Welcome to the IDP Guys’ weekly IDP game reviews and IDP waiver wire! Our team has broken down each game and the IDP takeaways for the most relevant IDP players and gives you IDP waiver wire pickup suggestions. May the fantasy gods be forever in your favor!
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wpDataTable with provided ID not found!Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears
By Steve Tomasin (@DynastySanta)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Carolina Panthers
No sacks in this one, but DT Derrick Brown had a massive tackle game. Something we knew he’s been capable of since his breakout Week 1 performance. This was his best IDP fantasy week since Week 1 so those who were patient and ate some duds to go along with a handful of mediocre games were rewarded.
With Brian Burns out, we correctly called that Amare Barno would have a nice game. A sack would have sweetened the deal but his 5 tackles without any big splash plays were a decent enough floor. Barno and rookie third-round edge rusher DJ Johnson received the most playing time on the defensive line and could be decent deeper dynasty league stashes. Especially with rumors of Brian Burns getting traded this year, he could be gone in 2024 opening some nice opportunities.
Someone named Eku Leota played 44% of the snaps as well as a DL/edge rusher.
At linebacker, it continues to be the Frankie Luvu show and no one else is worth rostering. This week’s random LB2 participant was won by Deion Jones, followed by Kamu Grugier-Hill. Neither played more than 50% of the snaps, while Luvu played all 100%.
The defensive backs ruled the IDP fantasy points production for the Panthers. Surprisingly, it was the CBs, Donte Jackson and Dicaprio Bootle, whose scores were somehow the highest against Tyson Bagent and the paltry Chicago Bears’ passing attack.
Vonn Bell returned to full health this week and played 100% of the snaps alongside Xavier Woods. Neither safety had much production but it is encouraging to see them both play every snap. With the concerns at linebacker, I would bet on far better production going forward for both. Bell also played more “free” safety (34 of 72 snaps) than we normally like to see from him, so hopefully that doesn’t become a trend.
IDP Waiver Wire Carolina Panthers
Not a lot for redraft leagues unless managers have dropped Vonn Bell or Xavier Woods. Bell has the most appeal as Woods plays much deeper so his production will be much more lumpy than Bell’s.
In deeper dynasty leagues, I am a fan of stashing both Amare Barno and DJ Johnson if you have the room and only if they have DL eligibility.
With the Panthers in lost-season mode, Eku Leota was another edge rusher who saw somewhat significant time. A name to monitor if Burns continues to miss time or the Panthers decide to shut him down.
IDP Takeaways Chicago Bears
DT Justin Jones continues to be a rock-solid IDP fantasy DT2 who is under the radar. He plays an average of 69% of the snaps (nice) which is great for IDP fantasy for a DT.
Elsewhere on the defensive line, we had three total sacks in this game for the Bears. None of them belonged to Montez Sweat. Sweat logged only 3 QB hits and nothing else. It could be panic time but he’s still playing a significant amount of snaps so there is plenty of chance to get burned benching or dropping him.
It’s a really tough call with what to do with Sweat right now. This was a plus-matchup for IDP fantasy points given up to DEs by Carolina. Rasheem Green and Yannick Ngakoue took advantage, each logging a sack. I wouldn’t drop Sweat but a trip to the bench until he picks up some steam is probably the right call.
It was nice to Jaquan Brisker return healthy after a two-week absence and back to IDP fantasy dominance. Hopefully, he will reenter IDP stud status and be a confident weekly player.
IDP Waiver Wire Chicago Bears
Justin Jones, even in non-DT-required leagues, should be on your radar.
In CB-required leagues, Kyler Gordon shouldn’t be available but it might be due to previous injury issues and a slow return to IDP fantasy production.
If Jack Sanborn is floating out there, he just played 95% of the snaps but does generally just give you tackles without much else in the big splash play department. Tremaine Edmunds should be back soon but we don’t have a great idea of when exactly.
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots (GERMANY)
By Steve Tomasin (@DynastySanta)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Indianapolis Colts
A total of five sacks for the Colts’ defensive line in this one! Three of which belonged to Dayo Odeyingbo on just 58% of the snaps. Kwity Paye logged a sack as well, despite missing some playing time with a hamstring injury but he did return. And the last one was to Tyquan Lewis on just 32% of snaps. A nice outing for this group! Samson Ebukam was the odd man out but was getting pressure as well. It seems to be a different edge/DE each week who pops so tread carefully rolling Odeyingbo into your starting lineup chasing this week’s points.
Thank goodness Zaire Franklin was healthy and returned to play 100% of the snaps so we didn’t have to deal with another Segun Olubi outing. Beyond Franklin, Shaquille Leonard and E.J. Speed continue to split time as LB2 so that is a headache I want no part of for the rest of the year.
Julian Blackmon bolstered his day with an interception on the Patriots’ last play of the game and continues to be a rock-solid DB2 option in all formats. “Juju” Julius Brents might be back next week and would take back the role Jaylon Jones has been playing which has been lucrative for IDP fantasy purposes. Kenny Moore came back down to Earth but we couldn’t expect the monster performances to keep up. He still gave us a nice game and remains a locked-in must-start in CB-required leagues. In just DB leagues, he is more of a DB3 with a humongous ceiling.
IDP Waiver Wire Indianapolis Colts
Julius Brents should be back soon and on rosters in CB-required leagues.
Be careful chasing Dayo Odeyingbo‘s performance. He certainly should be rostered but not sure he is trustworthy as a weekly starter.
IDP Takeaways New England Patriots
This was a stinker for pretty much all Patriots’ IDPs. Without Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai played 100% of the snaps but only returned mediocre production. If Bentley continues to miss time, Tavai has some appeal in deeper leagues.
The defensive line/pass-rushing group recorded zero sacks and their tackle production was split across a handful of players, making for a frustrating IDP day.
Myles Bryant was the top IDP fantasy scorer as a cornerback and has been the most consistent IDP producer from this cornerback group. Kyle Dugger put up a dud on 100% of the snaps so he is back to being disappointing.
IDP Waiver Wire New England Patriots
Davon Godchaux has strung together a few solid weeks on the back of a solid tackle floor. He is a dart throw deep add in DT-required leagues only.
Christian Barmore has sack upside with a very low floor but is an attractive option in DT-required leagues.
Anfernee Jennings is playing a good amount of snaps and giving us a decent tackle floor. If/when the sack(s) ever comes, he will be a hot waiver wire commodity. Be ahead of the curve on him.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
By Joseph Harlow (@joelow63)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Cleveland Browns
Garrett…is still ridiculous
Myles Garrett now leads the league with 11 sacks in 9 games. Crazy production from an elite player. Za’Darius Smith added half a sack along with JOK and Greg Newsome. Sack production from all levels is a great sign going forward.
More linebacker clarity?
We have seen a four-man rotation at LB this season, however, it dropped one man (Tony Fields) against Baltimore. It could be a gameplan result, but seeing Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Anthony Walker each see over 70% of snaps would make both relevant going forward. Even Sione Takitaki’s 60% of snaps are usable in deep leagues.
Ward injured
Denzel Ward left early in the game with a “minor neck sprain” and did not return. This forced Greg Newsome to play more on the outside, with Mike Ford manning the slot role. Newsome still had a fantastic IDP game, but his being on the outside would lower his floor.
IDP Waiver Wire Cleveland Browns
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo again saw similar snaps to Za’Darius Smith. He is pressuring the QB well and is a deeper league shot at the upside.
Linebackers Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Walker, and Sione Takitaki have been massively frustrating for IDP leagues this season. With that said, they should be rostered (Takitaki only in deep leagues) as they have upside potential.
Mike Ford appears to be the slot man if Denzel Ward misses time (current slot Greg Newsome shifted outside this week when Ward left). This is a great role to have, so it is worth monitoring.
IDP Takeaways Baltimore Ravens
Kyle. Freaking. Hamilton.
An amazing day for the star DB. With Marcus Williams healthy, Hamilton only saw 12 (of 78 snaps – 100%) as a deep safety, instead seeing the majority of time in the slot or on the line. Having this role unlocks Hamitlon’s IDP potential, and will allow him the opportunity to break out as many predicted.
Roquan. Freaking. Smith.
Smith had 21 tackles today. Just today, not over a two or three-game sample! Absurd production from one of the best in the game. Patrick Queen still had a solid day, showing just how high the ceiling and floor are for this duo.
Jadeveon. Freaking. Clowney?
Not just him, but the pass rush as a whole continues to impress. Odafe Oweh and Justin Madubuike had another sack each, to go with Clowney’s two. Kyle Van Noy applied pressure at a great clip too. Pressure is coming from everywhere, at all times on this defense.
IDP Waiver Wire Baltimore Ravens
Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, and DT Justin Madubuike need to be rostered in all leagues (deeper ones for KVN, but an upside shot in shallower ones) with how they are all applying pressure against every opponent at this time.
After an injury-maligned first year and a half for the Ravens with elite replacement production (go you, Geno Stone… pick him up too), Marcus Williams has seemingly found a good role in the Ravens D. He played almost every snap, with around 40% being in the slot or box area.
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
By Shawn Teague (@shawn8386)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Houston Texans
Many seasoned IDP veterans will tell you not to take safety or cornerback too early in your draft due to the volatility and unpredictability of the positions. Jalen Pitre has been a prime example of that reasoning this season. So far this year he has missed a few games, underperformed in a few games, and this week he dropped a huge donut in the score column. Not great for one of the top two drafted safeties in many drafts. He played every defensive snap against the Bengals and the matchup looked good on paper, it just didn’t manifest into fantasy points.
DeAndre Houston-Carson had a very good day posting seven solo tackles and grabbing a Joe Burrow interception early in the fourth quarter. Houston-Carson started this week due to Jimmie Ward being declared out with a hamstring injury and played every defensive snap. Eric Murray and M.J. Stewart are both currently on IR, meaning if Ward misses next week against the Cardinals, Houston-Carson would once again be in line for the start.
After missing the last two games, Sheldon Rankins exploded back into the starting lineup and took full advantage of Cincinnati’s mediocre offensive line. Known more for his run-stuffing abilities, Rankins was all over Joe Burrow posting a career-high three sacks. He added five combined tackles, four QB hits, and forced a fumble. Rankins has been a solid streaming option for DT-required leagues for years, but this game is an outlier and you can’t expect these points every week. He does have another good matchup against Arizona next week, so he is worth a look in those DT-required leagues.
“The only thing that’s for sure about Houston’s linebackers, is nothing’s for sure.” Hopefully you wrasslin’ fans caught that reference, but Houston has made it near impossible to figure out which linebackers to start each week.
Denzel Perryman appears to have taken back over as Houston’s LB1 after playing 86% of the defensive snaps. Henry To’oTo’o missed the game with a concussion, Blake Cashman fell to a 55% defensive snap share, and Christian Harris was back up to a 64% defensive snap share. Who knows what the linebacker corps will look like once To’oTo’o returns, but Perryman is the only one to confidently trust next week.
IDP Waiver Wire Houston Texans
DeAndre Houston-Carson is a nice waiver addition if Jimmie Ward is inactive again. Keep an eye on those practice reports.
Sheldon Rankins is worth a look in deeper DT-required leagues. He had a career day against the Bengals and he has another solid matchup against the Cardinals this week.
IDP Takeaways Cincinnati Bengals
Cameron Sample filled in for the injured Sam Hubbard this week and collected a decent five tackles. Hubbard is currently projected to miss Thursday night’s game against Baltimore. Trey Hendrickson hyperextended his knee and he could miss the game as well on the short week. Monitor the practice reports this week for Hendrickson’s availability. If he does end up missing the game, expect Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai to split the work opposite of Sample.
How about Cam Taylor-Britt? He has recorded an interception in four of his last five games, and he just posted a season-high nine total tackles. All of Cincinnati’s cornerbacks did well in this game against Houston’s high-powered passing attack, but it was Taylor-Britt who stole the ball back to keep the Bengals in the game. He is on a hot streak that anybody in a CB required should be riding.
Daxton Hill showed some life with seven total tackles and a pair of pass deflections. He had been going through a cold spell before this weekend so maybe he will start heating back up. He plays the Ravens on Thursday and the last time these teams faced off, Hill recorded 12 tackles. Look for him to have another solid day against the division rivals this week.
We were left to suffer through another low-scoring Nick Scott game. There was some hope a few weeks back that Jordan Battle was gaining more playing time, but he has only managed 37 snaps over the last three weeks, including just 11 on Sunday. With Scott’s inefficiency and Battle’s lack of playing time, neither is startable right now.
IDP Waiver Wire Cincinnati Bengals
Cameron Sample would be the top target with Hubbard likely out again and Hendrickson’s availability in question.
In deep desperation scenarios, Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai could both be some dart throws this week.
Cam Taylor-Britt should be rostered in all CB leagues, but it’s free to double-check those waivers to see if he is out there.
San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars
By Steve Tomasin (@DynastySanta)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways San Francisco 49ers
Are the 49ers back? This was a dominant victory by the defensive unit as a whole. Five total sacks all coming from the defensive line. Nick Bosa (finally!), Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Clelin Ferrell, and Chase Young all helped to bring down quarterback Trevor Lawrence at some point. Hopefully, we see Bosa continue this momentum for managers through the fantasy playoffs after a lackluster year to date.
Chase Young didn’t have much else to go with his half-sack so he will be a risky starter in your lineup going forward.
Both of the 49ers’ stud LBs did their jobs for the team as well as IDP fantasy managers. Let’s hope both Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw stay healthy for the remainder of the year so that we can plug them into our lineups with confidence every week.
Talanoa Hufanga had a nice tackling day to go along with his big splash play interception so we will take that! His production has been a bit lumpy this year as well so hopefully, the tackles stay high and consistent through the fantasy playoffs.
IDP Waiver Wire San Francisco 49ers
I wouldn’t go running to add Arik Armstead unless you’re desperate.
If Javon Hargrave was dropped by a frustrated manager or for the bye week last week, he should be rostered.
IDP Takeaways Jacksonville Jaguars
In this stinker, there weren’t many relevant players beyond the linebacker studs in Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd. Oluokun “stole” two sacks from edge rusher Josh Allen on his only two pressures of the game. Allen had five pressures. The sacks should come for Allen but he is slumping right now. You probably won’t want to miss the bounceback game, however.
Safety Andrew Wingard was efficient and productive on just 50% of the snaps played. Not something to chase as Andre Cisco and Rayshawn Jenkins each played 100% of the snaps.
Darious Williams is human! He has cooled off since his Week 4 & 5 breakouts. This is the way with CBs. He is still playing a significant amount of snaps but Tyson Campbell is back and may steal some targets and opportunity for IDP fantasy points away from Williams going forward.
IDP Waiver Wire Jacksonville Jaguars
I was excited to see DT Dawuane Smoot return to action. After a solid performance in Week 7, he has been slumping. If his snap counts can rise back closer to 50-60%, I would roster him in deeper leagues starting 3-4 DLs.
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
By Joseph Harlow (@joelow63)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways New Orleans Saints
The LB hierarchy remains clear
Demario Davis had another great game, while Pete Werner was solid but unspectacular. Davis is an LB1 for the rest of the season, while Werner is a floor play, but needs a turnover to be fully relevant.
Cam Jordan continues to struggle
Cameron Jordan has been just as great and steady on the field as he has for the past decade, but those numbers still aren’t coming for fantasy leagues. He is tied with Carl Granderson (go Pokes) for the team lead and 14th league-wide in pressures (per PFF) but only has 2 sacks to show for it. He should be rostered, but can’t be started until we see numbers start to come.
Safety situation still flipped
Marcus Maye again saw more slot/box work than Tyrann Mathieu (~70% for Maye, ~30% for Mathieu, with both playing every snap) leading to a better role and floor for Maye. Both had a solid game, but this now seems a trend instead of a one-off. Maye is the better, safer play going forward.
IDP Waiver Wire New Orleans Saints
Jason Pierre-Paul has signed with the Saints, following rookie Isaiah Foskey’s addition to IR. With Tanoh Kpassangon losing snaps and no DT separating from the pack, he could have value once back into game shape.
Another add may be at CB, with Marshon Lattimore dealing with a high-ankle sprain. Isaac Yiadom took over the outside CB snaps and would be the name to watch at this time.
IDP Takeaways Minnesota Vikings
The DBs are great plays almost every week
Breakout IDP superstar Cam Bynum had his worst game of the year, no worries as this happens though. Byron Murphy continues to see a large target volume and made a bunch of plays this week (as did Mekhi Blackmon). Josh Metellus added another 7 tackles, while Harrison Smith also had a solid 5 tackles. All the DBs are playable in most formats most weeks.
Hicks injured
Jordan Hicks left the game early with an injury that became very serious and required surgery. Ivan Pace saw 84% of total snaps, with Hicks down, and could be the top LB with Hicks down, though they did sign an old friend (check into the next section for more on that).
The pass rush exists outside of Hunter!
Danielle Hunter added another sack to his massive total, keeping a share of the league lead. Secondary rusher D.J. Wonnum and top interior rusher Jonathan Bullard also added sacks against the Saints, giving some hope for future production.
IDP Waiver Wire Minnesota Vikings
Jonathan Bullard saw over 50% of snaps for the 6th straight game and recorded his first sack.
Former star Anthony Barr was signed back in Minnesota following the Jordan Hicks injury. He may take over the Ivan Pace role as LB1 when back in game shape. He is a solid add with LB1 potential (though low odds) at this point.
Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
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