Week 7 IDP Hits: Am I Handling Kyler Gordon Wrong?

This Pass-Rush Threat Doesn't Play Up Front

You might’ve wondered why Bears CB Kyler Gordon didn’t make my Week 7 IDP waiver wire article. And then his Thursday-night stat line against the Patriots made it look like even more of a mistake.

First, let’s recall what Chicago’s slot corner has posted in his two games back from the PUP list:

The fantasy total will obviously vary by format, and he scored even better if your league awards more than 3 points per sack. But there’s still an issue.

Gordon played just 31% of Chicago’s defensive snaps in his first game back. That’s why I didn’t buy into the 3-sack outing and instead kept him well down the Week 7 DB rankings. Had to be something specific to the matchup, right?

Well, Gordon remained a key pass rusher in the win over New England. His frequency dipped vs. Week 6 but stayed high for the position.

According to Pro Football Focus, Gordon rushed on nine of his 17 snaps in the opener, spending just six pass snaps in coverage. The veteran graduated to 57% playing time on Thursday night and rushed eight times among his 31 total snaps, with 16 more snaps spent in coverage.

So Should We Just Start Him from Here on?

Before I answer that, let’s hit some other key points.

Gordon hasn’t played more than three games in a season since 2024. That year found him playing 77.5% of Chicago’s snaps under a former defensive coordinator. Perhaps he’s heading back to that range after missing the first five games while recovering from a calf injury that cost him all of training camp.

Gordon also blitzed often for a CB in 2024, ranking third at the position in total pass rushes despite missing two games. That’s a mere 3.2 per game, though, and he exceeded four rushes in a game just twice, with early outings of seven and five.

Gordon’s return games this year notably came while Edge Montez Sweat was suspended for a PED violation. That would make sense as a catalyst for increased blitzing. He’s set to return for Week 8.

JSN Brings Abnormal Challenge

Seattle presents an interesting matchup, in that WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has run 32-33% of his pass snaps from the slot in three games this year. His other three have included 23% or less time in the slot.

If JSN runs inside more against the Bears in Week 8, that would likely mean more coverage duty for the team’s top slot CB. When Smith-Njigba aligns outside, though, the lack of interior threats from Seattle’s offense could encourage those pass rushes.

I can’t project a corner to average a sack-plus per game, at least until he proves it a little further. But you can certainly expect to find Gordon higher in the Week 8 rankings. I’ll keep an eye on the playing time, and keep trying to figure out how to treat him the rest of the way.

NFC Player of the Week Missing from the Ranks

Gordon wasn’t the only prominent Week 6 scorer at DB that I chose to ignore heading into Week 7. Saints CB Martin Emerson also failed to make the waiver article and got left out of the rankings. What’s up there?

In case you’re unaware, I’m bringing him up because Emerson won NFC defensive player of the week honors for his 2 INTs and 4 pass breakups in the Week 6 win over the Giants. His total stat line landed Emerson in a tie for the top scoring spot with Gordon (depending on your format).

But Emerson didn’t even start that game. He played just 32 total snaps through Week 5 before getting a boost from Kool-Aid McKinstry leaving that Giants game early.

McKinstry put in a full week of practice, though, and looks ready to return for Week 7. That should knock Emerson back to reserve status.

Lions Finally Get Key Defender Back

One guy who won’t be missing in Week 7 is Lions S Brian Branch.

The fourth-year DB will take the field for the first time since his Dec. 4 Achilles’ tear, after opening the season on the PUP list. But how much will he play?

“Whenever obviously you could gain a player like [Branch] and his caliber back, it’s outstanding,” DC Kelvin Sheppard said Thursday, according to the team site. “I’m not big on giving you projections and ‘Oh, he’s going to do this, he’s going to do that.’ … There are multiple things obviously that player can do to help us, and we’ll find the spots that we feel is right and he feels right for him as we progress here.”

HC Dan Campbell added: “We’re going to let him go here and we’ll be smart, but he’s ready to play.”

That combo of quotes certainly doesn’t make it sound like he’s headed for full playing time, which I wouldn’t have expected in Game 1, less than 11 months removed from an Achilles’ tear.

So leave Branch out of your IDP lineups for now, and we’ll see if he’s playable for Week 8.

Texans LB All the Way Back … But to Limited Effect

Henry To’oTo’o returned last Sunday from his Week 1 shoulder injury and didn’t waste any time ramping up.

The fourth-year man played 70 of Houston’s 71 defensive snaps in the Week 6 win over Jacksonville. That’s back to the range in which he finished last season.

To’oTo’o tallied just 6 total tackles (3 solo, 1 tackle for loss) in the game, though, despite 24 RB carries for the Jaguars and LB Azeez Al-Shaair leaving temporarily for a concussion check.

The Texans’ No. 2 LB has yet to offer more than spotty fantasy production and gets a lackluster matchup with the Giants this week. Don’t look at To’oTo’o as more than a fringe LB3 to LB4.

Snap Boost for Browns Rookie Likely to Disappear

Browns S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren racked up a season high 95% snap share in last week’s win over Baltimore. That marked a big spike from his 50% and 41% shares the previous two weeks.

Unfortunately for the second-round pick, it also coincided with S Grant Delpit leaving early because of a concussion.

Although he officially carries a “questionable” tag into this week’s game, Delpit cleared the concussion protocol Saturday and is expected to play. So expect McNeil-Warren’s playing to sink once again.

Who Belongs in Your IDP Lineup?

Have trouble figuring out which IDPs to get into your lineup each week? The Team Intel page combines our 3D Projections with the specifics of your situation to give you a clear picture every week.