Taking a look at the NFL Week 7 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 four games of week seven. Make sure you caught parts one and two and keep an eye out for part four dropping tomorrow. Let’s get into it.
Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Browns: With Joe Schobert (LB) injured and out for several weeks we knew some of the usual suspects would pick up the slack but I was surprised to see Damarious Randal (S) atop the box score this week with 12 combined tackles on 98% of snaps this week. He’s been reliable all year with a solid floor but this is his first huge week, continue to start him with confidence as a safe and reliable tier two safety.
Briean Boddy Calhoun (S) was a surprise with 10 solo tackles and 1 PD on 100% of snaps this week, it’s the first I’ve seen his name this year, it’s possible they were playing three safeties this week with Schobert out but I’d like to see another week of this before making any conclusions.
Christian Kirksey (LB) and Jamie Collins (LB) were sure bets to pick up some of Schoberts production and they certainly did. Kirksey had 10 combined tackles, 1 PD and 1 INT on 100% of snaps and has been up and down this season but is definitely capable of this kind of production so I play him weekly myself.
Collins should be decent while Schobert is out but has been spotty prior to that, he had 7 combined tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 PD and 1 INT on 100% of snaps and should be a good option while Schobert is out with injury.
Jabril Peppers (S) and Emanuel Ogbah (DE) were surprises this week with huge weeks. Peppers had 8 combined tackles and 1 PD on 69% of snaps but has only had this one solid game so far this year so I’m hesitant to add him even though we know how talented he can be if used properly.
Ogbah recorded 5 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL and 2 PD on 93% of snaps this week. That’s a monster game but I haven’t mentioned him even once this year prior to this so I’m all set until we see some kind of consistency first.
Denzel Ward (CB), Myles Garret (DE) and Larry Ogunjobi (DT) are the other IDP relevant players here we track. Ward had 4 solo tackles, 1 TFL and 2 PD on 96% of snaps this week and remains a tier one IDP corner and a weekly must start.
Garret had a nice bounce back week with 2 solo tackles, 2 sacks and 1 TFL on 87% of snaps and is also a weekly auto start. Ogunjobi had a down game with 2 combined tackles, 0.5 sacks and 0.5 TFL on 89% of snaps, not entirely awful and completely normal for defensive tackle, there are bigger weeks to come.
Bucs: The big news from this game was that Kwon Alexander (LB), who had 7 combined tackles and 1 PD on 46% of snaps, tore his ACL and is done for the year. He was on pace for a monster season so this is a gut punch to the entire IDP community.
Adarius Taylor (LB), who will fill in for him in the short term, came in and was immediately productive with 7 combined tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL on 62% of snaps played. He becomes a great option for now to fill in for Alexander and we’ll see what the future holds. Kendal Beckwith (LB) may eventually be the guy to own here but is injured for now.
LaVonte David (LB) now certainly shoots up into tier one production now with Alexander out and had another solid game this week with 8 combined tackles and 2 TFL on 100% of snaps played. He was valuable before this, now that value shoots through the roof. Justin Evans (S) had a great game as well this week with 8 combined tackles and 0.5 TFL on 100% of snaps and has been a reliable tier two guy this year.
Jason Pierre Paul (DE) continues to be on fire and had 3 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL on 97% of snaps this week and is having a career year so far, keep starting him weekly. Jordan Whitehead (S) was supposed to be an up and coming safety option for IDP but only played 34% of snaps and had 3 solo tackles this week in a disappointing game.
Isaiah Johnson (S) stole some of those snaps playing 65% of snaps this week and putting up 3 solo tackles as well so neither has really stood out as a solid safety option for IDP as of yet, we’ll keep an eye on it though.
Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Texans: Both of the IDP relevant Texans linebackers had solid games once again this week. Zach Cunningham (LB) led the way with 10 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps and is sniffing tier one production, keep starting him weekly.
Benardrick McKinney (LB) recorded 7 combined tackles on 100% of snaps and has been reliable this season also just in the tier two range for production. JaDaveon Clowney (DE, LB) had another monster week with 7 solo tackles, 2 sacks and 2 TFL playing 90% of snaps and is a weekly start as well.
Corner Jonathan Joseph (CB) continues to have a nice season recording 7 solo tackles and 1 PD this week playing 100% of snaps, he’s been solid the majority of this season and has become a nice option at IDP corner.
Tyrann Mathieu (S) had a great week also with 5 combined tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PD and 1 INT on 100% of snaps this week and has been a tier one weekly start as well. JJ Watt (DE) had a down week with 1 solo tackle and 1 PD on 90% of snaps but has been great all year and is somehow still healthy so keep plugging him in, more monster games to come.
Jags: The Jacksonville linebacker duo had a solid game this week with Myles Jack (LB) getting back into the swing of things while Telvin Smith (LB) remains consistent and productive as always. Jack had 7 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps, he’s been super spotty this year though so should only be played weekly in deeper leagues or if your squad is so loaded you can afford multiple bad weeks from him.
Smith recorded 8 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps and has been a bottom of tier one guy with a great floor all season.
Calais Campbell (DE) had a monster game with 9 combined tackles and 0.5 TFL playing 80% of snaps and is back to his pace from last year with multiple weeks of awesome production now. AJ Bouye (CB) and Jalen Ramsey (CB) are the IDP relevant corners here and had opposite days.
Bouye recorded 6 combined tackles on 100% of snaps while Ramsey only had 1 solo tackle playing 100% of snaps as well, the Texans aren’t a great passing team so I’m surprised that Bouye did as well as he did, this wasn’t an ideal matchup to play either this week.
Barry Church (S) and Yannick Ngakoue (DE) both had dud games this week but Church will get you a handful of tackles nine times out of ten so he’s still safe to play in super deep leagues. Ngakoue has always been up and down it’s just the nature of the position. He’ll be fine.
New Orleans Saints @ Baltimore Ravens
Saints: The New Orleans linebackers ate up the IDP production this week with AJ Klein (LB) and DeMario Davis (LB) both having solid days. Klein recorded 7 combined tackles and 1 TFL on 74% of snaps while Davis put up 6 combined tackles, 1 TFL and 1 PD on 69% of snaps played.
Neither of those snap counts are real encouraging and Davis has been the more reliable of the two, for me though I’m playing a guy who gets more snaps and therefore has more opportunity for production.
Corner Ken Crawley (CB) was next with 6 solo tackles and 1 PD on 88% of snaps but this is the first time I’ve mentioned him this year so I’m not interested. Both Vonn Bell (S) and Marcus Williams (S) had dud games but played 76% and 65% of snaps so that may have something to do with it, with Kurt Coleman (S) in there stealing snaps as well that safety corps is too crowded for my taste I don’t play any of these guys.
Cameron Jordan (DE) only had 2 solo tackles playing 100% of snaps but will be fine, nature of the position and all. Sheldon Rankins (DT) put up 3 combined tackles playing 56% of snaps which isn’t great but not completely awful either, if you’re in a deep enough league where you need Rankins for anything other than a spot start or short term play you’re in trouble regardless.
Marcus Davenport (DE) came back down to earth in both production (none) and playing time (46%) so last weeks stats were a flash in the pan it would appear.
Ravens: It was the usual suspects atop the box score for the Ravens this week. CJ Mosley (LB) led the way with 16 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps and is officially back to being awesome, keep playing him. Eric Weddle (S) the spotty safety kept his underwear clean this week with 7 combined tackles on 100% of snaps played but is too boom or bust for me personally.
Tony Jefferson (S) had yet another nice week with 6 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps this week. He’s been reliable all year and is a bottom of tier one production guy at safety that I feel pretty comfortable playing every week at this point.
Terrel Suggs (LB, EDGE) had a great week with 3 solo tackles, 1 sack and 2 TFL playing 76% of snaps this week, though that production was nice I’m still not playing him unless it’s a specific EDGE or OLB slot.
LA Rams @ San Francisco 49ers
Rams: The story for the Rams IDP production this week was a monster game the likes of which I haven’t seen in a long time from Aaron Donald (DE) who earned all that cash he recently signed for. He had 9 combined tackles, 4 sacks, 6 TFL, 1 FF and 1 FR on 79% of snaps this week. That’s ridiculous, you have to play this guy every week when he’s capable of games like this.
Cory Littleton (LB) doesn’t seem to be too bothered by the return of Marc Barron (LB). Littleton had 10 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 3 TFL playing 76% of snaps this week while Barron only had 4 combined tackles and 1 TFL playing 67% of snaps this week. Barron can’t play in the cold and apparently he can’t play in the nice weather either, it would seem Littleton is safe to keep playing for the time being.
Micheal Brockers (DE) had a nice week as well with 5 combined tackles and 1.5 TFL playing 81% of snaps and remains a nice bye week or short term guy in shallow leagues and playable weekly in deep leagues. N’Damakong Suh (DT) is the other IDP relevant defensive lineman for the Rams and had just 2 solo tackles on 93% of snaps this week, it happens he’ll be fine.
John Johnson (S) and Marcus Peters (CB) are the other two IDP pieces here we follow, Johnson had a serviceable week with 2 solo tackles, 1 PD and 1 INT on 83% of snaps this week. Most of the defensive starters got some bench time in cause of the blowout so he missed some late game production there but overall has been a pretty reliable safety tier two this season.
Peters had zero stats playing 81% of snaps this week which isn’t surprising, the 49ers couldn’t string together completions really at any point in this blowout loss. He remains a solid option against teams with a real quarterback and an effective pass game.
49ers: The big news from this game was Ruben Foster (LB) suffering a shoulder injury and leaving early, this is supposedly the same shoulder he’s had issues with before so this could be a thing, and not a great one at that. While he’s out Fred Warner (LB) should see more production.
Foster had 2 solo tackles on just 84% of snaps this week and we’ll have to monitor his injury status. Warner returned to form this week with 9 combined tackles playing 100% of snaps and despite his recent slump is in great position if the Foster injury is at all serious.
Jaquiski Tartt (S) has been great since returning from injury and had 7 combined tackles and 1 TFL playing 92% of snaps this week, he can be a tier one guy if he can stay healthy. DeForest Buckner (DT) and Solomon Thomas (DE) are the other two IDP pieces we track on the 49ers and both had serviceable weeks this week.
Thomas had 5 combined tackles and 1.5 TFL playing 64% of snaps while Buckner had 3 solo tackles and 1 TFL on 66% of snaps this week, Buckner is still the guy to own here, Thomas has been spotty and mostly bad this season.
Make sure you catch part four dropping tomorrow and make sure you caught parts one and two. 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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