Week 5 IDP Fantasy Football Top Performers and Injury Roundup: Trevin Wallace, Travon Walker, Eric Kendricks, Dexter Lawrence II, Roquan Smith and More

Discussing some of the best fantasy football IDP performances, along with injuries, from week 5 of the NFL season.

Week 5 of the NFL regular season is nearly in the books, but before we get into the Monday night matchup, let’s discuss some fantasy football takeaways from Sunday.

We already took a look at some takeaways about offensive players, and now will hit on IDPs (individual defensive players) for those of you in those leagues. Takeaways from the Thursday night game can be found here.

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Top Tacklers

Carolina’s Trevin Wallace and Baltimore Roquan Smith each had 15 total tackles on Sunday. 

Wallace had 10 solo tackles on the day. He had just three total tackles on the season, but got the start with a couple teammates banged up. As long as he keeps getting started, he might be worth streaming in IDP leagues.

Smith is one of the bigger IDP names in the game, so his performance Sunday was no surprise. He has 50 combined tackles on the season, and needs to be in starting lineups every week.

Seatte’s Jerome Baker played for the first time in a couple weeks and recorded 14 total tackles. He also had a sack and forced fumble. He had only nine combined tackles in the first two weeks, but in the right IDP setups, Baker can be added and started right away.

Buffalo’s Dorian Williams tallied 12 combined tackles on Sunday. He also recovered a fumble. Williams has double-digit tackles in four straight games, showing his IDP stardom. Get him in those lineups every week.

Arizona’s Budda Baker tallied 12 combined tackles in week 5. He had 15 tackles in week 4 and now has 52 on the season. He’s a player that should be starting in a lot of IDP leagues.

San Francisco’s Fred Warner also had 12 tackles on Sunday. It was Warner’s highest tackle total of the season, and he has 39 overall. Warner also has a sack, three forced fumbles and two picks on the season, showing he’s a weekly IDP starter in all formats.

New York Jets’ Jamien Sherwood went for 12 tackles in London on Sunday. He has another 12-tackle game this season and now has 40 tackles overall, showing he’s a solid IDP starting option, and probably an underrated one at that.

Sack Leaders

Seven players have two or more sacks so far this week.

Jacksonville’s Travon Walker leads the way with three sacks. He had five total tackles, a pass defensed and a forced fumble, leading to a monster IDP fantasy outing. He’s got 18 total tackles on the season, which is a solid amount for a defensive lineman. Walker has five sacks (another good mark), but they’ve come in two games, so he’s been boom or bust so far.

New York Giants’ Dexter Lawrence II also had three sacks this week. He had four total tackles on the day and now has 16 for the season. Lawrence is up to six sacks, with those coming across three games. He and Walker are pretty good weekly IDP starters at this point.

Washington’s Frankie Luvu had 2.5 sacks across seven total tackles on Sunday. He also recovered a fumble for the second straight week. Luvu has 37 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, a pass defensed and two fumbles recovered on the season. That’s enough overall production to start him in a lot of IDP leagues.

Los Angeles Rams’ Kobie Turner had two sacks across six combined tackles on Sunday. He forced a fumble and had a pass defensed as well. The defensive tackle has 19 total tackles and three sacks on the season now - that’s enough production to play him in some deeper IDP setups.

Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby had two more sacks on Sunday. He has five sacks on the season, along with 17 total tackles and two passes defensed. Crosby continues to be a great IDP option despite not a ton of tackles.

Giants’ D.J. Davidson had two tackles on Sunday, but both were for sacks. Those were his first sacks of the season, and he has just five combined tackles, so outside really deep IDP leagues, Davidson is not a starting option. He’s worth monitoring after the two-sack game at least.

Other IDP Standouts

Dallas’ Eric Kendricks had 10 total tackles, a pass defensed and a forced fumble on Sunday. He’s up to 52 total tackles on the season, which is enough fantasy value to play him in all IDP setups. Any other statistics are just gravy.

Denver’s Pat Surtain II had three total tackles, two passes defensed and two interceptions in week 5. Surtain returned one pick for a 100-yard touchdown. He’s one of the better corners in the league, so he’s not tested all too often - he’s got just 14 tackles, no sacks, no forced fumbles or recoveries and the two picks. He’ll still be played in some IDP setups where cornerbacks are used just because of his big name.

San Francisco’s Deommodore Lenoir had eight total tackles and a pass defensed on Sunday. He returned a blocked field goal 61 yards for a touchdown. It was his best tackle output of the season, and he’s got 24 now on the season. He has three passes defensed, but not much else in terms of statistics, making him another deep IDP league starting option, but one who shouldn’t be counted on for big fantasy totals every week.

Giants’ Rayshawn Jenkins had five total tackles, a forced fumble and a 102-yard fumble return for a score in week 5. He has 36 combined tackles on the season, making him an already pretty solid fantasy option. The splash plays won’t be there every week, but he’s doing enough to start in a bunch of leagues already.

Injuries

Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. He has 12 combined tackles and a sack on the season, which is probably not enough to own/play him in most IDP leagues - the injury won’t help matters.

Cincinnati’s Daxton Hill left with a right knee injury. He’s likely out for the season, which will be a blow to the Bengals’ defense after he had 25 combined tackles, a sack and two passes defensed on the season. 

Cleveland’s Rodney McLeod had seven combined tackles before leaving with a face laceration. He came back into the game, and after the solid tackle total, might be a waiver wire option going into week 6.

Teammate Denzel Ward left with a hamstring injury. He doesn’t have a ton of tackles this season, but does have nine passes defensed. Check on the status of Ward before his next game.

Dallas’ Marshawn Kneeland was carted off with a knee injury. He had 10 total tackles on the season after being the team’s second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Kneeland was starting with DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons out with injuries, so the team’s pass rusher depth continues to be tested.

Houston’s Jimmie Ward left with a groin injury. He has 17 combined tackles and a pass defensed in four games this season. After missing week 4, Ward might be in danger of more missed games.

Las Vegas’ Christian Wilkins left with a foot injury. He was having his best game of the season on Sunday before the injury. Wilkins has 17 total tackles and two sacks on the season and would be a big-time loss for the Raiders’ defense. He’s not a huge IDP asset, but his big name alone has him rostered in a bunch of leagues.

Miami’s Jevon Holland suffered a broken bone in his hand and is expected to miss some time. He has 22 tackles, two passes defensed and a fumble forced this season, so his absence will hurt Miami and IDP owners in some deeper setups.

San Francisco’s Talanoa Hufanga left with a wrist injury. He had seven total tackles in his first game of the season, but couldn’t make it through his second game. His status is one to watch.

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