Taking a look at the NFL Week 10 from a IDP perspective; notes on what our writer @Orangeman3142 saw this weekend.

This is a continuation of our weekly article series that breaks down what we saw this week in IDP fantasy football. What happened and why, what we got right and what we got wrong and more importantly how to move forward and get better next week. We look at possible waivers and trends, snap counts and issues that affect production for your IDP team. Part one will cover the first three games of week Ten. Keep an eye out for part two. Let’s get into it.

Carolina Panthers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Panthers: It was all the usual suspects at the top of the box score this week for Carolina. Eric Reid (S) led the way with 9 combined tackles on 79% of snaps this week, he’s been at 100% of snaps or close to it the last couple weeks so I think this has more to do with a nagging injury he was playing through and the fact that this game was over by the start of the 4th quarter and less about his ability in regards to this snap percentage, he should be fine and continues to be a great pick up at safety. Luke Kuechly (LB) was next with 8 combined tackles and 1 TFL playing 86% of snaps this week, he’s a weekly auto start nothing to see here.

James Bradberry (CB) had an ideal matchup and made the most of it with 6 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps this week and is close to an auto start at cornerback which is pretty unheard of for IDP, he’s been great most of this season. Mike Adams (S) had a nice game as well with 6 combined tackles and 0.5 TFL playing 86% of snaps this week, he’s been a very reliable tier two producer this season.

Thomas Davis (LB) continues to be a nice pickup recording 6 combined tackles on 71% of snaps this week and Kawan Short (DT) put up a serviceable game with 3 combined tackles and 1 TFL playing 66% of snaps. Mario Addison (DE) did not record a stat of any kind despite playing 66% of snaps this week. Those are the IDP relevant players for the Panthers and just a quick note I wouldn’t worry about the snap counts at all this game was a huge blowout and a lot of these guys sat most of the 4th quarter.

Steelers: The recently slumping IDP relevant linebackers Jon Bostic (LB) and Vince Williams (LB) both had huge games for Pittsburgh this week. Bostic had 10 combined tackles and 0.5 TFL playing 84% of snaps this week while Williams recorded 4 combined tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PD, 1 INT and 1 TD on 70% of snaps this week. Both of these guys have been spotty like my underwear after lunch at an Indian restaurant and dinner at a Mexican joint. I trust neither and wouldn’t play either as anything more than a spot start, while they both had outstanding games this week there’s a reason why I’ve seen both their names on many of my leagues waiver wires lately.

Cameron Heyward (DT, DE) had a monster game as well with 3 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL playing 70% of snaps this week, he continues to be a tier two defensive lineman who has success about as often as the other “known” defensive linemen do.

TJ Watt (LB, EDGE) had 1 solo tackle, 1 sack and 1 TFL playing 67% of snaps, if you played him in an EDGE or OLB slot that’s not too bad, but as a regular linebacker unless sacks were worth a crapload that wasn’t as good a game as you could’ve gotten out of a linebacker that is tackle dependent for their points. Stephon Tuitt (DE) had a clunker but will be fine and none of the safeties really impressed this week, I’m not a fan of any of them anyways, too many Indians and not enough chiefs if you get my drift.

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears

Lions: While the Lions season may be swirling down the toilet like a wad of used up toilet paper they did make one move this season that should help their future prospects exponentially. The acquisition of Damon “Snacks” Harrison (DT) was a masterpiece, they paid next to nothing for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. And since returning to a four man front, for at least some of the time, and having his snap percentage increase from around 50% to over 60% his production has improved massively.

This week he had 6 solo tackles and 1 TFL playing 60% of snaps and is back to being the awesome tier one producer we know and love. Start him weekly with confidence. Jarrad Davis (LB) recovered from his stinker last week and recorded 6 solo tackles and 1 TFL on 100% of snaps this week. He’s a solid producer more often than not.

A’Shawn Robinson (DT) got injured, Ezekiel Ansah (DE) did nothing, Darius Slay (CB) was injured and didn’t play this game. That really just leaves Glover Quinn (S) and Quandre Diggs (S) remaining as IDP relevant players I track each week. Quinn had a nice game with 5 solo tackles on 100% of snaps and was decent if you had him plugged in as your safety number two in your lineup.

Diggs had a bit of a down game with 3 solo tackles and 1 PD playing 100% of snaps. Both of these guys are capable of huge games but the majority of the season it’s been stat lines like these we’ve been looking at. That’s why neither are on any of my teams, in fact the only Lions IDP I play each week are Snacks and Jarrad Davis and that’s it.

Bears: It was the rookie Roquan Smith (LB) having a monster game and leading the Bears this week with 10 combined tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL and 1 PD on 99% of snaps. He’s been a tier two guy most of the year but flashes of production like this weeks show us all why he was such a sought-after dynasty piece this year prior to the season. As time goes on I can see him in the conversation with the next generation of “Deion Jones” and Bobby Wagner” type linebackers.

Prince Amukamara (CB) is far too spotty for me to ever consider playing but had such a ridiculous stat line this week I have to mention it. He recorded 8 solo tackles, 2 PD and 1 INT on 97% of snaps this week which is an incredible stat line for IDP corner. I’m still not interested though, I’m a big picture guy, short term production doesn’t do it for me. Eddie Jackson (S) the sometimes good safety had a nice week as well with 6 solo tackles and 1 PD playing 100% of snaps this week.

While that’s nice production it’s impossible to predict if it will be Jackson or his counterpart Adrian Amos (S), who had just 2 combined tackles on 99% of snaps, who will be the one to start each week and I don’t play games like that, I don’t play either and start someone else who is reliable.

Khalil Mack (DE, LB) was healthy finally and back this week in a big way with 5 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL playing 73% of snaps this week. When healthy and playing he’s an auto start at defensive end for me, at linebacker though I’d still rather have a guy I know will get me five or six combined tackles as a floor and hope for more than roll the dice on a guy who is completely sack and big play dependent for his IDP points.

Akiem Hicks (DE) had a stinker but should be fine and Kyle Fuller (CB) was a tier one start from me this week in an absolutely ideal matchup this week but somehow only ended up with 1 tackle assist on 96% of snaps played. IDP corner is one of the hardest positions to predict so this doesn’t blow my mind, it is disappointing though since everything was lined up for him to have a solid game. You can’t win them all I guess.

New Orleans Saints @ Cincinnati Bengals

Saints: This game definitely did not go how I had imagined, the Saints so completely blew away Cincy that the Bengals struggled to run enough plays for ANY of the Saints IDP producers to have a decent game. This was complete domination from start to finish. DeMario Davis (LB) had a serviceable game with 5 combined tackles on 67% of snaps but continues to slip into the lower tier two range of production, he’s not producing nearly as well as he did at the start of the season.

Marcus Williams (S) had a nice game with 4 combined tackles, 1 PD and 1 INT on 74% of snaps, the pick saved his day for sure. Eli Apple (CB) has now had his third solid game in a row since being traded to the Saints with 3 solo tackles, 2 PD and 1 INT on 86% of snaps. If you need corner help he has been on fire since getting to New Orleans and the playing time seems to be there, I would pick him up if I needed help there.

Sheldon Rankins (DT) and Cameron Jordan (DE) both had serviceable games this week with Rankins recording 2 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL on 58% of snaps while Jordan had 1 solo tackle, 1 sack and 1 TFL playing 53% of snaps this week. Rankins has become a sneaky good play at defensive tackle if you need help in that department while Jordan remains a tier one defensive end who has been in a bit of a slump lately but finally got back into the sack column this week. It should be noted that because this was such a blowout many of these defensive players were pulled during the 4th quarter so all their snap percentages are lower this week.

Bengals: This was a great game for the Cincy IDP production all around, they got crushed on time of possession and spent the majority of this game on defense, the results of that will be evident here in a second when we go over their stats from this week. Jessie Bates (S) has been incredible all year, this guy doesn’t have bad games. This week he racked up 11 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps and is a weekly auto start tier one stud.

Shawn Williams (S) has been really good this year also but certainly more spotty overall, he recorded 10 combined tackles on 100% of snaps this week and has been a boom or bust start of tier two option. With both Vontaze Burfict (LB) and Nick Vigil (LB) injured and out this week it left the door open for another week of Jordan Evans (LB). He took advantage once again with 9 combined tackles playing 95% of snaps. Vigil is slated to return next week and Burfict’s injury isn’t serious so he should be back soon as well so if you haven’t been playing Evans don’t waste your time trying to grab him now the end is in sight for his short term production.

Preston Brown (LB) actually had a good week for once although I credit that more to the way this game went than actual talent on his part, he still sucks. He did have 9 combined tackles and 1 PD on 87% of snaps this week though. With both Vigil and Burfict returning soon and the fact that not every game will involve playing an offense that dominates time of possession and runs a million plays it’s inevitable that Brown will return to his usual crappy production soon enough. Geno Atkins (DT) and Carlos Dunlap (DE) both had stinkers but will be fine.

Make sure you catch part two dropping tomorrow and keep an eye out for my start or sit article dropping Sunday morning. My bad habit of going too far into detail means this article is in multiple parts instead of one novel.

If you have any questions or need some advice feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@OrangeMan3142) or use the “Contact Us” box on our website (idpguys.org) to reach us. Our team of writers has over 100 combined years of experience in IDP fantasy football and we are always accessible and transparent with both our hits and misses.

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