IDP Analysis: Trevathan Back for Denver

RISING

Danny Trevathan, OLB, DEN

Trevathan suffered a fractured leg in the preseason, knocking him out for the first four weeks of this year, but he appears set to start for Denver against the Cardinals this week. Even if he's eased back in to the lineup, Trevathan should be owned in any league that starts two or more linebackers, and he should soon enough be worth owning even in leagues that start only one linebacker. He has clear LB1 appeal after finishing the 2013 season with 129 tackles (88 solo), two sacks and three interceptions.

Willie Young, DE, CHI

It's early, but it's looking like the Bears got a bargain when they gave Young a three-year, $9 million deal to leave Detroit. Young heads into Week 5 with a healthy total of 16 tackles to go along with four sacks, and that's safely in DL1 territory for IDP formats. The fact that he only had three sacks last year as a 15-game starter for the Lions seems to imply that some decline is in order – perhaps a drastic decline – but Young seems close to a must-own for the time being in leagues that start two or more DL.

Preston Brown, ILB, BUF

Brown is a rookie third-round pick out of Louisville who was expected to provide depth rather than start in 2014, but a season-ending injury to Kiko Alonso allowed Brown to get his foot in the door sooner than expected. He's been highly productive so far, totaling 40 tackles (21 solo) and recovering a fumble in four games. It's tough to tell whether his numbers are sustainable, but the fact that the Bills are allowing just 2.9 yards per carry throughout Brown's reign seems to imply that he's here to stay. Buffalo has no reason to lessen his snaps with results like that.

Mike Daniels, (3-4) DE, GB

Aside from a zero-tackle aberration in Week 4, Daniels has been a solid DL2 option in most formats, as Thursday's 1.5-sack showing against the Vikings on Thursday has his season totals up to 17 tackles (12 solo) and 2.5 sacks. The season-ending biceps injury suffered by B.J. Raji was expected to result in a bigger workload and a bigger share of the stats for Daniels, and everything is going according to the plan so far. He should remain useful.

Morgan Burnett, S, GB

Burnett always heads into each year ranked at or near the top of the defensive back IDP lists, so his entry in the 'rising' section doesn't imply the same relative magnitude of some of the other players listed, but it's worth mentioning that his tackle production has been extremely good so far this year. He somehow already has 48 tackles (36 solo) in five games, adding a forced fumble for good measure. His current tackle rate seems unsustainable, but his long history of triple-digit tackle totals means he should stay at a high level from here on out, even if it's not at the 10-tackle-per-game pace he's hovering at for now. Still, he's probably the early favorite to finish 2014 as the top defensive back IDP.

Anthony Barr, OLB, MIN

Barr continues to look like an excellent draft pick for the Vikings, transitioning from 3-4 outside linebacker to a 4-3 outside linebacker role in a very encouraging fashion. His 29 tackles (21 solo) give reason to hope for a 100-tackle trajectory, and the pass-rushing skills he's always been known for have shown up in the box score, too, giving him two sacks in five games. He has at least five tackles in each game, giving him a good floor most weeks while his sack potential gives him noteworthy upside as well.

FALLING

Charles Johnson, DE, CAR

A player with Johnson's history of production seems likely to get going any minute now, but his lack of production through the first month of the 2014 season has made him basically useless up to this point. After totaling 44 sacks over the last four years, Johnson heads into Week 5 with a pitiful total of three tackles and zero sacks in four games. He needs to catch fire starting this week if he's going to give his IDP owners a decent return, but his owners should be prepared to cut bait and move on if he doesn't show some signs of life soon.

Mychal Kendricks, (3-4) ILB, PHI

Kendricks was on track to be a solid IDP option this year. He started off well enough, making 13 tackles (10 solo) and posting one sack in the first two games, but then his calf injury struck. Kendricks will miss his third straight game against St. Louis on Sunday, and he has yet to return to practice in any capacity, making his long-term situation difficult to foresee.

LaRon Landry, S, IND

Your lack of surprise is understandable, but Landry was slapped with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED policy, knocking him out until Week 9. With their suspiciously muscular strong safety no longer available, the Colts are expected to turn to Sergio Brown in the starting lineup. Landry had 23 tackles and a sack in four games.

Brandon Marshall, OLB, DEN

Marshall has been a valuable IDP to this point in the year, but with Trevathan's return to the field he might see his role reduced going forward. With 30 tackles (19 solo), one sack and one forced fumble through three games, Marshall was an LB1 bargain for those who scooped him up off the waiver wire, but Trevathan is bound to take up a three-down play count once he's at full strength. There's a chance that Marshall will remain an LB2 value going forward, though, as fellow linebacker Nate Irvin played 95 percent of Denver's snaps in their last game. So long as Irving gets demoted rather than Marshall, Marshall will be worth holding onto.