This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Damar Hamlin, S 
Hamlin has made three straight starts since Micah Hyde (neck) was placed on injured reserve, and he has posted 16 tackles (13 solo) over the last two outings. Hyde is expected to miss the rest of the season, so Hamlin has an opportunity to be an excellent IDP option the rest of the way.
Isaiah Simmons, LB 
Simmons played 16 or fewer snaps in Weeks 2 and 3, but he is back in the driver seat with at least an 80 percent snap share in back-to-back games. And most importantly, he put up his first fantasy viable performance of the season, as he recorded a whopping 13 tackles (eight solo) in the Week 5 loss to the Eagles. It's still nerve-wracking to start Simmons, but his ceiling is high enough that it's worth rolling the dice as long as the playing time is there.
Jaylon Smith, LB 
Smith signed with the Giants' active roster before Week 4, and he posted six tackles (five solo) in his Giants debut. The 2016 second-round pick played 65.1 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 5, as he surpassed Micah McFadden (6.3 percent) as the No. 2 linebacker alongside Tae Crowder. Smith is worth keeping tabs on moving forward, especially against the run-heavy Ravens in Week 6.
Paulson Adebo, CB 
Adebo posted 66 tackles (55 solo) as a rookie in addition to eight pass breakups and three interceptions. The 23-year-old battled an ankle injury to
RISING
Damar Hamlin, S
Hamlin has made three straight starts since Micah Hyde (neck) was placed on injured reserve, and he has posted 16 tackles (13 solo) over the last two outings. Hyde is expected to miss the rest of the season, so Hamlin has an opportunity to be an excellent IDP option the rest of the way.
Isaiah Simmons, LB
Simmons played 16 or fewer snaps in Weeks 2 and 3, but he is back in the driver seat with at least an 80 percent snap share in back-to-back games. And most importantly, he put up his first fantasy viable performance of the season, as he recorded a whopping 13 tackles (eight solo) in the Week 5 loss to the Eagles. It's still nerve-wracking to start Simmons, but his ceiling is high enough that it's worth rolling the dice as long as the playing time is there.
Jaylon Smith, LB
Smith signed with the Giants' active roster before Week 4, and he posted six tackles (five solo) in his Giants debut. The 2016 second-round pick played 65.1 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 5, as he surpassed Micah McFadden (6.3 percent) as the No. 2 linebacker alongside Tae Crowder. Smith is worth keeping tabs on moving forward, especially against the run-heavy Ravens in Week 6.
Paulson Adebo, CB
Adebo posted 66 tackles (55 solo) as a rookie in addition to eight pass breakups and three interceptions. The 23-year-old battled an ankle injury to start the season, but since returning to full speed, he has posted back-to-back games with eight tackles. He has an excellent opportunity moving forward against two pass-heavy offenses in the Bengals and Cardinals.
Ryan Neal, S 
Josh Jones started the last three games at strong safety in place of Jamal Adams, who has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury. However, head coach Pete Carroll declared earlier in the week that Neal would play more. Neal ended up starting ahead of Jones and posting eight tackles (two solo) and a pass breakup. He started four games last season and averaged 6.5 tackles (3.5 solo).
Alohi Gilman, S 
Nasir Adderley started each of the first four games this season, but he took a backseat in Week 5 while Gilman got the start at free safety. Gilman succeeded in the role, as he recorded seven tackles (four solo), a pass breakup and a game-sealing interception. Tread lightly with Gilman, because it's possible that Adderley's demotion is temporary, but it's worth picking up Gilman in case this is a long-term change.
Elliott left the Week 5 game on a cart with a lower-body injury, but he managed to return and finished the game with a team-high 12 tackles, including three for a loss. Elliott has now posted 40 tackles (33 solo) through five games, and he should be a surefire starter following the Week 6 bye week.
FALLING
Adrian Amos, S 
Amos averaged 5.5 tackles per game last season, but he has taken a major step back this year, as he has registered 3.5 stops per game when looking at the four games in which he finished healthy. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry's scheme may be limiting Amos' weekly floor, and he will be a risky start until proven otherwise.
Jacob Phillips, LB 
Phillips made the rising column earlier this season because LB Anthony Walker (quadriceps) was ruled out for the year, but now he's facing additional competition after the Browns traded a draft pick to the Falcons for LB Deion Jones. We should also be worried about Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who has played fewer snaps than Phillips over the past two weeks. Owusu-Koramoah was a starter before Walker's injury, though, so he's a safer bet to retain his starting role.
Caden Sterns, S 
Sterns has struggled to produce consistently as a tackler, but he has made up for it with four pass breakups and two interceptions through five games. His days as a starter are likely over, though, as S Justin Simmons is expected to return to the lineup this week. Sterns could still rotate in, but he's more likely to play somewhere around 30 percent of the snaps moving forward.
