This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Mario Edwards, DT, OAK
The 35th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Edwards plays defensive end but generally has the skill set of an end-tackle hybrid. At 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, Edwards has good explosiveness (120-inch broad jump) for his size, and playing time opened up for him when Justin Tuck suffered a season-ending pectoral injury a little over a month ago. He had a breakout game against the Vikings on Sunday, totaling 11 tackles (eight solo) and one sack. He's now up to 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 361 snaps, which would project to around 70 tackles and four sacks over a 900-snap workload.
Linval Joseph, DT, MIN
Joseph is a big tackle (6-foot-4, 329 pounds) who has always had standout athleticism for his size, but his production rarely exceeded the categorization of 'steady.' He's in the midst of what appears to be a breakout season with the Vikings, however, as he has already tied his career high of eight tackles for loss, with seven more games to play. With 42 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine games, he's a DL3 consideration who's recently shown DL2-type production.
Sean Lee, OLB, DAL
Lee missed last week's loss to Tampa Bay due to a concussion he suffered the week prior, but he'll return to the field when the Cowboys play Miami on Sunday. When healthy, Lee's dominance is well-documented, but it's worth mentioning his numbers quickly in case he was dropped in a shallower format. In his
RISING
Mario Edwards, DT, OAK
The 35th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Edwards plays defensive end but generally has the skill set of an end-tackle hybrid. At 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, Edwards has good explosiveness (120-inch broad jump) for his size, and playing time opened up for him when Justin Tuck suffered a season-ending pectoral injury a little over a month ago. He had a breakout game against the Vikings on Sunday, totaling 11 tackles (eight solo) and one sack. He's now up to 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 361 snaps, which would project to around 70 tackles and four sacks over a 900-snap workload.
Linval Joseph, DT, MIN
Joseph is a big tackle (6-foot-4, 329 pounds) who has always had standout athleticism for his size, but his production rarely exceeded the categorization of 'steady.' He's in the midst of what appears to be a breakout season with the Vikings, however, as he has already tied his career high of eight tackles for loss, with seven more games to play. With 42 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine games, he's a DL3 consideration who's recently shown DL2-type production.
Sean Lee, OLB, DAL
Lee missed last week's loss to Tampa Bay due to a concussion he suffered the week prior, but he'll return to the field when the Cowboys play Miami on Sunday. When healthy, Lee's dominance is well-documented, but it's worth mentioning his numbers quickly in case he was dropped in a shallower format. In his last 40 games Lee produced at a per-game rate that projected to roughly 131 tackles and four interceptions over a 16-game span. He's a legitimate LB1 when healthy, brief as that might be.
Avery Williamson, (3-4) ILB, TEN
Williamson's numbers have been deflated a bit by a play count just under that of a truly full-time linebacker role, but he's still on pace for just over 100 tackles on the year, and the fact that he's done it playing less than 80 percent of Tennessee's defensive snaps implies his per-game production has room to grow. His IDP value gets a decent boost from his sack production, as he has 5.5 sacks in his last 23 games (about four per 16 games).
Kelvin Sheppard, LB, MIA
Jelani Jenkins (ankle) is doubtful for Sunday's game against Dallas, so Sheppard should see a promotion from third linebacker to second, putting him in line for a three-down role or something close to it against the Cowboys. Playing 326 snaps as Miami's third linebacker, Sheppard has 46 tackles, which would project to roughly 140 tackles over a 1,000-snap span, making him appear a viable play if Jenkins should sit.
FALLING
Robert Quinn, DE, STL
After sitting out one game, Quinn attempted to return from a knee injury against the Bears on Sunday, but the injury limited his effectiveness. He finished the game with no statistics in 14 snaps, and after logging just one limited practice this week due to the knee, it appears that he might be out or limited in the upcoming game against Baltimore. Quinn is a game changer in fantasy football and real football alike when healthy, his knee injury appears capable of proving problematic in the meantime.
Sheldon Richardson, (3-4) DE, NYJ
According to SI's Don Banks, a source said Richardson might see a suspension this year for his summer speeding arrest. No suspension length was specified in this scenario, but given that he already served a four-game suspension to start this year for violating the league's substance abuse policy, he might see something similar or worse in the event that the league issues a suspension for the arrest. Richardson is almost always a standout IDP when he's on the field, so he's generally worth holding on to unless another suspension is actually confirmed, though he is questionable for Sunday's game against Houston after missing all of the week's practices with a hamstring issue.
