Welcome to the IDP Guys’ weekly game preview and start/sit articles! Our team has broken down each game and the IDP outlooks for the most relevant IDP players to help you make those tough lineup decisions. May the fantasy gods be forever in your favor!
*Please check back frequently for written updates as our writers and editors are all on different schedules. Updates will occur all day throughout the day on Thursday and Friday*
This year we are bringing you a new format to help you with those pesky start/sit decisions. In addition to listing players, we hope these categories are more useful to you than a traditional start or sit classification. Here are our definitions for our four categories.
- Start Your Studs: These players should always be in your lineup or have SMASH matchups this week. Even your most shallow IDP leagues should include these players in their starting lineups.
- Solid Starting Options: These players may vary from week to week and are very matchup-dependent. They are likely weekly starters in 12+ team leagues starting at least two players at each IDP position.
- Hail Mary: These players have big question marks surrounding their roles, usage, and murky playing time projections. Lean towards benching them unless you are in very deep leagues (16+32 teams and/or 11+ IDP starters). If they see the field consistently, they have the potential to move up a category as Solid Starting Options but until then, they will likely be big-play-dependent with low tackle floors. Your classic boom/bust options.
- No Thank You: Clear sits for the week due to matchups, playing time trends, injuries, etc.
*Most CB and DT recommendations are meant for CB and/or DT-required leagues. If in DB or DL-only leagues, generally move down one category level.
Of course, your league sizes and scoring settings are going to be different from person to person and league to league. If you need further clarification or suggestions on who to start over another player in a similar tier, we have two additional solutions for you!
Our expert weekly positional rankings can be found here for subscribers.
And check out a special Offensive Points episode featuring Yahoo Fantasy Football Analyst Andy Behrens!
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams
By Steve Tomasin (@DynastySanta)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!Start Your Studs
We are light in the Stud department for this one, boys and girls. Both of these offenses are on the field quite a bit but their IDP counterparts don’t have the greatest matchups and the stats are just too split and spread out between the positions to call anyone Studs this week outside of Rams’ LB Ernest Jones and Saints’ CB Paulson Adebo. And even Adebo is right on the border.
The Saints give up the seventh-most IDP fantasy points to LBs as of late so Jones is a no-brainer must-start option this week.
The Rams give up the 11th-most IDP fantasy points to CBs and as long as Adebo is covering some combination of Cooper Kupp and/or Puka Nacua, then he should be a busy CBeeee.
Solid Starting Options
Both Rams’ DTs are here but it has been all feast or famine for Aaron Donald and Kobie Turner lately. The IDP fantasy matchup says it’s a good one but I could see only one of this duo contributing to a starting IDP roster this week. I lean towards the young lion in Turner if you make me choose.
Hail Mary
Similar to the DTs, the Rams’ edge rushing duo of rookie Byron Young and veteran Michael Hoecht have been quiet as of late. This tough IDP fantasy matchup won’t make it any easier for them to bounce back. We like both as talents and dynasty league assets but this might be a week to hit the bench unless you are desperate or can afford a high-ceiling/low-floor play in both of them.
No Thanks
If you haven’t noticed by now, Rams’ safety Russ Yeast has lost his job to veteran John Johnson II. We’re not quite sure why Johnson was resigned by the squad and wasn’t playing earlier in the year but now that he’s back close to 100% of the snaps, he has been a solid option. Yeast shouldn’t be on rosters in just about any format.
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
By Joseph Harlow (@joelow63)
