Week 3 IDP Fantasy Football Top Performers and Injury Roundup: Zaire Franklin, Jamel Dean, Jonathan Greenard, Robert Spillane, Myles Garrett and More

Week 3 of the NFL regular season has a couple Monday night games on the schedule, but before we turn our attention to those games, let’s discuss some IDP (individual defensive players) performances and injuries from the week.

A look at some fantasy football takeaways for offensive players has already been published.

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Top Tacklers

Indianapolis’ Zaire Franklin leads the NFL so far in week 3 with 15 total tackles. 

Franklin is one of the best IDP options in the league, so this performance is really no surprise. He has 33 total tackles through three weeks.

Tennessee’s Ernest Jones IV, Tampa Bay’s Jamel Dean and Philadelphia’s Zack Baun all had 13 total tackles.

Jones is settling in nicely with his new team, and had his best game yet on Sunday. He’s another really good IDP option and has 25 tackles through three games.

Dean is a cornerback, but has been racking up the tackles this season. He has 28 through three contests. Dean hasn’t had an interception, sack or forced fumble yet, but his tackle production alone is enough to roster him in a lot of IDP leagues.

Baun continued his impressive start to the season and now has 37 tackles. He hasn’t posted a sack since getting two in week 1, but the tackles are enough fantasy production to roster and start him in IDP leagues.

Las Vegas’ Marcus Epps got injured on Sunday, but had 10 solo tackles before leaving. He had just nine combined tackles in the first two weeks, so this looks a bit like a one-game outlier, but nevertheless, the big performance is one to note and possibly act on depending upon how deep of a league you are in and his injury update.

New Orleans’ Paulson Adebo had 10 solo tackles in the team’s week 3 game. He had 10 total tackles, along with a pick, through two weeks, so while the high tackle totals likely won’t continue, Adebo has established himself as a pretty good IDP cornerback.

Multiple Sacks

Several players have two or more sacks already in week 3.

Minnesota’s Jonathan Greenard leads the way with three sacks. He had a sack in week 2 as well, so he’s going to likely be a popular waiver wire add in IDP leagues this week.

Tennessee’s Kenneth Murray Jr., Seattle’s Derick Hall, Green Bay’s Devonte Wyatt and Preston Smith, Houston’s Tim Settle Jr., New York Giants’ Dexter Lawrence II, New York Jets’ Will McDonald IV, Pittsburgh’s Nick Herbig, Denver’s Dondrea Tillman and Baltimore’s Kyle Van Noy all had two sacks.

The sacks were the first of the year for Murray. He had eight total tackles on Sunday and has 22 now for the season. That makes Murray a pretty solid IDP option with some good upside if he can add a sack from time to time.

Hall had five total tackles on Sunday and has nine now for the season. He got his second and third sacks and also forced a fumble. While that kind of production can’t be expected every week, Hall at least has some IDP value in some deeper leagues.

Wyatt had four total tackles on Sunday, while picking up his second and third sacks. He’s now got seven total tackles and three sacks on the season. After back-to-back weeks with a sack, expect Wyatt to be added in a bunch of IDP leagues.

Smith got his first two sacks of the season on Sunday. He finished with three total tackles and now has seven on the season. Smith is another option in deeper IDP setups.

Settle got his first two sacks and first three total tackles on Sunday. He’ll be added in some leagues after the big showing, but I’d temper expectations with him after not doing much in the first two weeks.

Lawrence had three total tackles on Sunday and now has 10 for the season. He got his second and third sacks as well. Lawrence has established himself as a pretty good pass rusher, and adds in enough tackles to roster and play in a lot of IDP leagues.

McDonald followed up his three-sack game with week 2 with two more in week 3. He had three total tackles on Thursday and now has eight on the season. This kind of production isn’t likely to continue, but he’s at least worth an add and start in week 4.

Herbig got his first two sacks of the season and finished with three total tackles and a forced fumble on Sunday. He had just one tackle coming into the game, but is an IDP to watch as a young and improving player.

Tillman made a big statement in his first game of the season. He finished with three total tackles. Tillman was making his NFL debut, but is 26 years old already. He’s an intriguing IDP option, but one that will get a decent amount of love after this week’s outing.

Van Noy had two sacks in week 2 as well, so he’s on a bit of a hot streak right now. He has just six total tackles on the season, so he’s a risky IDP starting option. It’s hard to ignore the sack numbers though, so if you are chasing some sack production, Van Noy is definitely an option for your fantasy team.

Bresee got his second and third sacks of the season on Sunday. He has just four total tackles in three games, so like Van Noy, Bresee is a risky IDP starter. He’s just 22 years old though, so Bresee deserves an add in keeper or dynasty IDPs.

Other Standouts

Carolina’s Michael Jackson had nine combined tackles, an interception and three passes defenses on Sunday. He had 10 combined tackles through two weeks, so treat this more as a one-game outlier. The tackle production most weeks will be solid though, so he’s an option for sure.

Jets’ Chuck Clark had seven combined tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovered on Thursday. He had nine total tackles coming into the game, so this is another outlier to me. Clark is an option in deeper leagues though.

Indianapolis’ Jaylon Jones had five combined tackles, two passes defensed and two interceptions. He had 15 total tackles coming into the game, so there was enough value already with Johnson. The tackle production dropped this week, but he more than made up for it with the picks. Johnson is a pretty good IDP CB option and should be started in a bunch of leagues.

New Orleans’ Carl Granderson had five combined tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble on Sunday. He also had 1.5 sacks and five combined tackles in week 2, showing that he’s a fairly consistent IDP option. The sacks might not always be there, but he’s got enough tackle production that the upside is good enough to start him in a good amount of IDP setups.

Las Vegas’ Robert Spillane had 11 combined tackles and a sack in week 3. He had 11 tackles in week 2 and 10 in week 1, so the consistency is definitely there with Spillane. Add him and get him into your starting lineup until his production dips.

Injuries

Cleveland’s Myles Garrett aggravated a foot injury and will undergo an MRI. He’s obviously one of the top defensive players in the league, so that injury could either hamper him if he can play through it, or sideline him, which would be devastating to his fantasy owners.

Detroit’s Brian Branch suffered a neck injury. He had at least six total tackles in the first three games and was one of the few solid players in the Lions’ secondary, so that would be a big loss for IDP fantasy owners and Detroit’s defense.

Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby has a high ankle sprain. He’s right up there with Garrett as one of the league’s best pass rushers, so the injury could either hamper him or take out one of the better IDP pass rushers in the game.

Chargers’ Joey Bosa has a hip injury he’s dealing with. Bosa is another top-end pass rusher who would be a big loss for fantasy owners and the Los Angeles’ defense.

Miami linebacker David Long Jr. has a hamstring injury he’s now dealing with. He had 19 total tackles in the first two games, so that’s another big blow to fantasy owners, and the defense he’s playing for.

Giants’ Dru Phillips and Micah McFadden left with calf and back injuries, respectively. Phillips had 12 tackles the previous game, showing his IDP value. McFadden had 13 tackles in week 2, and he’s another good IDP option. Their absences could decimate the Giants.

Pittsburgh’s Alex Highsmith had a groin injury he’s dealing with. He’s had at least six sacks in each of the past three seasons, so his injury could hurt his value this season.

Seattle’s Leonard Williams left with a rib injury. Williams has 45 career sacks, and had 1.5 in week 2, so his injury could hurt his fantasy value and the Seahawks’ defense overall