IDP Analysis: Week 8 Matchups

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.

Pass rushers

Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Leonard Floyd – Bears: The Jets prefer to use their rushing attack to establish their offense, but they're unlikely to have much success on the road against an outstanding Chicago front-seven. As a result, look for New York to find themselves in many obvious passing situations, which should play right into the hands of the strong Bears' pass rush. In addition, there's also an excellent chance Chicago will play with the lead, increasing their opportunities to sack Sam Darnold.

Ndamukong Suh, Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers – Rams: Even though the Packers have had flashes of success on defense, it's difficult to imagine that they'll be able to contain the potent Los Angeles offensive attack, which should lead to Green Bay abandoning the run when they possess the football. Although Aaron Rodgers should be able to move the football against this defense, his offensive line has coughed up 3.5 sacks per game, and the Rams pass rush should be able to feast.

Trey Flowers, Adrian Clayborn, Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy – Patriots: For the most part, the Patriots have hit their stride on offense, and even though this will be a divisional road game, expect them to play with the lead for much of this contest. Regardless of who is under center for the Bills, the offensive line has given up about four sacks per game, and despite an anemic Patriots' pass rush, the likely game script combined with opponent should cause the New England pass rush to perk up.

Carlos Dunlap, Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson – Bengals: Overall, the Buccaneers have protected their QBs well, allowing just about two sacks per game. However, early in the season they frequently played with leads, which helped their protection look better than it actually has been. With Cincinnati playing at home in a game in which they should be able to score at will, Tampa Bay will almost certainly be forced to abandon the run, and the Bengals have an outstanding pass rush that should be able to have one of their better performances of the season.

Defensive backs:

Dre Kirkpatrick, William Jackson III and Jessie Bates – Bengals: As mentioned in the pass rushers section, the most likely game script has the Buccaneers playing from behind against the Bengals. While the pass rush certainly should have success getting after Jameis Winston, he'll still be able to have plenty of opportunities to throw the football to his outstanding group of receivers. The end result should be plenty of tackles along with the possibility of takeaways from the Cincinnati defensive backs.

Steven Nelson, Orlando Scandrick, Kendall Fuller and Ron Parker – Chiefs: There's no doubt that the Chiefs can be generous against both the run and the pass, but in this rematch between the Broncos, look for Kansas City to put up a big lead on their home field. As has been the case for most of the season, the only way that teams can keep up with Kansas City is through the air, and with Case Keenum prone to making plenty of mistakes, this could be a fantastic week for Kansas City's defensive backs.

Joe Haden, Artie Burns, Mike Hilton and Sean Davis – Steelers: When the Steelers are at home, their offense is always capable of putting up big totals on the scoreboard. Especially with the Browns defense vulnerable through the air, Pittsburgh has a great chance of playing this game with the lead, forcing the ball into the hands of Baker Mayfield. With the likelihood of Cleveland having to throw the football frequently, look for the Pittsburgh defensive backs to post elevated tackle totals.

Tre'Davious White, Phillip Gaines and Jordan Poyer – Bills: The Bills have a strong defense, especially at home, but it seems most likely that the Patriots will choose to attack them by spreading them out with their multiple passing formations. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Tom Brady throw the ball more than usual, and although it's unlikely there'll be many interceptions to be had, there should be excellent opportunities to pile up the tackles.

Linebackers

Jarrad Davis, Christian Jones and Devon Kennard – Lions: Over their last few games, the Seahawks have emerged as a ground-and-pound offense, and because they've had a great deal of success, there is no reason to think that they'll change that strategy coming out of their bye week. In addition, the best way to attack the Lions is on the ground, so this could be a week in which Seattle runs the ball upwards of 40 times, which should make it an incredibly busy afternoon for the Detroit linebackers.

Chris Harris, Bradley Roby, Adam Jones and Justin Simmons – Broncos:
Although the Chiefs would have little trouble carving up the Broncos through the air, Denver has one of the worst defenses against the run in the NFL, so Kansas City will likely take advantage of that significant mismatch. In addition, the great Denver pass rush should also lead to Kansas City throwing shorter passes, instead of calling plays that are longer to develop. Overall, this appears to be a fantastic game script for the Denver linebackers to have strong performances.

C.J. Mosley, Matt Judon and Patrick Onwuasor – Ravens:
With the Ravens boasting an outstanding pass rush, it's unlikely that Carolina will subject Cam Newton to dropping back in the pocket with frequency. Look for the Panthers to not only try to establish the run, but use the screen pass as a primary component of their offensive attack. In addition, this game has a chance of being close throughout, so there's a high probability that this is a productive game for the Baltimore LBs.

Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks and Nate Gerry (ankle) – Eagles:
Now that the Jaguars have Carlos Hyde on the roster, they should be able to run their offense the way they planned since Week 1, which is by heavily establishing the run. Certainly, this could be difficult against a Philadelphia defense whose biggest strength is against shutting down opposing rushing attacks. However, it's doubtful Jacksonville wants to get into a shootout unless absolutely necessary, and with their elite defense, they should be able to dictate the action. Even though most teams don't challenge this defense on the ground, this could be a great week for this LB unit.