For 2022, I will be coming to you with weekly IDP Sleepers to help you set your lineups. Who should you look at obtaining for your roster before the price skyrockets?
Here are your Week 6 IDP Sleepers, one from each level of the defense.
1. Zach Allen, DL, Arizona Cardinals
Zach Allen joined the Arizona Cardinals as a third round selection in the 2019 NFL draft out of Boston College. He has improved each and every year, and 2022 looks to be a career year for Allen. His best year to date had him attain 48 tackles (30 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 14 QB hits, 4 sacks, 4 passes defended, 1 interception, and 3 fumble recoveries just last year.
Career Year for Allen
Allen started off a little slow this year, but has blown up over the last two games. He is playing roughly 80% or more of the defensive snaps and lining up inside and outside along the line. This 6′ 5″ 285 lb intimidating man is showing his worth now in his fourth year.
In his first 3 games this year, Allen produced a combined 7 tackles (2 solos), 1 tackle for a loss, 4 QB hits, and 1 pass defended. Then Week 4 arrived, and Allen delivered a massive effort with 6 tackles (3 solos), 1 tackle for a loss, 2 QB hits, 1 sack, and 3 passes defended.
Not to be outdone, Allen produced an even bigger week in Week 5 with 8 tackles (5 solos), 2 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, another sack, and another pass defended. He is DL69 on the FantasyPros ECR ROS ranking this week. He is DT1 in my league of record and DL2 overall. We do use tiered scoring to give DT more value. You can definitely do worse than Allen as a starting DL in your league.
I believe he is showing you the real Zach Allen now that he is in year four. He is not a household name yet, so take advantage and get this DT on your roster if possible. Especially if you are in a DT-required league on MFL.
2. Frankie Luvu, LB, Carolina Panthers
Frankie Luvu has burst onto the scene as an every down linebacker for the Carolina Panthers this year. This his is fifth year in the league and second with the Panthers. He was initially signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted college free agent out of Washington State. Luvu played three years with the Jets and started four games.
The 6′ 3″ 236 lb linebacker played sparingly in 40 games and produced a combined 59 tackles (44 solo), 9 tackles for a loss, 16 QB hits, 6 sacks, 2 passes defended, and a forced fumble. These numbers were good enough to net Luvu a one-year contract worth $1.1 million with just $180,000 guaranteed.
Luvu had to earn his place on the Panther’s roster. These are the numbers that place him on my Week 6 IDP sleepers list.
Earning that Panther Spot
2021 was Luvu’s best year to date. He played in all 16 games and started four of them. Luvu earned some respect with the organization while delivering 43 tackles (26 solo), 8 tackles for a loss, 5 QB hits, 1.5 sacks, a pass defended, a forced fumble, and 3 fumble recoveries. These numbers netted Luvu a 2 year $9 million contract and $4.5 guaranteed. A very nice pay raise for his efforts. This also showed that the Panthers had bigger plans for Luvu in 2022.
Frankie Luvu has arrived in 2022
Even with missing Week 5 with a shoulder injury, Luvu is still LB11 in my league of record. Somehow, on FantasyPros ECR ROS, he is LB68 which shows that a lot of people don’t believe in him yet. In his four games this year, Luvu has produced a whopping 32 tackles (25 solos), 5 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, 2 passes defended, 1 interception for a TD, and a forced fumble.
Luvu has started all four games and played 92-100% of the defensive snaps in his last three games. He will finish as a top-24 linebacker in 2022, so take advantage of the expert-reduced value and get him on your roster.
3. Alohi Gilman, DB, Los Angeles Chargers
Alohi Gilman is not a household name yet, and is most likely on your waiver wire in all of your IDP leagues. He is my entry in the week 6 IDP sleepers and was a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Notre Dame.
Nasir Adderley has been the starting free safety for the past two years and the first four games this year. With Adderly not delivering an acceptable performance in the Chargers staff’s eyes, it was time for a change.
Adderly had averaged four tackles with two solos per game in his four starts this year. He also posted a forced fumble and an interception in those combined four games. This is just not good enough for Brandon Staley and the Chargers staff.
Not Throwing Away his Shot
This is Gilman’s third year in the league while primarily playing in the nickel and dime defensive packages. He got four starts in the 26 games he played in his first two years. Those 26 games netted Gilman 49 tackles (33 solo), 1 QB hit, 1 pass defended, and 1 interception. He earned his shot in week five and got the start while playing 100% of the defensive snaps.
I believe Gilman will stay the starter now as he posted 7 tackles (4 solo) and a game-sealing interception on the goal line in his first start of 2022. This was basically double the production of any game Adderley has played this year. How will he respond, and will he be the new nickel or dime back on a part-time basis? Be that guy that takes the chance on the DB243 on the FantasyPros ECR ROS ranking. It may pay off big.
Thank you for checking out my Week 6 IDP Sleepers article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDPGuys (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber!
