This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Joey Bosa, (3-4) DE, SD
Well, that didn't take long. In his first game as a pro following a regrettable and mostly inexplicable holdout, Bosa made it abundantly clear why the Chargers coveted him at the third overall pick in the 2016 draft. Playing just 27 snaps, Bosa filled up the box score with five tackles and two sacks. That snap count will need to go up for Bosa to prove a viable IDP starter, but the talent to do so is obvious, and the play Bosa showed against the Raiders on Sunday certainly gives the desperate Chargers cause to give Bosa more playing time this week against the Broncos.
Markus Golden, (3-4) OLB, ARZ
His categorization as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme limits his upside in conventional IDP formats due to low tackle totals relative to most linebackers, but Golden deserves mention for his exceptional pass-rushing productivity. He was promising enough as a rookie third-round pick last year, totaling 31 tackles and four sacks on 518 snaps, but he's caught fire in his second year out of Missouri. On 248 snaps in five games, Golden is already up to 22 tackles and six sacks. That gives him standout value in leagues that reward more than most for sack production, but even in conventional formats he's been a useful LB2-type so far in 2016. His production projects to roughly 70 tackles and 19 sacks. He'll almost certainly slow a bit, but in the meantime he's
RISING
Joey Bosa, (3-4) DE, SD
Well, that didn't take long. In his first game as a pro following a regrettable and mostly inexplicable holdout, Bosa made it abundantly clear why the Chargers coveted him at the third overall pick in the 2016 draft. Playing just 27 snaps, Bosa filled up the box score with five tackles and two sacks. That snap count will need to go up for Bosa to prove a viable IDP starter, but the talent to do so is obvious, and the play Bosa showed against the Raiders on Sunday certainly gives the desperate Chargers cause to give Bosa more playing time this week against the Broncos.
Markus Golden, (3-4) OLB, ARZ
His categorization as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme limits his upside in conventional IDP formats due to low tackle totals relative to most linebackers, but Golden deserves mention for his exceptional pass-rushing productivity. He was promising enough as a rookie third-round pick last year, totaling 31 tackles and four sacks on 518 snaps, but he's caught fire in his second year out of Missouri. On 248 snaps in five games, Golden is already up to 22 tackles and six sacks. That gives him standout value in leagues that reward more than most for sack production, but even in conventional formats he's been a useful LB2-type so far in 2016. His production projects to roughly 70 tackles and 19 sacks. He'll almost certainly slow a bit, but in the meantime he's worth a shot in plenty of formats.
Lorenzo Alexander, (3-4) OLB, BUF
Same as Golden, Alexander is a 3-4 outside linebacker who has the odds of IDP viability stacked against him due to the nature of his position, but his production through five weeks is still so good that it has him on the IDP radar in any format. After totaling just nine sacks in the 10 seasons prior to this one, Alexander is somehow already up to seven sacks in five games this year, at age 33. It's an improbably late blooming for a player with so much early pass-rushing success in a season, but after posting at least a half sack in every game this year, it may be time to stop betting against Alexander. His tackle production hasn't been half bad for a 3-4 outside linebacker, either -- his 28 stops through five games leave him on pace for about 90 tackles over 16 games.
Yannick Ngakoue, DE, JAC
A rookie third-round pick out of Maryland, Ngakoue wasn't highly visible in the 2016 draft but still had a promising profile. He posted double-digit tackles for loss in each of his last two years with the Terrapins, including a 2015 junior season where he totaled 13 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 12 games. He also tested well at the Combine, making up for his undersized frame (6-foot-2, 250) with good numbers in the 40 (4.75 seconds) and jumps (34.5-inch vertical, 118-inch broad jump). Meanwhile, his NFL career could have hardly started better than it has. Playing the most snaps of any Jacksonville defensive linemen (212), Ngakoue is up to 10 tackles, three sacks and three forced fumbles in four games.
Nick Bellore, (3-4) ILB, SF
It took season-ending injuries to NaVorro Bowman and Ray-Ray Armstrong, but Bellore is somehow San Francisco's top inside linebacker at this point in the year. A career special teams specialist prior to last week, Bellore started the first game of his career against Arizona on Sunday, finishing with 11 tackles, a half sack and a forced fumble. No matter how effective he is in real life terms, Bellore should continue to provide standout IDP production if only for the number of plays he's likely to log for a San Francisco team that plays high tempo.
Andrew Sendejo, S, MIN
The general expectation entering summer was that Michael Griffin would start opposite Harrison Smith at safet for the Vikings, but an awful preseason for Griffin put an end to that possibility, leaving the Vikings little choice but to go back to Sendejo after he started 26 games in the three years prior to 2016. While he's not regarded as a standout, Sendejo has nonetheless been a useful IDP, totaling 33 tackles and an interception in five games. The interceptions are unlikely to be plentiful with Sendejo -- he has just three in 68 games -- but the tackle production going back to even last year has been very reliable. Including his 74-tackle box score in 13 games last year, Sendejo has produced at a pace that projects to about 95 tackles over 16 games.
Justin Houston, (3-4) OLB, KC
This is a name to file away in most leagues rather than to add immediately, as it might be at least another week before Houston plays as he returns from a late 2015 ACL tear. But he'll be eligible for activation from the PUP list after this week, and if he's healthy enough to play there's reason to expect Houston to make an immediate impact as a pass rusher. Houston has 40.5 sacks in his last 54 regular season games and has shown an ability to approach a 70-tackle pace over 16 games. He's obviously worth much more in leagues that reward heavily for sacks, but even in standard leagues Houston can approach LB2-type utility.
FALLING
Cameron Heyward, (3-4) DE, PIT
After suiting up for all of his first 85 NFL games, Heyward will for the first time miss a game -- and more likely two or three – due to a hamstring injury suffered against the Jets on Sunday. Heyward's upside as an IDP was always limited, but he's been one of the league's more reliable DL2-types the last four years, consistently finishing seasons in the 50-tackle, seven-sack range. His snaps figure to mostly get picked up by Ricardo Mathews, who shouldn't be expected to produce at a comparable rate.
Kemal Ishmael, S, ATL
Ishmael doubles as a backup linebacker and is therefore a player to keep in mind in case any of the Falcons starting linebackers miss a game with injury in the future -- he stepped in for Deion Jones against Denver last week and produced 10 tackles in the process -- but owners looking to Ishmael for safety help should consider other options this week. Jones is expected back from injury, and in the meantime Ishmael is only a backup at safety. The 59 snaps he played against the Broncos almost certainly won't repeat this week.
Reshad Jones, S, MIA
Jones is a beast and his owners should definitely hold on to him, but for this week there's unfortunately a question whether he'll suit up against the Steelers on Sunday. Jones is dealing with a groin injury and did not practice Wednesday. He is not expected to practice at all this week, and it doesn't bode well for Jones that as early as Wednesday he was declared a game-time decision by coach Adam Gase.
