This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Barry Church, S, DAL
Church is questionable for Thursday's game against Minnesota as he attempts to return from a broken arm, but he is expected to play. Even with a big club on one arm, Church should return to DB1 utility as soon as he reclaims his normal workload, which could be Thursday given that Dallas won't have fellow safety J.J. Wilcox (thigh). Between Wilcox's injury and Church practicing, though limited, all week, Church ought to see a big snap count. Since his IDP value is derived from the tackles he produces as an in-the-box safety, his cast shouldn't affect his ability to produce for IDP owners.
Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, NYG
No one could have expected Pierre-Paul to reestablish himself as the dominant force he was before his fireworks accident, but if his recent play is any indication, he may be in the midst of doing just that. He had a quiet 2015 season and a quiet start to this one, but he posted 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the last two weeks, and his tackle totals were fairly good even before his recent breakout as a pass rusher. With 50 tackles and seven sacks in 11 games, Pierre-Paul is well on his way to finishing as a DL1.
Daryl Worley, CB, CAR
Worley is a cornerback and therefore can't be fully trusted as an IDP, but his recent production hints at the possibility that he's one of the rare cornerbacks who provide standout
RISING
Barry Church, S, DAL
Church is questionable for Thursday's game against Minnesota as he attempts to return from a broken arm, but he is expected to play. Even with a big club on one arm, Church should return to DB1 utility as soon as he reclaims his normal workload, which could be Thursday given that Dallas won't have fellow safety J.J. Wilcox (thigh). Between Wilcox's injury and Church practicing, though limited, all week, Church ought to see a big snap count. Since his IDP value is derived from the tackles he produces as an in-the-box safety, his cast shouldn't affect his ability to produce for IDP owners.
Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, NYG
No one could have expected Pierre-Paul to reestablish himself as the dominant force he was before his fireworks accident, but if his recent play is any indication, he may be in the midst of doing just that. He had a quiet 2015 season and a quiet start to this one, but he posted 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the last two weeks, and his tackle totals were fairly good even before his recent breakout as a pass rusher. With 50 tackles and seven sacks in 11 games, Pierre-Paul is well on his way to finishing as a DL1.
Daryl Worley, CB, CAR
Worley is a cornerback and therefore can't be fully trusted as an IDP, but his recent production hints at the possibility that he's one of the rare cornerbacks who provide standout IDP production. Since joining the starting lineup in Week 5, the rookie out of West Virginia posted 51 tackles and one sack in seven games. That would safely project to more than 100 tackles on a 16-game timeline, so IDP owners in need of help at defensive back could do worse than a gamble on Worley. Of course, such high tackle totals at cornerback generally indicate a burn tendency in coverage, so anyone speculating on Worley will need to keep him on Bench Watch.
FALLING
Danny Trevathan, (3-4) ILB, CHI
Not many players have had as bad injury luck in the last few years as Trevathan, whose season ended this week due to a torn patellar tendon. Trevathan's luck is so cruel not only because of the volume of injuries -- it's at least his third major knee injury since 2014 -- but especially because of the severity of the most recent injury. Patellar tendon tears are among the very worst injuries for a football player to suffer -- players like Jimmy Graham and Keevan Lucas have made successful recoveries, but many more lost their ability to play at their previous level.
Kurt Coleman, S, CAR
Coleman suffered a concussion against the Raiders on Sunday and has his availability for this week's game against Seattle is in the air as a result. It's a frustrating development, especially because Coleman had recently started producing at a high level after starting the year slowly -- he had 20 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble over the last two weeks, raising his 16-game tackle pace from 84 to 98. He obviously won't have a shot to maintain that pace if he misses this week's game.
Clay Matthews, (3-4) OLB, GB
After two years of relatively good injury luck, Matthews has reverted this season to his prior tendency to accumulate injuries. The latest is a shoulder injury suffered against the Eagles on Monday. He was injured on a blindside hit that would have injured anyone, so it's not the nagging sort of injury normally associated with injury proneness, but it has his short-term availability and effectiveness in the air all the same. He also was dealing with a hamstring injury prior to that. The 30-year-old is in the midst of his worst year in eight NFL seasons, as he heads into Week 13 with just seven active weeks, totaling 18 tackles and four sacks.
Robert Quinn, DE, LA
Quinn hasn't been ruled out for Sunday's game against New England, but as of press time he had not practiced this week due to a concussion. Even aside from the concussion, it's been a disappointing season for the talented pass rusher, as he has just 10 tackles and four sacks in nine games. That's not even DL2 production from a player who posted 19 sacks as recently as 2013. Quinn is a good long-term bet to return to that sort of form eventually, but for now he seems well short of that standard, and the concussion obviously doesn't help.
