Taking a look at the NFL Week 15 from a IDP perspective; notes on what our writer @Orangeman3142 saw this weekend.

It’s playoff time which means no more bye weeks, no more short term guys and far fewer spot starts. You dance with the girl that you brought with you. The analysis series I’ve done all year is pretty much done, at this point we all know who we’re playing during playoffs and the only questions left are basically start or sit type stuff. I’ll still be putting that weekly start or sit article out this Sunday morning and we’ll be doing the weekly start or sit live show on Twitter and Periscope with Gary Van Dyke, Sam Lane, myself and Joe Haggan this week at 11am Eastern time.

That’s a great place to go for last minute questions for your lineup, we cover inactives on that show also. This weeks instant reaction series is going to be very short since there aren’t a ton of new developments and my new job is eating up any time I have free besides that.

So let’s get into it.

Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills

Lions: For the second week in a row it was Jarrad Davis (LB) with the best game for the Lions, he remains an end of tier one linebacker with spotty tendencies going forward. Damon “Snacks” Harrison (DT) had an awesome game as well for the Lions this week and remains a tier one auto start at defensive tackle like he has been all season.

Quandre Diggs (S) and Glover Quin (S) both had serviceable games in a not ideal matchup this week, they’re both tier two safeties for the playoffs. Darius Slay (CB) had a god awful game and I warned everyone to sit him in my start or sit article this week, the Bills aren’t exactly a strong passing offense. A’Shawn Robinson (DT) had a sub par game as well this week and has been inconsistent most of the season, I’d use another option if available.

Bills: Jordan Poyer (S) and Tremaine Edmunds (LB) had the two best games for the Bills IDP production this week, they both remain tier one options like they have been all season. With Matt Milano (LB) gone to IR it was Lorenzo Alexander (LB) stepping up with a decent game this week, overall though he’s been inconsistent all season so I’m looking elsewhere for help.

Both Trent Murphy (DE) and Jerry Hughes (DE) had bad games this week and the Bills as a defense did not record any sacks at all, they remain spotty tier two options going forward. Tra’Davious White (CB) had a solid game in a matchup I didn’t think would work out for him with the Lions beat up wide receivers corps this week, he’s been inconsistent overall this year so I would stream elsewhere.

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

Packers: Blake Martinez (LB) had a down game in a perfect matchup which is concerning, overall he’s been tremendous all season so it’s not like anyones going to bench him anyways. Kenny Clark (DT) was a surprise inactive this week and Jaire Alexander (CB) only had a serviceable game. That’s about it for Packers I follow and or care about. Maybe next season there will be more.

Bears: Roquan Smith (LB) had a monster game this week in a not great matchup, he’s something else I’ll tell ya. This guy has future tier one stud written all over him, keep plugging him in. Khalil Mack (DE) rocked Aaron Rodgers world all game long and had a monster game, he’s an auto start at defensive end and a risky play at linebacker.

Eddie “Skidmarks” Jackson (S) had enough tackles for a solid game this week and caught a pick as well, he remains a decent option as a safety two and a perennial roll of the dice because he relies on big plays for startable weeks. Adrian Amos (S) had a serviceable week as well but is the worse of the two safeties and a guy I don’t seen played often in leagues I’m in.

Prince Amukamara (CB) and Kyle Fuller (CB) both had serviceable games but I expected a lot more against the always throwing offense of the Packers, they’re both still great options to stream against teams with a good passing offense. Akiem Hicks (DE) had an off day but will be fine, he’s having a career year overall and is a tier one option at defensive end. Danny Trevethan (LB) had an off day as well but remains a solid tier two option at linebacker.

Oakland Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals

Raiders: Tahir Whitehead (LB) had a terrible week and is the only guy on this team I play weekly or even semi trust this season so his timing was remarkably bad. He remains a decent option and ideally a tier two linebacker on your team. Maurice Hurst (DT) had a serviceable game but is still just a dynasty futures option. There were plenty of other guys with solid days for the Raiders but none of them are reliable or consistent.

Bengals: Geno Atkins (DT) crawled out of his grave like a fat zombie and had a monster day for this first time in months this week. He’s been cold as ice lately but is a decent tier two option overall at defensive tackle this season. Shawn Williams (S) and Jessie Bates (S) both had off games this week but I think that had far more to do with matchup than ability. They both remain excellent tier one options let’s just hope they play against a real offense next week.

None of the Bengals linebackers had a real great game this week and that’s been a trend lately, I’m not interested in any of them at the moment. Carlos Dunlap (DE) had a bad game but remains a nice tier two option at defensive end going forward.

Dallas Cowboys @ Indianapolis Colts

Cowboys: Jaylon Smith (LB) and Leighton Vander Esch (LB) both had outstanding games this week and both remain tier one auto starts as long as Sean Lee (LB) doesn’t come back and screw up their production, which will happen very soon. Jeff Heath (S) had a monster game as well but has been spotty overall so I’m not interested.

Demarcus Lawrence (DE) had a down game this week but has had an amazing season overall so keep plugging him in as a tier one auto start defensive end. Both Byron Jones (CB) and Chidobe Awuzie (CB) had serviceable games but should have had tier one performances this week with the matchup so overall it was disappointing.

Colts: Darius Leonard (LB) and Clayton Geathers (S) both had monster games this week in an ideal matchup against a Cowboys offense that is IDP gold, both remain tier one auto starts at their respective positions. Anthony Walker (LB) had a serviceable game and is ideal as a linebacker three or four in deeper leagues. Kenny Moore (CB) had a serviceable game and has had a great season overall, definitely play him against teams with excellent passing offenses.

Jabaal Sheard (DE) had an off game in a great matchup against a Cowboys team that allows a ton of sacks to that wasn’t great, he remains a nice tier two option at defensive end though. Denico Autry (DT) had his stats from some weird things like a blocked kick but ended up with a pretty solid day, he’s been hot lately and remains a start of tier two option at defensive tackle going forward.

Keep an eye out for my weekly start or sit article dropping Sunday and catch our weekly start or sit periscope live show this Sunday @ 11AM Eastern.

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.

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