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
Zach Brown, Mason Foster and Preston Smith – Redskins: Dallas is averaging about 20 rushing attempts per contest, but they could have a significantly higher total in this contest. First of all, their rushing attack has been clicking lately, and with Amari Cooper helping to keep defenses honest, Ezekiel Elliott benefits in that the defenses can't sell out as hard as they used to. In addition, Washington just lost QB Alex Smith for the season, and that should allow the Cowboys a great chance to grind out the clock on the ground in a potential home victory, which should allow the Washington linebackers to fill up the stat sheet.
Matt Milano, Tremaine Edmunds and Lorenzo Alexander – Bills: Since Leonard Fournette has returned to action, it's become quite clear that the Jaguars would rather not put games in the hands of Blake Bortles. In a game in which the Jags should have no trouble controlling an overmatched Buffalo squad, look for one of the highest rushing attempt totals of the
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
Zach Brown, Mason Foster and Preston Smith – Redskins: Dallas is averaging about 20 rushing attempts per contest, but they could have a significantly higher total in this contest. First of all, their rushing attack has been clicking lately, and with Amari Cooper helping to keep defenses honest, Ezekiel Elliott benefits in that the defenses can't sell out as hard as they used to. In addition, Washington just lost QB Alex Smith for the season, and that should allow the Cowboys a great chance to grind out the clock on the ground in a potential home victory, which should allow the Washington linebackers to fill up the stat sheet.
Matt Milano, Tremaine Edmunds and Lorenzo Alexander – Bills: Since Leonard Fournette has returned to action, it's become quite clear that the Jaguars would rather not put games in the hands of Blake Bortles. In a game in which the Jags should have no trouble controlling an overmatched Buffalo squad, look for one of the highest rushing attempt totals of the season, and that should lead directly to a big day from the Bills' linebackers.
Nick Vigil (knee), Preston Brown (knee), Vontaze Burfict and Vincent Rey – Bengals: Not only are the Bengals one of the worst run defenses in the league, they're also very banged up. With that knowledge, along with the fact that the Cleveland coaching staff prefers to feed Nick Chubb, that's likely the way they'll choose to attack their division rivals. In addition, this is a game the Browns have a strong chance to play with a lead, which further increases the likelihood of the Cinci LBs having a busy afternoon.
Avery Williamson, Darron Lee, Jeremiah Attaochu and Jordan Jenkins – Jets: With an extra week to recover, Sony Michel should be at full strength, which bodes well for the Patriots as they try to get their offense in balance after getting shellacked by the Titans with a one-dimensional attack before the bye. In a game in which the Pats should be able to stymie the New York offense, this has a chance of being one of those contests in which Tom Brady doesn't have to throw the ball often, which should lead to the Jets' linebackers getting more than their share of work. Of course, they won't just be stopping the run, they'll also contend with James White as a receiver and Julian Edelman on plenty of drag routes, so this is a day to expect some upside from the New York LBs.
Pass rushers
Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith and Leonard Floyd – Bears: Although the Lions have given up just a shade over three sacks per contest, their offensive line has been a struggling unit since Golden Tate was traded away. Before limiting the punchless Carolina pass rush to just a single sack last week, they had given up 16 sacks over the previous two weeks, including six sacks to the same Chicago defense in Week 10. With Khalil Mack now fully healthy, this could be another eruption spot for the Bears pass rushers.
Terrell Suggs, Za'Darius Smith, Patrick Onwuasor and Matt Judon – Ravens: Over the last five games, the Raiders have allowed at least four sacks on three different occasions, including six against the Seahawks and eight against the 49ers. The Ravens are a top-10 sack unit on the season, but they been especially good at taking advantage of weak offenses, as they've averaged more than seven sacks against the trio of Buffalo, Cleveland and Tennessee, and Oakland fits right in with those units.
Joey Bosa (foot), Darius Philon and Melvin Ingram – Chargers: With a week under his belt, stud pass rusher Joey Bosa should be closer to seeing a full complement of snaps. When he's on the field at full strength, it's not just he who can wreck an offense, but he creates positive matchups for his teammates to prosper as well. They'll be facing in Arizona offense that's ceded four sacks on five different occasions, and in a game they could easily control, this is looking like a great spot to pile up some sacks.
Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue and Telvin Smith – Jaguars: It's unlikely that the Buffalo bye week will do much to fix their dysfunctional offense. On the season, the Bills have allowed the second-most sacks in the league, and they'll be facing a Jacksonville defense that's been a major disappointment this season. However, they've posted at least three sacks in four of their last eight games, and now that Jacksonville has their rushing attack back in full force, they should be able to control the action, play with a lead and harass the quarterback all day long.
Defensive backs
Marshon Lattimore, Eli Apple, P.J. Williams and Marcus Williams – Saints: It's difficult to imagine a scenario that doesn't have the red-hot Saints offense scoring points by the truckload against a depleted Atlanta defense. It's also unlikely that the Falcons will try to waste time testing the excellent run defense of the Saints, and knowing that they'll need to keep pace in a must-win game, expect Matt Ryan to try and carry the team on his shoulders. With this game having a great chance to be a shoot out, the Saints DBs should be quite productive while Ryan fills the air with footballs.
Kenny Moore, Nate Hairston, Pierre Desir and Malik Hooker (hip) – Colts: Over the course of the season, the Dolphins have tried to commit to their rushing attack, and to a degree, they've been quite successful in doing so. But this week they'll be contending with the white-hot Colts, and even if they run the ball early, the Dolphins will likely need to abandon that course of action early on. Since Miami isn't well-equipped for this type of game script, not only should the Indy DBs pile up plenty of tackles, but an INT or two along the way is clearly in the range of outcomes.
Johnathan Joseph, Shareece Wright, Aaron Colvin and Tyrann Mathieu – Texans: With Marcus Mariota having injured his throwing elbow again last week, the last thing the Titans wanted to see on the schedule is a defense like the Texans, who have been a brick wall against the run. It's very unlikely that Tennessee will be able to consistently lean on their rushing attack, and with either a limited Mariota or a full-strength Blaine Gabbert at QB, this is the type of week in which there could be big plays waiting for the Houston defensive backs, especially in a game on their home field.
Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, K'Waun Williams and Jimmie Ward – 49ers: Coming off their bye week, the 49ers will likely come out rolling on offense behind offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan, and playing on their home field should help them get out to a lead on the scoreboard. Although they don't seem terribly committed to the run as it is, the Bucs should have no issue putting the ball in the hands of either of their mistake-prone QBs. When they're not tackling the Buccaneers receivers, the 49ers certainly could be hauling in an interception or two in a game that is looking really good for the 49ers' secondary.
