This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
With rosters of all shapes and sizes, IDP advice can be a bit tricky, so the purpose of this article is to point out players whose value is elevated for the upcoming week. Some of these players will be superstars while others will be players found on many waiver wires. Whether you're streaming IDPs each week or have a stocked roster, this "one size fits" all approach will hopefully help most everyone find a weekly edge.
Linebackers
Josh Bynes, Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick – Cardinals: The 49ers would likely prefer to not put their offense on the shoulders of C.J. Beathard, and this week they have no reason to, as they'll face a Cardinals' defense that's allowing the second-most rushing yards in the league. Expect Matt Breida and Alfred Morris to see plenty of rushing attempts while the Arizona LBs have a busy day piling up tackles.
Christian Kirksey, Joe Schobert and Jamie Collins – Browns: The Browns clearly have an emerging defense, and at times, they're downright nasty. However, their weakness is against the run, and they've seen the second-most rushing attempts of any team in the league. Don't think that this week's opponent, the Ravens, will shy away from testing them on the ground, which will keep the Cleveland LBs quite busy.
Kiko Alonso, Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker – Dolphins: With the Bengals playing at home, there's a good chance they can run out to a lead against the Dolphins. Should that
With rosters of all shapes and sizes, IDP advice can be a bit tricky, so the purpose of this article is to point out players whose value is elevated for the upcoming week. Some of these players will be superstars while others will be players found on many waiver wires. Whether you're streaming IDPs each week or have a stocked roster, this "one size fits" all approach will hopefully help most everyone find a weekly edge.
Linebackers
Josh Bynes, Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick – Cardinals: The 49ers would likely prefer to not put their offense on the shoulders of C.J. Beathard, and this week they have no reason to, as they'll face a Cardinals' defense that's allowing the second-most rushing yards in the league. Expect Matt Breida and Alfred Morris to see plenty of rushing attempts while the Arizona LBs have a busy day piling up tackles.
Christian Kirksey, Joe Schobert and Jamie Collins – Browns: The Browns clearly have an emerging defense, and at times, they're downright nasty. However, their weakness is against the run, and they've seen the second-most rushing attempts of any team in the league. Don't think that this week's opponent, the Ravens, will shy away from testing them on the ground, which will keep the Cleveland LBs quite busy.
Kiko Alonso, Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker – Dolphins: With the Bengals playing at home, there's a good chance they can run out to a lead against the Dolphins. Should that happen, the Cinci rushing attack should have no problem going back to the well often against a Miami defense that's been leaky against any decent rushing attack they've faced. There's a reason why their LBs have been busy this year, and this is another spot in which their LBs are looking great.
Wesley Woodyard (check status), Rashaan Evans and Derrick Morgan – Titans: The Titans don't seem to mind keeping their play-calling close to the vest, especially since they've proven they know how to win close games. Based on that philosophy, the Bills should be able to hang around in this contest, which should allow them to keep the ball on the ground and let their RBs keep them in the game. Teams typically like to pick on the Titans' secondary, but that's not likely going to be the case this week, and the result should be plenty of tackles.
Defensive Backs
Tramon Williams, Kevin King (check status), Jaire Alexander and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
– Packers: Even though their rushing attack is looking good when Kerryon Johnson gets carries, it seems the Lions just can't get away from their obsession with passing the football. There's no reason to expect anything other than a high-scoring game when they face the Packers, and since Detroit features three WRs in their passing attack, this projects to be a busy day for the Green Bay CBs. It also helps that Matthew Stafford will make the occasional mistake, so there could be a big play or two to be had by this secondary.
Joe Haden, Sean Davis, Mike Hilton (check status) and Artie Burns – Steelers: Atlanta will likely attack Pittsburgh through the air, as that's where the Steelers are most vulnerable. Pittsburgh's opponents have clearly agreed with this logic this year, as the Steelers face 40 pass attempts per contest, so look for Matt Ryanto fill the air with footballs while the CBs pile up the stops. Also, Ryan has had some awful games on the road, so the chance for INTs increases as well.
Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith, Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes (check status) – Vikings: When facing the Vikings, offenses often have to pick their poison. Since the Eagles have a great OL, they will likely plan to test the Minnesota secondary, especially after watching the Rams shred them last week. Also, Philly has no problem throwing plenty of short passes, which should be a great recipe for the Vikings DBs to stay busy in the NFC championship game rematch.
Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, D.J. Hayden (check status) and Tashaun Gipson – Jaguars: Most teams fear testing the vaunted Jacksonville pass defense, but this week we'll have a clear case of strength against strength. It would be a shock if the Chiefs didn't attack the Jaguars through the air, and although the defense will see all that they can handle, they should see such a high pass volume that their DBs have a productive afternoon.
Pass rushers
DeMarcus Lawrence, Tyrone Crawford, Taco Charlton and Randy Gregory – Cowboys: Sure, Dallas is on the road, where their defense typically doesn't play as well as they do at home. But they'll be facing the turnstile of an offensive line in the Texans. It also helps that Deshaun Watson often holds the ball too long. Don't expect Houston to go against their strengths, and that should mean a plethora of pass-rushing opportunities.
Brian Orakpo and Jurrell Casey (Derrick Morgan as well, but he was listed above) – Titans: Although we mentioned earlier that there's a strong chance the Bills will run often this week, that doesn't mean they won't throw the ball 25 times. Even with a low-pass volume, Buffalo not only has a bad OL, but they have a rookie QB who makes more than his share of bad decisions, including holding the football longer than he should. Add in a strong and underrated Tennessee pass rush and this is looking like a nice opportunity for production.
It's tough to think the Seahawks will be able to keep up with the Rams, and if that's the case, they'll have to abandon their rushing attack early in the game. Although Russell Wilson can perform miracles in the passing game, when he's forced to be one-dimensional, the LA pass rushers should be able to get their share of action and production chasing Wilson around the pocket.
Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Michael Brockers and Matt Longacre – Rams: It's tough to think the Seahawks will be able to keep up with the Rams, and if that's the case, they'll have to abandon their rushing attack early in the game. Although Russell Wilson can perform miracles in the passing game, when he's forced to be one-dimensional, the LA pass rushers should be able to get their share of action and production chasing Wilson around the pocket.
Mario Addison, Kawann Short, Wes Horton, Julius Peppers, Panthers: After doing a great job getting rid of the football quickly in Week 3, Eli Manning seemed to fall back into some bad habits last week against the Saints. The Panthers, fresh off a bye, should be able to get out in front of New York, and the Giants' OL just doesn't have the horses to slow down the Carolina pass rush.
