RADIO
Are you one of the fantasy managers who plays in a league whose playoffs begin in Week 13 or Week 14? Did you complain to your manager that teams are on bye in Week 14? Don’t complain. Read this column instead.
In Week 12, I had to suffer through sack leader Trey Hendrickson sitting on his bye, along with Will McDonald and Josh Hines-Allen. It didn’t matter. I started Nick Herbig against the Browns and Jonathan Greenard against the Bears on the defensive line, and both of them made sacks, helping my team to win in the last week of the regular season.
Next week, thankfully, there are no byes, but keep reading if you want to find linebackers, defensive ends, and defensive backs who will help boost you at this crucial time of the season.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for the 2025 playoffs:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Waiver Wire Pickups at Linebacker
Nakobe Dean, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered in 19% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
After a strong showing in Week 12, Nakobe Dean broke into the top 10 for linebacker scoring in RotoBaller IDP Standard Scoring format.
Some Nakobe Dean highlights from SNF:
- 8 tackles
- 6 stops
- 3 pressures
- 2 TFLs
- 1 sackHe was flying around the field. pic.twitter.com/TVyVGA4GZb
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) November 25, 2024
Dean made eight tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery in the Eagles’ win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. It was Dean’s fourth game with at least one impact play. On top of that, Dean usually builds a base of close to 10 tackles a game.
Trenton Simpson, LB, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered in 16% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Second-year linebacker Trenton Smith has played over 60 snaps in each of the last four games from Week 8 through Week 11. In Week 13, the Ravens have a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that runs the ball more than any other.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is not easy to bring down, but Trenton Simpson is one of the better tacklers on run plays, only having missed 4.8% of his run play tackles, a rate that is tied for the eighth-lowest.
Blake Cashman, LB, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered in 12% of Leagues
Blake Cashman has continued to be a productive linebacker in his first year on his third team, the Minnesota Vikings. Even with the emergence of Ivan Pace, Cashman still plays 90% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps and out-snaps Pace in many weeks.
Not only does Cashman have high-upside tackle production, but he also makes impact plays. He has three sacks this season, including two since Week 10.
Waiver Wire Pickups at Defensive Line
Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Denver Broncos
Rostered in 14% of Leagues
Heading into last week, the Cleveland Browns ranked first in sacks allowed total and per game. After a game in which they only allowed a single sack to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they still rank first.
Nik Bonitto.
10 sacks.
Put him in the Pro Bowl.
pic.twitter.com/Ou7K5jFRCR— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) November 25, 2024
Now, the Browns head to the Mile High City for a matchup against the team that is leading the league in sacking opposing quarterbacks. Nik Bonitto leads the team with 10 sacks and a 9.9 pass-rush productivity grade, the highest of the team’s defensive linemen.
Zach Allen, DT/DE, Denver Broncos
Rostered in 18% of Leagues
Zach Allen leads the Broncos in pressures and hits on the QB.
While Allen is listed as a defensive tackle, he has played most of his snaps, 480 in total, lined up as an end, and only 148 snaps as a defensive tackle. With five sacks, he just needs one more to set a new career high.
Jonathon Cooper, DL, Denver Broncos
Rostered in 9% of Leagues
Jonathon Cooper has the highest pass rush win rate of any Broncos pass rusher on true passing sets. In PFF’s definition, a true passing set excludes screens and rollouts, so it shows how a defender does when the quarterback truly drops back.
However, Cooper’s likely matchup against tackle Jack Conklin is far from favorable. Conklin is the Browns’ best-graded offensive lineman. He has only allowed three sacks this season and has gone four straight seasons without allowing more than two sacks.
Dante Fowler, EDGE, Washington Commanders
Rostered in 9% of Leagues
The Tennessee Titans, who have allowed the third-most sacks in the league, take on the Washington Commanders in Week 13.
Not only do the Titans have the third-worst offensive line in the league per PFF, but quarterback Will Levis has allowed pressures to turn into sacks on 30.7% of pressures, the highest rate of any starting quarterback.
Commanders edge rusher Dante Fowler has a chance to break his cold spell and get back on track. Fowler has only made three tackles and no sacks in the past two games, but from Week 5 through Week 10, he made one or two sacks in five of the previous six games.
Dorance Armstrong, DL, Washington Commanders
Rostered in 3% of Leagues
Dorance Armstrong is having his least productive season since 2020. He hasn’t made a sack since Week 5. But he has a chance to get to Titans’ quarterback Will Levis in Week 13.
Za'Darius Smith, EDGE, Detroit Lions
Rostered in 4% of Leagues
The Detroit Lions face the Chicago Bears in Week 13. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been extremely sack-prone, having been sacked 41 times of 140 pressures, for the second-highest pressure-to-sack rate of any starting quarterback.
Za'Darius Smith is playing much better than he did last year. Already he has matched his 2023 sack total. Smith lines up on both sides of the line, but we’re hoping he’ll get some matchups against second-year right tackle Darnell Wright, who has given up five sacks this year.
Waiver Wire Pickups at Cornerback and Safety
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Miami Dolphins
Rostered in 41% of Leagues
Jalen Ramsey has made two interceptions since Week 9, and now he is facing one of the NFL’s most interception-prone quarterbacks, Green Bay’s Jordan Love. Love has thrown double-digit interceptions in each of his two seasons as a starter.
This is why @jalenramsey is the highest paid cornerback in @NFL history. If this play doesn’t have you ready to run through a wall, check your pulse!
This is my favorite defensive play all day. I don’t need to see anything else. @MiamiDolphins #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/01n4AphQ3K
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 8, 2024
This year, Love has already matched his total for last season: 11 picks. That’s tied (with Patrick Mahomes) for second-most in the league. Ramsey, who has made three or more interceptions in each of the past three seasons going into this year, has a better chance than most cornerbacks to generate a turnover.
D.J. Reed, CB, New York Jets
Rostered in 19% of Leagues
D.J. Reed is the other half of the cornerback duo that is often touted as “the best in the NFL.” Reed has only allowed 56.1% of passes thrown his way to be completed, and he is tied for No. 35 in the league with seven pass breakups.
Reed has yet to make an interception this season. In most seasons, he makes one or two interceptions. He could make his first pick this week against the Seattle Seahawks.
While Seahawks QB Geno Smith is leading the league in passing yards and second in pass attempts, he’s also leading the league with 12 interceptions. This could create a best-of-both-worlds scenario for Reed and his partner Sauce Gardner.
If the Seahawks attempt a lot of passes, then Reed has a chance to make a lot of tackles, pass breakups, and potentially even an interception.
Garrett Williams, CB, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered in 6% of Leagues
Garrett Williams led the ACC in pass breakups twice in his four years at Syracuse before being drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Flash forward to this year, and Williams has six pass breakups.
In Week 13, he faces a backup quarterback who often puts the ball in harm's way, Minnesota’s Sam Darnold. Darnold has been having a strong season by many metrics, but he has not been able to cut down on his errant passes. He has thrown 10 interceptions, the fourth most in the league, and his 4.1% turnover-worthy play rate is third-most.
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