Week 7 is in the books, and fantasy managers are starting to separate into two groups: the ones checking playoff tiebreakers and the ones checking next year’s rookie class. If your team is 2-5 and you’re still calling it a championship run, I admire the optimism. Your league standings might call it a rebuild.
The same divide is showing up at linebacker. Some players have earned the kind of reliable, every-down workload that can anchor a playoff push. Others are losing snaps, sharing jobs or waiting for an injury just to get on the field. In IDP, there are haves, have-nots and a few guys who apparently have a reserved seat on the bench.
Here’s how we’re measuring Week 7: We start with each linebacker’s defensive snap count and snap percentage,
then compare recent workloads to see whether a role is growing, holding steady or shrinking. Next, we check combined tackles and tackle rate (tackles divided by defensive snaps), green-dot communication duties, injury-related opportunities and personnel rotations. A strong tackle total on a small sample may be exciting, but an every-down assignment is usually a sturdier foundation for next week’s lineup. Where relevant, we compare those trends with season-long production rather than letting one big game make the decision for us.
We’ll sort players into playoff-push options with trustworthy usage, rebuild or stash candidates whose snaps are trending upward and have-nots whose declining or unpredictable workloads make them tough to start. Those are fantasy-role labels, not predictions about which NFL teams will make the playoffs.
This report covers all 28 teams that played in Week 7, including Monday Night Football. The Bills, Jaguars, Chargers and Commanders were on bye. From the reliable veterans to the next waiver-wire gamble, let’s see who’s helping you chase a title and who’s helping you scout for next year.
Week 7 Linebacker Usage Efficiency
Arizona Cardinals
Cody Simon Starts Eating Into Jack Gibbens’ Opportunities
Cody Simon played only 12 defensive snaps (21%) but recorded three tackles, a 25.0% tackle rate. That’s a tiny sample, but it matters because Simon has taken a bite out of Jack Gibbens’ opportunities in consecutive weeks. Gibbens played 40 snaps in Week 7.
Mack Wilson Sr. played all 56 snaps and had three tackles, a 5.4% tackle rate, well below his 11.8% season average. Don’t confuse a low-tackle week with lost playing time: Wilson’s role is secure, but Gibbens’ margin for error is shrinking.
IDP takeaway: Simon isn’t a must-add yet. If his role grows for a third consecutive week, he’ll enter the deep-league streaming discussion. A handful of stolen snaps can hurt Gibbens long before Simon becomes an every-down player.
Atlanta Falcons
Kendal Daniels Takes Charge While Harold Perkins Jr. Gets His Shot
With Divine Deablo sidelined, Daniels handled 100% of the Falcons’ defensive snaps and finished with 11 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. Perkins climbed from 53% the previous week to 85% in Week 7, giving Atlanta a second fantasy-relevant option.
Josh Woods was relegated to scraps, and this is the part of the rotation worth watching when Deablo returns. Daniels’ green-dot duties provide the strongest argument for short-term stability, while Perkins’ role could be squeezed back into LB3 territory.
IDP takeaway: Daniels is the preferred add while Deablo sits. Perkins has value in deeper formats, but make sure the opportunity survives the injury report before treating it as permanent.
Baltimore Ravens
Trenton Simpson Refuses to Give Back the Job
Roquan Smith remains Baltimore’s dependable option, playing 88% of the defensive snaps and collecting eight tackles. The real story is the expected changing of the guard that never came.
Anyone waiting for Teddye Buchanan to take snaps from Simpson got the opposite result: Simpson’s playing time climbed from 58% to 76%. The snaps are evidence, not a prediction.
IDP takeaway: Simpson is the usable option today. As the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and the one in the bush hasn’t earned the role yet.
Carolina Panthers
Looking for a Stable Snap Floor
Bobby Okereke and Devin Lloyd are the names to evaluate here, but the Week 7 snap totals and tackle counts still need to be confirmed against the game export. It’s better to leave those figures out than assign either linebacker a made-up workload.
IDP takeaway: Prioritize whichever player shows the steadier every-down role in the finalized data, not simply the larger single-week tackle number.
Chicago Bears
D’Marco Jackson Keeps the Dot
T.J. Edwards missed another game with a hamstring injury, allowing Jackson to play all 50 defensive snaps and wear the green dot. Jackson finished with six tackles (12% tackle rate) and four run stops, a meaningful improvement over his one-tackle showing the previous week.
Devin Bush played 48 snaps (96%) but managed four tackles. Both were on the field, yet Jackson’s signal-calling responsibilities provide the clearer short-term role.
IDP takeaway: Jackson is the preferred short-term option while Edwards remains unavailable. Watch the injury report before assuming this opportunity will last.
Cincinnati Bengals
Barrett Carter Holds the Dot, Demetrius Knight Holds His Ground
Carter wore the green dot and played 61 snaps (94%), finishing with nine tackles and a 14.8% tackle rate. Knight logged 48 snaps (74%) and eight tackles, an excellent 16.7% rate.
Knight’s prior snap shares of 85%, 72% and 84% put 74% within his normal range. Carter has the more stable every-down profile, but Knight hasn’t vanished from the rotation.
IDP takeaway: Carter is the safer starter. Knight remains useful in deeper tackle-heavy formats.
Cleveland Browns
Check the Hierarchy Before Chasing Tackles
Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams merit attention, but their exact Week 7 snap totals and tackle rates are still pending the full linebacker export. The question is whether Cleveland has one dependable every-down anchor or multiple viable tackle sources.
IDP takeaway: Don’t turn an unverified snap share into a lineup recommendation. The trend needs to be established first.
Dallas Cowboys
The Natural Pecking Order Comes Into View
DeMarvion Overshown finished Monday night with six tackles, and another Cowboys linebacker also totaled six. The far more consequential development was Jaishawn Barham being reduced to a much smaller role and finishing with only two tackles.
We’ve been warning about the risk to Barham’s playing time for several weeks. Monday’s result looks less like a surprising plot twist and more like Dallas settling into its preferred order, pending another injury. The name and snap total of the second six-tackle linebacker still need confirmation before publication.
IDP takeaway: Overshown remains in the weekly conversation. Barham is difficult to justify in a redraft starting lineup without evidence of a role reversal.
Denver Broncos
Alex Singleton Stays on the Field While Justin Strnad Gets Packaged Out
Singleton played every one of Denver’s 75 defensive snaps and amassed 19 tackles. Strnad slipped from a 90% snap share to 73% as Denver relied more heavily on dime packages.
This is the difference between losing a starting job and losing snaps to the defensive scheme. Neither feels good in fantasy, but Singleton’s workload remains immune to the extra defensive backs in a way Strnad’s does not.
IDP takeaway: Singleton stays in the lineup. Strnad is more matchup-sensitive than the starting designation suggests.
Detroit Lions
Who Owns the Every-Down Work?
Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez are the relevant off-ball names to review. Their Week 7 snap totals and tackle counts haven’t been supplied yet, so no unverified percentages are being assigned.
IDP takeaway: The first question is Campbell’s snap floor, followed by whether Barnes or Rodriguez has enough steady work to matter beyond deep leagues.
Green Bay Packers
Two Injury Replacements Become Nearly Every-Down Players
With Zaire Franklin unavailable, Isaiah McDuffie went from 54% to 100% of the defensive snaps (66), wore the green dot and recorded 11 tackles. Ty’Ron Hopper rose from 44% to 94% (62 snaps), adding seven tackles.
That’s real opportunity, but the crucial word is temporary: the rotation can change when injured players return. McDuffie’s communication responsibilities make him the safer of the two.
IDP takeaway: McDuffie is the preferred injury fill-in, with Hopper playable in deeper leagues while this deployment lasts.
Houston Texans
Jake Hansen Disappears from the Rotation
Hansen has gone from a 95% role to 50% and then just 28% in Week 7. Henry To’oTo’o has moved firmly ahead, logging 99% and 89% over the past two games and producing 10 tackles in Week 7. Hansen had only three tackles on 18 snaps.
That’s not a one-week tackle drought. It’s a sustained decline in opportunity, and Azeez Al-Shaair remains another obstacle to Hansen’s return.
IDP takeaway: To’oTo’o is the player to roster. Hansen is tough to hold in most redraft formats, particularly with Houston’s Week 8 bye coming up.
Indianapolis Colts
Germaine Pratt Offers Little to Chase
Pratt was limited to 32% of the snaps and recorded just three tackles. Reputation and past production can’t make up for a role that small.
IDP takeaway: Leave Pratt out of normal IDP starting lineups until his participation grows.
Kansas City Chiefs
Bolton and Tranquill: No Mystery Necessary
Nick Bolton wore the green dot and played 68 of 69 snaps (99%), finishing with 11 tackles, a 16.2% tackle rate and three run stops. Drue Tranquill played 63 snaps (91%) and totaled 12 tackles.
Both have the kind of snap security we spend the rest of this article trying to find. This isn’t a whodunit. We know who’s on the field.
IDP takeaway: Both are comfortable starters, especially in tackle-heavy leagues.
Las Vegas Raiders
A Snap Jump Worth Watching
Tommy Eichenberg reportedly rose from a 9% snap share to 62% and made seven tackles. That’s worth a second look, although the exact snap total and role context need confirmation against the Week 7 export. Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker also need verified team-level snap data before any comparison is published.
IDP takeaway: Keep Eichenberg on the watch list rather than treating one increased workload as a guarantee.
Los Angeles Rams
No Landman, No Thanks
With Nate Landman sidelined by a concussion, Omar Speights led the Rams linebackers at only 58% of the defensive snaps. Eric Kendricks registered zero defensive snaps.
Fantasy managers looking for Landman’s replacement got a reminder that some schemes would apparently rather play without linebackers than offer an easy waiver pickup.
IDP takeaway: No reliable fill-in emerged here. If Landman isn’t available, neither is my interest in this group. Let’s move on.
Miami Dolphins
Brooks Produces, Rodriguez Keeps the Dot
Willie Gay missed the game due to illness, giving Jackson Woodard 27 snaps (51%), up from a previous 14% share. Woodard had three tackles (11.1%).
Jacob Rodriguez wore the green dot and played every snap but made only four tackles, a 7.4% tackle rate versus his 17.5% season mark. Jordyn Brooks also played every snap and delivered nine tackles (16.7%).
IDP takeaway: Brooks is the safe play. Rodriguez’s role remained intact despite a quiet day. Woodard needs a larger sample before becoming a streaming recommendation.
Minnesota Vikings
Check the Rotation, Not Just the Box Score
Blake Cashman reportedly played 95% of the defensive snaps and made 12 tackles. We still need his exact snap count along with the Week 7 usage of Eric Wilson before evaluating whether Minnesota has a second dependable tackle source.
IDP takeaway: Cashman’s reported workload is encouraging. Hold off on treating the supporting linebackers as weekly starters without the confirmed rotation.
New England Patriots
Same Snaps, Very Different Tackles
Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane each played 100% of New England’s defensive snaps. Elliss made 13 tackles, and Spillane made five. If you’re looking for proof that snap share and tackle production aren’t interchangeable, the Patriots just submitted Exhibit A.
Elliss had the bigger game, but Spillane did not lose playing time. That’s an important distinction when evaluating next week’s projections.
IDP takeaway: Both have every-down opportunity. Elliss has earned more attention, but don’t make a snap-based downgrade to Spillane after one quiet tackle total.
New Orleans Saints
The Return That Erased Danny Stutsman
Kaden Elliss returned to an every-down role, missing only one snap. Pete Werner played 62 snaps (98%) and made eight tackles, a 12.9% rate.
Stutsman played no defensive snaps after logging 92% in Week 6. One week he was a potential fantasy solution; the next, he couldn’t find his way onto the field. Hitchcock couldn’t have scripted a sharper cut.
IDP takeaway: Elliss and Werner are the plays. Stutsman can be moved on from in ordinary redraft leagues.
New York Giants
Micah McFadden Moves from Speculative to Priority
McFadden was a speculative add after Tremaine Edmunds went down. With Edmunds reportedly out for the season, McFadden’s path to a lasting role has become much clearer. McFadden wore the green dot and reportedly played all 54 defensive snaps, delivering 10 tackles.
The reason he matters isn’t just the one-game total. It’s the combination of communication duties, every-down participation and a vacancy that may persist.
IDP takeaway: McFadden is a priority add where available and has a legitimate path to recurring LB2 consideration.
New York Jets
Sherwood Produces More Than Davis
Jamien Sherwood reportedly played 63 snaps (98%) and made eight tackles, while Demario Davis played all 64 snaps but finished with only three. Both roles appear secure, but their production differed considerably.
IDP takeaway: Sherwood’s production is encouraging, while Davis’ lower tackle total isn’t a reason to assume he lost playing time.
Philadelphia Eagles
Beyond Zack Baun, the Rotation Is a Guessing Game
Jihaad Campbell had just two tackles Monday night, while Jeremiah Trotter Jr. got the better end of their rotation with five. Trotter has 10 tackles and 0.5 sacks over his last two games, enough to make a case in deeper IDP leagues.
Baun remained the every-down constant and collected nine tackles. That’s the piece of this rotation we can actually rely on. As for Campbell versus Trotter, guessing which one gets the better share each week is not how I want to build a fantasy lineup.
IDP takeaway: Baun is the only automatic starter. Trotter has a deeper-league argument, but the Campbell-Trotter rotation is best avoided in standard formats.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Payton Wilson Keeps Earning the Snaps
Wilson has posted snap shares of 81%, 88%, 93% and 91% over his last four appearances. His six Week 7 tackles were quieter than the 11 from the week before, but the important trend is that Pittsburgh is keeping him on the field.
IDP takeaway: Wilson’s snap floor supports LB2 consideration in balanced formats. The tackles will fluctuate, but the underlying opportunity is no longer the issue.
San Francisco 49ers
Jaden Dugger Falls Off a Cliff
Dugger went from 97% of the defensive snaps to just 48% in Week 7. That’s a 49-percentage-point swing and the kind of vanishing act that can wreck an IDP lineup.
Dre Greenlaw returned to 90% participation and recorded 12 tackles, while Fred Warner handled every snap and had 13 tackles. The pecking order looks different with Greenlaw back.
IDP takeaway: Trust Warner and Greenlaw. Dugger’s reduced workload makes him a risky hold in redraft.
Seattle Seahawks
Tyrice Knight Remains a Dangerous Bet
Knight once again got an opportunity because of injuries, but his snap share fell from 86% to 72%. That’s exactly the concern we’ve been raising about trying to project a dependable every-down role in this scheme.
IDP takeaway: Knight is a matchup-based emergency streamer, not a player to lock into your lineup without checking the rotation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Is Josiah Trotter Jr. Becoming the Answer?
Trotter has been earning attention through expanded usage, but we still need his Week 7 defensive snap percentage and tackle count. Those numbers will determine whether he is a viable regular starter or just an interesting rotation piece.
IDP takeaway: Watch the confirmed snap share before making the weekly-start call.
Tennessee Titans
Cedric Gray Gets the Competition Heated with Cody Barton
Anthony Hill Jr. continued his every-down role and produced 12 tackles, reinforcing his dependable LB1 profile. But the more interesting change was behind him.
For the first time in the Week 3–7 sample I’ve tracked, Gray outsnapped Barton. Gray and Barton both played 55.7% of the snaps, which is notable since Barton had previously held the advantage.
IDP takeaway: Hill is the starter. Gray is worth monitoring in deeper leagues, and Barton is a shaky option while the second-linebacker job remains split. All it takes is one shift in the tide for the IDP waves to start rolling in.
Week 8 Linebacker Watch List
Arizona: Cody Simon needs another week of meaningful snaps before earning a streaming recommendation.
Atlanta: Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. remain tied to Divine Deablo’s availability.
Baltimore: Trenton Simpson is gaining snaps while Teddye Buchanan waits.
Tennessee: Cedric Gray outsnapped Cody Barton, narrowly but notably.
Dallas: Jaishawn Barham’s reduced role looks increasingly difficult to reverse without an injury.
Philadelphia: Zack Baun is the dependable starter. The Campbell-Trotter split is a weekly gamble.
Tackles tell us what happened. Snaps tell us who had the chance to make it happen. See you next week.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Week 7 Linebacker Usage Report
