Taking a look at the NFL Week 9 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 three will cover the next three games of week Nine. Keep an eye out for part four and make sure you read parts one and two from earlier this week. Let’s get into it.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

Bucs: After a dismal first week in relief of huge IDP producer Kwon Alexander (LB) it was backup linebacker Adarius Taylor (LB) who led the Bucs in production this week with 9 combined tackles playing 92% of snaps this week. The playing time is there and with two good weeks out of three it seems Taylor is as good a roll of the dice as any if you need a short term linebacker, just keep in mind that Kendal Beckwith (LB) could return at any time and derail this gravy train so buyer beware.

LaVonte David (LB) came in next with 8 combined tackles, 0.5 sacks and 0.5 TFL on 100% of snaps and is an automatic start every week for the rest of the season, especially with Kwon done for the season.

The new safety duo of Justin Evans (S) and Jordan Whitehead (S) both had great games this week as well. Evans came in with 7 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps while Whitehead recorded 8 combined tackles on only 63% of snaps played. Evans has been great all season but Whitehead has been a nice surprise the last couple weeks, that playing time isn’t going to sustain consistent production though so beware of that before adding him in waivers.

Gerald McCoy (DT) was back from injury this week and had 2 combined tackles, 0.5 sacks and 0.5 TFL playing 87% of snaps this week, he returns to a solid tier two defensive tackle status for me.

Jason Pierre Paul (DE) finally came back to earth with just one tackle assist on 95% of snaps this week, he’s been awesome all year and on fire for more than a month, a down week was bound to happen here. He’ll be fine. Brent Grimes (CB) is the last IDP producer I track on the Bucs and he had 3 solo tackles and 1 PD playing 95% of snaps this week, he’s a good option against teams with a better passing game than the Panthers.

Panthers: It was no name flash in the pan and stupidly named Captain Munnerlyn (CB) leading the way for the Panthers this week. I’ve never talked about him the entire season and odds are I won’t ever again, he’s not worth a waiver add and we’re done taking about him.

Thomas Davis (LB) came in next with 8 combined tackles, 0.5 TFL and 1 PD on 75% of snaps this week, he’s been a pretty good end of tier two guy since returning from his beginning of the season suspension and has been a nice option since then. Luke Kuechly (LB) was next with 7 combined tackles and 1 TFL playing 100% of snaps and is a weekly auto start.

Both Mike Adams (S) and Eric Reid (S) had serviceable games with Adams coming in with 6 combined tackles on 97% of snaps while Reid had 3 solo tackles, 1 INT and 1 PD on 100% of snaps this week. He’s been great lately and is finally up to 100% of snaps played, he’ll be a nice option going forward if you need safety help heading into the playoff push. Kawan Short (DT) had a nice game with 4 combined tackles and 2 TFL on 72% of snaps and remains a nice defensive tackle tier two option this season.

Mario Addison (DE) who is best played as a spot start defensive end had a massive game with 5 combined tackles, 3 sacks and 3 TFL playing 79% of snaps. This is by far the best game for him this season, I wouldn’t expect it again anytime soon but he does remain a decent short term option.

Standout IDP corner James Bradberry (CB) had another nice game with 4 combined tackles, 0.5 TFL and 2 PD on 100% of snaps and has been on fire the past few weeks, if you can somehow still pick him up he’s pretty much automatic for good points at corner every week which is by nature a super spotty position for IDP production.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens

Steelers: It was safety Sean Davis (S) and Jon Bostic (LB) at the top of the box score for the Steelers this week with Davis recording 9 solo tackles on 100% of snaps this week while Bostic had 5 combined tackles on just 56% of snaps. Davis is spotty, Bostic doesn’t play enough to be consistent. Nothing to see here.

TJ Watt (LB, EDGE) was next with 5 combined tackles but no sacks or any other stats this week, this is actually not a half bad game for him since he’s sack dependent for the majority of his points so if you did play him at least this was serviceable. Still unless you have a specific OLB or EDGE slot I’m not playing this guy every week or at all really.

Terrel Edmunds (S) only had 4 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps which isn’t ideal, especially with that many snaps, he hasn’t really been trustworthy this season either. Cameron Heyward (DT) and Stephon Tuitt (DE) are the two defensive linemen that are rosterable and Heyward had a clunker with just one tackle assist on 79% of snaps.

While Tuitt had a serviceable game with one solo tackle, one sack and one tackle for loss playing 80% of snaps. Both of these guys are still better used as spot starts but can be played weekly in deeper leagues, they’ll be spotty but that’s just the nature of the position.

Ravens: It was the usual suspects at the top of the Ravens box score this week. Eric Weddle (S) led the way with 7 combined tackles on 100% of snaps but is overall inconsistent. CJ Mosley (LB) had 6 combined tackles, 1 TFL and 1 PD on 100% of snaps played as well. He’s a weekly auto start and is getting into a better groove production-wise.

Tony Jefferson (S) had a bit of a down game with 5 combined tackles playing 99% of snaps but has been great all season so this should be more of a floor of production game from him, which still isn’t too bad. Bigger games are on the horizon for both him and Mosley the rest of the season. Terrel Suggs (LB, EDGE) only had 2 solo tackles playing 59% of snaps this week but is an edge rush linebacker so I’m not playing him unless it’s for that specific slot.

Houston Texans @ Denver Broncos

Texans: Both standout safeties Justin Reid (S) and Tyrann Mathieu (S) had nice games this week with Reid recording 10 combined tackles on 100% of snaps and has really been on a roll lately, he’s been peeking in on tier one production lately and has been great all season. Mathieu came in with 6 solo tackles on 100% of snaps and is having a great season as well with this kind of game being his floor this year.

Bernardrick McKinney (LB) took advantage of the injury to Zach Cunningham (LB) who was injured and out this week and soaked up some of that production with 7 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps this week. He’s been a nice tier two guy all season and may record an extra tackle or three while Cunningham is out with injury.

JJ Watt (DE) and JaDaveon Clowney (DE, LB) have been having monster seasons as well. Watt had a solid game with 2 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL on 91% of snaps and is a weekly auto start. Clowney recorded 1 solo tackle, 1 sack and 1 TFL playing 83% of snaps this week which is a solid game if your league is sack heavy for scoring.

DJ Reader (DT) had only one solo tackle playing 50% of snaps and has cooled down significantly since the beginning of the season where he started off red hot, he’s still an OK roll of the dice if you need a short term defensive tackle though.

Broncos: With the injury to Brandon Marshall (LB) and the fact that Justin Simmons (S) can’t do it all an avenue for good week to week production has opened up for Todd Davis (LB) and he’s taken advantage of it. This has been his best season by far and he led the way this week with 10 combined tackles, 1 TFL and 1 PD on 84% of snaps. He’s been red hot lately and is a great option if you need linebacker help.

Bradley Chubb (DE, LB) came in next with 6 combined tackles, 1 sack and 3 TFL on 76% of snaps and has been on fire lately also, I feel like I’ve mentioned him in every podcast and reaction article for the past month or so, grab him if you can and get in on the action while you can.

Derek Wolfe (DE) had a solid game as well with 4 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL playing 68% of snaps, he’s a great short term guy for bye weeks and injury replacement. Von Miller (LB, EDGE) had a decent game with 2 solo tackles, 1 sack and 2 TFL on 82% of snaps which is good since he’s usually boom or bust, this was serviceable at least.

I’m not a fan though, anyone who’s sack dependent for their points is going to be a problem. Outstanding safety Justin Simmons (S) had his worst game of the season with just one solo tackle on 100% of snaps this week. He’s been incredible all year but it happens to even the best producers, he should be fine.

Make sure you catch part four 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. We’ve got you covered with player profiles, waivers, analysis, snap counts and injury updates all with no paywall @ idpguys.org.