This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Luke Kuechly, MLB, CAR
Kuechly's frightening concussion from the Saints game Nov. 17 still has him in the concussion protocol, but there's encouragement to be found with Kuechly returning to practice on a limited basis Wednesday. Although he can't be considered better than questionable for Sunday's game against San Diego, his return to practice still marks progress after he entirely sat out all the practices since that Saints game. Whenever he returns, Kuechly will move straight back to the top of the linebacker IDP hierarchy.
Edwin Jackson, (3-4) ILB, IND
Even before D'Qwell Jackson's four-game suspension, Jackson quietly made a name for himself as Indianapolis' other starting inside linebacker the last three weeks. He accumulated seven tackles in each of those games and also posted his second sack of the season during that span. With D'Qwell out, there's a decent chance that Edwin will see his share of the tackle production in Indianapolis grow the next four weeks.
Antonio Morrison, (3-4) ILB, IND
While Edwin Jackson had a solid grip on one of Indianapolis' two starting inside linebacker roles even before D'Qwell Jackson's suspension, Morrison is by contrast a candidate to be the primary beneficiary of D'Qwell's absence. A rookie fourth-round pick out Florida, Morrison tested so poorly at his pro day that his numbers almost appeared to be errors -- a 40-yard dash of 5.1 seconds, a 7.69-second three-cone drill and 111-inch broad jump among the lowlights -- and all at an undersized
RISING
Luke Kuechly, MLB, CAR
Kuechly's frightening concussion from the Saints game Nov. 17 still has him in the concussion protocol, but there's encouragement to be found with Kuechly returning to practice on a limited basis Wednesday. Although he can't be considered better than questionable for Sunday's game against San Diego, his return to practice still marks progress after he entirely sat out all the practices since that Saints game. Whenever he returns, Kuechly will move straight back to the top of the linebacker IDP hierarchy.
Edwin Jackson, (3-4) ILB, IND
Even before D'Qwell Jackson's four-game suspension, Jackson quietly made a name for himself as Indianapolis' other starting inside linebacker the last three weeks. He accumulated seven tackles in each of those games and also posted his second sack of the season during that span. With D'Qwell out, there's a decent chance that Edwin will see his share of the tackle production in Indianapolis grow the next four weeks.
Antonio Morrison, (3-4) ILB, IND
While Edwin Jackson had a solid grip on one of Indianapolis' two starting inside linebacker roles even before D'Qwell Jackson's suspension, Morrison is by contrast a candidate to be the primary beneficiary of D'Qwell's absence. A rookie fourth-round pick out Florida, Morrison tested so poorly at his pro day that his numbers almost appeared to be errors -- a 40-yard dash of 5.1 seconds, a 7.69-second three-cone drill and 111-inch broad jump among the lowlights -- and all at an undersized 6-foot-1, 233. But it's possible that those numbers were basically invalid due to the lingering effects of an unspecified infection that caused him to miss the Combine. Morrison is a top candidate to replace D'Qwell in the starting lineup, and that alone makes him worth monitoring closely as an IDP asset. Morrison was a productive player on one of college football's best defenses at Florida.
Steven Terrell, S, SEA
Who knows how he'll produce, but Terrell will replace Earl Thomas in the starting lineup after Thomas suffered a season-ending broken leg last week. Although he went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2013, Terrell is a remarkable athlete with 4.3 speed and excellent leaping ability at 5-10, 197. The center-fielder nature of Thomas' free safety role doesn't lend itself to high tackle totals -- Thomas was on pace for a tackle total in the 60s for the second straight year prior to the injury -- but Terrell might offer better tackle production than Thomas due to the probability that he's significantly more likely to give up receptions in coverage.
FALLING
Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, NYG
Just as he was starting to recapture his magic, Pierre-Paul was cruelly inflicted with a regular season-ending sports hernia that required surgery this week. He showed signs of great progress before that, totaling 5.5 sacks in the two games prior to Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh, so there's reason to hope for JPP to return to DL1 status in 2017, but for now that dream will have to be put on hold. The Giants will have to look to a combination of Romeo Okwara, Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Kerry Wynn to replace JPP in the meantime.
Harrison Smith, S, MIN
Injuries have been a recurring issue in Smith's otherwise impressive NFL career, and the latest injury looks like it might knock him out the rest of the season. He's dealing with a severe high-ankle sprain, and your standard-issue high-ankle sprain is problematic enough to begin with, often costing players three to four games. It's an especial shame because Smith was on pace to shatter his career high tackles, as his 84 tackles in 12 games projects to 112 in 16 games, eight more than the career high he set in his 2012 rookie season. Smith's season isn't over for certain, but it generally appears that he'll end up missing seven games the last two years.
Karl Joseph, S, OAK
Joseph's long-term prospects are glowing, as the rookie first-round pick out of West Virginia has given the Raiders' defense a boost in his nine-game stretch as starter, but it appears that he's a long shot to play Thursday against the Chiefs due to a toe injury that's kept him out of practice all week. He's worn a walking boot all that while, though it's not clear whether Joseph is dealing with the dreaded turf toe. It's certainly something to keep an eye on, though, given the complete lack of practice time this week. If Joseph sits as expected Thursday, Nate Allen would presumably return to a starting role for the day.
