RADIO
You know how some weeks are full of high scores across the board, with most teams putting up 30+ points and piling up highlights on the offensive end? I don't get that feeling this week. My gut says that several games, even those already on the low end of the O/U spectrum, will fall short of expectations. Games like Bears-Giants, Bills-Broncos, Titans-Jaguars, Redskins-Lions, and Bengals-Steelers might be lucky to produce two touchdowns between them. In those matchups, it's smart to identify defenders who could be busy stuffing the run or picking off inexperienced passers. So, if you see several players listed below that belong to losing clubs, it's due to the fact that their opponent may be even worse in Week 12.
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. 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 12
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Darius Leonard | LB |
| 1 | 2 | Cory Littleton | LB |
| 1 | 3 | Joe Schobert | LB |
| 1 | 4 | Luke Kuechly | LB |
| 1 | 5 | Jamal Adams | DB |
| 1 | 6 | Roquan Smith | LB |
| 2 | 7 | Shaq Thompson | LB |
| 2 | 8 | Devin White | LB |
| 2 | 9 | Devin Bush | LB |
| 2 | 10 | Jaylon Smith | LB |
| 2 | 11 | Jordan Poyer | DB |
| 2 | 12 | Landon Collins | DB |
| 3 | 13 | Cameron Jordan | DL |
| 3 | 14 | Lavonte David | LB |
| 3 | 15 | Aaron Donald | DL |
| 3 | 16 | Nick Bosa | DL |
| 3 | 17 | De'Vondre Campbell | LB |
| 3 | 18 | Khalil Mack | LB |
| 3 | 19 | Calais Campbell | DL |
| 4 | 20 | Justin Houston | DL |
| 4 | 21 | T.J. Watt | LB |
| 4 | 22 | Bobby Wagner | LB |
| 4 | 23 | Deion Jones | LB |
| 4 | 24 | Zach Cunningham | LB |
| 4 | 25 | Jessie Bates III | DB |
| 4 | 26 | Demario Davis | LB |
| 4 | 27 | Cameron Heyward | DL |
| 4 | 28 | Blake Martinez | LB |
| 4 | 29 | Tremaine Edmunds | LB |
| 4 | 30 | DeForest Buckner | DL |
| 5 | 31 | Rashaan Evans | LB |
| 5 | 32 | Shawn Williams | DB |
| 5 | 33 | Jerome Baker | LB |
| 5 | 34 | Demarcus Lawrence | DL |
| 5 | 35 | Fred Warner | LB |
| 5 | 36 | Olivier Vernon | DL |
| 5 | 37 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | DB |
| 5 | 38 | Jabrill Peppers | DB |
| 5 | 39 | Logan Ryan | DB |
| 5 | 40 | Vonn Bell | DB |
| 5 | 41 | Taylor Rapp | DB |
| 5 | 42 | A.J. Johnson | LB |
| 5 | 43 | Tracy Walker | DB |
| 5 | 44 | Yannick Ngakoue | DL |
| 6 | 45 | Nick Vigil | LB |
| 6 | 46 | Harold Landry | LB |
| 6 | 47 | Erik Harris | DB |
| 6 | 48 | Jason Pierre-Paul | DL |
| 6 | 49 | Jamie Collins | LB |
| 6 | 50 | Jon Bostic | LB |
| 6 | 51 | Matt Milano | LB |
| 6 | 52 | Ronnie Harrison | DB |
| 7 | 53 | Todd Davis | LB |
| 7 | 54 | Maxx Crosby | DL |
| 7 | 55 | Jonathan Allen | DL |
| 7 | 56 | Tavon Wilson | DB |
| 7 | 57 | Robert Quinn | DL |
| 7 | 58 | K.J. Wright | LB |
| 7 | 59 | Ryan Kerrigan | LB |
| 7 | 60 | Kyle Fuller | DB |
| 7 | 61 | Marcus Peters | DB |
| 7 | 62 | Grady Jarrett | DL |
| 7 | 63 | Arik Armstead | DL |
| 7 | 64 | Josh Allen | DL |
| 7 | 65 | Trey Flowers | DL |
| 7 | 66 | Brandon Graham | DL |
| 7 | 67 | Shaquil Barrett | LB |
| 7 | 68 | Eric Reid | DB |
| 7 | 69 | Dont'a Hightower | LB |
| 7 | 70 | Jarrad Davis | LB |
| 7 | 71 | Myles Jack | LB |
| 7 | 72 | Eric Weddle | DB |
| 8 | 73 | Mario Addison | DL |
| 8 | 74 | Wesley Woodyard | LB |
| 8 | 75 | Matt Ioannidis | DL |
| 8 | 76 | Carlos Dunlap | DL |
| 8 | 77 | Von Miller | LB |
| 8 | 78 | Adrian Clayborn | DL |
| 8 | 79 | Jadeveon Clowney | DL |
| 8 | 80 | Nathan Gerry | DB |
| 8 | 81 | Jerry Hughes | DL |
| 8 | 82 | Markus Golden | LB |
| 8 | 83 | Kevin Byard | DB |
| 8 | 84 | Micah Hyde | DB |
| 8 | 85 | Josh Bynes | LB |
| 8 | 86 | Eddie Goldman | DL |
| 8 | 87 | Za'Darius Smith | LB |
| 8 | 88 | Clay Matthews | LB |
| 8 | 89 | Devin McCourty | DB |
| 8 | 90 | Vic Beasley | DL |
| 8 | 91 | Preston Smith | LB |
| 8 | 92 | Damarious Randall | DB |
| 8 | 93 | Mario Edwards | DL |
| 8 | 94 | Jabaal Sheard | DL |
| 8 | 95 | Bud Dupree | LB |
| 9 | 96 | Neville Hewitt | LB |
| 9 | 97 | Leonard Floyd | LB |
| 9 | 98 | Raekwon McMillan | LB |
| 9 | 99 | Dion Jordan | DL |
| 9 | 100 | Sam Hubbard | DL |
Streamers/Key Players to Watch
Jessie Bates III (S, CIN) vs Pittsburgh - For all their woes this season, at least Cincinnati has gotten some strong safety play from the tandem of Bates and Shawn Williams. Bates has been the dominant presence lately, intercepting a pass in each of the last two games. He's also tallied at least six solo tackles in four of the last five games. The Steelers are going to be an absolute mess on offense this week without James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, or Diontae Johnson; Bates has the opportunity to play aggressively and make big plays yet again.
Jerome Baker (LB, MIA) @ Cleveland - We've recommended Baker before and he's produced. Baker has at least five combined tackles in all but two games this season. The Browns allow the sixth-most fantasy points to linebackers and could be a good source of points going forward now that they've moved on from their "Three and Out" offense.
Mario Addison (DE, CAR) @ New Orleans - After missing Week 9 due to the sad news of his brother's death, Addison has gotten back to work. He picked up half a sack in Week 10 followed by a sack and three solo tackles in Week 11. Drew Brees doesn't make it a habit of getting taken down too often but he's not invincible and Addison is a talented sack artist who has played his highest defensive snap rates over the last two weeks at 84% and 80%.
Marcus Peters (CB, BAL) @L.A. Rams - If the revenge game narrative works for offensive players, it goes double for defense. Peters, a former first-round pick, was unceremoniously dealt away from the defending NFC champs midseason and yet appears to have landed in a better spot with Baltimore. He didn't waste time making his presence felt, as he's already delivered a pick-six twice in his four games as a Raven. It's impossible to predict defensive touchdowns, much less turnovers, but Peters will surely be jumping routes all afternoon in hopes of delivering another housecall.
Taylor Rapp (S, LAR) vs Baltimore - If you've been playing veteran Eric Weddle at safety the past few weeks, it may be time to shift your attention to rookie teammate Taylor Rapp. The second-rounder has been a tackle machine over the past month, with 27 solo takedowns in the last four games, including three tackles for loss. Baltimore runs the fourth-most plays per game and should give Rapp plenty of opportunities to try to stop Lamar Jackson and company.
Dion Jordan (DE, CHI) @ N.Y. Jets - This isn't the first or last time a pass-rusher will be recommended against the Jets, who still give up the most points to the DE position and are one short of allowing the most sacks this season. The fact that it's Dion Jordan, who has all of one game under his belt in 2019, is probably a surprise. This failed Dolphin prospect has struggled to stay in the league but now finds himself on one of the best defenses facing one of the worst offenses. Jordan picked up a sack last week in his first game of the year and could do it again, especially if his snap count rises.
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.
