This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
Week 3 is in the books and we continued to see plenty of movement on the defensive side of the ball. Some players have had the chance to step in for injured players who were projected to serve key roles ahead of them on the depth chart, while we've also started to see young players emerge in new or prominent roles that have allowed them to rack up counting stats through three games. Those players will make up the majority of our risers.
Risers
Henry To'oTo'o 
, LB
To'oTo'o has certainly made a strong case for a starting role, and he's steadily seen his snap rate increase in each game this season. After playing only 34 percent defensive snaps in Week 1, he's subsequently increased that number to 81 and 95 percent marks in the last two games, respectively. Perryman was out in Week 3, but To'oTo'o's playing time was already ticking up. That's for good reason, as he has 20 total tackles (10 in his last game) and is emerging on a defense that has improved but doesn't have enough established playmakers to keep To'oTo'o off the field.
Kamu Grugier-Hill 
, LB
Grugier-Hill began the season playing only on special teams, but an unfortunate injury to Shaq Thompson (lower leg) has opened his path to a stable role on the inside of the Panthers' linebacking corps. In a pair of games since getting a majority of the snaps, he's tallied 16 combined tackles, one sack and one tackle
Week 3 is in the books and we continued to see plenty of movement on the defensive side of the ball. Some players have had the chance to step in for injured players who were projected to serve key roles ahead of them on the depth chart, while we've also started to see young players emerge in new or prominent roles that have allowed them to rack up counting stats through three games. Those players will make up the majority of our risers.
Risers
Henry To'oTo'o , LB
To'oTo'o has certainly made a strong case for a starting role, and he's steadily seen his snap rate increase in each game this season. After playing only 34 percent defensive snaps in Week 1, he's subsequently increased that number to 81 and 95 percent marks in the last two games, respectively. Perryman was out in Week 3, but To'oTo'o's playing time was already ticking up. That's for good reason, as he has 20 total tackles (10 in his last game) and is emerging on a defense that has improved but doesn't have enough established playmakers to keep To'oTo'o off the field.
Kamu Grugier-Hill , LB
Grugier-Hill began the season playing only on special teams, but an unfortunate injury to Shaq Thompson (lower leg) has opened his path to a stable role on the inside of the Panthers' linebacking corps. In a pair of games since getting a majority of the snaps, he's tallied 16 combined tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss while playing between two-thirds and three-quarters of defensive snaps. The role isn't perfect, but Thompson is out for the year, so Grugier-Hill should have the ability to keep a similar pace to his recent production in the long term.
Julian Blackmon 
, S
Blackmon has occupied a number of different roles throughout his rookie contract in Indianapolis, but he appears to be in line for his most consistent and productive deployment in 2023. He was on the field for 916 snaps as a rookie, yet he managed only 42 total tackles while playing primarily in coverage. To this point in the current campaign, he's been split fairly evenly between run stopping and coverage, which has helped him already accrue 27 stops. The downside is that his coverage stats have predictably fallen, so his potential fantasy impact will depend on individual league scoring systems.
Kyle Hamilton 
, S
Speaking of different roles, Hamilton has stepped into a key one in Baltimore's defense, having been on the field for all but one snap through three games. Per PFF, he's also lined up in different areas of the field on a weekly basis. After playing primarily at free safety and in the box through the first two weeks, he spent Week 3 in the slot and was busy rushing the quarterback. He's worth highlighting this week because of his three-sack performance against the Colts, but he's taken a significant step forward in multiple ways early on in his second season.
Akayleb Evans 
, CB
Evans was on the unfortunate end of some bad luck – perhaps poor play – late in the Vikings' loss to the Chargers when he deflected a pass into the waiting arms of Joshua Palmer for the game-winning score. More positively, he's already logged more defensive snaps than he logged in his entire rookie season. Through three games, he's tallied three passes defended, one forced fumble and 22 total tackles (14 solo). Despite the highlights suggesting otherwise, Evans has performed solidly and doesn't appear to be in any danger of a demotion.
Fallers
Jeremy Chinn , S
Both Chinn and the Panthers entered the season optimistic that they had found a way for him to consistently contribute to the Panthers' defense. That has come primarily as the team's slot corner, but the results haven't followed, as he has only 15 tackles (eight solo) through three games. He's chipped in one pass defended with no other peripheral stats. Chinn had the look of a potential elite defensive playmaker after his rookie year all the way back in 2020, but that certainly isn't the case now. He has started to emerge in early trade rumblings, so perhaps that will be the path to him regain his footing in the league.
Christian Harris , LB
This is as simple as one player trending up (To'oTo'o) and another falling. Harris is the latter name, as he had significant preseason expectations after a solid rookie season. Instead, once Perryman is able to return, it appears that Harris will be the odd man out of the linebacker rotation in Houston.
