The IDP Dude takes a look at some of the week 2 IDP performances around the league and what you should do moving forward
New England Patriots
For the Patriots linebackers, Jamie Collins led the way in this contest posting 5 total tackles and a half a sack on 72% snaps played. Collins also had a pick six to boot. We officially have a five headed linebacker rotation in New England, and it isn’t pretty. This week feature the already mentioned Collins at 72% snaps but also included Kyle Van Noy at 82%, Don’t’a Hightower at 74%, Ja’Whaun Bentley at 60% and finally Elandon Roberts at 46%. The worst part is we won’t know how they’ll be deployed week in week out, so my suggestion is to avoid playing if possible. Collins seems to have the most value right now but I’d only be comfortable starting him as a desperate LB3 / flex play on your IDP squad until we see more from the unit.
When it rains…Off Kalen Ballage's hands and into the one paw of Jamie Collins. 123 yards on INT returns for the #Patriots today. Do the #Dolphins have a 100 yards of total offense? No. No they do not (93) pic.twitter.com/0cgy5kTdvL
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 15, 2019
Miami Dolphins
It doesn’t get any uglier than what we saw this week against the Patriots. The only must have IDP in Miami that can be started on a weekly basis is Jerome Baker who I believe was the only defensive player who saw 100% of their snaps in week 2. Baker turned in a 12 tackle performance and I’d expect the sophmore to be extremely busy this year. Outside of Baker, I’ll take a shot on their cornerbacks Eric Rowe and Xavien Howard in CB required leagues if you don’t like to stream every week. I like there safeties as well moving forward with a lackluster 7 in front of them. Minkah Fitzpatrick might be on his way out which could boost his value, Bobby McCain should be a serviceable DB3 option and Reshad Jones should be a nice DB2 options when he returns from injury assuming there’s no lingering effects.
Arizona Cardinals
I won’t spend too much time on these dudes. Jordan Hicks, Budda Baker and D.J. Swearinger are the trio you’re rolling out every week from this squad. Haason Reddick saw a nice bump in snap % moving from 59% in week 1 to 85% in week 2 but will largely be match up dependent during the season.
Baltimore Ravens
Quickly turning into another IDP wasteland, it’ll be hard to trust anyone from this squad on a weekly basis. Patrick Onwuasor was the only linebacker to see 100% of the snaps this week and turned in an uninspiring 4 tackle performance. The Ravens ran five defensive backs all game which included safeties Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson, paired with the cornerback trio of Anthony Averett, Brandon Carr and Marlon Humphrey. All five of these defensive backs saw 100% snap count this week and the teams top IDP performers. We might see a lot more of that moving forward.
San Francisco 49ers
Welcome back Kwon Alexander. Expect better games ahead where he will get closer to 100% of the snaps and not 74%. Fred Warner should be deployed as a fringe LB2/3 moving forward as he’s looked great out there through the first two weeks. Arik Armstead continues to be a sleeper at the DE position posting a few tackles with a sack two games in a row. I like his skills and potential, but I don’t like the crowded depth chart. If he can continue to see 60% of snaps, he’s got a good a chance to hit on a sack in more games than not.
https://twitter.com/fourth_nine/status/1173284086607015937?s=20
Cincinnati Bengals
Jessie Bates and Shawn Williams continue to be one of the best IDP friendly safety duos in the league. Bates and Williams should be started most weeks as a DB2 with a chance to hit DB1 numbers. Nick Vigil and Preston Brown continue to be a headache for IDP owners, and I’ll admit I’ve had them reversed the last two weeks myself. Last week I said to start Brown and Vigil had the better game. This week I said to start Vigil and Brown blew up. Perhaps a trend will develop and by week 4 we will have a better grasp on these two moving forward. If you ready my reaction on Sam Hubbard last week and managed to pick him up, you’re welcome! Playing almost 90% of snaps and turning in a 6 tackles performance, this kid is going to be good.
Sam Hubbard. Smoke show. #Bengals @fox19 @Sam_Hubbard_ pic.twitter.com/vKrY4tqlcu
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) September 15, 2019
Los Angeles Chargers
Thomas Davis continues to defy all things logical. Adrian Phillips is out indefinitely with a broken arm leaving a very thin depth chart for the Chargers secondary. It’s possibly we might see some more Nasir Adderley on the field week three but it’s more likely they will turn to free agency to stop the bleeding. Joey Bosa picked up an injury during the game but apparently, he is fine according to head coach Anthony Lynn so monitor that situations closely.
Detroit Lions
Tracy Walker is happening. I hope you were able to snag him last week. He paced the Lions in tackles with 10 and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down. He will soon become an every week must start in IDP lineups. Trey Flowers continues to disappoint and I’m not if the fit is as good as we thought it would be. Seeing around 60% of the snap share, those who drafted him are expecting a little more through two weeks. Don’t cut bait just yet but it might be time to play some more favorable matchups on your bench until Flowers can steady the ship.
Minnesota Vikings
Nothing too much out of the ordinary here in week 2. Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks and Harrison Smith all had great games. Anthony Barr had another serviceable game and could be a great depth piece if you’re dealing with injuries already early on. Linval Joseph has been awesome through two weeks posting a sack and above average tackle numbers to begin the season. Joseph is definitely worth a pickup if you’re required to start two or more DLs or have a DT required position in your IDP lineup.
Green Bay Packers
Blake Martinez paced the team with a 13 tackle effort, more than doubling the next in line which was Darnell Savage with 6 tackles. I wouldn’t look into the secondary play too much as Kirk Cousins hasn’t thrown the ball at all and with Dalvin Cook firing on all cylinders, I would probably suggest tempering expectations for your DBs should they have a matchup with the Vikings moving forward. Raven Greene came crashing back down after having a noticeable week 1 performance but look for a bounce back game for most of the secondary next week when the Packers face the Broncos at Lambeau Field.
Jacksonville Jaguars
An all around solid day from the Jaguars IDP with Quincy Williams leading the way posting 9 total tackles. Ronnie Harrison looked good after some concern with his knee injury and I’ll continue to stand by my preseason prediction that he’ll finish the year as a top 12 safety in IDP. It was nice to see Marcell Dareus back in action with three tackles on 55% snaps played. I expect his numbers and playing time to increase over the next few weeks. He might be available in your league, especially after missing week 1 so now would be a good time to snatch him up if you need the depth.
Houston Texans
Zach Cunningham and Benardrick McKinney both continue to be nice options at linebacker, and I expect both to reach the 100 tackle mark this season as one of the best linebacker duos in the game. Whitney Mercilus was talked up this offseason as he was expected to take on a do it all role for the Texans and he hasn’t disappointed yet. With Jadeveon Clowney out of town, Mercilus has picked up some of the pass rushing duties and has three sacks through two weeks which puts him on the radar. It’s only a matter of time before teams will have to focus on him which should take some of the pressure off J.J. Watt who has done next to nothing for IDP owners so far this season.
https://twitter.com/MattHammondShow/status/1173314328465948673?s=20
Buffalo Bills
A bit of a down game for Jordan Poyer but he did salvage his day with a nice interception on Eli Manning. I expect a bounce back against more prolific passing attached in the weeks to come. Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds had alright games, but I’ll chalk it up to the Giants really having no luck moving the ball most of the game. Tre’Davious White is a boom or bust cornerback and paced the Bills in tackles this week. A great candidate to use in CB required leagues if you want to ride the roller-coaster and don’t have the time to play the CB streaming game.
New York Giants
Outside of Antoine Bethea who posted 10 tackles, the stats were spread across the board for the Giants in week 2. Jabrill Peppers could’ve had a really nice game but was a bit too over aggressive on a handful of plays and missed some tackles. I wouldn’t worry too much about Peppers. Some notable jumps in playing time, Rookie Ryan Connelly looked good with 6 tackles on 84% snaps played which was a big increase from the 38% he saw in week 1. Deandre Baker also saw an increase in snaps playing 96% in week 2 compared to 46 in week 1. You should keep an eye on both moving forward with Connelly being the priority and Baker in CB required leagues only.
Seattle Seahawks
Not much to see here. The Seahawks dominated the time of possession by over ten minutes and ran 21 more plays than the Steelers in this contest. Not sure how much this game script will change in week 3 at home against the soon to be struggling Saints. Temper expectations for your Seahawks IDP next week.
Pittsburgh Steelers
With Ben Roethlisberger out for the year, I expect the Steelers defense to see the field a lot more this year. Rookie Devin Bush is an every week starter and sophomore safety Terrell Edmunds looks much improved this year and looks like he’ll put together a very nice 2019 campaign. I’d buy Edmunds right now if you can. T.J. Watt is still and always be a boom or bust option so if you’re going to roll with him as an LB3, set it and forget it, enjoy the highs but expect the lows. All Steelers get a slight bump up moving forward until we see a competent offense out of Pittsburgh that can sustain drives and balance the time of possession.
Indianapolis Colts
Is there a change coming at the strong safety position? The rumblings of Clayton Geathers losing the starting gig to rookie Khari Willis is picking up steam and you probably want to be in front of this before it happens. If you’re a Geathers owner, you might want to consider jumping on this soon if you’re lacking depth and want to secure his possible replacement. If you don’t have Geathers and missed out on some of the other rookie breakout safeties, you may be in luck. Here’s your shot at getting in on the cheap before it’s too late. I’m adding Khari Willis everywhere I can.
Tennessee Titans
I do not like what I’m seeing from Kevin Byard so far. I would start treating him as a low to mid DB2 until we otherwise. Outside of Byard’s interception last week, Kenny Vaccaro has been a much better IDP option and looks much better on the field. It pains me to say that. Cameron Wake came back down to earth this week but as you should expect, the position is volatile and those who plug and play get rewarded more often than those who chase the points.
Dallas Cowboys
Time to panic on Demarcus Lawrence, no. Time to be slightly worried, a little. Tank is certainly off to a slow start, but I’d stay the course and consider making some buy low offers in dynasty leagues if the owner has early season jitters. Xavier Woods is off to a good start this season but so is Jeff Heath. Take that for what it is. Jaylon Smith more than doubled up on Leighton Vander Esch’s production this week, don’t read too much into that. Both are solid options and every week starters. Down weeks from your studs are inevitable, just roll with it.
Washington Redskins
Landon Collins is doing Landon Collins things. Good outing for the trio of Jon Bostic, Cole Holcomb and Shaun Dion Hamilton. SDH put up 5 tackles on 31% snaps played compared to Holcomb’s 5 on 90% and Bostic’s 7 on 79%. Talk about efficiency. Matt Ioannidis continues to be a great value play at DT and Montae Nicholson continues to benefit from the subpar linebacker play in front of him. Nicholson, despite the solid game is a shaky DB3 moving forward.
If you liked this article, be on the lookout for more of my weekly reaction articles throughout the season!
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