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 hopefully will help most everyone find a weekly edge.
Linebackers
De'Vondre Campbell, Duke Riley and Foyesade Oluokun – Falcons: The best way for the Cowboys to slow down the Falcons' offense on their home field will be to unleash Ezekiel Elliott in the hopes he carves up their defense the way he did to the Eagles last week. Based on season-to-date numbers, Dallas gives up 1.5 sacks and 20 tackles to opposing linebackers, and with game script potentially working in their favor, this is a solid spot for IDP goodness.
Jarrad Davis, Christian Jones and Devon Kennard – Lions: Since the Lions traded away Golden Tate, their offense has become dysfunctional to a point that they could struggle to stay competitive with the better teams in the league. This week they'll face the Panthers, who will likely be able to get out to a solid lead, which should enable them to lean heavily upon their rushing attack to control the clock. As a result, it should be a busy day for the Lions' linebackers, as they face a unit 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 hopefully will help most everyone find a weekly edge.
Linebackers
De'Vondre Campbell, Duke Riley and Foyesade Oluokun – Falcons: The best way for the Cowboys to slow down the Falcons' offense on their home field will be to unleash Ezekiel Elliott in the hopes he carves up their defense the way he did to the Eagles last week. Based on season-to-date numbers, Dallas gives up 1.5 sacks and 20 tackles to opposing linebackers, and with game script potentially working in their favor, this is a solid spot for IDP goodness.
Jarrad Davis, Christian Jones and Devon Kennard – Lions: Since the Lions traded away Golden Tate, their offense has become dysfunctional to a point that they could struggle to stay competitive with the better teams in the league. This week they'll face the Panthers, who will likely be able to get out to a solid lead, which should enable them to lean heavily upon their rushing attack to control the clock. As a result, it should be a busy day for the Lions' linebackers, as they face a unit that already allows LBs an average of 21 tackles per contest.
Tahir Whitehead, Marquel Lee and Kyle Wilber – Raiders: Over the course of the season, the Cardinals were not a team to use linebackers against in IDP leagues, as they allowed just 14 tackles to LBs per game. However, since Byron Leftwich has taken over the offensive coordinator position, he's restored the offense to one that relies upon their best playmaker, David Johnson. In addition, this is one of the few games in which Arizona has an excellent chance to win, so this could be one of the better weeks to fire up the Oakland linebackers, as Johnson could see all the work he can handle.
Lavonte David, Adarius Taylor and Devante Bond – Buccaneers: With the Giants being at home, their best chance to pull out a win against the Bucs will be to get the ball in Saquon Barkley's hands as frequently as possible. Also, New York will likely realize that after all the injuries that Tampa Bay has suffered in their front-seven, this is the best way to attack them while keeping Ryan Fitzpatrick off the field. During the season, the Giants allow 21 tackles and a sack to opposing LBs, and this week should give them even more upside.
Pass rushers
J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney – Texans: There aren't many offensive lines that are more beat up than Washington's, as they're down three starters with a fourth nursing a knee injury. With the Texans on the schedule, the timing couldn't be worse for the Redskins, but it's perfect for those looking to take advantage of it in IDP leagues. Not only will Washington likely struggle to run the ball, but the Texans' devastating pass rushers should clean up against a decimated line coupled with plenty of obvious-passing downs.
Chandler Jones, Markus Golden and Deone Bucannon – Cardinals: It's hard not to pick on the Raiders, and even though they played surprisingly well for a while against the Chargers last week, they've been one of the worst teams in the league. Sure, the Cardinals haven't been very good either, but the offense seems rejuvenated under their new offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich, and this is the type of game that Arizona should be able to play with a lead. Therefore, they should be in position to take advantage of an offense that gives up three sacks per game to opposing front-sevens.
Ryan Kerrigan, Matthew Ioannidis and Jonathan Allen – Redskins: Especially when playing at home, the Redskins have a very good defense, and they'll be facing a Texans' offensive line that's giving up 3.65 sacks to opposing DLs and LBs. Even though the Texans could jump out to an early lead, they don't have a sustaining element to their running game, and they'll likely struggle to run the ball effectively against this unit, which should put Deshaun Watson into more obvious passing situations than he'd like, so look for the Washington pass rush to get to him with frequency.
Terrell Suggs, Za'Darius Smith and Matt Judon – Ravens: With the Ravens being a brick wall against the run, this is a game in which Bengals QB Andy Dalton will be in more situations to drop back than he'd like. Also, with A.J. Green expected to miss this week's game, Dalton will lose his most-reliable target, which in turn could force him to hold the ball too long. Even without these circumstances, the Bengals are giving up two sacks per game to opposing front-sevens, and this week could be a great spot for the Ravens' pass rush.
Defensive backs
Janoris Jenkins, B.W. Webb and Curtis Riley – Giants: There's no question that the Bucs are one of the most pass-happy teams in the league, and that's even when they don't fall behind on the scoreboard. Tampa is among the league leaders with 28 tackles and one interception allowed to opposing secondaries per game, and with this game being on the road, there's an increased chance that the Bucs will be forced to throw for all four quarters. Don't hesitate to fire up the New York DBs this week.
Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith – Vikings: It's typically a waste of time to run the ball against the Vikings, and it's unlikely the Bears will make a concerted effort to establish the run in this important divisional contest. Assuming the Bears put the ball in Mitch Trubisky's hands, the Minnesota secondary will face a Chicago offense that gives up 25 tackles and one INT per game, and the number of tackles may even be higher this week.
Marshon Lattimore, Eli Apple, P.J. Williams and Marcus Williams – Saints, and Ronald Darby (knee), Corey Graham, Rasul Douglas and Jalen Mills (foot) – Eagles: With the Superdome often being referred to as the Coors Field of the NFL, there's no reason to expect anything other than a shootout between the Saints and the Eagles. With both defenses having the ability to stifle opposing rushing attacks while both defenses are highly vulnerable against the pass, we could easily see both of the QBs in this game throw the ball at least 40 times each. Don't hesitate to fire up the DBs on both sides of this contest, especially since both of the offenses give up 29 and 30 tackles to the position per game, which are among the most in the league.
