The ranking from my 2019 NFL Draft Big Board is listed in parenthesis.

 

Josh Allen, Jaguars DE (1)

Last week (@ CAR)

5 tackles, 1.0 sack

Season stats

17 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Allen recorded his third sack of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, and despite not starting for the second game in a row, his snap percentage jumped up to 83% (after being below 70% in the previous two games) for Jacksonville’s loaded defensive front. Also, Allen’s five tackles were a career-high, but he will have a tough test this weekend against Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

 

Christian Wilkins, Dolphins DL (3)

Last week (BYE)

No statistics recorded

Season stats

17 tackles, 1 tackle for loss

Coming off the early bye week, I’m sure Wilkins knows that Sunday will be the team’s best chance to avoid 0-16 with the Redskins—having just fired their head coach—making the trip south. Washington apparently wants to pound the ball with Adrian Peterson, but Wilkins should be ready.

 

Deandre Baker, Giants CB (6)

Last week (v MIN)

3 tackles, 1 pass defended

Season stats

17 tackles, 1 pass defended

While he allowed a touchdown to Adam Thielen in Week 5, Baker once again played well for the Giants, and the biggest mistake was actually an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that kept a Minnesota drive going. On the touchdown (a nine-yard score), Baker was in decent position against Thielen, but he lost his footing a bit and wasn’t in position to make a play on the ball, which was thrown high and away.

 

Dexter Lawrence, Giants DL (7)

Last week (v MIN)

5 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble

Season stats

13 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 blocked kick

Lawrence’s best game of his young career came against the Vikings, as he recorded another sack (and had a second taken away because of a cheap penalty), forced a Dalvin Cook fumble, and showed his high effort level with a tackle of Cook about 20 yards downfield. It’s obviously early, but Lawrence’s ability as a pass rusher to pair with his stoutness on early downs has him looking like a steal with the No. 17 overall pick.

 

A.J. Brown, Titans WR (9)

Last week (v BUF)

2 receptions, 27 yards

Season stats

12 receptions, 250 yards, 2 touchdowns

Brown was facing a top-two secondary (behind New England) when the Bills came to town last week, but he caught both his targets and would have had the potential game-winning touchdown if it wasn’t called back for Marcus Mariota being just inches past the line-of-scrimmage. The Titans need to keep increasing the rookie’s role after a career-high 65% of the snaps played in Week 5.

 

Brian Burns, Panthers OLB (10)

Last week (v JAX)

3 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown

Season stats

14 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown

As stated last week, Burns won NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for his play in September, and October got off to an even better start with a stat-stuffing performance in a 34-27 victory. Aside from scoring his first career touchdown, Burns also recorded a sack for the fourth game in a row, and he’s quickly shown that it was a mistake to not view him as a top-ten prospect. Carolina’s first-round pick looks primed for another big game this weekend in London against a Tampa Bay offensive line that will be missing their starters on the right side.

 

Daniel Jones, Giants QB (18)

Last week (v MIN)

21/38 (55.3%), 182 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT /// 3 attempts, 12 yards

Season stats

64.2%, 760 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT /// 13 attempts, 78 yards, 2 TD

I thought the Giants had a real shot at beating Minnesota last week, but injuries quickly hit the offense with Wayne Gallman (concussion) and Sterling Shepard (concussion) both going down, so Jones did well to at least keep New York in the game, and things may have played out differently if not for a safety at the end of the first half that also led to a field goal and extended the Vikings lead to 18-7. Jones’ touchdown pass was a dime to Darius Slayton from 35 yards away that he dropped perfectly to hit him in stride.

 

Justin Layne, Steelers CB (19)

Last week (v BAL)

No statistics recorded

Season stats

No statistics recorded

Layne was active for the second time this season as Pittsburgh lost in overtime to the Ravens last week, but he’s still yet to see any action on defense. If Steven Nelson (groin) doesn’t suit up on Sunday night, Layne may see a big role, especially considering he has the size to matchup with Chargers receiver Mike Williams on the outside.

 

Jaquan Johnson, Bills S (23)

Last week (@ TEN)

No statistics recorded

Season stats

No statistics recorded

Johnson played on special teams for the second game in a row after being inactive three times to start his career, and if Buffalo continues playing in close, low-scoring games, the rookie may be able to make an impact play at some point. Defensively, I’m sure Johnson’s time will come, even if it’s not until 2020.

 

Chase Winovich, Patriots DE (32)

Last week (@ WAS)

2 tackles, 1.0 sack

Season stats

7 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 1 tackle for loss

He played less than 30% of New England’s defensive snaps for the third time this season, but Winovich has made the most of his opportunity with 4.0 sacks on just 100 plays across five games, and his takedown of Colt McCoy last week came in the first quarter. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots rotate pass rushers for upcoming games against Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, and Kansas City.