Sep 22, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig (51) sacks Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Taylor Heinicke (8) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
The Dolphins lost David Long near the end of the game in Week 3. He suffered a hamstring injury, which tends to lead to missed time in most cases. Once Long was forced from the game, Walker stepped into an every-down role and called the defensive plays.
Assuming Long is forced to miss time, Walker is expected to take on an expanded role and play the vast majority of snaps in Week 4, or until Long is able to return to action. This position has produced strong tackling numbers for Long over the past two seasons.
With Ja'Whaun Bentley injured, McMillan saw his snaps jump up to nearly 75% in Week 3. He turned his increased usage into double-digit tackles. Bentley is expected to miss additional time, leading to more opportunity and production for McMillan. His impressive play could lead to an even larger role this week.
Henley appeared in this article last week. Even though we try to avoid repeat players, he needs mentioning. With Junior Colson ruled out for Week 3, Henley played every defensive snap and made a dozen tackles. That raised his total on the season to a team-leading 26 tackles. He also played well in pass coverage.
We expect him to maintain his every-down role this week, which could boost his long-term value based on his on-field performance so far this year.
Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes are both dealing with injuries in the Lions' LB corps. Due to the depleted position group, Rodriguez saw his snap count climb up to 87% in Week 3. If both players are out again, Rodriguez should see another high-usage game.
However, it does sound like Anzalone was close to playing last week, which could make Rodriguez a bit more risky, even though his usage should still stay strong even if only Barnes is ruled out.
Joseph looks like he's going to slide into a starting role in Week 4 for the Lions. The safety position in Detroit tends to produce solid production with upside. He will be getting this opportunity due to injuries to both Brian Branch and Ifeatu Melifonwu.
We know very little about Joseph to this point, but he could be a sneaky good option this week in deeper leagues assuming he does get the start. This is a situation to monitor throughout the week if you need a desperation play at safety.
Offenses have been picking on Dean, which has led to him recording a ton of tackles out of necessity because the receiver he's covering is catching so many passes. The absence of Antoine Winfield Jr. has led to increased snaps for Dean, who should continue to play too many snaps and get picked on until Winfield returns.
This is a reminder that Hufunga made his season debut in Week 3 and should be scooped up if he's sitting on waivers. The highly productive safety returned from his 2023 torn ACL and was productive. He played 91% of the defensive snaps and made seven tackles.
We can only assume that he'll continue to get better and better as he works his way back from injury. We like him both as a long-term option and a quick fix at the position.
Herbig is a guy that many IDP experts targeted as a sleeper for 2024 with a ton of potential upside if T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith were to go down with an injury. Well, Highsmith went down in Week 3 and is expected to miss time.
Once he entered the game, Herbig made an immediate impact with two sacks and a forced fumble. This is the kind of pickup that can be a game-changer for your lineup thanks to big play production.
Wyatt has been one of the most productive defensive tackles in fantasy football so far this season and is seeing his snap count slowly climb up. This past week he played 54% of the snaps.
So far he has amassed seven tackles, three sacks, and a fumble recovery through three games. If he continues to play as well as he has so far this year, his opportunities should only increase and lead to bigger and better things.
