Estimated Reading Time: 75 minutes
Week 15 takeaways
Waiver wire
- LB Akeem Davis–Gaither, Arizona Cardinals: With Cody Simon injured, Davis-Gaither stepped into a full-time role for the rest of this game. Interestingly, Davis-Gaither was operating as the team’s LB2 after seemingly being demoted for Owen Pappoe last week. It isn’t easy to know if Simon will miss more time, but with Mack Wilson potentially returning next week as well, Davis-Gaither should be treated as a speculative add only.
- LB Trenton Simpson, Baltimore Ravens: Simpson replaced the injured Teddye Buchanan, making Simpson a viable deep-league option. The Ravens have one of the more favorable tackle schedules for the linebacker position in Weeks 16 and 17.
- LB DeMarvion Overshown, Dallas Cowboys: Overshown finally played a (near) every-down role following his return from injury and is a more viable option in most IDP formats now. The Cowboys’ linebackers have a favorable tackle schedule over the next two weeks, making Overshown a solid potential starting option for IDP managers in need.
- LB Henry To’oTo’o, Houston Texans: For the second week in a row, To’oTo’o played an every-down role and should be a much safer option for IDP rosters in need. The Texans have been a little inconsistent with their second linebacker usage this year, but this is a positive trend for To’oTo’o to be a trustworthy option again.
- LB Darius Muasau, New York Giants: After missing the last four games, Muasau returned to the lineup and immediately regained his LB2 role, playing 80% of the defensive snaps and even leading the team in tackles. Muasau should be viewed as a deep-league option, given his snap share.
- LB James Williams, Tennessee Titans: Williams played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps once Cedric Gray (concussion) left the game and should be a top waiver option, especially on Sleeper, where he holds DB eligibility, assuming that Gray will miss next week’s game.
- S Zayne Anderson, Green Bay Packers: Anderson stepped into an every-down role following Williams’ injury and is the most likely replacement should Evan Williams continue to miss time. The Packers don’t have a great safety tackle schedule these next two weeks, though Anderson can still be a deep league option with good usage for teams in need.
- ED Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings: Turner should see a volume-heavy role if Jonathan Greenard is going to miss more time, and he draws at least one positive matchup against the New York Giants in Week 16 that IDP managers may be able to get some use out of if Greenard misses time.
- ED Nick Herbig, Pittsburgh Steelers: After a surprise injury incident last week, T.J. Watt is already out for Week 15 and at risk of missing Week 16 as well. For IDP managers who have not yet grabbed Herbig where he’s available, now is the time to make sure he’s on your roster on the chance Watt is going to be out again.
Be sure to check out last week’s waiver wire targets and team usage here.
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Arizona Cardinals
Team Ranks
Defensive snaps (Weekly rank)Zone coverage rate(NFL rank)Man coverage rate(NFL rank)67Edge
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeBaron Browning47.8%42.4%29.4%11.1%11.1%60.2Jordan Burch47.8%54.5%32.4%0.0%9.1%53.2Josh Sweat43.3%30.3%55.9%5.6%5.6%53.0Zaven Collins43.3%36.4%32.4%27.3%27.3%90.1BJ Ojulari29.9%42.4%8.8%50.0%50.0%56.6Defensive interior
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeWalter Nolen61.2%51.5%70.6%13.0%21.7%74.4Darius Robinson47.8%60.6%35.3%0.0%0.0%52.7Dante Stills40.3%57.6%23.5%16.7%16.7%64.6Calais Campbell38.8%21.2%55.9%10.5%10.5%61.9Dalvin Tomlinson34.3%39.4%29.4%0.0%0.0%55.6PJ Mustipher34.3%48.5%20.6%16.7%16.7%65.8- Rookie watch: Walter Nolen returned to the lineup after missing a few games due to injury and immediately delivered for IDP again, landing his second sack of the year in this one. Nolen has been incredibly productive on a very small sample size in his rookie year, which is going to naturally create excitement about his dynasty potential, though it also likely creates room for regression on a larger sample size. For now, however, Nolen looks like a solid DT-required option to target/value in dynasty formats.
Linebacker
PlayerTotal defensive snap share1st/2nd down snap share3rd/4th down snap shareTackle efficiencyTotal Tackles (PFF)Akeem Davis-Gaither100.0%100.0%100.0%16.4%11Owen Pappoe73.1%73.6%71.4%8.2%4Cody Simon11.9%13.2%7.1%0.0%0Channing Tindall4.5%5.7%33.3%1- Injury: Cody Simon left this game in the first quarter and did not return.
- Waiver wire: With Cody Simon injured, Davis-Gaither stepped into a full-time role for the rest of this game. Interestingly, Akeem Davis-Gaither was operating as the team’s LB2 after seemingly being demoted for Owen Pappoe last week. It isn’t easy to know if Simon will miss more time, but with Mack Wilson potentially returning next week as well, Davis-Gaither should be treated as a speculative add only.
Safety
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateDefensive line %Box %Deep safety %Slot %Budda Baker100.0%3.0%3.0%59.7%16.4%20.9%Darren Hall62.7%0.0%0.0%23.8%71.4%4.8%Kitan Crawford37.3%4.0%8.0%40.0%28.0%24.0%- Point of interest: With Jalen Thompson out for this game, Darren Hall and Kitan Crawford shared the starting safety duties, essentially sapping any IDP potential out of this spot for now, as long as Thompson is out.
Cornerback
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateBox snap %Slot snap%Wide Corner %Targets facedGarrett Williams100.0%0.0%16.4%31.3%52.2%3Will Johnson100.0%0.0%20.9%0.0%79.1%6Denzel Burke38.8%0.0%3.8%3.8%92.3%1Kei'Trel Clark3.0%0.0%0.0%50.0%50.0%0Atlanta Falcons
Team Ranks
Defensive snaps (Weekly rank)Zone coverage rate(NFL rank)Man coverage rate(NFL rank)69Edge
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeJames Pearce Jr.68.1%59.1%72.3%11.1%22.2%62.9Jalon Walker60.9%59.1%57.4%8.0%16.0%62.6Leonard Floyd50.7%50.0%44.7%15.0%10.0%57.0Arnold Ebiketie21.7%22.7%21.3%0.0%12.5%51.4- Rookie watch: James Pearce Jr. continues to put together an excellent second half of his rookie season. Pearce added two sacks to his totals this week, bringing his sack streak to six games. Pearce and fellow first-rounder from the 2025 rookie class have both been improving their dynasty stock in Year 1, though Pearce has reached the point where he has likely made his way into starting lineups this year already as well.
Defensive interior
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeDavid Onyemata55.1%72.7%46.8%9.5%9.5%66.4Brandon Dorlus50.7%27.3%61.7%17.4%26.1%60.7Ruke Orhorhoro40.6%31.8%44.7%13.3%6.7%71.7Kentavius Street39.1%63.6%27.7%16.7%8.3%66.7LaCale London21.7%40.9%12.8%20.0%20.0%81.1Linebacker
PlayerTotal defensive snap share1st/2nd down snap share3rd/4th down snap shareTackle efficiencyTotal Tackles (PFF)Divine Deablo100.0%100.0%100.0%4.3%3Kaden Elliss100.0%100.0%100.0%8.7%6Ronnie Harrison7.2%7.0%9.1%0.0%0Josh Woods1.4%1.8%0.0%0- Point of interest: The Falcons’ linebackers were relatively quiet in this game, though interestingly enough, Divine Deablo ended up picking up a half-sack this week with a lower tackle total than Kaden Elliss. Due to the nature of their roles, Elliss has typically been the low-floor tackler with sack upside, while Deablo is more likely to come away with more tackles. This week was more of an outlier in terms of their source of production.
Safety
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateDefensive line %Box %Deep safety %Slot %Jessie Bates III100.0%1.4%1.4%56.5%30.4%10.1%Xavier Watts98.6%0.0%0.0%61.8%23.5%13.2%- Point of interest: It was a much more productive game from Atlanta’s safeties this week after quiet performances last week. Both Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts spend a high rate of defensive snaps in the box, so pushing for the team lead in tackles each week is no real surprise, and it should continue to be a possibility through the remainder of the year.
Cornerback
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateBox snap %Slot snap%Wide Corner %Targets facedA.J. Terrell98.6%0.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%5Dee Alford87.0%5.0%11.7%83.3%5.0%8Cobee Bryant84.1%0.0%3.4%5.2%91.4%9Mike Hughes13.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%1Natrone Brooks1.4%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0Baltimore Ravens
Team Ranks
Defensive snaps (Weekly rank)Zone coverage rate(NFL rank)Man coverage rate(NFL rank)76Edge
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeDre'Mont Jones67.1%60.7%62.5%28.6%21.4%88.7Mike Green52.6%64.3%41.7%5.0%5.0%58.0Tavius Robinson44.7%14.3%62.5%3.6%7.1%57.2Kyle Van Noy43.4%25.0%52.1%4.8%4.8%50.5David Ojabo23.7%42.9%12.5%16.7%16.7%64.1- Rookie watch: Mike Green added a sack this week, bringing him to 3.5 on the year, as he continues to get decent playing time in Year 1 with a strong chance of developing into a weekly IDP starting option in the years ahead. For now, all of the Ravens’ defensive linemen should be viewed as matchup-dependent options.
Defensive interior
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeTravis Jones71.1%57.1%77.1%14.7%11.8%70.9John Jenkins43.4%64.3%31.3%7.1%0.0%58.7Brent Urban30.3%46.4%20.8%11.1%0.0%61.0Basil Okoye21.1%28.6%16.7%0.0%0.0%53.7Linebacker
PlayerTotal defensive snap share1st/2nd down snap share3rd/4th down snap shareTackle efficiencyTotal Tackles (PFF)Roquan Smith100.0%100.0%100.0%17.1%13Trenton Simpson46.1%54.5%23.8%20.0%7Teddye Buchanan15.8%20.0%4.8%16.7%2- Injury: Teddye Buchanan suffered a torn ACL in the first quarter of this game and did not return.
- Waiver wire: Trenton Simpson replaced the injured Buchanan, making Simpson a viable deep-league option. The Ravens have one of the more favorable tackle schedules for the linebacker position in Weeks 16 and 17.
Safety
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateDefensive line %Box %Deep safety %Slot %Alohi Gilman100.0%1.3%5.3%28.9%61.8%3.9%Kyle Hamilton100.0%3.9%14.5%39.5%7.9%35.5%Malaki Starks94.7%0.0%0.0%31.9%51.4%13.9%Ar'Darius Washington19.7%0.0%13.3%6.7%26.7%53.3%Cornerback
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateBox snap %Slot snap%Wide Corner %Targets facedNate Wiggins100.0%0.0%2.6%3.9%92.1%9Marlon Humphrey94.7%0.0%1.4%25.0%72.2%3Chidobe Awuzie21.1%0.0%0.0%12.5%87.5%1T.J. Tampa10.5%0.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%1Buffalo Bills
Team Ranks
Defensive snaps (Weekly rank)Zone coverage rate(NFL rank)Man coverage rate(NFL rank)52Edge
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeGreg Rousseau76.9%56.5%89.7%28.0%20.0%80.1Joey Bosa75.0%60.9%79.3%13.6%9.1%64.1A.J. Epenesa44.2%43.5%37.9%10.0%0.0%55.9- Point of interest: Joey Bosa returned to the lineup after missing last week’s game. Bosa came up with his first career batted pass in this game to effectively end the game on defense.
Defensive interior
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeDaQuan Jones67.3%65.2%69.0%5.3%5.3%58.8Larry Ogunjobi48.1%56.5%41.4%8.3%8.3%49.0Deone Walker38.5%43.5%34.5%10.0%0.0%61.7T.J. Sanders26.9%43.5%13.8%0.0%0.0%54.3Jordan Phillips17.3%30.4%6.9%0.0%0.0%58.6Linebacker
PlayerTotal defensive snap share1st/2nd down snap share3rd/4th down snap shareTackle efficiencyTotal Tackles (PFF)Shaq Thompson98.1%97.5%100.0%5.9%3Matt Milano86.5%97.5%50.0%15.6%7Dorian Williams36.5%30.0%58.3%5.3%1Joe Andreessen1.9%2.5%0.0%0- Point of interest: Matt Milano delivered his best IDP performance in a very long time, as he not only led the team in tackles this week but also added two sacks to his day. Milano’s outlook as a deep-league LB4-5 doesn’t really change after this performance, but this was obviously a welcome LB1 performance for IDP managers who had him in lineups.
Safety
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateDefensive line %Box %Deep safety %Slot %Cole Bishop100.0%1.9%3.8%28.8%57.7%9.6%Jordan Poyer76.9%0.0%0.0%72.5%25.0%2.5%Cam Lewis23.1%0.0%0.0%16.7%66.7%8.3%Jordan Hancock3.8%0.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%0.0%Cornerback
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateBox snap %Slot snap%Wide Corner %Targets facedTre'Davious White100.0%0.0%3.8%1.9%94.2%4Maxwell Hairston100.0%1.9%9.6%9.6%75.0%4Taron Johnson78.8%2.4%4.9%85.4%2.4%4Carolina Panthers
Team Ranks
Defensive snaps (Weekly rank)Zone coverage rate(NFL rank)Man coverage rate(NFL rank)69Edge
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeD.J. Wonnum65.2%58.3%60.0%0.0%3.9%56.2Nic Scourton62.3%45.8%68.9%7.4%7.4%62.4Trevis Gipson34.8%58.3%22.2%33.3%22.2%81.8Princely Umanmielen17.4%8.3%22.2%0.0%0.0%51.6Thomas Incoom1.4%4.2%0.0%- Point of interest: The Panthers’ defensive line was able to take advantage of a favorable pass-rush matchup this week, landing five sacks against the New Orleans Saints. D.J. Wonnum, in particular, had a nice day with two sacks, as he continues to be a volume-based matchup-dependent option for these final two weeks, though he doesn’t draw strong pass-rush matchups against Tampa Bay and Seattle.
Defensive interior
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareRun down snap sharePass down snap shareWin ratePressure ratePass-rush gradeDerrick Brown87.0%79.2%88.9%5.6%5.6%54.0A'Shawn Robinson81.2%75.0%84.4%8.3%5.6%61.9Bobby Brown III46.4%70.8%33.3%8.3%8.3%72.3LaBryan Ray13.0%12.5%11.1%20.0%0.0%64.3Cam'Ron Jackson7.2%8.3%4.4%0.0%0.0%57.6Linebacker
PlayerTotal defensive snap share1st/2nd down snap share3rd/4th down snap shareTackle efficiencyTotal Tackles (PFF)Trevin Wallace100.0%100.0%100.0%4.3%3Christian Rozeboom71.0%75.0%53.8%10.2%5Isaiah Simmons1.4%1.8%0.0%0- Point of interest: The Panthers’ linebacker corps returned to normal this week with Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom both healthy again. Wallace has been greatly inefficient as a tackler this season, coming in below 10% on the year, and a very low-end full-time linebacker for IDP purposes.
Safety
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateDefensive line %Box %Deep safety %Slot %Nick Scott100.0%0.0%0.0%14.5%78.3%7.2%Tre'von Moehrig100.0%8.7%5.8%34.8%14.5%44.9%Lathan Ransom29.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%90.0%10.0%Cornerback
PlayerTotal defensive snap shareBlitz rateBox snap %Slot snap%Wide Corner %Targets facedMike Jackson100.0%0.0%21.7%0.0%78.3%4Jaycee Horn100.0%0.0%11.6%0.0%88.4%7Chau Smith-Wade79.7%5.5%18.2%52.7%0.0%3Akayleb Evans1.4%0.0%0.0%100.0%0.0%