TURKEY DAY (WEEK?)! The holiday season has begun, so stuff yourself with week 13 IDP starts and sits!
We are truly in the home stretch, with only 2 or 3 regular season games to go. If you are on the borderline of a playoff spot, you need to nail start-sit decisions. We have a full slate of players this week, with no byes, which is something to be thankful for! As a turkey day special, I found a start (and even a sit) for each position group during Thursday’s spectacular!
Disclaimers! In this series, we will not name the stars like Myles Garrett and Roquan Smith (unless something causes one to be a sit). I will also do my best to avoid an absurdly deep-cut former prospect that I love (if you follow the RoD PoD, you know I can tend to do this!) In this series I will be basing picks off of a balanced scoring system (like the IDP+ Invitational, which also boosts DTs and CBs to even their production out), to cover as many bases as possible! Please also note that mentions of previous finishes/points allowed come from the IDP+ data suite. If you have a more complex league scoring system, these suggestions may serve as a baseline. For a more degenerate breakdown, jump into Discord and chat with our stellar team! Now that the intro is done, let’s introduce the week 13 start-sit options!
Start: DT Christian Barmore, New England Patriots vs Indianapolis Colts
Throughout November, Indianapolis has been a top-5 DT matchup. The Colts now face the returned superstar in Barmore. Barmore has been solid in two games, despite a limited (and growing) snap share. Despite playing less than half of the total snaps, Barmore compiled 5 total tackles and a sack last week. If he can continue to see a higher share of snaps and get back into football shape, Barmore has league-winning potential. His 2023 season was incredible, with 7.5 sacks and 50 tackles over his last 11 games. There is still the risk that Barmore is limited, but the upside of a great matchup makes him a worthwhile DT play.
Last week: Gervon Dexter Sr, Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings. Finished with 20.5 points (IDPI scoring). 5 total tackles and a PBU to finish as DT7.
Sit (Turkey Day special!): DT Zach Sieler, Miami Dolphins at Green Bay Packers (TNF – Turkey Night Football)
This is a “luxury sit”, especially with a full slate and no byes. Sieler has been great this season, as a top 10 DT. Green Bay, however, has been an atrocious matchup throughout November. In IDPI scoring, the Packers have allowed 17.25 DT points per game total (which would have been DT13 overall last week, as an individual). Sieler has mostly been tackle-heavy, but sacks in consecutive weeks have boosted his scoring. The Packers have been run-heavy and great in pass protection lately, which kills that upside for the Dolphins stalwart.
Last week: Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks vs Arizona Cardinals. Finished with 45.75 points in my biggest miss of the year. I can only apologize as Williams played like Reggie White reincarnated. Mike MacDonald and co cannot be doubted again!
Thank you all for taking the time and trust to read my start-sit article! I am honored and excited to go through this exercise each week and hope that I am able to help y’all win some matchups. I will not be perfect, but promise to give my best each week and give well-thought and backed information. Feel free to reach out to chat with me about this (or anything else!) in Discord or on X, where you can find me @JoeLow63. Please also check out my podcast, Ride or Dynasty (@RideorDynasty on X) with me, Jameson Hutchison (@Jamesonrulez), and host JJ Wenner (@JJWenner) LIVE on X each Thursday at 6EST/4MT (but taking a break this Turkey Day!) and in your podcast feeds Friday mornings! Week 13 IDP Start Sit
