Week 5 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2024) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

The first week of byes in the 2024 NFL season is rough for IDP managers. Our top-rated DB is Brian Branch. He is on bye this week. Our top-ranked linebacker, after multiple losses at the position, is Zack Baun. He is also on bye this week. Finally, Aidan Hutchinson is the most effective edge rusher in the NFL this season. Guess what he's on.

While there are just four teams on bye, the quality of the talent lost is significant. It's not every week that we lose the top player at each position in one week. Injuries to key IDP starters like Micah Parsons, Alex Singleton, Foyesade Oluokun, Antoine Winfield Jr., Terrel Bernard, and others are exacerbating this pandemic and are making defenders a bigger waiver priority than usual.

As we have preached before, leaning heavily on early-season matchups can be folly. Sometimes that's all you have, though. Unfortunately, the need to play matchups increases when five of the top ten LBs are hurt or on bye. For that reason, you may have to look deeper this week. You also have to get creative to stash studs like Branch on your bench for a second straight week.

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IDP Scoring System for Rankings:

6-points per Defensive Touchdown

4-points per Forced Turnover (FF/INT)

3-points per Sack

2- points per PD, FR, Safety

1-point Solo Tackle

0.5-points Assisted Tackle

Note: These rankings are also based on leagues that start one player at each defensive position (DL, LB, DB) and two DFLEX.

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week:

Nick Herbig, Pittsburgh Steelers

In limited snaps, Nick Herbig has earned the eighth-highest pass rush grade from PFF this season, and he's 20^th in pass rush win rate. The Wisconsin product saw a career-high in snaps last week with Alex Highsmith out, and Highsmith is expected to miss this week as well.

The Dallas Cowboys' offensive tackles have allowed 23 quarterback pressures and six sacks in four games. Rookie Tyler Guyton is struggling to acclimate, which is no surprise given his raw nature coming out of Oklahoma, while Terrence Steele is continuing his trend of poor pass blocking from 2023.

Something positive from the game. Love this bull rush from Nick Herbig to bowl over Colts LT Bernhard Raimann. That'll look even better on the All-22 tomorrow. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/E1wRH5BHY0

— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) September 30, 2024

Dallas has struggled to establish the run this season, so they lead the NFL in pass attempts and pass percentage. Expect that to continue this week, meaning the efficient Herbig should have multiple opportunities to prove himself and earn a more significant role when Highsmith returns.

DL Disappointment of the Week:

Jared Verse & Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams

Given this duo's effectiveness, we cannot force them out of the top 30 fantasy DLs this week. Verse has been particularly impressive.

Since the stat sheet for Verse may not overwhelm, just how good he’s been requires context. Against the Lions’ seventh-highest rated pass blocking unit, Verse notched a sack and six quarterback pressures. Against a sturdy Cardinals unit, he collected three pressures and forced a turnover. Then, he saved the best for the Bears.

Within the span of a dozen plays in Chicago, Verse had three sacks taken away by defensive holding and magic by Caleb Williams. Verse won 50% of his pass rush sets against the Bears, which is the best pass rush performance in the NFL this season. While his box score wasn’t impressive in Week 4, he was incredibly effective on film.

So, you might be wondering why we think Verse could disappoint this week if he has been so good. The answer is he's playing the Packers. Green Bay is the top-rated pass-protecting team in the NFL. They allow just 2.6 quarterback pressures and 0.25 sacks per game off the edge. That's a tough matchup for anyone.

*Note: Micah Parsons is listed in our rankings because the Cowboys have not ruled him out for next weekend. However, Parsons was reportedly in a walking boot on Monday, which means the odds of him playing this weekend are low.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week:

Troy Andersen, Atlanta Falcons

Andersen was very nearly our Riser of the Week last week, which would have been prescient considering his tremendous performance in Week 4. The Montana State alum and former quarterback is a high-end athlete who we projected to ascend sooner than this, but sometimes it can take defenders time to earn coach trust and real snaps.

Andersen started the season as a rotational player, a role of inconsistency he's been saddled with for most of his pro career. Thankfully, after Week 1, Andersen became a starter, and his usage has been that of an every-down linebacker. The fantasy production has accompanied that usage, with the former Bobcat averaging 12.6 tackles per game.

Best part about watching back Troy Andersen's performance is seeing how hyped up his teammates were for him, they knew this ability was there.

Andersen makes an unreal inside-out play on Kamara and defensive captain Jessie Bates is the first one on the scene to hype him up pic.twitter.com/Ecbfp0CfeS

— Tre’Shon (@tre3shon) September 30, 2024

The main question about Andersen right now is the injury he suffered in Week 4. The other concern is his matchup with Tampa Bay, a team that doesn’t run the ball often and can be stingy with fantasy opportunities for opposing LBs. If Andersen is healthy this week he’s an LB2, given the matchup, but he’s scored like an LB1 the past few weeks.

LB Disappointment of the Week:

Washington Commanders Linebackers

Despite their quarterback being one of the worst passers in the NFL over the past three seasons, the Browns offense is second in pass rate this season. Worse, they average just 5.5 targets per game to their tight ends.

While David Njoku may return this week, nothing indicates the Browns will up their LB-friendly plays against a Washington offense that has moved the ball well over the past two weeks. This game could end up being another one in which Cleveland plays from behind and throws a lot, which is a poor script for opposing linebackers.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week:

Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dean is the 19^th highest-scoring DB in fantasy this year. What’s better, his production has not been reliant on unreliable stats like sacks or interceptions. In fact, 100% of Dean’s fantasy production has come from the two most replicable statistics for a defensive back: tackles and pass deflections.

While the Buccaneers do not shadow with Dean, leaving him on one side of the field, he should see plenty of Drake London this week. London has historically lined up on Dean's side of the field on nearly half of his snaps. Over the past two weeks, London has been targeted 21 times. That would be good for third in the NFL on a per-game basis.

Watch Jamel Dean take on 6'7 350 puller Mekhi Becton and put him on his backside.

I get Dean frustrates fans. But he does so much that goes unnoticed. pic.twitter.com/huTuur1wh4

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) October 1, 2024

DB Disappointment of the Week:

Cam Taylor-Britt, Cincinnati Bengals

The Ravens' offense has the second-lowest pass rate in the NFL. Worse, the team's top wide receiver (Zay Flowers) spends only 26% of his time where Taylor-Britt lines up. This could be a low-volume affair for the Bengals' secondary and their top corner.

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