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Hopefully you weren't burned by the last-minute scratch of Leighton Vander Esch last week. We'll omit him from this week's rankings until we know for sure his neck issues won't keep him out again. His absence allowed Sean Lee to look like his old self, racking up 12 tackles (nine solo), with one for loss and a pass defended. With six teams on bye, Lee becomes an intriguing option that is barely owned because of his own injury history but he is also questionable with a pec injury heading into Week 10. Luckily, despite the number of teams sitting out, most of the big-name IDP assets are still active so there should be a bigger focus on matchup quality than availability.
Serious fantasy football players know that the game isn't played on offense alone. While team defenses are a staple of the game, being able to identify value with individual defensive players (IDP) takes it to the next level. As we do with each position and every league type allyear, RotoBaller has you covered when it comes to IDP rankings. Expert analysts Pierre Camus and Justin Carter will bring you their top-100 consensus IDP rankings throughout the 2019 season, so check here for the latest weekly updates.
Players are classified by major position group (DL, LB, DB) to simplify things for you. We've also tiered these rankings to give you an idea of relative importance and will analyze a few key players to watch. Check out our rankings page for the offensive players right here.
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Top 100 Individual Defensive Players - Week 10
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Darius Leonard | LB |
| 1 | 2 | Blake Martinez | LB |
| 1 | 3 | Bobby Wagner | LB |
| 1 | 4 | Jordan Hicks | LB |
| 1 | 5 | Myles Garrett | DL |
| 1 | 6 | Luke Kuechly | LB |
| 1 | 7 | Joe Schobert | LB |
| 1 | 8 | Joey Bosa | DL |
| 2 | 9 | Danielle Hunter | DL |
| 2 | 10 | Jabrill Peppers | DB |
| 2 | 11 | Jordan Poyer | DB |
| 2 | 12 | Nick Bosa | DL |
| 2 | 13 | Budda Baker | DB |
| 2 | 14 | Kevin Byard | DB |
| 2 | 15 | Devin Bush | LB |
| 2 | 16 | Eric Kendricks | LB |
| 2 | 17 | Harrison Smith | DB |
| 3 | 18 | Roquan Smith | LB |
| 3 | 19 | Danny Trevathan | LB |
| 3 | 20 | Shaq Thompson | LB |
| 3 | 21 | Jamal Adams | DB |
| 3 | 22 | Khalil Mack | LB |
| 3 | 23 | Rashaan Evans | LB |
| 3 | 24 | Logan Ryan | DB |
| 3 | 25 | Devin White | LB |
| 4 | 26 | Vonn Bell | DB |
| 4 | 27 | Jaylon Smith | LB |
| 4 | 28 | DeForest Buckner | DL |
| 4 | 29 | Cameron Jordan | DL |
| 4 | 30 | K.J. Wright | LB |
| 4 | 31 | Tremaine Edmunds | LB |
| 4 | 32 | Tracy Walker | DB |
| 5 | 33 | Justin Houston | DL |
| 5 | 34 | Lavonte David | LB |
| 5 | 35 | Antoine Bethea | DB |
| 5 | 36 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | DB |
| 5 | 37 | Shaquil Barrett | LB |
| 5 | 38 | Chris Jones | DL |
| 5 | 39 | Eric Reid | DB |
| 5 | 40 | Kyle Fuller | DB |
| 5 | 41 | Fred Warner | LB |
| 5 | 42 | T.J. Watt | LB |
| 5 | 43 | Cameron Heyward | DL |
| 5 | 44 | Everson Griffen | DL |
| 5 | 45 | Chandler Jones | LB |
| 5 | 46 | Demarcus Lawrence | DL |
| 5 | 47 | Trey Flowers | DL |
| 5 | 48 | Eric Weddle | DB |
| 6 | 49 | Jarrad Davis | LB |
| 6 | 50 | Olivier Vernon | DL |
| 6 | 51 | Tyrann Mathieu | DB |
| 6 | 52 | Hasean Clinton-Dix | DB |
| 6 | 53 | Xavier Woods | DB |
| 6 | 54 | Jayon Brown | LB |
| 6 | 55 | Patrick Peterson | DB |
| 6 | 56 | Robert Quinn | DL |
| 6 | 57 | Darnell Savage Jr. | DB |
| 7 | 58 | Jabaal Sheard | DL |
| 7 | 59 | Jadeveon Clowney | DL |
| 7 | 60 | Melvin Ingram | DL |
| 7 | 61 | Sean Lee | DB |
| 7 | 62 | Matt Milano | LB |
| 7 | 63 | Demario Davis | LB |
| 7 | 64 | Tahir Whitehead | LB |
| 7 | 65 | Mychal Kendricks | LB |
| 7 | 66 | Earl Thomas | DB |
| 7 | 67 | Jerry Hughes | DL |
| 7 | 68 | Wesley Woodyard | LB |
| 7 | 69 | Harold Landry | LB |
| 8 | 70 | Shawn Williams | DB |
| 8 | 71 | Haason Reddick | LB |
| 8 | 72 | Vince Williams | LB |
| 8 | 73 | Anthony Hitchens | LB |
| 8 | 74 | Dee Ford | DL |
| 8 | 75 | Arik Armstead | DL |
| 8 | 76 | Morgan Burnett | DB |
| 8 | 77 | Aaron Donald | DL |
| 8 | 78 | Jerome Baker | LB |
| 8 | 79 | Preston Brown | LB |
| 8 | 80 | Tre Boston | DB |
| 8 | 81 | Erik Harris | DB |
| 8 | 82 | Preston Smith | LB |
| 8 | 83 | Vic Beasley | DL |
| 9 | 84 | Janoris Jenkins | DB |
| 9 | 85 | Lamarcus Joyner | DB |
| 9 | 86 | Micah Hyde | DB |
| 9 | 87 | Markus Golden | LB |
| 9 | 88 | Clayton Geathers | DB |
| 9 | 89 | Thomas Davis | LB |
| 9 | 90 | Mario Edwards | DL |
| 9 | 91 | Linval Joseph | DL |
| 9 | 92 | Za'Darius Smith | LB |
| 9 | 93 | Marquise Blair | DB |
| 9 | 94 | Brian Burns | DL |
| 9 | 95 | Bud Dupree | LB |
| 9 | 96 | Raekwon McMillan | LB |
| 9 | 97 | Patrick Onwuasor | LB |
| 9 | 98 | Leonard Floyd | LB |
| 9 | 99 | Denzel Perryman | LB |
| 9 | 100 | Nick Vigil | LB |
Streamers/Key Players to Watch
Eric Kendricks (LB, MIN) vs Dallas
Kendricks isn't an exciting name that leaps off the page but he is tied for sixth with 51 solo tackles and has been a top-10 fantasy player this year. The Cowboys are wildly unpredictable on offense, typically racking up big points through the passing game against lesser opponents and leaning more on the run in tougher games like this. I'm betting on a Zeke v. Cook showdown and a less-vertical attack from Dallas, especially with Amari Cooper is listed as questionable.
DeMarcus Lawrence (DE, DAL) vs Minnesota
Nice to see you back here, DeMarcus... Once a dominant pass-rusher, Lawrence took a slight step back in 2018 and was off to an inconspicuous start in 2019. He's starting to get his sack on though, with one in each of the past two games. The Vikings don't give up too many sacks (16 in nine games) but with Adam Thielen out, even if Kirk Cousins doesn't throw as frequently, he could be more vulnerable while reading through his progressions. Lawrence is mostly sack-or-bust so take a chance on him as a boom play only if needed.
Chris Jones (DT, KC) vs Tennessee
Picking a pass-rusher against the Titans is a no-brainer. Offensive line used to be the strength of this team but Tennessee has allowed a league-high 38 sacks already, including four last week. Ryan Tannehill has been far better than Marcus Mariota but he's not known for his mobility and has been sacked 13 times in four starts. Jones, now that he's healthy again, will look to get back on track. He is just 13% owned and should be a nice DT choice in Week 10.
Morgan Burnett (S, CLE) vs Buffalo
The porous Browns Defense (why can't they have nice things?) may lean on Burnett more than ever this week. Damarious Randall is questionable with a hamstring injury that has kept him out the past two games and second-leading tackler Jermaine Whitehead tweeted his way out of Cleveland. That leaves the 30-year-old vet to pick up the slack. Buffalo is the fourth-most run-heavy team in the NFL, so Burnett will mainly have to be active at the upper level to accumulate tackles. There's an adequate floor based on the fact he's played 100% of the team's defensive snaps the past two weeks and will likely do so again.
Preston Smith (LB, GB) vs Carolina
Smith is having a fine season, as his eight sacks already tie his career-high. He isn't a tackle machine at LB but Carolina allows the most fantasy points to opposing linebackers and presents a great opportunity for Smith to bolster his stats in all categories. His ownership sits at 15%, which means he can be easily added as a bye-week replacement.
*Jomal Wiltz (S, MIA) vs Indianapolis
There's no way I'm ranking Wiltz in my top 100 this week but I'm making him my deep sleeper/bonus pick to watch. He came away with his first career interception last week and is going to be a fixture on the field with Minkah Fitzpatrick helping another team (why would you trade your only young star on defense???) and Reshad Jones apparently becoming a spectator. Wiltz played a season-high 88% of defensive snaps in Week 9 and it also resulted in a new high of eight combined tackles. If you're in a deep IDP league or want a dynasty sleeper, watch this UDFA to see what he does with this opportunity.
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
