Taking a look at the NFL week 5 from a IDP perspective; notes on what our writer @Orangeman3142 saw this weekend.

This is a continuation of my 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 this week. We look at possible waivers and trends, snap counts and issues that effect production for your IDP team. I covered the first eight games of week five in part one and two of this article series, let’s keep going.

New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers

Giants: It’s nice seeing Landon Collins (S) at the top of the Giants box score tonight, he’s had a slow start to the season but has heated up in the last few weeks. This week he put up 8 combined tackles and 1 PD playing 100% of snaps, he remains a tier one safety and a weekly auto start.

Alec Ogletree (LB) was right behind him with 6 combined tackles while also playing 100% of snaps, he’s been a solid and consistent LB2 this entire season with great upside.

Corners Eli Apple (CB) and Janoris Jenkins (CB) both had solid games as well this week. Apple recorded 5 solo tackles while playing 100% of snaps this week while Jenkins had 4 combined tackles, 2 PD and 1 INT playing 97% of snaps this week. Jenkins has by far been the more consistent of the two and is one of my holy trinity of IDP corners this year along with Kendal Fuller and Chidobe Awuzie. All three have been awesome this season.

Damon Snacks Harrison (DT) had a little better week this week but this is still the low side of his normal production, he is due for a monster week sometime soon. He put up 4 combined tackles and 1.5 TFL playing 54% of snaps this week. Those numbers are definitely startable for an IDP defensive tackle I would expect numbers like this as his normal floor with much better games still to come.

Both BJ Goodson (LB) and Ray Ray Armstrong (LB) have been trying to solidify their ownership of the other inside linebacker spot next to Alec Ogletree this season but neither has been able to outperform the other. Goodson had 4 combined tackles playing 31% of snaps while Armstrong recorded 4 combined tackles and 1 TFL playing 46% of snaps this week. Neither has distinguished himself as the favorite so for now I’m avoiding both and only playing Ogletree when it comes to Giants linebackers this year.

Panthers: It was a strange game for the Panthers IDP production with James Bradberry (CB) leading the way while star Luke Kuechly (LB) had an uncharacteristic down day. Bradberry put up 8 combined tackles and 2 PD while playing 100% of snaps this week. Luke only put up 3 combined tackles but had 1 sack and 1.5 TFL while playing 100% of snaps.

The sack and TFL managed to salvage a decent game out of him with his tackle numbers being so poor this week. This was just a strange game he’ll be fine. Bradberry has been a great IDP corner for two years now and is a great start in matchups against teams that pass often.

Mike Adams (S) had the next best day with 6 combined tackles, 2 PD and 2 INT playing 100% of snaps this week. He has been reliable but hasn’t produced a ton this year so I would still prefer a more productive safety if you have that option. Recent signing Eric Reid (S) started slow with his new team only putting up 3 solo tackles while playing 86% of snaps. He’s a talented safety and I expect his snap count to increase along with his production as the season continues.

Notable IDP defensive linemen Kawan Short (DT) and Mario Addison (DE) for the Panthers also had slow days. Short recorded 2 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 68% of snaps while Addison put up 2 tackle assissts playing 68% of snaps as well. Short has been a decent DT2 all season and Addison is a nice injury fill in or bye week guy. Both will have better performances this year.

Oakland Raiders @ LA Chargers

Raiders: The only consistent option for the Raiders IDP production this season that I personally trust has been Tahir Whitehead (LB). He had another solid week with 9 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps. He’s been a fringe LB1 and a great LB2 who I would continue to start weekly. Daryl Worley (CB) had the next best day with 8 combined tackles and 2 TFL playing 77% of snaps. It’s the first time I’ve mentioned him this year so I’m all set there.

Safeties Erik Harris (S) and Marcus Gilchrist (S) both had decent days this week. Harris put up 6 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 41% of snaps while Gilchrist recorded 5 combined tackles and 1 PD playing 89% of snaps. Neither is interesting to me and I would especially stay away from Harris with that small snap percentage. Reggie Nelson (S) also got in on the action with 4 solo tackles while playing 66% of snaps I’m all set here too.

We’ve been watching Marquel Lee (LB) and Maurice Hurst (DT) for future IDP purposes where dynasty is concerned and both had slower weeks. Lee recorded 4 combined tackles on 75% of snaps while Hurst had 2 solo tackles and 1 PD on 55% of snaps. Both are just dynasty pieces for the future so no need to add them in waivers.

Chargers: Without standout IDP stud Joey Bosa (DE) around to draw double teams and keep opposing offensive coordinators up at night Melvin Ingram (DE) has been largely negated this season now that all the focus has been on him.

This week though he was able to break out and have a monster game with 7 combined tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 PD and 1 INT on 81% of snaps. He’s been tough to keep in lineups this year but should get considerably more valuable when Bosa returns and Ingram is free to wreck havoc without so much of the attention focused on him.

Denzel Perryman (LB) has consistently been the number two linebacker option for the Chargers this year and had a nice week without Kyzir White (LB) around to steal production. He recorded 7 combined tackles on 88% of snaps played this week and is a decent bye week or injury fill in or a linebacker three or four in much deeper leagues.

Jatavis Brown (LB) got the most snaps by any Chargers linebacker all year last week but plummeted to 44% of snaps this week and only produced 2 solo tackles and 1 TFL with those snaps. If it’s not Kyzir White or Perryman I wouldn’t trust them as far as Chargers linebackers go this season.

Both Chargers safeties had solid games with Derwin James (S) recording 5 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 98% of snaps while Adrian Phillips (S) put up 6 combined tackles and 1 PD on 63% of snaps. Derwin James has been by far the better of the two all season and has had the playing time as well, he’s a future top tier safety for IDP purposes and may even be there right now this season.

Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles

Vikings: The Eagles IDP relevant linebackers both had nice days this week. Jordan Hicks (LB) and Nigel Bradham (LB) did work, Hicks recorded 9 combined tackles on 100% of snaps while Bradham put up 7 combined tackles on 95% of snaps this week.

Hicks has been a near tier one producer all year and is a weekly automatic start for me while Bradham has been a great pick up since week two putting up solid games 50% of the time since then while his “duds” haven’t been that terrible at all. He is more matchup dependent but against any team with a decent offense that runs a ton of plays he’s a solid start.

Sidney Jones (CB) had the next best day with 7 solo tackles and 1 TFL while playing 65% of snaps. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this guys name so I’m all set here. Both IDP relevant corners Ronald Darby (CB) and Jalen Mills (CB) had serviceable games as well with Darby recording 4 solo tackles on 97% of snaps while Mills put up 4 solo tackles and 3 PD on 100% of snaps. Both of those guys I feel like I talk about almost weekly so I’d much rather have them over someone like Sidney Jones.

The other two common IDP producers on the Eagles, Malcolm Jenkins (S) and Fletcher Cox (DT) had two very different days. Jenkins recorded 6 combined tackles on 100% of snaps while Cox only had 1 solo tackle playing 85% of snaps this week.

Jenkins is a reliable weekly producer with around five combined tackles a week as a floor while Cox had a down week but is still a tier one defensive tackle who should be started weekly. It should also be noted that Corey Graham (S) only played 5% of snaps this week after his huge game last week so I would avoid playing him until we see a pattern of consistent playing time and production.

Vikings: Linebackers Anthony Barr (LB) and Eric Kendricks (LB) led the Vikings in IDP production this week. Barr recorded 6 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 97% of snaps while Kendricks had 6 combined tackles and 0.5 TFL on 97% of snaps played as well. Barr is the inconsistent one here while Kendricks has at least serviceable linebacker two or three type games every week without fail. I’ll take him over Barr any day of the week.

Both Vikings safeties had decent nights as well. Andrew Sendejo (S) recorded 5 solo tackles on 100% of snaps while Harrison Smith (S) had 4 solo tackles and 1 PD on 100% of snaps played as well. Sendejo has been by far the more consistent this season but it’s tough to bench Smith when you know what kind of production he’s capable of any given week.

Personally I avoid the headache entirely and don’t play any of these guys, if I’m going to play a boom or bust guy I’ll keep playing Budda Baker so when I get the “boom” it’s a week-winning ridiculous over the top production game like he seems to do every other week.

Mike Hughes (CB) has been someone I’ve been saying to pick up since opponents have been targeting Trae Waynes (CB) far less than last year and they barely ever target shut down corner Xavier Rhodes (CB). This leaves Hughes as the “weak link” in the Vikings secondary and a guy opposing offenses pick on often. He’s been a great IDP producer due to these facts. He had 5 solo tackles and 1 TFL this week on 100% of snaps played. He’s not quite in my holy trinity of IDP corners yet but he’s awfully close.

While Sheldon Richardson (DT) had a down week with only 1 tackle assist on 75% of snaps played it was fellow defensive tackle and top three producer Linval Joseph (DT) who had a monster game this week. Joseph put up 5 combined tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery and 1 TD on 56% of snaps played. Joseph has been a great IDP producer for years now and is a weekly plug and play for me.

Danielle Hunter (DE) also continues his monster year with 2 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL while playing 93% of snaps this week. With Everson Griffen (DE) still out it seems Hunter has been taking advantage of getting a chance to rush the quarterback from the blind side and is doing tons of damage every week.

Stephen Weatherly (DE), who has been filling in for Griffen, had a nice week with 2 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL on 92% of snaps. Despite him being a like 6th or 7th round guy he’s managed to record sacks and serviceable days at defensive end two out of three weeks in relief of Griffen. You could do worse I guess in the random world of fill in defensive linemen.

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers

Cardinals: A buddy of mine, The IDP Dude on Twitter, pointed something out to me today that blew my freaking mind. If you look at the stats for IDP safeties in most leagues you will see all three of the Cardinals safeties at the top of that list. This three safety system of theirs has not only worked but has produced three of the most productive IDP safeties for this season.

This week though it was Budda Baker (S) who led the way with 16 combined tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack and 1 PD on 97% of snaps played. Baker seems to have one of these weeks every other week and I am more than happy putting up with the occasional five combined tackle week when he puts up days like today that single-handedly won me at least two leagues this week.

Antoine Bethea (S) and Tre Boston (S) both had great games as well with Bethea recording 13 combined tackles on 100% of snaps while Boston had 6 solo tackles, 3 PD and 1 INT on 96% of snaps this week. All three of these safeties have been productive and reliable this season and I wouldn’t hesitate to start any of them. Josh Bynes (LB) also had a great game with 11 combined tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL and 1 PD on 100% of snaps played.

In a surprise move the Cardinals moved Hasaan Redick (LB) back into the lineup where he actually had a decent day with 8 solo tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL and 2 PD on 100% of snaps played. This is the first time he’s played any decent kind of time all season so I don’t trust it at all, give me a few more weeks of this and then I might bite.

Chandler Jones (DE) also had a great game with 6 solo tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFL and 1 PD on 88% of snaps this week, he seems to be finding his sweet spot again and if he can produce anything like last year he remains a weekly start for me.

Patrick Peterson (CB) despite being a “shutdown corner” still has the athleticism and defensive knowledge to be in the right place at the right time to make plays even with opposing quarterbacks avoiding him like the plague. I would play him in a cornerback two type slot personally. He had 7 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 97% of snaps this week.

49ers: This was a strange game for IDP production for the 49ers this week, the lead tackler had 4 combined tackles so no one on this team did much production-wise this week. Jaquiski Tartt (S) led the way with 4 combined tackles and 1.5 TFL on 98% of snaps played. DeForest Buckner (DT) was right behind him with 4 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 92% of snaps played. Another just barely serviceable game from him but I expect a monster game soon.

Both Ruben Foster (LB) and Fred Warner (LB) had down games just like the entire 49ers IDP squad. Foster recorded 3 solo tackles and 1 TFL on 100% of snaps while Warner had just 3 solo tackles on 100% of snaps played. Both should be fine this was just a strange game for the 49ers IDP in general. Luke Kuechly (LB) had 4 tackles this week so it wasn’t just these guys, it happens, keep playing these two.

Quarterback CJ Beathard (QB) had 2 solo tackles this week which was one more than Solomon Thomas (DE) who finished with 1 solo tackle on 71% of snaps played. Despite all the preseason hype around him he’s failed to live up to those expectations even one bit.

Make sure you catch part one and two of this article and keep an eye out for part four and 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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