Week 11 IDP Hits: Lots Going on with Volatile Bears D

What to Know About the Bears and Many More Defenses

Chicago’s defense hasn’t been good this year, but it has kept things interesting.

The unit has kept itself fantasy relevant by snagging a league-high 20 takeaways, powered by an NFL-leading 13 INTs.

But we can talk about the team defense elsewhere. I’ve got the Bears in focus here, because the defense holds several individual situations worth addressing.

Trouble Recurs for T.J. Edwards

Let’s start with the team losing its lead LB to a hamstring injury for the second time this year. Edwards originally sat out the opener with the injury, aggravated it upon return in Week 2 and then missed two more games.

He returned for weeks 6-9, broke a hand at Cincinnati (requiring surgery), and is now about to miss his second straight game. Although he’s listed with the hand issue as well, the hamstring appears to be the true limiter.

Missing Edwards clearly hurts an already iffy defense. He has rebounded from a relatively down 2024, performance wise, and generally stands as Chicago’s best LB in both run defense and coverage.

Noah Sewell played every snap as Edwards’ fill-in last week, his fourth game of full-time duty this season. But Sewell has only topped 6 total tackles or 3 solos twice. He’s not much of an IDP option.

Edwards, meanwhile, didn’t even log a practice this week. We’ll see when he can return.

Sneaky Sack Sources Emerge Up Front

OK, to be fair, Edge Montez Sweat isn’t truly sneaky. The Bears traded a second-round pick to get him two years ago and are paying him $24.5 million a year. But he might have snuck up on fantasy managers over the past month.

Sweat generated just 1 sack over the first five games this season, among only 3 total QB hits. But he has delivered at least 1 sack in each of his past four outings now, with 6 QB hits over that span.

A challenging schedule the rest of the way might stop him from being an every-week starter. But Sweat at least looks like a strong play at Minnesota this week and against Cleveland in Week 15, and certainly an option in most leagues for the other matchups.

Who is Austin Booker?

I have to admit that I paid no attention to this second-year Chicago edge before this week. Booker opened the season on IR for an August knee injury and didn’t make his 2025 debut until Week 9. But the Dayo Odeyingbo Achilles’ tear in that game elevated his importance.

Booker jumped from 54% playing time -- and a sack -- as a rotational player in that contest to 84% playing time against the Giants last week. He also tallied 3 QB hits among 5 total pressures (according to Pro Football Focus).

Booker has likely benefited the past two weeks from Edge Dominique Robinson also nursing a knee injury. Robinson’s ready to return this week, which challenges Booker’s spot on the depth chart.

But there should be room for both in a shallow Bears pass rush. And Robinson’s size -- about 30 pounds heavier than Booker -- could mean he moves inside for some pass-rush situations, as Chicago had started to do with Odeyingbo.

Here’s Why Booker Probably Beats Robinson in Upside

Robinson’s a former fifth-round pick, just like Booker. He has been in Chicago since 2022, though, and sports just 3.5 career sacks. Robinson’s career highs across the tackle categories -- 30 total, 19 solos, 11 assists -- all came in his rookie season.

It’s not likely that the 27-year-old retains some exciting ceiling he’s just waiting to access. He’s probably a career reserve.

Booker, on the other hand, doesn’t turn 23 until mid-December (sharing a birthday with one of my daughters, actually). He didn’t arrive as a thrilling prospect, posting an average 40 time for the position (4.79 seconds, 51st percentile) despite weighing just 240 at the 2024 Combine. (That produces just a 24th-percentile speed score.)

But he did post 8 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in his final college season. Booker played sparingly before that, however, transferring from Minnesota after 2022 and then entering the draft a year early.

Booker’s still more likely to also become a career reserve than a strong fantasy producer. But the past two weeks at least make him worth paying attention to the rest of the way.

Secondary Gets Stronger … and More Annoying

The Bears have been missing lead CB Jaylon Johnson since a Week 2 injury led to core-muscle surgery. He’s finally back working with the team … but landed on the injury report late in the week with a groin issue. That made Johnson questionable, and the team downgraded him to out on Saturday.

His status doesn’t matter much on the fantasy front. Johnson has never averaged more than 2.6 solo tackles per game for a season. But his return will help the defense overall. And there’s at least some big-play upside for deeper IDP leagues favoring that and requiring CBs.

So that’s the “stronger,” but what’s the annoying part? C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

New Slot a Pain for Opponents … and His Own Teams

OK, I’m including the annoying aspect of Gardner-Johnson mostly as a joke.

It’s absolutely true, though, if you’ve followed his career at all. The 27-year-old (until Dec. 20) has racked up 18 career INTs and clearly produced the kind of play that most teams could use in their secondaries. But he’s also on his sixth team -- including two Philly stints -- because he’s a pain in the …

Already notorious for his on-field trash talk, Gardner-Johnson officially annoyed his way off the Houston roster early this season. But his two appearances with the Bears so far have reminded everyone why he won’t stay unemployed.

• 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 sack at Cincinnati
• 9 tackles (7 solo), 2 sacks vs. the Giants

Does Gardner-Johnson Have Limited Time Remaining?

The attitude’s probably not relevant here. Houston was the first employer to outright dump CJGJ in season, so he’s probably not at risk of the Bears releasing him.

The bigger question will be whether he maintains a role once Kyler Gordon’s ready to play. Gardner-Johnston has primarily played the slot in Chicago, which has been Gordon’s role when healthy for most of the past four years.

Gordon has made it into just two games this year, though. So we’ll see if he makes it back. He’ll be eligible to come off IR in Week 12 if healthy. If/when he’s ready, Gardner-Johnson might not have a lineup spot -- assuming safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard are healthy. (Notably, Brisker’s questionable this week with a back injury that allowed him just one limited practice.)

Until something changes, though, CJGJ carries upside for a DB slot in your IDP lineup.

More IDP Hits from Around the League

Guess the Jets Were Lying About Benching This Guy

Two weeks ago, LB Quincy Williams said Jets coaches told him he was getting benched for lagging performance. That lasted … approximately a quarter.

LB Mykal Walker did start the Browns game in Week 10 over Williams, but he logged just 21 snaps (29%) to Williams’ 52 (71%).

Week 11 included the return of rookie LB Kiko Mauigoa from his concussion -- ostensibly the intended Williams replacement -- but Williams started and played 64 of 67 snaps.

So it looks like Williams going forward, which makes obvious sense. And chalk this one up to the Jets once again just making things messier than they need to be.

Williams is worth snagging off waivers.

Travon Walker’s Quiet Week 10 Hid a Key Upturn

If you look at the game log for the Jaguars edge player -- and especially if you started him last week -- then you’d probably think, “Another nothing game for Walker.”

It’s true that he finished with just 1 total tackle (and nothing else) for a fourth straight game. But Walker’s playing time at Houston vaulted to season highs in both total snaps (62) and snap share (83%). 

That followed four games of less than 50% after Walker’s wrist surgery. He jumped from 26% in Week 7 to 47% coming out of the bye. But last Sunday’s share got him back to a range where we can actually consider using him in IDP lineups again.

His empty stat line also obscured 4 pressures, according to PFF, Walker’s most since Week 3. That came in a favorable sack matchup with the Texans, but he now gets three more positive spots in a row:

• Chargers
• Cardinals
• Titans

A Week 15 matchup with the Jets also lies ahead.

Rookie Claims Green Dot in Arizona

The Cardinals went without lead LB Mack Wilson last week, thanks to a rib injury. And they’ll miss him for at least one more game. HC Jonathan Gannon actually ruled Wilson out Wednesday, which doesn’t seem like a great sign for his Week 12 chances.

We’ll see about that. But let’s focus for now on the interesting replacement plan.

No. 2 LB Akeem Davis-Gaither did not take over the top spot in Week 10. Instead, fourth-round rookie Cody Simon wore the green helmet dot -- meaning he relayed the play calls in the defensive huddle -- and played every snap.

His stat line was nothing special: 3 solos, 3 assists, 1 pass defensed. But that was enough to tie for the team lead in total tackles. And he played in Seattle, where the scoring has historically awarded more assists than nearly all other stadiums.

This week takes Simon back home to face a 49ers offense supplying the seventh-most fantasy points to LBs so far. He’s a sneaky LB3 option.

Are We Seeing the Future?

Arizona’s current LB usage could carry meaning beyond the current stretch of games.

Wilson’s signed through 2026, but his final season carries a little less than $1.2 million in guaranteed money vs. a $4.8 million cap hit. That means the Cards could move on if they want, and Simon’s play -- in games and practice -- could factor heavily into that decision.

The rookie’s a solid stash in IDP dynasty leagues right now.

Davis-Gaither, meanwhile, continues to prove he’s a limited player. He played 81% of the snaps last week, just his third-largest share of the season.

The Surprising Aspect of Jalon Walker’s Surge

You might already know that Atlanta rookie Edge Jalon Walker has tallied 3 sacks over the past two games. But his role growth has been less obvious.

That started in Week 6, with his 54% snap share marking a slight climb vs. his first four appearances (46% combined). But Walker then lost two games to a groin injury.

His return found a bigger jump in snap share -- 65% each of the past two weeks -- even though Walker entered Week 9 still questionable after limited practices.

Atlanta left the first-round pick off the injury report for Week 10, but Walker popped back onto it this Friday. A groin issue limited the final practice ahead of Sunday’s game against Carolina. But Walker carries no game designation and should be fine for an upside matchup.

Walker’s pressure stats have also picked way up over the past three games. PFF credited the rookie with just 3 total pressures over the first four weeks. He has delivered 3+ in each of his past three contests; 12 total over that span.

Texans Are Just Being Weird

Remember last week, when I pointed out in this space that Houston “switched back” to Henry To’oTo’o as the No. 2 LB in Week 9? Well, apparently their coaches read that, flipped me the bird, and then switched again.

Last week found E.J. Speed going from 50% and 30% playing time the previous two games to a season-high 82% in the win over Jacksonville.

To’oTo’o, meanwhile, played his third-smallest snap share of the season at 56.5%. His 86% from Week 9 now stands as an outlier amid five other games of less than 60%.

If you haven’t already been doing so, you should just go ahead and ignore this pair until something meaningfully changes. I know I’m tired of writing about them … especially cuz To’oTo’o is to’oto’ough to type.

Raiders Also Don’t Want to Help You at LB

Looks like it’s time to forget about Elandon Roberts as a potentially usable IDP asset.

His first three games after Germaine Pratt’s departure included snap shares of 94%, 74%, and 93%. But the two outings since -- following the Week 8 bye -- have found him playing just 60% and then 41%.

Converted safety Jamal Adams saw his playing time jump from 21% in Week 9 to 47.5% against the Broncos last week. But that landed as just his fourth-largest snap share of the year.

Both players figure to keep fluctuating in their usage, which makes neither attractive for your IDP lineup. It’s Devin White and no one else.

Chargers Leaning on Three-Safety Alignment

Fifth-round rookie S R.J. Mickens entered the lineup as a fill-in back in mid-October, but it looks like he has played his way into regular usage.

S Elijah Molden missed Week 7, and then Derwin James left Week 8 early. But the past two weeks have found both guys back at full playing time and Mickens still playing 83% and 71% of the snaps.

He snagged INTs in two of those games, but the tackle numbers say you shouldn’t trust Mickens as an IDP play.

Of course, the extra playing time for that trio has come at the expense of LB Denzel Perryman. His past three weeks of snap shares have gone:

• 47%
• 64%
• 48%

Dolphins Safety Likely Headed Back to Bench

Dante Trader has supplied 13 and 6 tackles the past two weeks for a beat-up Miami secondary. But that appears likely to end this week.

Ashtyn Davis is off the final injury report after closing out the week with a full Friday practice. He missed the past two games after leaving Week 8 with an injury suffered on the opening kickoff.

It’s interesting, at least, that Trader played ahead of Ifeatu Melifonwu last week. The fifth-round rookie will be worth watching as Miami sets up its 2026 safety plan. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s contract runs through next season, but Davis is set to hit unrestricted free agency.

Payton Wilson Finds a New Challenger

As promised, we’ll keep closing this out with a Wilson update … and this one’s more interesting.

Wilson slipped to 56% in Week 10 at the Chargers. That marked his third-smallest snap share of the season. The game also found LB Malik Harrison increasing his role.

Harrison went down to injury after logging just four snaps in Week 1. He returned for 28% playing time in Week 9 and then grew that to 45% against the Chargers last week.

According to PFF, Harrison spent two-thirds of his snaps in run defense. Wilson continued to play predominantly in passing situations.

The takeaway here: Pittsburgh would still like to not have Wilson on the field too much -- particularly against the run. So lower your expectations, and potentially ignore him altogether against run-heavier opponents.

That’s not the Bengals this week, but the Bears, Bills, and Ravens the ensuing three games like to lean run.

Next Up

Week 11 IDP Waiver Wire: These LBs Should Not Be So Easy to Get

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Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.