Each week, we scour the game tapes, check the stat lines, monitor the practice reports of each and every team. To gather the best possible information to help IDP owners with their lineup decisions. Hopefully, through the first five weeks, we have helped some teams to a victory or two, or three, or five.

As we look ahead to Week 6, keep in mind that there are now four teams on their bye weeks, which thins out the IDP options a bit. This week Buffalo, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Oakland are on a bye.

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Start

Robert Quinn (DL – DAL)
After a great start to the season, having posted three sacks in his first two games, Quinn fell back to earth last week. In the loss to Green Bay, he finished with just one solo tackle while failing to register even a QB hit. On the season, he has seven total tackles, three tackles for a loss, and three sacks. This week he has a great matchup to get back on track. Last week, the Jets’ offense allowed 10 sacks, with eight being credited to the DL position.

Brian Burns (DL – CAR)
The Panthers’ defense has been racking up the sacks. In the first five weeks, they have put up 20, led by Mario Addison and the rookie Burns. Last week, he did a bit of everything. He put up three total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and returned a fumble for a touchdown. On the season, he has 14 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and has been credited with a team-high 10 QB hits. He is getting it done in all facets of the game, currently putting up top-10 DL numbers, in most balanced scoring formats.

Jayon Brown (LB – TEN)
In his third season, Brown is quietly having a very nice season, and he’s currently posting solid LB2 numbers. Through the first five games, he has 37 total tackles, putting him on pace to post triple digits tackles for the first time in his career. He is playing 93% of the defensive snaps and has flashed big-play potential. He has one sack, four passes defended, and three QB hits. This week he faces a Broncos’ offense that in the past three weeks has allowed 66 total tackles and 1o big plays to the LB position.

De’Vondre Campbell (LB – ATL)
We loved Campbell last week, he was a start suggestion, and we love him again this week. In Week 5, he once again outperformed teammate Deion Jones, posting 10 total tackles. That makes four out of the first five games that he has put up better fantasy numbers than Jones. He now has put up double-digit tackles in back-to-back games. In most balanced scoring systems, he is currently putting up top-12 LB totals. The Cardinals’ offense is a positive matchup for opposing LBs. They have given up 13 sacks and are allowing 21 total tackles per game to the position.

Johnathan Joseph (DB – HOU)
Through the first five weeks, he has been the most productive player in the Texans’ secondary, from a fantasy perspective. He has put up at least six total tackles in four of the first five games. On the season, he has 32 total tackles, as well as seven passes defended. It helps that he has been targeted 46 times, increasing his tackle opportunities, while also offering up interception possibilities. The matchup is a positive one this week. In the last three games, the Chiefs’ offense has allowed 93 total tackles, and six big plays to opposing DBs.

Jessie Bates (DB – CIN)
There are a few factors working in Bates favor heading into Week 6. He has put up at least six total tackles in four straight games, including a double-digit performance back in Week 2. For the season, he has racked up 34 total tackles and a fumble recovery. With teammate Shawn Williams dealing with a thigh injury, Bates could see an increase in tackle opportunities since Williams has yet to practice this week. The Ravens’ offense is allowing an average of 30 total tackles per game and has given up six big plays to the DB position.

Sit

Olivier Vernon (DL – CLE)
Once he posted a sack in Week 5, there was a glimmer of hope that Vernon was putting it all together. Lining up in a prime position opposite Myles Garrett, some hoped that the sacks would begin to roll in. Nope. Last week, he managed to put up just two tackles and did not register a QB hit. He is simply not getting it done. Despite playing 79% of the snaps, he has 11 total tackles and one sack in five games. He currently sits outside the top-90 in DL production in balanced scoring formats. The Seahawks have allowed just one sack to a DL in the past three games.

Yannick Ngakoue (DL – JAC)
Always a streaky DL option, he finally got things going last week, posting his first two sacks of the season. He was also credited with four total tackles and a forced fumble. Unfortunately, he is still in a rotation with standout rookie Josh Allen, who is playing 77% of the snaps, while Ngakoue checks in at 80%. The matchup this week is not a favorable one for him to continue his sack streak. In the first five weeks of the season, the Saints’ offense has given up just eight sacks.

Jarrad Davis (LB – DET)
After sitting out the first two weeks with an ankle injury, he finally returned in Week 3 and has played 92% of the snaps since then. So far, the production has just not been there, as he has nine total tackles in two games. He does have a fumble recovery and a tackle for a loss as well. On a positive note, perhaps the bye week has allowed him to heal up a bit more, and we’ll see a much more active Davis moving forward. The matchup this week is a rough one. In the last three weeks, the Packers’ offense is allowing an average of just 15 total tackles per game to opposing LBs.

Thomas Davis (LB – LAC)
Things are trending in the wrong direction for the veteran after a red hot start to the season. In the first three weeks, playing 100% of the snaps, Davis put up 33 total tackles and added half a sack. In the last two games, his production has dropped off drastically, likely due to a groin issue he’s been dealing with. In those games, he has just seven total tackles and half a sack. More concerning, his snap count has been decreasing on a weekly basis. In Week 4, he played just 79%, and last week, he played a season-low 66%. It’s time to sit Davis, at least until he gets healthy.

Jordan Whitehead (DB – TB)
He has had a nice start to the season, currently sitting just outside the top-25 in DB scoring in balanced scoring formats. In the first five games, he has flashed a bit of everything, putting up solid tackle numbers as well as big plays. He has 27 total tackles, an interception, and six passes defended. It’s a tough matchup in London this week against the Panthers’ offense. In the past three games, they are allowing just an average of 22 total tackles to the DB position. In the Week 2 game between these teams, he finished with six total tackles and no big plays.

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Walton Spurlin is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Walton, check out his archive and follow him @waltonspurlin.