This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Michael Wilhoite, (3-4) ILB, SF
Wilhoite surprisingly played every snap for the 49ers against Dallas on Sunday, pushing Gerald Hodges into a backup role despite playing only on special teams in the first three weeks. Particularly in light of NaVorro Bowman's season-ending Achilles' tendon tear, it looks like Wilhoite will play a three-down role, as well. He's a top IDP consideration as long as that's the case, because San Francisco's uptempo offense results in a lot of snaps for its defense, too. Wilhoite was productive against Dallas, finishing with 12 tackles on 80 snaps. The IDP value of fellow linebacker Nick Bellore is also on the rise, as Bellore played over previous starter Gerald Hodges after Bowman's injury Sunday.
Cory James, MLB, OAK
With Ben Heeney going on season-ending IR with an ankle injury, James is set to play a three-down role for Oakland the rest of the year. He actually sent Heeney to the bench in Week 3, before the injury occurred, so James was already on the ascent either way. The rookie sixth-round pick looked like a safety/linebacker tweener going into the draft, but the 229-pounder out of Colorado State has seemingly fit in well at middle linebacker the last two weeks, totaling 22 tackles and a forced fumble.
Tony Jefferson, S, ARZ
Reshad Jones is in his own tier as far as IDP defensive backs go, but through the first month of this year Jefferson is making a run at Jones' top
RISING
Michael Wilhoite, (3-4) ILB, SF
Wilhoite surprisingly played every snap for the 49ers against Dallas on Sunday, pushing Gerald Hodges into a backup role despite playing only on special teams in the first three weeks. Particularly in light of NaVorro Bowman's season-ending Achilles' tendon tear, it looks like Wilhoite will play a three-down role, as well. He's a top IDP consideration as long as that's the case, because San Francisco's uptempo offense results in a lot of snaps for its defense, too. Wilhoite was productive against Dallas, finishing with 12 tackles on 80 snaps. The IDP value of fellow linebacker Nick Bellore is also on the rise, as Bellore played over previous starter Gerald Hodges after Bowman's injury Sunday.
Cory James, MLB, OAK
With Ben Heeney going on season-ending IR with an ankle injury, James is set to play a three-down role for Oakland the rest of the year. He actually sent Heeney to the bench in Week 3, before the injury occurred, so James was already on the ascent either way. The rookie sixth-round pick looked like a safety/linebacker tweener going into the draft, but the 229-pounder out of Colorado State has seemingly fit in well at middle linebacker the last two weeks, totaling 22 tackles and a forced fumble.
Tony Jefferson, S, ARZ
Reshad Jones is in his own tier as far as IDP defensive backs go, but through the first month of this year Jefferson is making a run at Jones' top status at the position. Jefferson has 39 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in four games, putting him on pace to far surpass triple-digit tackles. Particularly with Tyvon Branch going on IR, there's no reason to think Jefferson won't play nearly every defensive snap for Arizona. The only limitation with Jefferson would be his interception potential, as he has just two in 52 career games, but the tackle production has made it a non-issue so far.
Ndamukong Suh, DT, MIA
Suh had a fine enough IDP effort last year for the Dolphins, finishing with 61 tackles and six sacks, but it looks like he'll pursue new heights in his second season with the team. Through four games he's already up to 27 tackles, putting him on a pace to crush his previous career high of 66 tackles from his 2010 rookie year. He's also on a double-digit sack pace, a threshold he only otherwise hit in that rookie year. His tackle pace will almost certainly slow, but in the meantime Suh is worth starting in almost any format as long as he keeps it up.
DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, DAL
After a four-game suspension, Lawrence is set to return for the Cowboys as they take on the Bengals on Sunday. He might not be worth starting in his first game back, as the Cowboys might ease him back into the defensive line rotation, but Lawrence should eventually get about as many snaps as he can handle on a Dallas defensive line badly lacking skill and depth. Lawrence was quite promising as a second-year player in 2015, totaling 55 tackles and eight sacks on just 700 defensive snaps. If he gets up to a workload of around 50 or more snaps per game, there's reason to think he can produce at a 60-tackle, 10-sack pace.
Marcell Dareus, (3-4) DE, BUF
Week 5 is the semiofficial week of ended suspensions, and Dareus is the second big name among IDPs to qualify after Lawrence. Although he doesn't offer the pass-rushing upside of Lawrence, Dareus is likely the better option for tackle production. Dareus is not exactly a slouch as a pass rusher, on the other hand – prior to last year's disappointing total of two sacks, Dareus posted 17.5 sacks over his prior 31 games. The Buffalo front seven has shown some disruptiveness early this year, and Dareus is a good bet to get in on the act.
FALLING
Gerald Hodges, (3-4) ILB, SF
Despite starting each of San Francisco's first three games, Hodges somehow fell out of the starting lineup in Week 4 even after previous off-the-bench linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong suffered a season-ending injury. Hodges not only lost his spot to previous backup Wilhoite, but also longtime NFL backup and special teams specialist Bellore, who hasn't started once in 84 career games. When NaVorro Bowman suffered a season-ending Achilles' tendon tear against the Cowboys, it was Bellore who saw more snaps, finishing the game with 29 defensive snaps while Hodges finished with none.
Deion Jones, OLB, ATL
Jones was off to a brilliant start in the first four games of his rookie season, totaling 30 tackles and an interception return for a touchdown before suffering a calf injury against the Panthers on Sunday. Jones hasn't been ruled out for Week 5, but through Thursday he was held out of practice, making him questionable at best. So long as the calf injury doesn't linger, though, Jones should reestablish himself as a solid LB2 option.
Gerald McCoy, DT, TB
McCoy suffered a calf strain against the Broncos on Sunday, putting his availability in question for this week's Monday game against the Panthers. McCoy's production was already a disappointment this year, as he had just 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks in four games after totaling 26.5 sacks over the three prior years. With his production already below expectations, the injury hardly appears something his IDP owners can afford at the moment. Nagging injuries have often been an issue for McCoy in his otherwise superb seven-year career, as he played 16 games in only two of those seasons.
