The IDP+ Weekly Newsletter:
May 15th, 2024

Welcome to the IDP+ newsletter, bringing you all the headlines and information your fantasy football-driven minds can handle! Detailed articles can be found at IDPPlus.com along with rankings and updated ADP for subscribers.

Newsletter created by Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli). So if you have thoughts, complaints or anything in between, throw it my way!

If our emails find their way to your spam folder, white-list emails from us! Click here on a guide on how to do it.

Sicoli’s Weekly Wrap: IDP quick hits

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez recovered from shoulder injury, expected to return this summer

Sicoli’s Wrap: The cornerback had a strong start to his rookie season prior to injury. He was pretty effective for fantasy football as well, shaping him up to be potential value for those fantasy managers with a short-term memory. We’ll see if he plays the same role in the post-Bill Belichick era.

Commanders second-round DT Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton undergoes Jones fracture surgery

Sicoli’s Wrap: That’s an ominous start to the Illinois star’s NFL career, especially after having the same procedure done on his other foot earlier this year. Head coach Dan Quinn did not provide a timetable for Newton’s return.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield gets his bag, signs four-year, $84.1 million extension

Sicoli’s Wrap: Winfield now the highest-paid DB in the history of the NFL and the first safety to eclipse $80 million. Winfield earned every dollar as the best ball-hawking defensive backs in the league. He should be one of the first safeties taken off IDP draft boards, despite inevitable regression.

Chargers add edge rusher Bud Dupree

Sicoli’s Wrap: Dupree spent time in Tennessee and Atlanta since breaking out with the Steelers, but never found a groove. He’ll join Jim Harbaugh’s defense in a rotational role off the edge with Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipuluto.

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) unsure of return date

Sicoli’s Wrap: Greenlaw said on the 49ers Talk Podcast that his recovery is a “long, slow process.” A torn Achilles in February’s Super Bowl means Greenlaw should miss a large chunk oft he regular season. Expect Fred Warner and De’Vondre Campbell to start. 

Free-agent CB Stephon Gilmore waiting for “the right opportunity”

Sicoli’s Wrap: Gilmore likely isn’t short of suitors, even entering his age-34 season. It wouldn’t be the first time we saw a veteran sign after mandatory training camp if only to skip the hustle and bustle. Either way, Gilmore’s talent in coverage always limits his fantasy upside.

First-round Ravens CB Nate Wiggins trying to add 10-15 pounds this offseason

Sicoli’s Wrap: This is important. Wiggins weighed in at just 173 pounds at the Combine, sparking concerns about his frame that could be a reason why he didn’t go higher in the draft. He’s only 20 years old, so filling out his frame could bring out his best with Baltimore.

Chiefs v Ravens to kickstart the 2024 season

Sicoli’s Wrap: There will be plenty of IDP names to watch for the season debut! From Nick Bolton to Chris Jones to Trenton Simpson to Justin Madubuike, fantasy points will be aplenty in Week 1. It just can’t come soon enough.

White averaged 8.7 tackles per game, adding a TFL in all but two of the 10 games he fully played. There’s a track record of production with two prior seasons of 100+ tackles, one in Philadelphia prior under Gannon which came after the Eagles signed him following a breakout 144-tackle campaign in 2021.

Gannon’s defense already sought out White in the past, and did so again in Arizona with good fantasy results, and yet White is still routinely going off the board well outside of the top-24 linebackers. In a startup dynasty, say IDP+’s current staff league, White fell to the LB31 on the board. That doesn’t include any players with a positional designation other than LB.

That’s not a fluke, either. White is ranked as the consensus LB32 on FantasyPros, for whatever stock you put into that. He’s similarly low in our own IDP+ ranks.

White returns to the same role as last year where he was a rock-solid LB2 at a LB3 cost, or less. While some of the IDP community may be getting tired of the proven veteran, don’t let fatigue fool you. White will continue to be one of the best values in tackle-friendly scoring within IDP leagues this year.