This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Christian Kirksey, (3-4) ILB, GB
Kirksey returned from IR to step back into the starting lineup against the Jaguars on Sunday, and in his return he played every snap for the Green Bay defense. That would seem to answer any questions about the state of the pectoral muscle injury that landed him on IR following Week 3, knock on wood. Kirksey's total of seven tackles on 64 snaps was at once adequate and well short of what he's capable of -- he posted 24 tackles in the first two weeks, and he's only three years removed from totaling 286 tackles over a 32-game span. As much as Kirksey will always be a durability concern, the IDP upside is major as long as he does stay on the field.
Jamie Collins, OLB, DET
Perhaps it's not the best use of his real-life talents, but the Lions have pretty much stopped using Collins as a pass rusher in 2020, using him mostly as a traditional off-ball linebacker instead of the amoeba-friendly outside blitz specialist that he's been for most of his career. Collins has always been an effective pass rusher, and he's an elite athlete who dominated as a defensive end at Southern Mississippi, so maybe someone could argue that this isn't smart on the part of Matt Patricia, but less pass-rushing reps for Collins means trading sack opportunities for tackle opportunities, and IDP investors will take that deal every time. Indeed, Collins is on pace for an
RISING
Christian Kirksey, (3-4) ILB, GB
Kirksey returned from IR to step back into the starting lineup against the Jaguars on Sunday, and in his return he played every snap for the Green Bay defense. That would seem to answer any questions about the state of the pectoral muscle injury that landed him on IR following Week 3, knock on wood. Kirksey's total of seven tackles on 64 snaps was at once adequate and well short of what he's capable of -- he posted 24 tackles in the first two weeks, and he's only three years removed from totaling 286 tackles over a 32-game span. As much as Kirksey will always be a durability concern, the IDP upside is major as long as he does stay on the field.
Jamie Collins, OLB, DET
Perhaps it's not the best use of his real-life talents, but the Lions have pretty much stopped using Collins as a pass rusher in 2020, using him mostly as a traditional off-ball linebacker instead of the amoeba-friendly outside blitz specialist that he's been for most of his career. Collins has always been an effective pass rusher, and he's an elite athlete who dominated as a defensive end at Southern Mississippi, so maybe someone could argue that this isn't smart on the part of Matt Patricia, but less pass-rushing reps for Collins means trading sack opportunities for tackle opportunities, and IDP investors will take that deal every time. Indeed, Collins is on pace for an easy career high in tackles, and none of Collins' IDP investors will mind a one-sack season if he maintains his current 121-tackle pace. He'll still probably stumble into an unforeseen sack opportunity or three before the year ends, anyway.
Tyrell Adams, (3-4) ILB, HOU
Adams has been a mainstream IDP option since incumbent starter Benardrick McKinney landed on season-ending injured reserve following Week 4, but by now it's clear that he'll probably be this year's Todd Davis or close to it – a previously unknown linebacker to finish the year as one of the most productive IDP options at the position. Since stepping into a three-down role in Week 5, Adams has 51 tackles (28 solo) and one sack on just 320 snaps. That tackle production is among the highest in the league over that stretch, and his PFF grades are solid, too, which will hopefully keep him immune to the benching risk that eventually caught up to the previously mentioned Davis following his overachieving 2019 effort. For now, it seems like Adams is a real candidate to push for 130 tackles before the year is over.
Denico Autry, DE, IND
After playing mostly as an undersized interior lineman for the Colts the two years prior to this, Indianapolis has used Autry more on the edge in 2020, giving him new pass-rushing opportunities now that he's not so caught up in the traffic. His snap counts are modest since the Colts regularly rotate in depth ends like Al-Quadin Muhammad and, when healthy, Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu, but Autry's per-snap production has been strong enough to offset his modest workload. After piling up four sacks in the past three weeks, Autry is up to 24 tackles and six sacks on just 393 snaps in nine games, leaving him on pace for roughly 43 tackles and 11 sacks after finishing 2019 with just 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
FALLING
Taylor Rapp, S, LAR
It's been a strange and largely unfair 2020 season for Rapp. He finished his 2019 rookie season with 100 tackles on 834 snaps as a second-round pick, seemingly locking him into a three-down role for the indefinite future, but he bizarrely lost to rookie sixth-round pick Jordan Fuller in the team's competition to start next to John Johnson at safety. Then Fuller went on IR with a neck issue following Week 5, which put Rapp back into the starting lineup with a seemingly new chance to prove himself. Unfortunately for Rapp, not only did Fuller return to the starting lineup upon activation from IR prior to Week 10, but Rapp picked up knee sprain that landed himself on IR on Monday. If Rapp is going to be a starter in the next few years it seems like the Rams need to trade him.
De'Vondre Campbell and Haason Reddick, LB, ARI
Campbell and Reddick will both likely remain starters for the Cardinals through the duration of 2020 – Campbell at inside linebacker and Reddick at outside – but the two left Week 10 with new injuries that make them both more vulnerable to an already surging Isaiah Simmons. Campbell left Sunday's win over Buffalo in the fourth quarter with a calf issue, while Reddick played every snap against the Bills but showed up on Tuesday's short-week injury report as a non-participant due to a neck injury. As a rare athletic talent and eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, it was understood all along that it was more or less only a matter of time before Simmons takes a spot in Arizona's starting lineup. Simmons' ability to play both inside and outside linebacker qualifies him to pick up snaps from either or both of Campbell and Reddick, and the more snaps Simmons gets, the closer we get to him staying in the lineup permanently.
Takkarist McKinley, DE, FA
McKinley sought and secured his release from the Falcons recently, and the Bengals claimed the former first-round pick off waivers with a seemingly considerable role up for grabs in light of the Carlos Dunlap trade. However, McKinley failed his physical and will revert to free agency again. Despite a healthy 17.5 career sacks on 1,660 snaps, it's not clear whether the neurotic but talented McKinley will get a chance at playing time anytime soon, or ever really. If he can keep his head on straight, McKinley might yet emerge as a double-digit sack threat at some point.
