Woods as playing basically interchangeable roles rather than one being “free” and the other “strong.”

Cincinnati Bengals

DE Sam Hubbard’s off to a rough start in his seventh pro season, with 12 tackles, no sacks, and just 1 QB hit through four games.

He has yet to appear on the injury report. But Hubbard has reportedly been playing through a pretty bad hamstring injury.

With no way to gauge his progress through the weekly injury reports – cuz he’s still not on them – I guess we’ll have to wait for Hubbard to deliver stats in a game.

Until then, I’m downgrading expectations.

Denver Broncos

The first game after LB Alex Singleton landed on IR found Cody Barton playing 100% of defensive snaps. LB Justin Strnad followed at 77%.

Pro Football Focus graded Strnad the better performer overall, in pass-rushing, and in coverage. Barton rated better in run defense – leading all Broncos defenders there and earning an elite-level grade.

As I mentioned last week, Barton previously failed out of opportunities in both Seattle and Washington. That makes Strnad worth watching here.

It’s also worth noting, however, that Strnad’s been in Denver since the Broncos drafted him in Round 5 in 2020. That means he was around for the first season under HC Sean Payton’s staff … and then the Broncos signed Barton and installed him ahead of Strnad on the depth chart.

Green Bay Packers

LB Isaiah McDuffie increased his fantasy points over the past two games vs. the first two weeks. But that masks a decline in playing time.

The weekly snap shares for Green Bay’s No. 2 off-ball LB have gone …

• 97%
• 89%
• 78%
• 76%

McDuffie has exceeded 3 solo tackles just once through four weeks, so he shouldn’t be much of an IDP factor in most leagues. But that playing time is worth noting for deeper situations – especially as bye weeks hit.

Elsewhere at the position: Eric Wilson played a season-high 38% snap share in the loss to Minnesota. Rookie Edgerrin Cooper trailed Wilson in that contest but has played 33% and 31% the past two games after staying on the field for just 14% and 13% the first two weeks.

We’ll see whether the second-round pick can continue trending up and challenge McDuffie.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams sport plenty of issues on defense, but they’ll get some secondary help this week.

CB Darious Williams spent the first four games on IR with a hamstring injury. But he returned to practice this week, put in full workouts Thursday and Friday, and carries no game designation into the weekend.

HC Sean McVay’s pumped: 

Williams hasn’t been a strong fantasy producer overall, but he presents intriguing weekly upside thanks to his production on the ball.

He tallied 4 INTs in two of his four starting seasons and defensed a league-high 35 passes over the past two years.

Don’t be surprised if Williams gets tested right away, even by a Packers offense missing Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins will go without S Jordan Poyer for Sunday’s game against the Patriots, thanks to a shin injury. That’ll leave Marcus Maye starting in his spot.

Maye stepped in for 46% playing time in the Week 4 loss to the Titans that Poyer left early.

There’s not much IDP upside to mine here, though. Maye has been a modest producer throughout his eight-year career. And the Patriots have supplied the fifth-fewest fantasy points ot DBs so far this season.

Minnesota Vikings

Packers QB Jordan Love attempted 54 passes and completed 32 in his Week 4 return to action. That helped inflate some defensive numbers among the Vikings.

A chief beneficiary of that inflation was CB Shaq Griffin, who grabbed an INT among 3 passes defensed. That landed him in DB2 territory among fantasy scorers for the week.

But Griffin only played 53% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps. His first three games went:

• 62%
• 43%
• 70%

That’s not a usable level of playing time for nearly all IDP formats. And Griffin plays nearly 100% of his snaps on the outside when he does come in. So there’s no slot boost here.

New Orleans Saints

LB Pete Werner managed just 6 total tackles (3 solo) in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons. But he played every snap in a game LB Demario Davis missed.

Werner played 98% of snaps in Week 3 against the Eagles, when Davis left early with the hamstring injury that cost him Week 4. That followed 73% and 69% snap shares for Werner.

Both the playing time and production are disappointing for a guy who just signed a three-year extension at $7.5 million per year in August.

We’ll see about Davis’ status for Week 4. He remained limited in practice this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Is rookie LB Payton Wilson about to pull away from veteran teammate Elandon Roberts? Here’s how their playing time has gone through four games:

Wilson reached 56% snap share against the Colts, the first time either LB has reached 50% this season. The 32% share of Week 4 marked a season low for Roberts.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Are we watching a third-year breakout from DL Logan Hall?

The 24-year-old has 3 sacks through four games this season, matching his total for the previous two years combined. 

Hall most notably took down Kirk Cousins twice on Thursday night, among 5 QB hits for the game. He entered this season with 7 career QB hits.

But can he actually do more of that?HC Todd Bowles thinks so: 

Next comes a matchup with New Orleans, which has only allowed 1 sack in each game; then Baltimore, which has also only allowed Lamar Jackson to get sacked four times.

Hall also has just 7 total tackles through four games. So there’s work to do before he’s a real IDP option. But he’ll be worth watching (at least for deeper leagues).

Washington Commanders

S Jeremy Chinn’s 10 tackles in Sunday’s win over the Cardinals more than doubled his season tackle total. But it also marked the second time in four games that he has played every snap.

Chinn’s other two outings found him playing just 80% and 89%, while his snap totals have all fallen in the range of 51-59.

There’s some risk in the snap-share fluctuation. And as I mentioned, his stat production has been weak overall. But Chinn at least reminded us in Week 4 that there’s some upside.

Who Belongs in Your IDP Lineup?

Have trouble figuring out which IDPs to get into your lineup each week? The Team Intel page combines our 3D Projections with the specifics of your situation to give you a clear picture every week.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.