This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
Week 4 is in the books and we saw some massive defensive performances on both an individual and team basis. The Cowboys dismantled the Patriots and found the end zone twice, while Khalil Mack delivered a six-sack performance. Of course, it can't all be positive, so we'll highlight both the positive and the negative with a particular focus on change in fantasy value.
Risers
Nate Landman, LB 
Troy Andersen (shoulder) is out four to six months after suffering a serious injury. Prior to going down, he occupied a key role in the Atlanta defense, so presumably someone else in the linebacker corps was going to step up in his absence. That player turned out to be Landman, and he stepped into the role in resounding fashion by playing 81 percent of the snaps against the Jaguars in Week 4 while racking up 10 tackles. He should be able to keep that role for the season and is among the must-add players of the week in leagues that reward tackles.
Khalil Mack, LB/Edge 
There's not much to take away from Mack's six-sack performance against the Raiders in Week 4, but it should at least be acknowledged as a dominant effort. He entered the game with only two quarterback hits and no sacks. At the age of 32, he's not the dominant presence he once was, but he did show he can still turn games on his own.
Nik Bonitto, LB 
Bonitto has gotten an opportunity with Frank
Week 4 is in the books and we saw some massive defensive performances on both an individual and team basis. The Cowboys dismantled the Patriots and found the end zone twice, while Khalil Mack delivered a six-sack performance. Of course, it can't all be positive, so we'll highlight both the positive and the negative with a particular focus on change in fantasy value.
Risers
Nate Landman, LB
Troy Andersen (shoulder) is out four to six months after suffering a serious injury. Prior to going down, he occupied a key role in the Atlanta defense, so presumably someone else in the linebacker corps was going to step up in his absence. That player turned out to be Landman, and he stepped into the role in resounding fashion by playing 81 percent of the snaps against the Jaguars in Week 4 while racking up 10 tackles. He should be able to keep that role for the season and is among the must-add players of the week in leagues that reward tackles.
Khalil Mack, LB/Edge
There's not much to take away from Mack's six-sack performance against the Raiders in Week 4, but it should at least be acknowledged as a dominant effort. He entered the game with only two quarterback hits and no sacks. At the age of 32, he's not the dominant presence he once was, but he did show he can still turn games on his own.
Nik Bonitto, LB
Bonitto has gotten an opportunity with Frank Clark (hip) out for the majority of the season. A quick glance at his season line won't necessarily make him stand out, but he's quickly proven to be an excellent pass rusher. After playing 338 snaps last year – his rookie season – and tallying three quarterbacks hits, he's already been credited with getting to the quarterback five times in 146 snaps in 2023. The peak of his campaign to this point came Sunday against the Bears, when he forced a Justin Fields fumble that was returned for the game-tying touchdown for Denver. After the game, he was praised by coach Sean Payton, who also confirmed that Bonitto has shifted ahead of Randy Gregory on the depth chart. Clark will be back at some point as well, but Bonitto seems to have carved out a role with his success as a pass rusher.
DaRon Bland, CB 
It appeared that perhaps Bland was going to fade into relative fantasy obscurity after his Week 1 pick-six when the Cowboys dismantled the Giants. However, he was back at it again in Week 4 against the Patriots with two picks and one returned for another score. While we can only count on so many defensive touchdowns, he has shown he has a knack for the ball and is graded sixth among all cornerbacks in coverage grade by PFF. Since Trevon Diggs (knee) went down, Bland has played primarily outside corner and tallied 10 tackles, three passes defensed and two picks in two games.
Zach Cunningham, LB 
Nakobe Dean (foot) has been out since Week 1, but we hadn't really seen Cunningham step into the role to make a big impact. He had only 12 total tackles in two full games without Dean, a mark he surpassed with his 13 stops (nine solo) Sunday against Washington. It's unclear exactly when Dean will return, as his injury wasn't projected to be season-ending. That could make Cunningham a short-term streamer, but at the very least there should be some confidence he'll be worth playing in Week 5 against the Rams.
While we're discussing Philly, Nicholas Morrow deserves a nod in this section as well. He was cut by the Eagles following training camp but stuck with the team on the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster following Dean's injury and delivered three sacks and 10 solo tackles against the Commanders on Sunday.
Fallers
Jamin Davis, LB 
From the Commanders' perspective, Davis is having his best season as a pro and has been particularly effective in stopping the run. From a fantasy perspective, he was expected to a step forward in production, especially in light of the departure of Cole Holcomb. To this point, he has one dominant effort (11 tackles in Week 3) but has otherwise been limited to six or fewer tackles in his remaining three games. While Davis is filling a key role for D.C., his fantasy production has been relatively empty to this point.
Blake Cashman, LB 
Even in the absence of Denzel Perryman (hand), Cashman played only 12 defensive snaps in Week 4. The Texans played only two linebackers for much of their matchup against the Steelers, so that explained some of the downturn. However, Perryman is likely to return at some point, and Henry To'oTo'o and Christian Harris are locked into roles. That likely leaves Cashman on the outside looking in for the long term.
