IDP Analysis: Week 15 Matchups

With rosters of all shapes and sizes, IDP advice can be tricky, so the purpose of this article is to point out players whose values are elevated for the upcoming week. Some of these players will be superstars, while others will be found on many waiver wires. We'll look at team positional groupings based on the potential for a favorable game script. 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 

Raiders vs. Jaguars: Tahir Whitehead, Preston Brown and Nicholas Morrow.

For the most part, the Jaguars' coaching staff has stayed committed to the run this season, and this is looking like a week in which they may not be tempted to throw the ball very much. Since the first half of the season, the Raiders' run defense has fallen apart, and even though they aren't much better against the pass, the combination of Jacksonville's strength and Oakland's weakness should result in Leonard Fournette challenging his season high in rushing attempts. With the Jags likely to have success moving the ball consistently, look for the Raiders' LBs to be productive.

Bills at Steelers: Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano and Lorenzo Alexander.

With a third-string QB facing one of the best pass defenses in the league, we can't expect Devlin Hodges to throw the ball very much. In addition, the Bills are unlikely to put up a bunch of points against a stout Pittsburgh defense that's playing on their home field. When we have the potential for a low-scoring game along with a run-funnel defense like Buffalo, we begin to look at the probability of an opponent attacking that weakness. Well, the Steelers will be more than happy to use their excellent offensive line to attack on the ground, making this an excellent spot to fire up your Buffalo linebackers.

Panthers vs. Seahawks: Luke Kuechly, Shaq Thompson and Mario Addison.

Based on what we've seen over the past two seasons, coach Pete Carroll doesn't need any motivation to run the football as often as possible, especially now that he has a pair of solid RBs. Aside from that philosophy, they'll be up against one of the worst run defenses in the league that also seems to be getting worse by the week. Yes, we could see more than 40 rushing attempts by the Seahawks this week in a smash spot for their RBs, and that easily should lead to significant production by the Panthers' run stoppers.

Pass Rushers

Buccaneers at Lions: Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Carl Nassib.

During the season, the Lions have had moderate success running the football, but this week they'll face a Buccaneers defense that's been lights out against the run. Expect Detroit to be in obvious passing situations throughout the contest, and assuming David Blough is still under center, the Tampa Bay pass rush is going to be in his face throughout the afternoon, and the young QB will be over his head due to the pressure. Even though the Bucs have a bad pass defense, the pass rush has plenty of juice, and this is definitely a week in which they're looking like excellent IDP options.

49ers vs. Falcons: Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Dee Ford (questionable).

Certainly, we know that the 49ers have had one of the best pass rushes in the league this season, but this week is looking better than usual for them. Playing at home, their offense should be able to roll out to a significant lead against an overmatched Atlanta defense. Once San Francisco has that lead, they'll be able to take the Falcons' rushing attack out of the occasion, forcing them to turn the ball over to Matt Ryan. That leads to the main problem: The Atlanta offensive line has been weak all season, which should turn into a nightmare scenario for Ryan, similar to Thanksgiving night when he was under siege from the Saints' pass rush. Yes, this week could be even worse for Ryan than the Week 13 game, so fire up the 49ers' sack artists.

Ravens vs. Jets: Matt Judon, Patrick Onwuasor and Jaylon Ferguson.

What happens when you combine a mediocre offense with a top-end defense that can equally negate both the run and the pass? You guessed it — a very long night for the QB. Let's look back a bit earlier in the season, when the Jets played the Patriots, Sam Darnold was complaining that he was seeing ghosts when he was trying to pass the football. This could easily be a repeat of that scenario. The New York WRs are unlikely to find much room to break free against the Ravens' DBs while Le'Veon Bell and the rushing attack are unlikely to find room to run. Playing on its home field, Baltimore could enjoy one of its best sack totals of the season while harassing Darnold.

Defensive Backs

Giants vs. Dolphins: Janoris Jenkins, Deandre Baker, Antoine Bethea and Michael Thomas.

Nobody is going to confuse this year's Giants defense with the smothering 'Big Blue' units of years past. However, this has been an improving unit against the run over the course of the season, and, over the last month and a half, they've been a solid unit in that area. With Miami coming to town, they realize they have very little ability to run the ball in the first place, and with this defense discouraging them from running, the Dolphins' coaching staff will have little choice but to let Ryan Fitzpatrick take over. Although the passing attack should have success, the DBs will likely make plenty of tackles, and when Fitzpatrick is throwing a lot, there's always a chance for an implosion game with a number of INTs.

Colts at Saints: Darius Leonard, Anthony Walker and Matthew Adams.

Although it's true that the Saints are committed to a balanced attack on offense, coach Sean Payton still is one of the better coaches in the league in terms of crafting a game plan that attacks opponents' weaknesses. Since the Colts are very solid against the run while the Saints are a little banged up on the offensive line, it makes sense to attack them through the air. The main reason for that is because Indianapolis plays a lot of zone defense, causing them to allow opponents a completion rate near the top of the league. That definitely looks like a recipe to allow Drew Brees to pick them apart, and, in turn, should result in the Colts' DBs having solid IDP performances.

Lions vs. Buccaneers: Sean Murphy-Bunting, Carlton Davis, M.J. Stewart, Mike Edwards and Jordan Whitehead.

Overall, Detroit has been a defense that can be attacked in any manner, as they are near the bottom of the league in terms of stopping the run and the pass. Obviously, the Buccaneers have not gotten much going on the ground this year behind a below-average OL and a trio of uninspiring RBs. It won't take much convincing for passing-game guru Bruce Arians to put the ball in Jameis Winston's hands and allow him to pepper Chris Godwin and other Bucs receivers with targets. As a result, this should turn into one of the most productive fantasy days the Detroit secondary will have this season.