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 values are 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
Whitney Mercilus, Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham – Texans: There's no question that the Texans have been a brick wall against the run that most teams can't run against. Despite the poor matchup, the Jaguars will be playing at home in the contest that'll likely have them playing with the lead, and running the football is their best opportunity to shorten the game and potentially protect that lead. Even if Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is unable to return, look for Jacksonville to go with a run-heavy approach, making the Houston linebackers upgraded fantasy options this week.
Preston Smith, Mason Foster and Zach Brown – Redskins: It's difficult to imagine that the Cowboys will have any chance of success throwing the football in this difficult road matchup. As if they're not fully motivated to run the football as often as possible in each game they play, riding Ezekiel Elliott is probably their only opportunity to come out of this game with a win. In addition, the banged-up Washington offense could have plenty of
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 values are 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
Whitney Mercilus, Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham – Texans: There's no question that the Texans have been a brick wall against the run that most teams can't run against. Despite the poor matchup, the Jaguars will be playing at home in the contest that'll likely have them playing with the lead, and running the football is their best opportunity to shorten the game and potentially protect that lead. Even if Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is unable to return, look for Jacksonville to go with a run-heavy approach, making the Houston linebackers upgraded fantasy options this week.
Preston Smith, Mason Foster and Zach Brown – Redskins: It's difficult to imagine that the Cowboys will have any chance of success throwing the football in this difficult road matchup. As if they're not fully motivated to run the football as often as possible in each game they play, riding Ezekiel Elliott is probably their only opportunity to come out of this game with a win. In addition, the banged-up Washington offense could have plenty of struggles moving the football, which could mean that Dallas will be able to run the ball throughout all four quarters. This is a great scenario to fire up the Redskins linebackers.
Matt Judon, C.J. Mosley and Patrick Onwuasor – Ravens: Now that Mark Ingram is back in the fold, the Saints showed us in their most recent game that they have no problem establishing their rushing attack. Especially in a home contest in which there is an outstanding chance that they'll play with the lead against Baltimore, it wouldn't be a surprise if they ran the ball nearly 30 times. This would be an outstanding situation for the Ravens linebackers to have productive fantasy performances.
Deone Bucannon, Josh Bynes and Haason Reddick – Cardinals: This could be one of the weeks in which the Broncos not only will have a chance to compete, but they also have a strong chance of coming out of this road contest with a victory. With the combination of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman ready to take on a full workload, Denver is fully equipped to commit to their running game without a concern of wearing anyone out. In addition, Arizona's defensive weakness is against the run, which should give the Broncos coaching staff additional motivation to pound the rock, so upgrade the Arizona linebackers this week.
Defensive Backs
Tre'Davious White, Jordan Poyer, Phillip Gaines and Taron Johnson – Bills: Even though opponents can run the ball with plenty of success against Buffalo, the Colts have turned their passing attack into an extension of the running game. With Andrew Luck throwing the ball nearly 50 times a week, Indianapolis has a luxury to allow their franchise quarterback to control the game. Aside from Tre'Davious White, there's nothing scary about the Bills defense, so Luck should have little problem slinging the ball all over the field. Regardless of game script, the Buffalo defensive backs should have a busy afternoon.
Steven Nelson, Kendall Fuller, Orlando Scandrick and Ron Parker – Chiefs: The Bengals would certainly like to run a balanced offensive attack while giving Joe Mixon a heavy workload. However, there is little chance that the Cincinnati defense can slow down the high-powered offense of the Chiefs. As a result, there's a strong likelihood that the Bengals will be forced to abandon the run in order to try to keep up on the scoreboard. Andy Dalton and company will have little trouble attacking the leaky Kansas City secondary, and while they're busy completing passes, there should be plenty of opportunities for them to pile up the tackles. In addition, with Dalton throwing the ball, there's always a chance that the defensive backs could come up with big plays.
Brent Grimes, Jordan Whitehead and Carlton Davis (groin) – Buccaneers: Cleveland would love to lean upon their running backs most weeks, but on the road against the Buccaneers is a game in which their defense could struggle. In the likelihood that the Browns fall behind, they'll be forced to put the ball in the hands of Baker Mayfield. The good news is that Tampa Bay has an atrocious secondary, so Mayfield should be able to consistently move the chains while the defensive backs will see enough opportunities to have strong fantasy performances.
Prince Amukamara (hamstring), Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan and Eddie Jackson –Bears: New England would love to use their running game, but had coach Bill Belichick will certainly realize that running the ball against the Chicago defense projects to be an exercise in futility. In any case, the secondary has always been the best place to attack the Bears, so Tom Brady can be expected to throw the football for most of the afternoon. With a ton of potential opportunities, the Chicago defensive backs are looking like solid fantasy options this week.
Pass rushers
Margus Hunt (knee), Jabaal Sheard and Najee Goode – Colts: With Indianapolis playing this one at home, there is an excellent chance that they'll be able to play with the lead against the Bills. Not only does Buffalo have a leaky offensive line, but Josh Allen (if healthy) tends to hold the football too long and is way too willing to take sacks. Look for an underrated Indy pass rush to see plenty of chances to take aim at the rookie quarterback, which should allow them an increased scoring ceiling this week.
Calais Campbell (ribs), Yannick Ngakoue and Telvin Smith – Jaguars: Even though the Jacksonville offense has been inconsistent, playing at home should be a great recipe for them to play with the lead against the Texans. Despite the fact that the Jaguars haven't posted the strong sack numbers that they did in 2017, between facing the turnstile otherwise known as the Texans offensive line along with Deshaun Watson, who tends to hold the football way too long, this could be a huge week for the Jacksonville pass rushers.
Vic Beasley and Takkarist McKinley – Falcons: Playing at home, the Falcons should have little trouble overwhelming the New York defense while running out to a sizable lead. Even though the Giants would love to run the ball all day with Saquon Barkley, they'll likely be forced to put the ball in the hands of a struggling Eli Manning. Fortunately, the Falcon secondary projects to be a favorable matchup, so Manning could throw the ball nearly 40 times, and that should be a recipe for success for the Atlanta DBs.
Myles Garrett, Emmanuel Ogbah and Jamie Collins – Browns: There's no doubt that the strength of the Cleveland defense is their ability to stop the run. It's unlikely the Buccaneers will bother challenging that strength with their anemic running game, so putting the ball in the hands of Jameis Winston will be the best way to ensure a victory on their home field. This is a great week to increase the outlook for each of the Browns defensive backs due to increased tackle opportunities along with the possibility that Winston makes a mistake or two that turns into a big play.
