Taking a look at the NFL Week 8 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 four will cover the last four games of week eight. Keep an eye out for my start or sit article dropping Saturday morning. Let’s get into it.
Green Bay Packers @ LA Rams
Packers: It was business as normal with Blake Martinez (LB) atop the box score for the Packers this week with 12 combined tackles, 1 sack and 2 TFL on 100% of snaps this week. He’s back to last years pace of production and is a weekly must start again this year.
Clay Matthews (LB, EDGE) and Jaire Alexander (CB) came in next with Matthews recording 7 solo tackles and 1 sack playing 68% of snaps while Alexander put up 7 solo tackles and 5 PD on 100% of snaps in a monster game. Alexander intrigues me now that he’s healthy again and his snap count is back up there, he might be a solid add at corner if you need help there. Matthews is an edge rush linebacker and spotty by nature so I’ll pass.
Jermaine Whitehead (S) who now may see a lot more playing time after the trade of Ha Ha Clinton Dix (S) had a nice game as well with 7 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 96% of snaps this week, if you need safety help I would grab him now and we’ll see if it pans out or not, there’s a chance he could produce numbers similar to if not better than Clinton Dix’s this season.
Dix himself had 4 solo tackles and 2 TFL on 100% of snaps this week, as for how he does on the Redskins I have no idea, we’ll have to see and react from there.
Kenny Clark (DT) had a great day also with 5 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL on 81% of snaps, he’s been a decent spot play at defensive tackle this year and has been playable weekly in deeper leagues.
Rams: I was shocked to find out that the number two IDP linebacker so far this season behind standout Darius Leonard (LB) is Cory Littleton (LB). He’s quietly put together a great season and had 8 combined tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL on 100% of snaps this week.
The return of Mark Barron (LB) who had 6 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 83% of snaps this week doesn’t seem to have slowed down Littleton at all, he’s locked in for the second half of the season for more tier one production it would seem.
Marcus Peters (CB) and John Johnson (S) both had ideal matchups this week against the pass happy Packers and both had solid games. Peters finished with 6 combined tackles on 100% of snaps while Johnson put up 5 combined tackles and 1 PD also playing 100% of snaps this week. I have been streaming Peters in matchups like this one and he’s been great in these kinds of games where the scoring and passing is early and often. Johnson has been solid all year and has been a good tier two producer.
The absolutely terrorizing defensive line of Aaron Donald (DE), Micheal Brockers (DE) and N’Damakong Suh (DT) has been racking up stats and crushing quarterbacks all season. They added Dante Fowler (DE) this week before the trade deadline so he may be a good preemptive waiver wire guy to get if you need defensive line help.
Donald had another huge week with 3 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL on 92% of snaps while Brockers and Suh both had down games with two combined tackles a piece while Brockers played 92% of snaps and Suh played 90%. Donald and Suh have been tier one all season and Brockers has been a great spot start or end of tier two guy in deeper leagues.
San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals
49ers: In a rare moment where Richard Sherman (CB) did something besides speak at a podium and remind everyone he went to Stanford. We, surprisingly, find him atop the box score for the 49ers this week. He recorded 7 solo tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL and 1 PD on 100% of snaps this week. It’s the first time he’s done anything productive this season so I’m all set here.
Fred Warner (LB) was next with 7 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps as well, he has a great matchup this week against the Raiders with both Foster and Tartt out due to injury, he should feast.
As I just mentioned both Ruben Foster (LB) and Jaquiski Tartt (S) got injured early in this one so both didn’t have good days for stats as well, they aren’t playing this week but that’s more cause of the game being early Thursday denying them the extra couple days to heal up, they should be fine for week 10. Solomon Thomas (DE) and DeForest Buckner (DT) both had down weeks but should be fine, nature of the position.
Cardinals: For the first time all year it wasn’t a member of the “Killer B’s” atop the box score for the Cardinals this week, it was Markus Golden (DE) who we hyped in the offseason but haven’t seen healthy and playing enough snaps until this week. He is a must grab if you need defensive end help. Golden had 7 solo tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL and 1 PD on 59% of snaps this week. Next was Antoine Bethea (S) who had 6 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL on 97% of snaps this week, he remains a weekly auto start.
Josh Bynes (LB) and Budda Baker (S) both had serviceable games with Bynes recording 5 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 100% of snaps while Budda had 5 combined tackles, 0.5 sacks and 1.5 TFL on 100% of snaps this week, both remain weekly auto starts.
Hasaan Redick (LB) had 100% of snaps again this week so it would seem safe to play him now, unfortunately he only had 2 solo tackles, 1 TFL and 1 PD this week. Robert Nkemdiche (DT) and Chandler Jones (DE) both had down weeks but that’s the nature of defensive line for IDP, both will be fine.
New Orleans Saints @ Minnesota Vikings
Saints: It was the newcomer Eli Apple (CB) who led the Saints in IDP production this week with 9 solo tackles 96% of snaps this week, he may be a solid streamer against teams that can pass effectively but with only one week of stats so far I might wait and see first.
DeMario Davis (LB) had a solid game with 6 combined tackles playing 92% of snaps this week, he’s slowed down from his start of the season production but remains a solid tier two producer. Marcus Williams (S) had a nice game with 5 solo tackles and 1 PD on 100% of snaps this week.
Sheldon Rankins (DT) and Marcus Davenport (DE) both had great games with Rankins recording 3 solo tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL on 64% of snaps this week while Davenport had 2 solo tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL playing 51% of snaps this week.
Rankins is a nice spot start for DT and playable in deeper leagues and Davenport got hurt and is out a month last I heard, when healthy he’s a great dynasty piece and a good spot start or weekly guy in deeper leagues. Cameron Jordan (DE) had a down week but is a super star, he’ll be fine.
Vikings: When outstanding IDP corner Mike Hughes (CB) went down a couple weeks ago I mentioned this might re-open the door for Trae Waynes (CB) to be the great IDP corner he has been the last couple years.
Since then his playing time has returned to 100% of snaps this week and he had 7 combined tackles, he has done it before so if the snap count stays high he’ll be a great option at corner. Eric Kendricks (LB) had a nice game with 7 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 100% of snaps and is a solid end of tier two linebacker.
Linval Joseph (DT) is a top three IDP defensive end and had another week of monster production to back that up. He recorded 6 combined tackles and 2 TFL on 75% of snaps this week. He is a weekly auto start for me. Sheldon Richardson (DT) also had a nice game with 5 combined tackles and 0.5 TFL on 57% of snaps and has been a good spot start defensive tackle this year.
Both Everson Griffen (DE) and Danielle Hunter (DE) had down weeks and bad games but both will be fine, Hunter is having a career year and Griffen just got back from an extended leave for mental health issues. Both are tier one guys and will have tier one games this season many more times before it’s all said and done.
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
Pats: It was the spotty Kyle Van Noy (LB) leading the way for the Pats with 8 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL on 100% of snaps this week, you can play him if you want, I won’t though, too inconsistent and unreliable. Trey Flowers (DE) was next up with 6 solo tackles, 2 TFL and 1 PD playing 91% of snaps and is the only Pats player I have on any of my IDP teams that should tell you all you need to know.
Devin McCourty (S) was having a god awful game but saved it with a late pick-six and that’s really it for Patriots IDP. I don’t trust any of them, their defense is something different every week and the snap percentages are never the same.
Bills: It was Phillip Gaines (CB) leading the way for the Bills with 10 combined tackles on 99% of snaps this week, it’s the first time I’ve talked about him though so he’s far too inconsistent for my IDP corner tastes. Next was another corner, Tra’Davious White (CB), who was awesome last year for IDP but has been quiet most of this season. He had 8 combined tackles, 0.5 TFL and 1 PD on 99% of snaps this week. He was great last year but this was his first big game eight weeks in this season so I’m all set, I’ll find help elsewhere.
Tremaine Edmunds (LB) and Matt Milano (LB) both took advantage of this great matchup against an efficient and effective Patriots offense and both had nice games. Edmunds had 8 combined tackles, 1 TFL and 1 PD on 58% of snaps while Milano had 7 combined tackles, 1 TFL and 2 PD playing 99% of snaps.
Edmunds got concussed in the second half and is questionable for this week while Milano has now played either 100% or 99% of snaps a couple weeks in a row now so it appears the coaches are finally showing some confidence in him, he could be a great tier two guy the rest of the season with that kind of playing time.
Jordan Poyer (S) had a “meh” game with just 4 combined tackles on 100% of snaps, he can definitely do better than this and he’s had dud weeks a few times the last month so I’m starting to get a little concerned here.
His counterpart Micah Hyde (S) had 6 combined tackles playing 99% of snaps this week but too little too late for me, he’s stunk all season I’m not biting. Lorenzo Alexander (LB) had a great game with 6 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL on 76% of snaps this week but is still nothing more than a spot start if you’re really desperate, he has bad games far more often than good.
Make sure you caught parts one, two and three if you missed it from earlier this week, also keep an eye out for my start or sit article dropping Saturday.
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.
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