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In Week 13, we saw a revenge game for Seattle’s Leonard Williams against the New York Jets; Chargers rookie Tarheeb Still humiliating an old man in Atlanta, as he accounted for two of Kirk Cousins’ four interceptions; and T.J. Watt doing his part to help the Steelers defeat the Bengals, with two sacks and a forced fumble.
A couple of new faces became starting linebackers. Some things remained the same: the Chiefs found an even more improbable way to win in the final minute, and the Bears lost in an even more humiliating fashion.
What is coming in Week 14? Six teams’ byes are coming for one thing, and here are a dozen linebackers, defensive ends, cornerbacks, and safeties to consider for streaming.
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IDP Waiver Wire Adds for Linebacker
Neville Hewitt, LB, Houston Texans
Rostered in 6% of IDP Sleeper Leagues
Thirty-one-year-old veteran Neville Hewitt has mostly been a backup for the Texans over the past four years. He only made five tackles in 2022 and 2023. But he has stepped up when injuries to staters required that he take the field.
Hewitt has made eight or more tackles in three of the five games in which he has played over 30 snaps this year. It wasn’t (just) an injury that put him into the game this past week. He took the field for 49 snaps after Azeez Al-Shaair was ejected for spearing Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Many pundits are calling for Al-Shaair to be suspended and, given the intensity of his hit, it seems likely. Hewitt would be expected to play about 80-90% of snaps if Al-Shaair is suspended. In Week 14, the Texans are on bye, and Christian Harris (calf) will eventually return from injured reserve.
Ezekiel Turner, LB/DB, Detroit Lions
Rostered in 2% of Leagues
Ezekiel Turner took over as the Lions’ primary linebacker after Malcolm Rodriguez left the Lions’ victory over the Chicago Bears (RIP Matt Eberflus' job) with a knee injury. Turner played 16 of the Lions’ fourth-quarter defensive snaps. Rodriguez was placed on injured reserve, joining Alex Anzalone (arm), who might not be back until the playoffs.
An undrafted free agent for the Cardinals in 2018, Turner has only played 231 snaps in his career, mostly of which came lined up in the box.
He played as a defensive back in college with the Washington Huskies, hence his positional flexibility. Being able to play a linebacker at DB could be a nice hack in deep leagues.
Malik Harrison, LB, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered in 2% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Malik Harrison takes over as one of the Ravens’ 90%-snap linebackers as disappointing second-year linebacker Trenton Simpson has been demoted. Simpson has been graded by PFF at 50 or below in each of the past three games.
While Harrison didn’t play well in Week 13, either, he did outplay Simpson significantly in Weeks 11 and 12. He only made two tackles in Week 13, but he made 18 tackles in the previous two games.
Troy Dye, LB, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered in 1% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Troy Dye is expected to be on the field for most snaps for the Chargers in light of injuries to Denzel Perryman (groin) and Junior Colson (ankle). Dye played 76.5% of the defensive snaps in the Chargers’ Week 13 victory. He graded at 75.8, and he made 14 tackles.
Tyrice Knight, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 10% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Tyrice Knight, a rookie from UTEP, has stepped into a 50-snap role with the Seahawks since the team got rid of the linebackers it went into the season with. In the past three games, Knight has made 23 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
IDP Waiver Wire Adds for Defensive Line
Nick Herbig, EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered in 18% of Leagues
Nick Herbig has been living up to the hype ever since he was given the chance to start in place of the injured Alex Highsmith (ankle). Herbig has forced a fumble in each of the past three games and made a sack in the past two.
Highsmith has missed Weeks 11 through 13, and his status in Week 14 is also up in the air. While Highsmith’s eventual return could decrease Herbig’s ceiling, it won’t wipe out his value completely. Herbig played fewer than 20 snaps in each of the first three games of the season when Highsmith was healthy, but he made two sacks and forced a fumble.
His matchup next week against the Browns is a good one. Herbig made five tackles, one of them a sack, against the Browns in Week 12, and the Browns have been allowing the most sacks in the league for most of the season.
Will McDonald IV, EDGE, New York Jets
Rostered in 32% of Leagues
Will McDonald IV is making a push for the league lead in sacks. After putting the punishment on Geno Smith twice in Week 13, McDonald is up to 10 sacks, which is tied for No. 4 in the league, just 1.5 sacks behind Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson. That’s impressive for a second-year player who still is available in some dynasty leagues.
McDonald is far from an every-down player. He’s utilized as a pass-rusher and has played fewer than 40 snaps in six games, so he’s most valuable in sack-heavy scoring formats. Sacks account for half of his total tackles.
Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered in 47% of Leagues
Jonathan Greenard, who has had three sacks in the past two games, is also in the running for the sack crown. He makes more tackles than McDonald, having made 15 in the past three weeks. Upcoming playoff matchups in Weeks 15 and 16 against the Bears and Seahawks, respectively, are favorable enough that they could help you win a championship.
Leonard Williams, DE, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 10% of Leagues
We all laughed but we understand it now
pic.twitter.com/DH3Tw67m8n https://t.co/h5h969LtOR— ᴅᴏxx ⚡️ (@new_era72) December 1, 2024
Leonard Williams is on a tear. He made 2.5 sacks in Week 12 against the Arizona Cardinals and then two sacks last week against his former team, the New York Jets. “Big Cat” will attempt to get his paws on Kyler Murray again in Week 14, as the Seahawks go to Arizona as they attempt to extend their one-game lead in the NFC West.
IDP Waiver Wire Adds for Cornerback and Safety
Jordan Battle, SS, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered in 29% of Leagues
Jordan Battle looked good last season in his rookie year. The Alabama product achieved an 82.5 PFF grade. But he had a minimal role earlier this season. He only played three snaps in the first two games of this season.
But his playing time has grown at a steady rate, and he played 76% of snaps this week, surpassing Vonn Bell. His role is predominantly as a strong safety near the line of scrimmage, so he is in a good position to make tackles.
Coby Bryant, FS, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 1% of Leagues
Coby Bryant’s playing time has increased in the second half of the season, and now he’s playing every snap. He plays over 60% of his snaps as free safety, which is not ideal for his tackle production, but he still ends up with between five and 11 tackles per week.
Now in his third year, Bryant has made the first two interceptions of his professional career. While at Cincinnati, Bryant made 10 interceptions in his five-year career, leading the American Conference in picks in 2020. He should maintain interception upside going forward.
Xavier Woods, FS, Carolina Panthers
Rostered in 5% of Leagues
Xavier Woods is having a career year both in terms of tackling and intercepting the football. He’s made 84 tackles, which is already the third-highest total in his eight years in the league. Through just 12 games. His three interceptions are tied for his career high.
Two of those picks came in his past three games, and he has made eight tackles in two of the past three while averaging seven tackles per game all year long.
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