Week 8 IDP Fantasy Football Top Performers and Injury Roundup: Ernest Jones, Zack Baun, Budda Baker, Arden Key, Tre'von Moehrig and More

We’re almost to the end of week 8 of the NFL season, which means we need to go over some of the top IDP performances and injuries that happened on Sunday.

Also be sure to check out the fantasy football takeaway story for offensive players.

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Top Tacklers

A bunch of defensive players had 10 or more tackles on Sunday.

Seattle’s Ernest Jones IV tallied 15 total tackles on Sunday. It was his first game with the Seahawks and Jones immediately was a difference maker. He’s up to 59 total tackles on the season across seven games, which is plenty of production to play him in most IDP leagues.

Philadelphia’s Zack Baun had 12 total tackles and a forced fumble. It was third game with double-digit tackles already, and he has 69 tackles across seven games. He needs to be in most IDP lineups.

Denver’s Brandon Jones posted 12 tackles in the team’s win over the Panthers. It was the second time in three weeks that Jones has gone over 10 tackles, and now he has 61 total tackles on the season. He’s a fantastic IDP secondary option.

Arizona’s Budda Baker totaled 12 tackles and a pass defensed in the team’s win over Miami. It was the fourth time he’s gone over 10 tackles, and he now has 79 tackles across eight games, making him one of the better fantasy IDP options in the secondary.

Las Vegas’ Robert Spillane had 12 combined tackles in the team’s loss to Kansas City. He had just 13 tackles over the past two games, but got back on track on Sunday. Spillane has been a fantastic IDP option this season, with 79 tackles across eight games.

Washington’s Quan Martin went for 11 tackles in the team’s win over the Bears. He reached double figures for tackles for the first time this season, but has 44 tackles across eight games, which is pretty solid production from a safety.

Arizona’s Jalen Thompson had 11 combined tackles on Sunday. He also reached double digits in tackles for the first time this season. Thompson has 54 tackles overall, and that makes him a pretty solid IDP option.

Indianapolis’ Zaire Franklin registered 11 total tackles on Sunday. He has double-digit tackle totals in five of eight games, and 87 tackles overall. Franklin needs to be starting in all IDP leagues.

Atlanta’s Kaden Elliss totaled 11 tackles on Sunday. He has two straight games of double-digit tackle totals and 65 tackles over his eight games, showing how good of an IDP option he is.

Carolina’s Demani Richardson tallied 11 tackles in week 8. He had just one tackle across four games coming into the contest, but is definitely on the IDP radar after the big showing. 

Los Angeles Chargers’ Daiyan Henley had 11 total tackles and a pass defensed on Sunday. It was his second time over 10 tackles in a game this season, but he only had eight tackles over the previous two weeks. That makes him a better IDP starter in deeper leagues.

New York Jets’ Jamien Sherwood had 11 combined tackles on Sunday. He’s gone over 10 tackles in three of the past four games, falling a tackle short in the other game. Sherwood is a pretty strong IDP option right now.

Detroit’s Jack Campbell had 11 combined tackles on Sunday. It was his first time in double figures for tackles, but he has at least seven tackles in each of the past four games. He’s a young and rising player, but a bit better option in deeper leagues for now.

Carolina’s Michael Jackson had 10 tackles in week 8. He hit 10 tackles for the first time this season, but does have 43 total tackles, which is a solid number for a cornerback.

Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton tallied 10 tackles, two passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble. He went over 10 tackles for the third time, posted his second sack and got his third and fourth passes defended of the season. He’s a good IDP option with all those numbers on his side. 

Carolina’s Josey Jewell returned to the field for the first time in a month and had 10 total tackles. He has 40 tackles over five games played, and since he’s just playing again, should be available to most of you.

Baltimore’s Eddie Jackson had 10 tackles and a pass defensed on Sunday. He has 18 tackles over the past two games, which means his own percentage is going to rise before next week kicks off.

Indianapolis’ E.J. Speed had 10 tackles and a pass defensed on Sunday. He has posted double-digit tackles in five of the seven games he’s played in, showing how good of an IDP option he is.

Chicago’s Tremaine Edmunds also had 10 tackles in week 8. It was the second time this season he’s hit that mark. Edmunds has 44 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, three passes defensed and an interception this season, and those numbers show he’s a pretty solid IDP option.

Tampa Bay’s K.J. Britt was another player with 10 total tackles in week 8. He has 49 tackles on the season, but at least six in five of the past six weeks. He’s a better IDP option in deeper leagues.

Other Standouts

Only a handful of defensive players had multiple sacks, or big games along with a forced fumble or interception, so we’re lumping them together in this section.

Tennessee’s Arden Key had six total tackles, a forced fumble and two sacks on Sunday. He has three sacks over the past two games, so he’s worth adding to see if he can keep things going.

Carolina’s A'Shawn Robinson had five total tackles and two sacks in week 8. The sacks were his first of the season, but he does have at least four tackles in five of seven games, so he’s not a half bad IDP option in deeper setups.

Tampa Bay’s C.J. Brewer had two sacks among his three total tackles on Sunday. He only has 10 tackles and two sacks on the season. He looks more like a deep league option, but isn’t a great one unless he keeps recording sacks.

Houston’s Danielle Hunter had two sacks on Sunday. He has four sacks over the past three games and 5.5 sacks on the season. Hunter only has 19 tackles across eight games, showing his fantasy production is pretty reliant on sacks.

Jets’ Quinnen Williams had 1.5 sacks across three total tackles this week. He has 3.5 sacks and 18 tackles for the season, again showing another deep league IDP option, but not a great one if he can’t record many sacks.

Detroit’s Amik Robertson had two total tackles and two forced fumbles on Sunday. He only has 23 tackles on the season, so outside really deep leagues, he’s not a good IDP option.

Las Vegas’ Tre'von Moehrig went for nine total tackles, a pass defensed and an interception in week 8. He’s got at least six tackles in four straight games, and with four passes defensed and two picks on the season, Moehrig is a pretty solid IDP option.

Biggest IDP Injuries

Cleveland’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was carted off with a neck injury. He has 61 combined tackles and three sacks on the season, so his loss would hurt the Browns’ defense and the fantasy owners who roster him.

Green Bay’s Evan Williams left with a hamstring injury. He had 23 tackles between weeks 5-7, so if he misses time, that leaves an opportunity for another Packer to step up.

Houston’s Tim Settle left with a calf injury. He only has 13 tackles, but with four sacks amongst those this season, so the team’s pass rush could falter without Settle in the lineup.

New Orleans’ Marshon Lattimore left with a hamstring injury. He’s not a huge IDP fantasy performer, but his on-the-field presence is bigger, and his absence would hurt the Saints.

Tampa Bay’s Lavonte David suffered an ankle injury. He has 56 tackles across eight games, and his loss would weaken the Bucs’ defense.