NFL Week 1: Fantasy Football IDP report

• A concerning rotation emerges in Jacksonville at the linebacker position: Should this usage hold, the reigning three-time LB1 Foyesade Oluokun could be in danger of ceding that title to someone new this season.

• The 2024 breakout season for Greg Rousseau gets off to a hot start: Three sacks and an ideal snap share for the Bills’ star defensive lineman get this season started on the right foot.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!

Estimated reading time: 51.8 minutes

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Week 1 takeaways

Waiver wire

• LB Mack Wilson, Arizona Cardinals: Wilson had a productive game, delivering nine tackles while being one of the highest-graded players on the Cardinals defense. Wilson didn’t play a full complement of snaps, like Kyzir White, but should be considered a waiver target in deeper leagues where these non-full-time linebackers are rostered.
• LB DeMarvion Overshown, Dallas Cowboys: Overshown was the Cowboys' clear LB2, playing ahead of Damone Clark. However, neither played full-time and only Overshown should really be considered for deeper leagues.
• LB Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean, Philadelphia Eagles: I’ve highlighted Zack Baun quite a bit this offseason as it became clear that the Eagles were going to deploy him as a starting linebacker, but it’s still possible he’s available in a number of leagues. That shouldn’t be the case following this week for him or Nakobe Dean, who replaced Devin White. The former Buccaneer could come back and cut into Dean’s snaps, but reports aren’t encouraging that White will be considered a starter when he’s back healthy.
• LB Henry To’oTo’o, Houston Texans: To’oTo’o was discussed in this week’s IDP rankings article as a safe starting option, but he could be on plenty of waiver wires for those unaware of his starting status with Christian Harris on IR. To’oTo’o should continue to be a decent starting option in most formats considering his strong snap share.
• LB Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom, Los Angeles Rams: As expected, Reeder was the Rams' lone every-down linebacker and came up with a solid day of production. He’ll be one of the top waiver targets in IDP this week, as there aren’t many viable options to replace him currently on the roster. For deeper leagues, Rozeboom can also be added, though his snap share wasn’t nearly as strong as Reeder’s coming off the field on obvious passing downs.
• LB Darius Muasau, New York Giants: Muasau stepped into the Giants' LB2 role this week and played a decent 82% snap share. Muasau likely only has this role because Micah McFadden was banged up heading into Week 1 and didn’t play. If McFadden gets back in the lineup, Muausau will be unlikely to return much IDP value and cede his LB2 role back to McFadden.
• S Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills: Hamlin stepped into a full-time role with Mike Edwards sidelined. He came up with four tackles and saw the highest percentage of snaps in the box among the Bills safeties, making him a fine add in leagues where just being a starting safety holds IDP value.
• CB Dax Hill, Cincinnati Bengals: Hill’s role in Cincinnati’s defense was undoubtedely going to be different than last season with the team bringing in starting safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone, and it wasn’t always clear that Hill will be considered a starter. This week confirmed that he is going to be a full-time player for them as a wide corner. He played well in that role, delivering eight tackles and a sack, which made him a player of interest in CB-required IDP leagues.
• DB Quentin Lake, Los Angeles Rams: Lake played a full-time role as the primary nickel corner while also playing some safety. As a result, he delivered a nice days worth of production which included a team-leading 10 total tackles. He is a good option to consider in most formats.
• S Tyler Nubin, New York Giants: Nubin stepped into a full-time role, which was unclear in the preseason whether that would be the case. Nubin had strong production, leading the team with seven tackles and saw decent usage in the box. He can be added in most IDP leagues where safety help is needed.
• S Tony Adams, New York Jets: Adams played more snaps in the box this week (50) than any other safety, as did teammate Chuck Clark. It’s unlikely that this will continue going forward since it is far from what the Jets deployed last season, but Adams showed that he can be a productive IDP and is worth adding in most formats.
• S George Odum, San Francisco 49ers: Odum filled in for the injured Talanoa Hufanga in this game. It’s unuclear when Hufanga will be back but for leagues where starting safeties carry value, Odum can be an option for the time being.
• DT A’Shawn Robinson, Carolina Panthers: Robinson is the likely beneficiary to Derrick Brown’s injury because he should step into a larger role. He played 77% of the Panthers' defensive snaps in Week 1 and came up with nine total tackles. He’ll be an option in DT-required leagues, especially those looking for a replacement for Brown.
• ED Darrell Taylor, Chicago Bears: Newly acquired edge Darrell Taylor stepped into a decent-sized role (59%) and came away with two sacks in his Bears’ debut. Taylor is a fine waiver option with the potential to increase his role going forward.
• ED Keion White, New England Patriots: White appears to be the answer in replacing Matt Judon on New Englands defensive line. He delivered 2.5 sacks on an 80% snap share to go along with a 90.8 pass-rush grade. He should be considered the top defensive line target for waiver wires from this bunch.

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JUMP TO A TEAM:

ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CIN | CHI | CLE | DEN | DAL | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

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Arizona Cardinals

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Zaven Collins had a productive game, delivering nine total tackles on 42 defensive snaps. However, his pass-rush upside is still limited by both a lack of experience and an immature skill set for the position. He finished with no pressures and a 0% win rate against the Buffalo Bills offensive line.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Waiver wire: Mack Wilson had a productive game, delivering nine tackles while being one of the highest-graded players on the Cardinals defense. Wilson didn’t play a full complement of snaps, like Kyzir White, but should be considered a waiver target in deeper leagues where these non-full-time linebackers are rostered.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Atlanta Falcons

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: In Matthew Judon’s first game with the Atlanta Falcons, he tied for the team lead along the defensive line in snaps while delivering a half-sack among his five tackles. Judon getting deployed on a strong workload in his first game with the team and coming off of injury is a good sign for a player who has pass rush ability to perform better as the season goes on.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Kaden Elliss was the lone full-time linebacker for the Falcons and is the only one likely worth rostering in most formats. Nate Landman played mostly on early downs while Troy Andersen was the option on passing downs for the most part. These roles shouldn't change all that much going forward, so Landman and Andersen are deep-league options only.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Jessie Bates saw a higher deployment in the box this week than he did all of last season (16.6%). With a new defensive coordinator coming in, this could be a positive sign for Bates to maintain his strong tackle numbers from last season.

CORNERBACK

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Baltimore Ravens

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Injury: Kyle Van Noy suffered a fractured orbital bone in this game and will likely miss time. Van Noy was the Ravens' clear second starter on the edge before suffering the injury, playing 69% of the possible snaps, which was second only to Odafe Oweh by that point.
• Waiver wire: For IDP managers in deeper leagues, David Ojabo played 70% of the possible snaps once Van Noy left the game due to injury. He managed to sack Patrick Mahomes earlier in the game and could be a nice volume play for those in need.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

 

• Point of interest: As highlighted during the weekly IDP start/sit show, Trenton Simpson’s usage was limited by extra defensive backs being on the field against the Kansas City Chief’s passing attack. There is also reason to believe that this will be a consistent theme in what is essentially Simpson’s rookie season after playing fewer than 50 defensive snaps in 2023. His role could potentially grow throughout the year, but should not be considered a locked-in starter in most formats as he is not the one-for-one Patrick Queen replacement in terms of snap volume that some expected him to be.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Buffalo Bills

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Trending up: Greg Rousseau immediately delivered on his 2024 breakout potential, which was highlighted back in July, as he came up with three sacks and a forced fumble among his six total tackles. Rousseau also saw a significant snap increase from his career norm, which was one of the primary concerns in holding him back from his breakout potential. His best season average snap share came last year was 60% so getting close to 80% is a massive upgrade and can potentially vault him into top-12 category for his position if he keeps up his strong play.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Waiver wire: Dorian Williams was the favorite to replace Matt Milano as the Bills' LB2 and that was confirmed in the preseason, as well as Week 1 here. The positive for Williams is that his role was an 85% snap share instead of the 64% role that was typical of the Bills LB2 when Milano wasn’t in the lineup. He can be added in most IDP leagues, as a depth option.

SAFETY

• Waiver wire: Damar Hamlin stepped into a full-time role with Mike Edwards sidelined. He came up with four tackles and saw the highest percentage of snaps in the box among the Bills safeties, making him a fine add in leagues where just being a starting safety holds IDP value.

CORNERBACK

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Carolina Panthers

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

• Injury: Panthers star defensive tackle Derrick Brown suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury in this game. Brown as the overall DT1 in IDP last season thanks to posting over 100 total tackles for the position.
• Waiver wire: A’Shawn Robinson is the likely beneficiary to Brown’s injury as he should step into a larger role. He played 77% of the Panthers' defensive snaps in Week 1 and came up with nine total tackles. He’ll be an option in DT-required leagues, especially those looking for a replacement for Brown.

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: It appeared that Josey Jewell was going to be a 100% green dot linebacker considering that is exactly what we saw in the preseason. However, Shaq Thompson wore the dot and didn’t leave the field. Jewell’s role was perfectly fine to be a starter in most IDP formats going forward, but Thompson now becomes the more valuable option rest of season.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Chicago Bears

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Waiver wire: Newly acquired edge Darrell Taylor stepped into a decent-sized role (59%) and came away with two sacks in his Bears’ debut. Taylor is a fine waiver option with the potential to increase his role going forward.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Just wanted to point out how much more effective T.J. Edwards continues to be as an IDP compared to Tremaine Edmunds despite the same snaps shares. Sometimes, we expect this to go back-and-forth when two linebackers on the same team play the same amount of snaps, but Edwards has consistently been the superior IDP in Chicago, hence him being constantly ranked higher.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Cincinnati Bengals

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

• Waiver wire: Dax Hill’s role in Cincinnati’s defense was undoubtedely going to be different than last season with the team bringing in starting safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone, and it wasn’t always clear that Hill will be considered a starter. This week confirmed that he is going to be a full-time wide corner. He played well in that role, delivering eight tackles and a sack, which made him a player of interest in CB-required IDP leagues.

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Cleveland Browns

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Trending up: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah played 100% of the Browns' defensive snaps for the first time in his NFL career, which is very encouraging for his IDP value going forward. It is worth noting that Jordan Hicks was banged up heading into this week, so it’s possible that his lighter workload was a result of not being full healthy and missing practice time. This could lead to different snap shares in Week 2 that are less-than-ideal, considering what we’ve seen in the past from the Browns linebackers, but for now, this is a nice boost to Owusu-Koramoah’s value.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Grant Delpit got some favorable IDP alignments in this game, playing 53% of his snaps in the box. However, it didn’t translate to strong IDP production with just three tackles. He’ll have much better days with the assumption that this usage continues.

CORNERBACK

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Dallas Cowboys

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: The Cowboys top pass-rushers feasted in this game with Micah Parsons posting an elite win rate and pressure rate, which resulted in a sack and five QB hits. Meanwhile, Demarcus Lawrence, whose strong matchup potential was highlighted in our IDP start-sit podcast, delivered two sacks, four QB hits and a forced fumble for an elite IDP performance.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Eric Kendricks’ full game snap share doesn’t appear as strong as it actually was. He missed two drives to get checked for injury but came back in the game after that once he was cleared. He also didn’t play in garbage time when it was clear the game was out of hand which all told accounted for about 30% of the available snaps. He was the lone every-down linebacker when he was in the lineup and should be considered a top IDP option going forward.
• Waiver wire: DeMarvion Overshown was the clear LB2 for the Cowboys, playing ahead of Damone Clark. However, neither player was full-time and only Overshown should really be considered for deeper leagues.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Denver Broncos

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Trending up: Jonathon Cooper continues to be a great value IDP, as he was last season, playing a strong snap share and coming up with encouraging production. This week, he landed two sacks among his six tackles, while posting an incredibly high 41% pressure rate.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

• Point of interest: Zach Allen had a quiet day in the box score but he set a new career-high for himself in terms of single-game snap share, playing all but two defensive snaps (97%) in this game. He also posted strong pass-rush metrics for the position and should be expected to bounce back very quickly for those rostering him in IDP.

LINEBACKER

• Trending down: Cody Barton barely saw the field in this game and didn’t perform well when he was out there, earning just a 44.3 defensive grade. Barton’s snap share and performance isn’t encouraging that he’ll be able to increase his playing time going forward and will be droppable in most formats. Kristian Welch isn’t yet a waiver wire target either considering the snap share but can be someone to keep on the watchlist in case he surpasses Barton on the depth chart, which shouldn’t be ruled out.

SAFETY

• Trending down: Brandon Jones made his debut for the Broncos this week after not playing in the preseason due to injury. He rotated with Devon Key, which could be a result of not practicing as much and not being 100% healthy, but either way, it keeps him out of starting consideration for Week 2 in case this becomes his typical usage.

CORNERBACK

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Detroit Lions

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Aidan Hutchinson dominated the Los Angeles Rams offensive line on Sunday night, resulting in the highest pass-rush grade, win rate and pressure rate (min. 25 snaps) for his position this week. Hutchinson managed to get in a sack as well to satisfy IDP managers and should continue being treated as an elite IDP option.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Trending down: After encouraging reports coming out of Lions camp this offseason regarding Jack Campbell and even his potential to wear the green dot, we quickly learned that this was not the case on Sunday night as the linebacker rotation remained exactly the same from last season, which had Campbell coming off the field on most obvious passing downs. Alex Anzalone will be the only Lions linebacker worth rostering in the majority of redraft formats.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: It might be hard for Brian Branch’s IDP stock to get any higher, but getting confirmation that he’s a full-time player this season while still seeing favorable alignments in the slot and box just makes him all the more exciting for IDP potential. He delivered seven tackles to go along with three pass breakups in this game and should be a locked-in starter almost every week.

CORNERBACK

• Point of interest: Amik Robertson took over as the slot corner when Branch was playing safety, but only in those packages which kept him from geting any reliable usage for IDP.

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Green Bay Packers

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Rashan Gary played a decent snap share in this game and delivered a sack in a tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line. The matchup led to below average pass-rush metrics for Gary, but considering he was still able to deliver, he should be a strong start going forward.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: This is the first regular season game seeing new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s tendencies and Isaiah McDuffie playing a near full-time role was very encouraging for IDP. He wasn’t the most effective tackler in this game but that snap volume will lead to better IDP games and should be rostered in most formats.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Rookie safety Javon Bullard had a very productive game, tying for the team-lead in total tackles (11), while playing every snap. Xavier McKinney had the more ideal IDP alignments in this game, which will likely continue going forward, though McKinney wasn’t as effective.

CORNERBACK

• Point of interest: Keisean Nixon was incredibly productive in this game, delivering six total tackles, which included a sack. Nixon was the primary slot corner for the Packers, and while his overall snap share wasn’t ideal, though the Philadelphia Eagles only played 66% of their offensive snaps in 11 personnel, meaning facing teams who spend more time in three-wide receiver sets will lead to more playing time for Nixon.

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Houston Texans

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: It was a quiet day for the Texans star pass-rushers, but the snaps are there for them to have much better days. They’re also capable of better showings in terms of pass-rush metrics so nothing to be concerned about for now after going up against one of the better offensive lines in the league.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Waiver wire: Henry To’oTo’o was discussed in this week’s IDP rankings article as a safe starting option, but could be on plenty of waiver wires still for those unaware of his starting status with Christian Harris on IR. To’oTo’o should continue to be a decent starting option in most formats considering his strong snap share.

SAFETY

• Trending down: For those deeper leagues that have rosters with either Eric Murray or Calen Bullock on them, both players rotated for that second safety spot next to Jimmie Ward. They shouldn’t continue to be rostered outside of the deepest leagues until one emerges as a clear starter.

CORNERBACK

• Point of interest: Jalen Pitre played the primary slot defender role for the team while adding in a healthy snap share in the box. He wasn’t overly productive with three tackles, but this was the case for the entire Houston defense as they played a low 45 defensive snaps.

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Indianapolis Colts

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Rookie watch: Laiatu Latu is still currently behind both Kwity Paye and Tyquan Lewis on the depth chart, as he was in the preseason. He isn’t going to be a starting option until he overtakes one of those starting roles.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Both of the Colts starting safeties were the team leaders in total tackles with Nick Cross getting 14 and Julian Blackmon getting 13. This is unlikely to be the case every week, with Blackmon still being the safest bet for IDP production considering his box alignments. Corss can be added off waiver wires in deeper leagues, but expectations should be tempered seeing his 78% deep safety alignment.

CORNERBACK

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Jacksonville Jaguars

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: The Jaguars, under new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, appeared to deploy more of a rotation among the linebacking corps than we’d like for IDP, specifically as it relates to three-time IDP LB1 Foyesade Oluokun. He came off the field for two full drives, at times, and even some obvious passing downs. It’s possible that the Miami heat was a factor in this rotation, but it needs to get the radars up for Oluokun managers who invested heavily in drafts to get him this offseason.
• Trending down: While Oluokun’s trending down, there’s at least some reason to believe he’ll still be a consistent starting option. The same can’t necessarily be said for Devin Lloyd, who saw more situation-specific usage due to coming off the field on most obvious passing downs and for entire drives. IDP managers should be looking for safer snap shares on the waiver wire to replace Lloyd if possible.

SAFETY

• Waiver wire: Antonio Johnson was highlighted as safe bet for starting snaps following the third week of the preseason, and he delivered a strong IDP performance in his season debut with nine total tackles and mixed usage all over the field. He’ll have value in IDP formats where starting safeties need to be rostered.

CORNERBACK

• Injury: Tyson Campbell suffered a hamstring injury in this game and will likely miss some time. Montaric Brown was his immediate replacement on the outside.

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Kansas City Chiefs

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Despite the struggles of the Ravens’ offensive line, the Chiefs edge rushers were unable to deliver any meaningful IDP production against the slippery Lamar Jackson.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

• Point of interest: Chris Jones was the lone Kansas City defender to sack Lamar Jackson in this game. His dominance was on display, as usual, and continues to be one of the best big-play threats at defensive tackle for IDP.

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Yes, Leo Chenal was the top IDP scorer among the Chiefs linebackers this week, but no, he should not be a top waiver target outside of deep leagues. Playing 60% of Kansas City's defensive snaps is not ideal for consistent production, especially in games where the Chiefs don’t play 80 defensive snaps. More importantly, this usage was likely boosted by the Ravens deploying more two-tight end looks and significantly below average 11 personnel (26%), which naturally draws more linebackers onto the field and helps the third linebacker like Chenal get more playing time. Be wary of adding him over safer bets for playing time this week as that production is unlikely to be sustainable across an entire season.
• Point of interest: As for Nick Bolton, his tackle efficiency in this game was well below average and uncharacteristic of him. He is the only every-down linebacker in this defense and until that changes he should be treated as a startable IDP option with reason to expect (much) better days ahead.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Chamarri Conner has taken over the Chiefs starting nickel corner role, which has been a fruitful one for IDP in recent years. As mentioned above, the Ravens' lack of 11 personnel in this game caused for unique deployment from the defense. Conner should see larger snap shares going forward, especially when facing teams that deploy a higher rate of three wide receivers. He did miss four tackles in this game, which if he doesn’t clean up going forward, he might not hold that starting job for long.

CORNERBACK

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Las Vegas Raiders

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Maxx Crosby appears determined to start a new iron man streak this season, playing every single defensive snap in this game – something that he did 10 times last season, including the final three games of the year, now bringing his streak to four-straight games without a missed snap.
• Injury: Tyree Wilson suffered a knee injury in this game and is expected to miss time, though it doesn’t sound like it will be season ending.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Los Angeles Rams

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Rookie watch: Jared Verse played a healthy 70% snap share in his NFL debut and even tallied a sack on a strong win rate and pressure rate. He should be a nice volume-heavy option this season considering the lack of other viable options on the edge for the Rams.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Waiver wire: As expected, Troy Reeder was the Rams' lone every-down linebacker and came up with a solid day of production. He’ll be one of the top waiver targets in IDP this week as there aren’t many viable options to replace him currently on the roster.
• Waiver wire: For deeper leagues, Christian Rozeboom can also be added, though his snap share wasn’t nearly as strong as Reeder’s coming off the field on obvious passing downs.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Kamren Curl got a strong snap share in the box in Week 1, but it didn’t translate to strong production. He’ll have better games with this usage, but unfortunately, Week 1 will go down as a disappointing outing.

CORNERBACK

• Waiver wire: Quentin Lake played a full-time role as the primary nickel corner while also playing some safety. As a result, he delivered a nice days worth of production which included a team-leading 10 total tackles. He is a good option to consider in most formats.

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Los Angeles Chargers

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Joey Bosa looked back to his old self in this game, delivering seven total tackles and a sack with strong pass-rush metrics to back it up. If he can stay healthy, he’ll have a chance to be considered an elite IDP again. Khalil Mack also delivered an impressive performance with 1.5 sacks on a strong snap share, picking up where he left off last season.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Trending down: The entire Chargers linebacker corps rotated drives in this game, with no player playing more than 40-of-60 defensive snaps. None of these LBs are going to be startable in most IDP formats until someone – likely Junior Colson – emerges as a clear starter.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Miami Dolphins

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Despite coming off a torn Achilles in late November, Jaelan Phillips not only got the start in Week 1 but also played 64% of the team’s defensive snaps, which was the second-most at the edge position. He then delivered an elite 31% win rate and 19% pressure rate for a 75.6 pass-rush grade and a sack. This is a very encouraging start to the year for a player we had very high hopes for heading into last season, which was derailed by injuries.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Both Miami linebackers played full-time roles in this game, which was our first real sample of Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator, and should help IDP managers feel comfortable in starting both players going forward.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Minnesota Vikings

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Despite playing a very strong 73% snap share this week, Jonathan Greenard came away with just a single QB hit in this game, disappointing a lot of IDP managers. He’ll have better games going forward. Andrew Van Ginkel made up for that lack of production on Greenard’s part by delivering a sack and an interception to go along with his four tackles. Patrick Jones landed two sacks but didn’t quite play enough to be considered a waiver target.
• Rookie watch: Dallas Turner may have played only 50% of the defensive snaps but managed a sack against Daniel Jones in his NFL debut. Ideally, we’ll get a better snap share for Turner before feeling overly comfortable starting him.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Trending down: It was worst-case scenario for Ivan Pace in terms of his IDP usage in this game. He was a sub-50% snap share (not accounting for garbage time) player as he was last season and will only be worthy of a roster spot in the deepest leagues barring an injury to Blake Cashman.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Also like last season, Brian Flores relied on his three starting safeties very heavily and all three played 90% or more of the snaps, which is why Pace won’t see the field much this year. It’s also possible that should one of the safeties go down due to injury, that Pace’s snap share would increase, but as of now, he’s a poor IDP asset.

CORNERBACK

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New England Patriots

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Waiver wire: Keion White appears to be the answer in replacing Matt Judon on New England’s defensive line. He delivered 2.5 sacks on an 80% snap share to go along with a 90.8 pass-rush grade. He should be considered the top defensive line target for waiver wires from this bunch.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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New Orleans Saints

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Demario Davis was a full-time linebacker up until the Saints pulled most of their starters in the fourth quarter when it was clear the game was over. He played 40 of a possible 60 defensive snaps prior to that point. Pete Werner had only played 57% of the defensive snaps through those first 40 possible snaps and isn’t an option outside of deeper IDP leagues.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Tyrann Mathieu appeared to have been limited in his snaps this week as he was dealing with a heel injury coming into the week. He’ll likely ramp up his snaps next week as long as he didn’t suffer a set back.

CORNERBACK

• Point of interest: Alontae Taylor worked as the primary slot corner in this game, blitzing four times and delivering three sacks. Obviously, these are incredibly efficient numbers but worth keeping in mind that Taylor sees similar usage as most nickel corners in the league and repeating those numbers again is incredibly unlikely.

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New York Giants

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: The Giants edge rushers put up a pretty lackluster performance against the Vikings this week, with Kayvon Thibodeaux standing out again with a very poor pass rush grade, continuing this concerning trend from last season. His values lies entirely on his playing time at this point.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

• Point of interest: Dexter Lawrence put up some otherworldly pass-rush numbers this week, and luckily, it translated to a sack. Lawrence was the highest graded interior defensive lineman overall (92.6) and as a pass rusher (92.3) last season, and he immediately regains his spot at the top after Week 1 this week.

LINEBACKER

• Waiver wire: Darius Muasau stepped into the Giants LB2 role this week and played a decent 82% snap share. Muasau likely only has this role as Micah McFadden has been banged up heading into Week 1 and didn’t play in this game. If McFadden gets back in the lineup, Muausau will be unlikely to return much IDP value and cede his LB2 role back to McFadden.

SAFETY

• Waiver wire: Rookie Tyler Nubin stepped into a full-time role, which was unclear in the preseason whether that would be the case. Nubin had strong production, leading the team with seven tackles and saw decent usage in the box. He can be added in most IDP leagues where safety help is needed.

CORNERBACK

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New York Jets

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: C.J. Mosley briefly left this game to be evaluated for an injury but came back in and didn’t miss a snap from that point on.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Tony Adams played a significant amount of snaps in the box this week – more than any safety in the league. As did Chuck Clark (second-most), which could represent a specific game plan against the run-heavy offense of the 49ers as this was not something tat was typical of Robert Saleh and company in 2023. If it were to be a trend, both players would be in consideration as strong IDP options for the position.

CORNERBACK

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Philadelphia Eagles

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Trending down: This wasn’t an ideal matchup for Bryce Huff, with the concern coming from how much he would play on run downs in order to help his production floor with the assumption that he won’t get a sack. Surprisingly, Huff played more on run than pass downs but was fourth in the pecking order for edge snaps in Vic Fangio’s defense. Huff should not be started until we see that usage get closer to 60%, while also facing more advantageous matchups.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Waiver wire: I’ve highlighted Zack Baun quite a bit this offseason as it became clear that the Eagles were going to deploy him as a starting linebacker, but it’s still possible he’s available in a number of leagues. That shouldn’t be the case following this week for him or Nakobe Dean, who replaced Devin White. The former Buccaneer could come back and cut into Dean’s snaps, but reports aren’t encouraging that White will be considered a starter when he’s back healthy.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

• Rookie watch: Cooper DeJean was primarily a backup in this game, and he is likely to continue in that role with Avonte Maddox manning the slot while Darius Slay and fellow rookie Quinyon Mitchell play outside. Mitchell was the most productive among the Eagles corners with five total tackles and two pass breakups.

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: T.J. Watt had the type of game most IDP managers expect from him, delivering a sack and a fumble recovery. He also had two sacks called back due to penalties, which could have made for an even bigger IDP score.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Patrick Queen worked as the lone full-time linebacker, as expected, with a heavy rotation between rookie Payton Wilson and Elandon Roberts.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Minkah Fitzpatrick is often one of the deep safeties that is immune to the poor tackle efficiency that typically comes with that alignment, and he proved it against this week, leading his team in tackles (seven) while playing all but two of his snaps deep.

CORNERBACK

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San Francisco 49ers

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

SAFETY

• Waiver wire: George Odum filled in for the injured Talanoa Hufanga in this game. It’s unuclear when Hufanga will be back but for leagues where starting safeties carry value, Odum can be an option for the time being.

CORNERBACK

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Seattle Seahawks

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Both Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker played full-time roles this week. We did not see Baker at all in the preseason so it was unclear what the linebacker deployment would look like, so this was a very encouraging sign that we can get two full-time roles out of Seattle again, despite a new defensive coordinator.

SAFETY

• Point of interest: Julian Love had an excellent IDP performance in this one, delivering a team-leading 12 tackles to go along with an interception and a forced fumble.

CORNERBACK

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Trending down: K.J. Britt had some concerning usage from this game that kept him far from a full-time role. He came off the field on obvious passing downs, replaced by SirVocea Dennis, who only played 21 defensive snaps and landed six tackles and a sack. His production is not worth chasing outside of the deepest leagues. Britt will also move down the rankings with this usage.

SAFETY

• Injury: Antoine Winfield suffered an ankle injury in this game and is now likely to miss at least two weeks.

CORNERBACK

• Point of interest: With the injury to Winfield, it’s possible that Tykee Smith gets more work at safety along with his slot duties. This isn’t for sure, but feels like a possibility based on the depth chart.

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Tennessee Titans

Team Ranks

EDGE

• Point of interest: Harold Landry was the epitome of a volume-based producer this week, playing all but four defensive snaps, posting a 0% pass rush win rate while still coming up with a sack among his six total tackles. He’ll continue to be a good IDP based on elite snap volume.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

• Rookie watch: Second-round interior defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat had an impressive NFL debut, delivering a great 81.8 pass-rush grade to go along with strong pass-rush metrics despite the lack of production in the stat sheet.

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: As expected, Ernest Jones did not play a full compliment of snaps in his Titans debut as he was eased into the lineup, coming on for the third drive and rotating in and out with Jack Gibbens. For now, Kenneth Murray is the lone Titans linebacker worth trusting in IDP lineups.

SAFETY

CORNERBACK

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Washington Commanders

Team Ranks

EDGE

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

LINEBACKER

• Point of interest: Bobby Wagner had a good day in the stat sheet as the lone every-down linebacker in Dan Quinn’s new defense. Frankie Luvu played close to 100% of Washington's defensive snaps as well, but he played 22% of his snaps on the edge and blitzed on 17% of his snaps, which figures to be a common usage for Luvu in this defense. He’ll likely have his big blow-up games when he gets a sack but his tackle efficiency could be on the lower end for linebackers.

SAFETY

• Trending down: Jeremy Chinn did not play a 100% snap share, splitting time with Percy Butler. This was something that Dan Quinn did with his safeties in Dallas and could be an issue again here in Washington. Chinn’s alignments were ideal, but coming off the field so often takes away a lot of the advantage that this alignment brings, essentially turning him into any average IDP safety.

CORNERBACK

• Rookie watch: Second-round pick Mike Sainristil played the primary nickel corner role and came away with six total tackles. He can be a fine IDP in CB-required leagues.

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Data keys

• Tackle efficiency = Percentage of snaps where that IDP was in on a tackle. Average tackle efficiency for linebackers in 2023 was 13.3% (min. 100 snaps). Tackles discard snaps that didn’t count due to penalty and don’t include sacks.
• Win rate = Percentage of snaps that a defensive lineman won their rep against a blocker. Average win rate for edge defenders in 2023 was 11.7% (min. 100 prsh snaps). Average win rate for interior defenders in 2023 was 8.7% (min. 100 prsh snaps).
• Pressure rate = Percentage of pass-rush snaps that resulted in a pressure. Average pressure rate for edge defenders in 2022 was 12.2% (min. 100 prsh snaps). Average pressure rate for interior defenders in 2023 was 8.1% (min. 100 prsh snaps).
• Pass-rush grade = PFF pass-rush grade, taking into account the quality of every pass-rush snap for every player on every play. Average pass-rush grade for edge defenders in 2023 was 67.1 (min. 100 prsh snaps). Average pass-rush grade for interior defenders in 2023 was 64.9 (min. 100 prsh snaps).
• Zone coverage rate = Percentage of Cover-2, Cover-3 (+variations), Cover-4/quarters, and Cover-6 snaps played by the defense.
• Man coverage rate = Percentage of Cover-1, Cover-0, and Cover-2-Man snaps played by the defense.
• Dime personnel rate = Percentage of snaps the defense spent with six defensive backs on the field at once, typically at the cost of a linebacker.
• Blitz rate = Percentage of snaps where the defense sent at least one extra pass rusher on a given play.
• Box snaps = Snaps where the defensive player is lined up in a linebacker or strong safety alignment (within 2-10 yards of the line of scrimmage).
• Free safety snaps = Snaps where the defensive player is lined up more than 10.5 yards from the line of scrimmage.
• Slot corner snaps = Snaps where the defensive player is lined up covering an eligible receiver who is aligned inside of an outside receiving option.
• Outside corner snaps = Snaps where the defensive player is the widest outside defender to any given side where there is a wide receiver aligned.
• Defensive line snaps = Snaps where the defensive player is lined up on or within 1.5 yards of the line of scrimmage.

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