Five weeks down, and one round of byes are in the rearview. Keep an eye out for the competition in a roster crunch and dropping players you wouldn’t normally see on waivers.
Each week, we’ll highlight diamonds in the rough or some players that just need to be rostered in more leagues on the defensive side of the ball. Keep in mind your scoring system and roster restraints when heading to the waiver wire to grab these IDPs.
Defensive linemen
DE Sam Hubbard, Cincinnati Bengals
The 29-year-old busted out with nine tackles and a sack in Week 5 after a relatively quiet first four weeks. Hubbard is always on the fringe of being worthy of a pickup. He’ll get 60 tackles and six sacks every season. He has one sack to-date, which suggests the best should be yet to come.
EDGE Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings
Greenard is on a bye this week, and he hasn’t particularly had a good season despite a three-sack week in Week 3. The other four weeks have been pretty so-so. That means he could be dumped to waivers this week, and he should be claimed immediately. His schedule is very favorable after the bye with DET, LAR, IND, JAC, TEN, CHI and ARI on the docket the next few weeks.
Linebackers
LB K.J. Britt, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Britt has been solid with 30 tackles through five games. He hasn’t done anything beyond that, but if he can repeat nine-tackle games like he had in Week 5, he’s easily a flex candidate most weeks.
LB Jerome Baker, Seattle Seahawks
After a frigid start to the season, and a hamstring issue, Baker had a monstrous Week 5. He logged 14 tackles a forced fumble and a sack against the New York Giants. Baker was consistently a 100-tackle guy in Miami, and he appears to be back in that kind of window.
LB Trevin Wallace, Carolina Panthers
The third-round rookie made a statement in Week 5. Entering last week, he had three tackles on the season as a reserve. Wallace delivered 15 in Week 5 after being thrust into the lineup with Shaq Thompson (Achilles) done for the year. Pick him up and ride the wave!
Defensive backs
CB Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wait, we’re opening the DB section with a corner? Yes! Dean has nine-plus tackles in three of the last four weeks. He also added four pass defenses in the process. He’s stacking numbers and taking names.
S Tre’Von Moehrig, Las Vegas Raiders
His name reminds you of Lou Gehrig, and he reeks of consistency. Over the last four weeks: six tackles; six tackles; five tackles, and eight tackles, plus an INT and a pass defense. The numbers won’t knock you over, but Moehrig is a stable high-floor, low-ceiling option.
S Antonio Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars
The second-year man has been productive all season, but he took a big step forward in Week 5. His tackle counts were as follows: nine, five, six, five, and broke out with 11 tackles in Week 5. He has the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots up the next two weeks.
