RADIO
Happy belated Turkey Day! Many of you are probably suffering some sort of Thanksgiving hangover, whether it be food, beer, or Cowboys-related. If it cheers you up, just know that this Sunday features a near-full slate of games still, as bye weeks are over! Which defensive players can help push you through this weekend and into a better playoff spot?
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 13
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Darius Leonard | LB |
| 1 | 2 | Jamal Adams | DB |
| 1 | 3 | Joe Schobert | LB |
| 1 | 4 | Cory Littleton | LB |
| 1 | 5 | Blake Martinez | LB |
| 1 | 6 | Jaylon Smith | LB |
| 2 | 7 | Bobby Wagner | LB |
| 2 | 8 | Aaron Donald | DL |
| 2 | 9 | Joey Bosa | DL |
| 2 | 10 | Landon Collins | DB |
| 2 | 11 | Fred Warner | LB |
| 2 | 12 | Luke Kuechly | LB |
| 3 | 13 | Cameron Jordan | DL |
| 3 | 14 | Zach Cunningham | LB |
| 3 | 15 | Roquan Smith | LB |
| 3 | 16 | Rashaan Evans | LB |
| 3 | 17 | Demario Davis | LB |
| 3 | 18 | Justin Houston | DL |
| 3 | 19 | T.J. Watt | LB |
| 4 | 20 | Devin White | LB |
| 4 | 21 | Logan Ryan | DB |
| 4 | 22 | Vonn Bell | DB |
| 4 | 23 | De'Vondre Campbell | LB |
| 4 | 24 | DeForest Buckner | DL |
| 4 | 25 | Jayon Brown | LB |
| 4 | 26 | Shaq Thompson | LB |
| 4 | 27 | Calais Campbell | DL |
| 4 | 28 | Harold Landry | LB |
| 4 | 29 | Eric Reid | DB |
| 4 | 30 | Yannick Ngakoue | DL |
| 5 | 31 | Nick Bosa | DL |
| 5 | 32 | Jordan Poyer | DB |
| 5 | 33 | Lavonte David | LB |
| 5 | 34 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | DB |
| 5 | 35 | Khalil Mack | LB |
| 5 | 36 | Jerome Baker | LB |
| 5 | 37 | Deion Jones | LB |
| 5 | 38 | Shawn Williams | DB |
| 5 | 39 | Preston Smith | LB |
| 5 | 40 | Eric Kendricks | LB |
| 5 | 41 | Jabrill Peppers | DB |
| 5 | 42 | Brandon Graham | DL |
| 5 | 43 | Cameron Heyward | DL |
| 5 | 44 | Taylor Rapp | DB |
| 6 | 45 | Markus Golden | LB |
| 6 | 46 | Todd Davis | LB |
| 6 | 47 | Arik Armstead | DL |
| 6 | 48 | Matt Milano | LB |
| 6 | 49 | Hasean Clinton-Dix | DB |
| 6 | 50 | Kyle Fuller | DB |
| 6 | 51 | Benardrick McKinney | LB |
| 6 | 52 | Devin Bush | LB |
| 7 | 53 | Sean Lee | LB |
| 7 | 54 | Ronnie Harrison | DB |
| 7 | 55 | A.J. Johnson | LB |
| 7 | 56 | Tremaine Edmunds | LB |
| 7 | 57 | Jessie Bates III | DB |
| 7 | 58 | Shaquil Barrett | LB |
| 7 | 59 | Nick Vigil | LB |
| 7 | 60 | Jordan Hicks | LB |
| 7 | 61 | Antoine Bethea | DB |
| 7 | 62 | Sam Hubbard | DL |
| 7 | 63 | Jon Bostic | LB |
| 7 | 64 | Jason Pierre-Paul | DL |
| 7 | 65 | Josh Allen | DL |
| 7 | 66 | Justin Simmons | DB |
| 7 | 67 | Carlos Dunlap | DL |
| 7 | 68 | K.J. Wright | LB |
| 7 | 69 | Tahir Whitehead | LB |
| 7 | 70 | Robert Quinn | DL |
| 7 | 71 | Budda Baker | DB |
| 7 | 72 | Jonathan Allen | DL |
| 8 | 73 | Za'Darius Smith | LB |
| 8 | 74 | Jamie Collins | LB |
| 8 | 75 | Danielle Hunter | DL |
| 8 | 76 | Melvin Ingram | DL |
| 8 | 77 | Mario Edwards | DL |
| 8 | 78 | Myles Jack | LB |
| 8 | 79 | Demarcus Lawrence | DL |
| 8 | 80 | Alec Ogletree | LB |
| 8 | 81 | Thomas Davis | LB |
| 8 | 82 | Malcolm Jenkins | DB |
| 8 | 83 | Bud Dupree | LB |
| 8 | 84 | Chris Jones | DL |
| 8 | 85 | Jarrad Davis | LB |
| 8 | 86 | Neville Hewitt | LB |
| 8 | 87 | Von Miller | LB |
| 8 | 88 | Ryan Kerrigan | LB |
| 8 | 89 | Jabaal Sheard | DL |
| 8 | 90 | Maxx Crosby | DL |
| 8 | 91 | Jurrell Casey | DL |
| 8 | 92 | Jarran Reed | DL |
| 8 | 93 | Nathan Gerry | LB |
| 8 | 94 | Raekwon McMillan | LB |
| 8 | 95 | Haason Reddick | LB |
| 9 | 96 | Erik Harris | DB |
| 9 | 97 | Kevin Byard | DB |
| 9 | 98 | Leonard Floyd | LB |
| 9 | 99 | Vita Vea | DL |
| 9 | 100 | Jarrod Wilson | DB |
Streamers/Key Players to Watch
Joey Bosa (DE, LAC) @ Denver - When doing my rankings, I was surprised to see that the elder Bosa is down at 44 overall in FantasyPros' ECR this week whereas Nick Bosa is eighth. If matchups mean anything, then it should be reversed. Joey Bosa will get a chance to face rookie Drew Lock in his first-ever NFL start. The Broncos have allowed 36 sacks on the year, tied for sixth-most. Meanwhile, Nick Bosa has to chase down a guy named Lamar Jackson all day, who is only sacked an average of two times per game. Due to last week's bye, Joey's ownership is down to 43% on Yahoo which makes him a great scoop and start in shallower, non-dynasty leagues. Nick isn't an absolute must-sit but despite a strong season, his sack last week was his first in four games and he has been slowing down as of late.
Markus Golden (LB, NYG) vs Green Bay - After a strong start, Golden quieted down near midseason. Probably fatigue from carrying the rest of his teammates on the front seven... On a defensive unit that is 29th in points allowed and 27th in total yards, he is the only player with even as many as four sacks (7.5) and he also ranks fifth on the Giants with 47 combined tackles. The Packers are one of the stingiest in fantasy points allowed to linebackers but against Edge rushers, which Golden effectively serves as, they are in the bottom 10. Throw in the fact that tackle Bryan Bulaga is unlikely to play and Golden appears to be a strong play where sacks count multiple points.
Jayon Brown (LB, TEN) @ Indianapolis - Brown is coming off a career-best 11 solo tackles in Week 12 and should be just as busy in Week 13. The Colts already allow the fourth-most fantasy points to linebackers as it is and will be without their top two vertical threats, T.Y. Hilton and Eric Ebron; they will be pounding the ground and throwing it short most of the afternoon. Brown gets overlooked in comparison to other more consistent IDP assets in Tennesse such as Harold Landry and Logan Ryan but he could make for a solid streamer this week too.
Malcolm Jenkins (S, PHI) vs Miami - Someone's got to pick off Ryan Fitzpatrick this weekend, don't they? The veteran hasn't come away with an INT yet this season but he's been active otherwise, registering a team-high 38 solo tackles, three passes defended and eight QB hits. He even sacked Russell Wilson twice last week. If the Eagles can use him to blitz more often, that increases his point-scoring potential in a great matchup such as this.
Jarran Reed (DT, SEA) vs Minnesota - 300-pound run stuffers aren't the most exciting fantasy players but they get the job done in certain formats. Reed didn't make his 2019 debut until Week 7 because of suspension and then injured his ankle last week, forcing him to leave early. It's never great to have a game-time decision in your lineup but if Reed does go, look for him as a strong source of points against a Vikings offense that is tops in the league in points allowed to DT.
Jarrod Wilson (S, JAX) vs Tampa Bay - Ronnie Harrison is the safety you want to play this week, going against a Tampa Bay team that allows the sixth-most fantasy points to safeties and has thrown the most interceptions in the league by far with 20. Unfortunately, he is questionable with a concussion and may not even play. That makes Wilson a smart pivot, as he'll have to pick up the slack. He's yet to have a breakout game in his fourth season so this is a sleeper pick for sure. He did register his first INT two weeks ago and should be good for at least four solo tackles, which he's done four weeks in a row. There's a decent floor here with potential for much more in case Harrison doesn't suit up.
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.
