RADIO
As we enter Week 3 of the fantasy football season, some key injuries are already affecting the defensive side of the ball. Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, typically a lock as a top-five IDP pick, will miss the contest against Atlanta, as will teammate Jabaal Sheard. On the other side, Falcons LB Deion Jones is asserting himself as a top-10 linebacker. The top of these rankings is still largely dominated by tackle consumption artists at LB and DB, as few pass rushers outside of Myles Garrett have really asserted themselves yet this season.
The serious fantasy footballer knows 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, RotoBaller has you covered when it comes to IDP. 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 3
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Pos |
| 1 | 1 | Bobby Wagner | LB |
| 1 | 2 | Cory Littleton | LB |
| 1 | 3 | Blake Martinez | LB |
| 1 | 4 | Leighton Vander Esch | LB |
| 1 | 5 | Luke Kuechly | LB |
| 1 | 6 | Deion Jones | LB |
| 2 | 7 | John Johnson | DB |
| 2 | 8 | Roquan Smith | LB |
| 2 | 9 | Lavonte David | LB |
| 2 | 10 | Landon Collins | DB |
| 2 | 11 | Tremaine Edmunds | LB |
| 2 | 12 | Alec Ogletree | LB |
| 3 | 13 | Joe Schobert | LB |
| 3 | 14 | Jordan Hicks | LB |
| 3 | 15 | Kwon Alexander | LB |
| 3 | 16 | Jaylon Smith | LB |
| 3 | 17 | Thomas Davis | LB |
| 3 | 18 | Jamal Adams | DB |
| 3 | 19 | Devin Bush | LB |
| 4 | 20 | Zach Cunningham | LB |
| 4 | 21 | Joey Bosa | DL |
| 4 | 22 | Danielle Hunter | DL |
| 4 | 23 | Budda Baker | DB |
| 4 | 24 | Antoine Bethea | DB |
| 4 | 25 | Demarcus Lawrence | DL |
| 4 | 26 | Jordan Poyer | DB |
| 4 | 27 | Harrison Smith | DB |
| 4 | 28 | Jerome Baker | LB |
| 4 | 29 | Justin Reid | DB |
| 4 | 30 | Terrell Edmunds | DB |
| 5 | 31 | Tre Boston | DB |
| 5 | 32 | Cameron Heyward | DL |
| 5 | 33 | Von Miller | LB |
| 5 | 34 | J.J. Watt | DL |
| 5 | 35 | Demario Davis | LB |
| 5 | 36 | Ryan Kerrigan | LB |
| 5 | 37 | K.J. Wright | LB |
| 5 | 38 | Jurrell Casey | DL |
| 5 | 39 | Terrell Suggs | LB |
| 5 | 40 | Lorenzo Alexander | LB |
| 5 | 41 | Calais Campbell | DL |
| 5 | 42 | Malcolm Jenkins | DB |
| 5 | 43 | Jadeveon Clowney | DL |
| 5 | 44 | Wesley Woodyard | LB |
| 6 | 45 | Devin White | LB |
| 6 | 46 | Jarrad Davis | LB |
| 6 | 47 | Nick Bosa | DL |
| 6 | 48 | Justin Houston | DL |
| 6 | 49 | Malik Hooker | DB |
| 6 | 50 | Myles Garrett | DL |
| 6 | 51 | Jessie Bates III | DB |
| 6 | 52 | Cameron Jordan | DL |
| 7 | 53 | Denzel Ward | DB |
| 7 | 54 | Arik Armstead | DL |
| 7 | 55 | Rashaan Evans | LB |
| 7 | 56 | Tracy Walker | DB |
| 7 | 57 | Desmond King | DB |
| 7 | 58 | Shawn Williams | DB |
| 7 | 59 | Matt Milano | LB |
| 7 | 60 | T.J. Watt | LB |
| 7 | 61 | Raekwon McMillan | LB |
| 7 | 62 | Tre'Davious White | DB |
| 7 | 63 | C.J. Mosley | LB |
| 7 | 64 | Takkarist McKinley | LB |
| 7 | 65 | Jabrill Peppers | DB |
| 7 | 66 | Marshon Lattimore | DB |
| 7 | 67 | Adrian Amos | DB |
| 7 | 68 | Jonathan Allen | DL |
| 7 | 69 | Chris Jones | DL |
| 7 | 70 | Patrick Onwuasor | LB |
| 7 | 71 | Matt Judon | LB |
| 7 | 72 | Nick Vigil | LB |
| 8 | 73 | Keanu Neal | DB |
| 8 | 74 | Kenny Clark | DL |
| 8 | 75 | Leonard Floyd | LB |
| 8 | 76 | Quandre Diggs | DB |
| 8 | 77 | Aaron Donald | DL |
| 8 | 78 | Stephon Gilmore | DB |
| 8 | 79 | Myles Jack | LB |
| 8 | 80 | Karl Joseph | DB |
| 8 | 81 | Jaquiski Tartt | DB |
| 8 | 82 | Tony Jefferson | DB |
| 8 | 83 | Trey Flowers | DL |
| 8 | 84 | Fred Warner | LB |
| 8 | 85 | Eric Kendricks | LB |
| 8 | 86 | Christian Kirksey | LB |
| 8 | 87 | Arden Key | DL |
| 8 | 88 | Hasean Clinton-Dix | DB |
| 8 | 89 | Khalil Mack | LB |
| 8 | 90 | Ha Ha Clinton-Dix | DB |
| 8 | 91 | Bradley McDougald | DB |
| 8 | 92 | Frank Clark | DL |
| 8 | 93 | Jamie Collins | LB |
| 8 | 94 | Akiem Hicks | DL |
| 8 | 95 | Vontaze Burfict | LB |
| 9 | 96 | Zach Brown | LB |
| 9 | 97 | Earl Thomas | DB |
| 9 | 98 | Carlos Dunlap | DL |
| 9 | 99 | Bradley Chubb | LB |
| 9 | 100 | Jatavis Brown | DL |
| 9 | 101 | Danny Trevathan | LB |
| 9 | 102 | DeForest Buckner | DL |
Key Players to Watch
DeMarcus Lawrence (DE, DAL) - Here's an obvious take - the Dolphins are historically bad and the Cowboys are going to feast on their pathetic excuse for a team in Week 3. Josh Rosen was sacked 44 times in 13 starts last year, which equates to 3.4 per game. In minimal mop-up time this year, he's already gone down four times despite just 24 pass attempts. This O-line could be worse than Arizona's was, which makes Lawrence a good bet to pick up his first full sack of 2019. In related news, Tyrone Crawford has been limited by a hip injury and may not play. Keep an eye on rookie edge rusher Joe Jackson as a deep sleeper.
Kwon Alexander (LB, SF) - In his first season with the Niners, Alexander has seen a precipitous drop in tackle rate so far. He only has six solo tackles in two games but he did grab a nifty interception against Andy Dalton last week. He's coming off an injury-shortened season in Tampa but is just two years removed from leading the league in solo tackles. It is worth noting that he's only played a full 16 games once in four years, but as long as he's on the field, he is worth consideration for a surprising 49er team that could start 3-0 if they can top Mason Rudolph and the Steelers.
Joe Schobert (LB, CLE) - He's quickly becoming a fixture in IDP lineups after racking up 17 solo tackles the first two weeks, including a forced fumble. The Rams offense will be on the field often in Week 3, running their fast-paced offense and giving ample opportunities for Browns defenders to make plays. The Rams currently rank first in situation-neutral pace of play at 26.94 seconds per play. I don't expect the Browns to stay close in this game but that could be a good thing for someone like Schobert, who is forced to make even more stops than usual.
Jerome Baker (LB, MIA) - He could be one of the few projected starters left standing on defense by the time the season is over. His paltry rookie salary of a year ago guarantees he'll stick around and he could be depended on more now that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is gone, after the loss of MLB Kiko Alonso. Baker has 19 combined tackles in two games, although only eight were of the solo variety. He could see a spike in that number as Dallas is likely to run the ball a ton in this game, especially in the second half.
Malik Hooker (S, IND) - As I already mentioned, the Colts will be without top tackler Darius Leonard for this week and edge rusher Jabaal Sheard is out for a while after undergoing a knee operation. That leaves Hooker to clean up the mess and there could be a lot leftover. Atlanta brings their potent offense to town and Matt Ryan will be targeting his receivers quite often. Through the first two games, he is averaging 44.5 pass attempts per game. He's also thrown five interceptions, which gives the Colts' secondary, Hooker in particular, a good chance to come away with a pick.
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.
