The return of the king
Monday Edition
Welcome to “The Monster”, now in audio format! This week we’ll be doing what we do every week, looking at everything that matters with every single IDP relevant player on every single defense, every week all season, and never behind a paywall. Now available before waivers run.
We’ll look at playing time, production, injuries and waivers because of them, changes in role or demotion (Daniel Sorensen, Jaylon Smith, etc) and we’ll follow the ebbs and flows of the season in an effort to make sure you have the best IDP producers starting for your defense every week and don’t miss any crucial information.
If things didn’t go how we thought they would we’ll try and figure out why that was, if someone we’ve never heard of went off for a massive week we’ll find out if they’re worth picking up on waivers or if they’re just barely playing and just lucked into a sack or splash play and it likely won’t happen again any time soon. We’ll follow up on weird or iffy situations with information from beat writers and whatever else I can find to connect the dots.
We’ll also use information from sources such as PFF, NFLGSIS, Pro Football Reference, and from other smart people in the IDP community as well. If I can’t get the answer I’ll go find it. This is the one place you can come every single week and learn everything you could possibly need to know in regards to all things FFIDP and by the end of the audio, you’ll know what you need to in order to make the best decisions for the upcoming matchups.
Between this article & audio, @Mike_Woellert and his three-down linebacker article, listening to The IDP Show podcast and the various information published weekly from our site (idpguys.org) and other excellent FFIDP sources out there (Gary Davenport, Gary Van Dyke, Justin Varnes, Jon Macri, The IDP Show, 4 for 4 IDP, etc) you should be completely locked in for your individual defensive players across the board. If you’re short on time though my mission with this content is to get “all of it in one place” so this is a good start. Remember the “why” is just as important as “what” so with all that in mind let’s get into it.
The Week 10 Questions
We got the week started Thursday night with the Ravens and Dolphins in a dumpster fire of a start to week ten. For the Ravens we’ll get another chance to see if it was Josh Bynes (LB) as the best inside linebacker option this week or if Patrick Queen (LB) has come back into favor. Also with DeShon Elliot (S) done for the season what does Brandon Stephens (S/CB) look like as a waiver wire replacement? Were Marlon Humphrey (CB) and Anthony Averett (CB) able to flourish against a stagnant Dolphins passing attack? For the Dolphins we’ll see if Brandon Jones (S) has been able to cement himself as the other starting safety next to Jevon Holland (S) and if so what that did to Eric Rowe (S). How much did Jaelen Phillips (DE) play this week and which random inside linebacker not named Jerome Baker (LB) blew up this week with far less than ideal playing time because that’s tradition in Miami?
From there we’ll head to Dallas for the Falcons and Cowboys, were them Boys able to get things back on track? For the Cowboys we are without Randy Gregory (DE) for at least three weeks, did that mean Micah Parson (LB) spent some time a defensive end this week? And if so did that translate to more inside linebacker snaps for Leighton Vander Esch (LB) or Keanu Neal (LB)? As for the Falcons this defense is pretty well set in stone but we’ll check on Richie Grant (S) and see if he’s still in the dog house and give everything else a good once over as well.
In the music city this week we got the Saints and Titans. For the Saints was it another week of Kwon Alexander (LB) or was Pete Werner (LB) back in the good graces? Beyond that how did David Onyemata (DT) and Marcus Davenport (DE) look in their second and third weeks back respectively? For the Titans there were many moving parts this week with the David Long (LB) inactive, who got the lions share of inside linebacker snaps without Long, was it Jayon Brown (LB) or Rashaan Evans (LB)? How is Bud Dupree (OLB) looking and was there anything else of note this week?
Down in Indy it was the Colts and Jags in a divisional showdown. The Colts are trying out some replacements for Khari Willis (S) and Julian Blackmon (S) so we’ll see if there were any waiver wire safeties to find here. Also Kwity Paye (DE) is back in action, how did he look this week? For the Jags we’ll see how Duwane Smoot (DE) looked since he’s become a thing recently as well as look for a possible Andrew Wingard (S) bounce back game and we’ll check in on the cornerback corps to look for some stability beyond Shaq Griffin (CB) as well.
Over in Foxborough it was a black and blue affair in a physical battle between the Patriots and Browns. For the Patriots everything is always in motion, nothing is ever set in stone, so we’ll see what there is to see, immediately forget all of it because it doesn’t really matter, and move on to a better defense for IDP as fast as possible. Speaking of which, on the Browns we’ll see if Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah (LB), who was designated to return this week, overtook Anthony Walker (LB) as the best inside linebacker option here for the rest of the season. Beyond that we’ll see what there is to see.
After that we head to the Big Apple for the Bills and Jets. The Bills defense is among the most stable in the league, there are no changes here week to week unless there is injury, which there is this week. Without Tremaine Edmunds (LB) did we get AJ Klein (LB) as is tradition of was it something else this time around? Also, Boogie Basham (DE) was active to play this week so we’ll see where he fits into the pass rush rotation. Over on the Jets we’ll have another look at Jarrad Davis (LB) and see if the production is catching up to the playing time and see if there’s another waiver wire safety here next to Ashtyn Davis (S) going forward. Many important things to see for the Jets this week.
Then it’s over to Pittsburgh for the Steelers and Lions. The Steelers defense is extremely consistent and set in stone so we’ll just give it a once over and check for anything noteworthy. However on the Lions we’ve got constant fluctuations and shenanigans so we’ll try and make sense of it, again, this week and then pray we never need to use any of those options because if we do it’s a sign of deep systemic problems within our IDP team we’re rolling out in that league. If we’re trusting Lions options the end is near.
In the nations capital we got the Bucs and Football team this week. The Bucs defense is a thing of beauty, both for real football and IDP purposes, we got Lavonte David (LB) back recently so we’ll see how he did against this mediocre at best Washington offense. Beyond that not a ton to see here but we’ll go deep, give this whole defense a good strong colonic and really get into the nitty gritty. The Football team has some things we’re tracking including Jamin Davis (LB) and his playing time and production, beyond that we’ve got fluctuation for both Landon Collins (S) and Kamren Curl (S) so we’ll look into all those options plus see if there’s a waiver wire option with Montez Sweat (DE) out for a month with a broken jaw.
Out in sunny Arizona the Cardinals took on the Panthers. For the Cardinals we’ll look and see if Zaven Collins (LB) is a thing, the answer will be no, and we’ll move on. After that we’ll check on Chandler Jones (OLB) and Markus Golden (OLB) with that pass rush now that JJ Watt (DE) is done for the season. For the Panthers we’ll check up on Shaq Thompson (LB) and see if he’s displaced Jermaine Carter (LB) as the inside linebacker playing the most snaps and hopefully see that Jeremy Chinn (S) had a good week as well. The biggest issue has been the fluctuations at cornerback though so we’ll see if beyond Donte Jackson (CB) we finally have another solid streaming corner option that plays enough week to week. Too many chefs in the kitchen for that secondary.
Over in Los Angeles the Chargers and Vikings faced off this week. The Chargers have a couple things brewing with the return of Kenneth Murray (LB) from IR and the inactive of Drue Tranquil (LB) so we’ll absolutely check on the inside linebacker situation. As for the Vikings we also had a late week inactive with Anthony Barr (OLB), did that mean we got Nick Vigil (LB) and a monster game from him as is tradition? And how did Camryn Bynum (S/CB) do in his second opportunity to fill in for Harrison Smith (S), who was on covid IR this week. Also without Danielle Hunter (DE) how did the pass rush look this week and do we have a waiver wire move there yet? Plenty to look at with the Vikings this week.
A mile high in Denver it was the Broncos and Eagles. The Broncos have a ton going on with Baron Browning (LB) as a new waiver wire linebacker, the recent signing of Avery Williamson (LB) and the ascendancy of Jonathan Cooper (DE/LB). We’ll see what’s real out of all that and what isn’t and check everything else over while we’re at it. For the Eagles we got TJ Edwards (LB) seeing the most snaps an inside linebacker has seen all season for the Eagles last week and that slot has given us nothing but stellar production week after week, is Edwards the 2021 edition of Donald Payne (LB) and was Javon Hargrave (DT) able to bounce back after a slow last few weeks?
Seattle and Green Bay closed out the week ten afternoon games. For the Seahawks we’ll see if Jamal Adams (S) was able to return on investment this week and beyond that most things are business as usual there week to week. As for the Packers we got a spike in playing time for Krys Barnes (LB) last week so we’ll follow up on that and see how the cornerback corps shook out after that freak injury to Eric Stokes (CB) in pre game warm ups last week. We’ll check on those items and keep it moving.
Sunday night it was the Chiefs and Raiders from the death star in Las Vegas. The Chiefs defense has been a shell of itself after their recent super bowl runs, the inside linebackers in particular have seen massive fluctuation and very little stability so we’ll check on Nick Bolton (LB), Willie Gay (LB) and company. Also we’ll see if Juan Thornhill (S) is still the other safety here beyond Tryann Mathieu (S) and if Chris Jones (DT) or Frank Clark (DE) were able to give us anything this week. For the Raiders we’ll check on their dynamic duo at defensive end, Yannick Ngakoue (DE) and Maxx Crosby (DE) and we’ll see what else there is to see.
And Monday night we got the Rams and 49ers from San Francisco. For the Rams the question on everyone’s lips is who will it be, Ernest Jones (LB) or Troy Reeder (LB)? And which safety is the better option to start each week? Will we get back a look at Von Miller (OLB) this week in his debut in a Rams uniform and will Darious Williams (CB) return to being the second cornerback option going forward? On the Niners we’ll see how the second cornerback situation shook out after Josh Norman (CB) was benched for stupidity last week (he drew an unsportsmanlike penalty for screaming at the opposing coaching staff) and we’ll see how Azeez Al Shaair (LB) did in his likely last go around as an excellent waiver wire linebacker for us all, thank you for your service Mr. Shaair.
All that and more in this week’s edition of the Monster, audio edition, now available in a more digestible format and with plenty of time to listen and absorb the information before waivers run. Join me on my journey as we dive deep into the depths of all things IDP. Click the audio link to get it going.
The Week 10 Answers
(Listen to the audio above, also available on the IDP Guys podcast feed)
Follow me on Twitter @Orangeman3142 and all our writers on our entire team as well, @JoeyTheToothIDP, @seahawksdan8, @HollywoodTitan, @ZMagsIDP, @Lanny1925, @IDP_Dude, @KBellf54, @ONUtyjo, @ejh1528IDP, @FF_Banterman, @BiddycentFF, @FFIDP_Jase, and many many newer writers for all your FF needs. We will have daily IDP articles, weekly matchup charts, waivers, sleepers, start/sit, and everything you could possibly need this season coming out daily all season long here at idpguys.org.
Check out Johny the Greek’s Cornerbacks Corner every Friday morning at the site all season long, we’ll be looking at the best matchups to stream corner from and the best cornerback options in each matchup. This article will continue to drop every Tuesday morning all season as well.
Tune in to DF$ on The IDP Show Network and now on the IDPGUYS podcast feed for some shenanigans and daily fantasy with my friend @Adamidp every other week all season and make sure you don’t miss The Big Nickel Podcast with me and @PFF_Macri once a month all season as well.
PFF’s Jon Macri and I will be looking at the big picture topics in FFIDP and breaking down the latest trends, best waiver options, strategies, and macro-level topics for your individual defensive players for the 2021/22 season.
We’ve got you covered from every angle. We’ve been doing this for years and have a massively successful and approachable team here. Take advantage of the over 300 years of combined IDP experience on staff here and let us help you win your leagues this season and for many seasons to come.
We now have a custom scoring tool for your IDP leagues so you can keep using whatever scoring you want and the tool will adjust rankings and projections accordingly. Come check out our massive amount of in-season and off-season content and become a part of the site that covers everything IDP plus Devy IDP and offense, college fantasy football, and all things “nontraditional fantasy football”.
Head on over to Fantrax and let them know we sent you! We’ll be doing best ball tournaments with them with huge prize packages and have partnered with them for the IDP invitational as well. Fantrax features big boy IDP with DT and CB positions and even an Edge rusher slot! Ditch the baby DB and DL nonsense and come play with the big boys over on Fantrax!
Join our site as a subscriber and get access to our slack channel where all the writers and subscribers talk IDP and fantasy football 24/7 all year long. Plus all our IDP tools and ADP information, both IDP only and combined offense/IDP and rankings!
Head over to dynastytradecalculator.com and use their famous trade calculator for your IDP and offense trades, the IDP portion is now powered by our IDP ADP that is always current all year long. Check out our podcasts, IDP Nation, Devy IDP Grind, Johny the Greek’s Free Real Estate, and the IDP Lounge, all can be found on our website and on YouTube as part of the IDP Guys Network.
Sign up for the 2022 Autism Speaks IDP Invitational tournament. We’ve raised over $4,000 for Autism Speaks since we started doing these and we aim to blow way past that next year.
Make sure to check out our IDP and offense rookie magazines. Both are available in print and digital form. They include over 100 prospects scouted and graded with rankings for all formats including Superflex.
We’ve got so many coals in the fire it’s borderline ridiculous. Take advantage and let us help you dominate your IDP, Devy, Dynasty, and College FF leagues for years to come.
IDPGuys.org is your one-stop-shop for all things IDP & Non-Traditional FF
Over 300 years of combined IDP experience on staff, one million-plus visits to the site
Over $4,000 has been raised for Autism Speaks by the IDP Invitational Tournaments
