Week 4 Notes
- Four players hit the 15 tackle mark this week: De’Vondre Campbell (17), Joe Schobert (Also 17), Blake Martinez (15) and a surprise from the DB spot, Eric Weddle (15). For Martinez, Week 4 was his 3rd straight week with at least 12 tackles, and he’s a single tackle behind Jordan Hicks for the NFL lead.
- Continuing the infuriating trend of New England’s carousel of linebackers having tremendous weeks, Kyle Van Noy racked up 8 tackles (1 for loss), 2.0 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles. Given how sporadically Belichick deploys his linebacking group it’s hard to recommend any of them for fantasy consistency, but there are always worse dart throws to take.
- With Darius Leonard out once again, Anthony Walker and Bobby Okereke once again had a spectacular week together for fantasy, racking up 17 combined tackles (Walker 10, Okereke 7) and they both remain firmly on the fantasy radar if Leonard is unable to go for a third straight week.
- Shaquil Barrett continued to dominate this week, adding 4 tackles, 1.0 sack, 2 defensed passes and a fumble recovery to his already gaudy season line. Barrett is already up to a gargantuan 9.0 sacks on the season, and while this type of production is statistically unsustainable, it’s difficult to justify benching him while he’s this scorching hot.
- The Philadlephia Eagles traded strong safety Johnathan Cyprien to the Falcons, where he should step into the strong safety spot occupied by Kemal Ishmael, and becomes an immediate fantasy asset. From 2013 to 2016 Cyprien had 4 straight seasons of 100+ tackles, in a defensive scheme similar to that of the Falcons’ no less. Ishmael had 9 tackles on Sunday replacing the injured Keanu Neal, and Cyprien should be able to do even better than the career backup did.
- With Roquan Smith out, the Bears needed someone to step up, and Nick Kwiatkoski handled the task admirably. He racked up 9 tackles (2 for loss), forced a fumble and picked up a sack en route to a Bears win. If Roquan remains on the shelf, Kwiatkoski and Danny Trevathan would both be strong options.
- Giants rookie linebacker Ryan Connelly was diagnosed with a torn ACL, and his season is now over. It’s a sad end to a very promising rookie campaign for the linebacker out of Wisconsin. Ironically, potentially returning starter Alec Ogletree may represent a downgrade at LB at this point.
- Bradley Chubb also tore his ACL, and the Broncos will be without one of their best players for the remainder of the season.
- The Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions are on bye this week. The most notable loss is DB Tracy Walker, who has 36 tackles through the first 4 weeks. Beyond him though, there’s very few impact IDP’s lost this week. Enjoy it while it lasts, next weeks’ is a doozy.
Below are my Top 50 players this week at each defensive position. Players who appeared on their teams’ injury report as of this writing are in red lettering. Position eligibility is based on FantasyPros, so positional rankings may differ depending on your host site.
Week 4 Linebacker Rankings
Rank | Player Name | Team | Position | Matchup |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Luke Kuechly | CAR | LB | v JAX |
2 | Bobby Wagner | SEA | LB | v LAR |
3 | Darius Leonard | IND | LB | at KCC |
4 | Blake Martinez | GBP | LB | at DAL |
5 | Jordan Hicks | ARI | LB | at CIN |
6 | Cory Litttleton | LAR | LB | at SEA |
7 | Leighton Vander Esch | DAL | LB | v GBP |
8 | Joe Schobert | CLE | LB | at SFO |
9 | Devin Bush | PIT | LB | v BAL |
10 | Zach Cunningham | HOU | LB | v ATL |
11 | C.J. Mosley | NYJ | LB | at PHI |
12 | Deion Jones | ATL | LB | at HOU |
13 | Tremaine Edmunds | BUF | LB | at TEN |
14 | Roquan Smith | CHI | LB | at OAK |
15 | Devin White | TBB | LB | at NOR |
16 | Jaylon Smith | DAL | LB | v GBP |
17 | Lavonte David | TBB | LB | at NOR |
18 | Shaq Thompson | CAR | LB | v JAX |
19 | Eric Kendricks | MIN | LB | at NYG |
20 | Khalil Mack | CHI | LB | at OAK |
21 | Thomas Davis | LAC | LB | v DEN |
22 | Jayon Brown | TEN | LB | v BUF |
23 | Myles Jack | JAX | LB | at CAR |
24 | DeMario Davis | NOR | LB | v TBB |
25 | Patrick Onwuasor | BAL | LB | at PIT |
26 | Kwon Alexander | SFO | LB | v CLE |
27 | Anthony Hitchens | KCC | LB | v IND |
28 | Haason Reddick | ARI | LB | at CIN |
29 | Jamie Collins Sr. | NEP | LB | at WAS |
30 | Danny Trevathan | CHI | LB | at OAK |
31 | Nick Vigil | CIN | LB | v ARI |
32 | T.J. Watt | PIT | LB | v BAL |
33 | De’Vondre Campbell | ATL | LB | at HOU |
34 | Tahir Whitehead | OAK | LB | v CHI |
35 | Denzel Perryman | LAC | LB | v DEN |
36 | Neville Hewitt | NYJ | LB | at PHI |
37 | Anthony Walker | IND | LB | at KCC |
38 | Shaquil Barrett | TBB | LB | at NOR |
39 | Benardrick McKinney | HOU | LB | v ATL |
40 | Matt Milano | BUF | LB | at TEN |
41 | Fred Warner | SFO | LB | v CLE |
42 | Todd Davis | DEN | LB | at LAC |
43 | K.J. Wright | SEA | LB | v LAR |
44 | Chandler Jones | ARI | LB | at CIN |
45 | Quincy Williams | JAX | LB | at CAR |
46 | Jon Bostic | WAS | LB | v NEP |
47 | Alec Ogletree | NYG | LB | v MIN |
48 | Zach Brown | PHI | LB | v NYJ |
49 | Nicholas Morrow | OAK | LB | v CHI |
50 | Rashaan Evans | TEN | LB | v BUF |
Week 4 Defensive Line Rankings
Rank | Player Name | Team | Position | Matchup |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aaron Donald | LAR | DL | at SEA |
2 | Danielle Hunter | MIN | DL | at NYG |
3 | Myles Garrett | CLE | DL | at SFO |
4 | J.J. Watt | HOU | DL | v ATL |
5 | Joey Bosa | LAC | DL | v DEN |
6 | DeMarcus Lawrence | DAL | DL | v GBP |
7 | DeForest Buckner | SFO | DL | v CLE |
8 | Chandler Jones | ARI | DL | at CIN |
9 | Cameron Jordan | NOR | DL | v TBB |
10 | Calais Campbell | JAX | DL | at CAR |
11 | Akiem Hicks | CHI | DL | at OAK |
12 | Cameron Heyward | PIT | DL | v BAL |
13 | Sam Hubbard | CIN | DL | v ARI |
14 | Frank Clark | KCC | DL | v IND |
15 | Stephon Tuitt | PIT | DL | v BAL |
16 | Carlos Dunlap | CIN | DL | v ARI |
17 | Chris Jones | KCC | DL | v IND |
18 | Everson Griffen | MIN | DL | at NYG |
19 | Nick Bosa | SFO | DL | v CLE |
20 | Marcus Davenport | NOR | DL | v TBB |
21 | Olivier Vernon | CLE | DL | at SFO |
22 | Montez Sweat | WAS | DL | v NEP |
23 | Grady Jarrett | ATL | DL | at HOU |
24 | Leonard Williams | NYJ | DL | at PHI |
25 | Kenny Clark | GBP | DL | at DAL |
26 | Clelin Ferrell | OAK | DL | v CHI |
27 | Preston Smith | GBP | DL | at DAL |
28 | Mario Addison | CAR | DL | v JAX |
29 | Yannick Ngakoue | JAX | DL | at CAR |
30 | Dee Ford | SFO | DL | v CLE |
31 | Justin Houston | IND | DL | at KCC |
32 | Ezekiel Ansah | SEA | DL | v LAR |
33 | Jurrell Casey | TEN | DL | v BUF |
34 | Denico Autry | IND | DL | at KCC |
35 | Jonathan Allen | WAS | DL | v NEP |
36 | Takkarist McKinley | ATL | DL | at HOU |
37 | Sheldon Richardson | CLE | DL | at SFO |
38 | Josh Allen | JAX | DL | at CAR |
39 | Brian Burns | CAR | DL | v JAX |
40 | Jadeveon Clowney | SEA | DL | v LAR |
41 | Derek Barnett | PHI | DL | v NYJ |
42 | Geno Atkins | CIN | DL | v ARI |
43 | Quinnen Williams | NYJ | DL | at PHI |
44 | Vic Beasley | ATL | DL | at HOU |
45 | Brandon Graham | PHI | DL | v NYJ |
46 | Fletcher Cox | PHI | DL | v NYJ |
47 | Jerry Hughes | BUF | DL | at TEN |
48 | Vita Vea | TBB | DL | at NOR |
49 | Dante Fowler Jr. | LAR | DL | at SEA |
50 | Robert Quinn | DAL | DL | v GBP |
Week 4 Defensive Back Rankings
Rank | Player Name | Team | Position | Matchup |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jamal Adams | NYJ | DB | at PHI |
2 | Landon Collins | WAS | DB | v NEP |
3 | Harrison Smith | MIN | DB | at NYG |
4 | Jordan Poyer | BUF | DB | at TEN |
5 | John Johnson | LAR | DB | at SEA |
6 | Budda Baker | ARI | DB | at CIN |
7 | Justin Reid | HOU | DB | v ATL |
8 | Shawn Williams | CIN | DB | v ARI |
9 | Antoine Bethea | NYG | DB | v MIN |
10 | Ronnie Harrison | JAX | DB | at CAR |
11 | Jabrill Peppers | NYG | DB | v MIN |
12 | Jessie Bates III | CIN | DB | v ARI |
13 | Tyrann Mathieu | KCC | DB | v IND |
14 | Adrian Amos | GBP | DB | at DAL |
15 | Terrell Edmunds | PIT | DB | v BAL |
16 | Kevin Byard | TEN | DB | v BUF |
17 | Hasean Clinton-Dix | CHI | DB | at OAK |
18 | Vonn Bell | NOR | DB | v TBB |
19 | Kyle Fuller | CHI | DB | at OAK |
20 | Johnathan Cyprien | ATL | DB | at HOU |
21 | Kareem Jackson | DEN | DB | at LAC |
22 | Malcolm Jenkins | PHI | DB | v NYJ |
23 | Bradley McDougald | SEA | DB | v LAR |
24 | Damarious Randall | CLE | DB | at SFO |
25 | Kendall Fuller | KCC | DB | v IND |
26 | Xavier Woods | DAL | DB | v GBP |
27 | Eric Weddle | LAR | DB | at SEA |
28 | Montae Nicholson | WAS | DB | v NEP |
29 | Kenny Vaccaro | TEN | DB | v BUF |
30 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | PIT | DB | v BAL |
31 | Darnell Savage | GBP | DB | at DAL |
32 | Eddie Jackson | CHI | DB | at OAK |
33 | Jaquiski Tartt | SFO | DB | v CLE |
34 | Earl Thomas III | BAL | DB | at PIT |
35 | Khari Willis | IND | DB | at KCC |
36 | Johnathan Joseph | HOU | DB | v ATL |
37 | Clayton Geathers | IND | DB | at KCC |
38 | Ricardo Allen | ATL | DB | at HOU |
39 | LaMarcus Joyner | OAK | DB | v CHI |
40 | Rayshawn Jenkins | LAC | DB | v DEN |
41 | Eric Reid | CAR | DB | v JAX |
42 | Anthony Harris | MIN | DB | at NYG |
43 | Tre Flowers | SEA | DB | v LAR |
44 | Karl Joseph | OAK | DB | v CHI |
45 | Marshon Lattimore | NOR | DB | v TBB |
46 | Logan Ryan | TEN | DB | v BUF |
47 | Juan Thornhill | KCC | DB | v IND |
48 | Devin McCourty | NEP | DB | at WAS |
49 | Jarrod Wilson | JAX | DB | at CAR |
50 | Roderic Teamer | LAC | DB | v DEN |
Questions, comments, complaints? Feel free to drop them down below, or hit me up on Twitter @NateWattQBL.
(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)