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!
*Please check back frequently for written updates as our writers and editors are all on different schedules. Updates will occur all day throughout the day on Tuesdays & Wednesdays*
*All scoring from the IDP Invitational Charity League
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Check out the Week 11 IDP waiver wire!
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
By Steve Hungarter (@IDPHunter)
A true upset happened in this one as the 5-6 Packers somehow swooped in and got the win over an 8-3 Lions team. There were some unexpected turn of events that unfolded during the game. A particularly intriguing and unforeseen occurrence was the Green Bay defensive line overpowering the Lions’ offensive line. Until this match, the Lions had been highly regarded for their offensive line prowess, but in this instance, they were clearly outmatched. This development could be attributed to Green Bay’s health and this was nice to see.
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Green Bay Packers
Rashan Gary beat Taylor Decker three times for three sacks. Gary is simply sensational when healthy, to say he is breaking out is such an understatement. Gary was already the team’s sack leader and continues to increase his game play adding three more sacks to his resume. Also worth mentioning, is the fumble recovery as mentioned above was sorely needed as this team was getting the reputation of not generating turnover. It is safe to say, he is back.
Another surprise was Green Bay entered this game, with the second-fewest turnovers on defense. That changed with two forced fumbles. One of those was a Jonathan Owens interception return for a touchdown. (more on that below)
The secondary held up and looked sharp, particularly at cornerback. I believe a lot of that might have been because of the pass rush. Still giving credit where credit is due, they were able to hold Amon-Ra St. Brown to a pedestrian ten yards per catch, which wasn’t enough in this. Jared Goff was limited to just a 6.9 passing average as well so the secondary did their job.
IDP Waiver Wire Green Bay Packers
Isaiah McDuffie (2%) is always a name to add off waivers here simply because the top two options are usually hurt he is starting to generate interest as a fill-in, especially after this 11 tackles (five being solos) performance. He is starting to have a good season of the other two guys’ scraps.
Preston Smith (5%) had 65% snaps and four tackles. He has had a reputation for showing up on TNF.
Jonathan Owens (8%) not just the turnovers, but the tackle for a loss and a key hit on Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs in the third quarter set the tone. Keep an eye on injuries if Darnell Savage or Rudy Ford are to miss again, as Owens has a history of showing up and having a few games when called upon, before disappearing a few games. He should be available on the waiver wire.
IDP Takeaways Detroit Lions
Perhaps we have praised the Lions’ offensive line this year a little too much. They did not show up for this matchup, and it was the X factor, giving up three sacks and 12 quarterback hits. The Lions were not able to get to Love, while Goff was gotten to a little too much was the biggest mismatch in this game.
Taking all this into account the Lions will need to figure this out before the playoffs, as several teams are loaded on the defensive front and they are starting to get a reputation for not being able to rise up to top completion like the Ravens game. I am hopeful the coaching staff could fix these tweaks.
IDP Waiver Wire Detroit Lions
Brian Branch (12%) has earned himself top-tier rankings, in this game he gave us eight tackles. Expect him in the tier 2 of DB rankings moving forward.
Jerry Jacobs (28%) has seven tackles albeit due to the game script. Still, he is worth a look in deep leagues where you don’t have anyone or need a CB.
Derrick Barnes (9%) to the aggrevations of fans everywhere still continues to vulture tackles from better options named Jack Campbell, so you could start him too even though no one wants to.
Alim McNeill (2%) is a name to start to get used to in deep contests. As a DT, he eats up a lot of double teams so nothing exciting, he’s been steady at 3-6 tackles per week.
Tracy Walker‘s (6%) or Kerby Joseph‘s (12%) rotation is enough to drive you mad but it’s still wacky enough that you could start either one.
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys
By Steve Tomasin (@DynastySanta)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Washington Commanders
There were not a ton of IDP fantasy points to go around in this game. Percy Butler topped the Commanders group with just 12 IDP fantasy points. Turns out, when the Commanders aren’t playing the New York Giants, they even stink by IDP fantasy metrics.
No major takeaways beyond Cody Barton immediately returning to play 100% of the snaps as LB1 and reducing Jamin Davis back to LB2 duties and 76% of the snaps. This is how they should be valued for IDP fantasy going forward.
IDP Waiver Wire Washington Commanders
Cody Barton, Percy Butler, and Casey Toohill are about the only worthy Commanders possibly on waivers who could help your IDP teams. They are all very much matchup-dependent.
IDP Takeaways Dallas Cowboys
History was made! Even as an Eagles fan, it was really cool to see Daron Bland return his fifth interception for a TD this season to set a new NFL record. As we wrote, when he has a top-10 matchup in terms of fantasy points against CBs, he is a better option in your starting lineup than even most safeties.
Demarcus Lawrence is officially washed and hopefully, Sam Williams gets some more run and a larger share of snaps going forward.
Rumors of Shaquille Leonard signing have been swirling but he left his meeting with the Cowboys contractless. It would be interesting to see who he displaces between Damone Clark and Markquese Bell.
IDP Waiver Wire Dallas Cowboys
Donovan Wilson saw his playing time spike up to 90% so let’s hope that trend continues and he becomes usable for IDP fantasy managers once again.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways San Francisco 49ers
IDP Waiver Wire San Francisco 49ers
IDP Takeaways Seattle Seahawks
IDP Waiver Wire Seattle Seahawks
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
By Steve Hungarter (@IDPHunter)
The big plays on and fast players on defense and on offense are what people remember most but it was the guys in the trenches that sealed the victory here. The Dolphins making quick work of the Jets’ horrible offensive line and getting to quarterback Tim Boyle is the story here as they sacked him 5 times.
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Miami Dolphins
Jevon Holland‘s 99-yard touchdown for interception was a thing of beauty and might have been the nail in the coffin (if it was not sealed shut already) on the Jet’s terrible offensive season. He also had 5 tackles.
Christian Wilkins gets two sacks in this game. He is known for tackles, so always nice to see him get to the QB.
Jerome Baker‘s six tackles or David Long‘s four tackles is always anyone’s guess and will be throughout the season as either one proves to be a consistent answer. The team is looking to fill that inside role with other solutions.
Losing Jaelan Phillips for the rest of the season is a brutal blow to both the Dolphins and IDP managers alike. Look for increased workloads and production from Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel, and possibly even Emmanuel Ogbah.
IDP Waiver Wire Miami Dolphins
Andrew Van Ginkel (4%) played middle linebacker in this one. The defense is still trying to figure things out but Van Ginkel has been moved around the field so will be in play.
Emmanuel Ogbah (3%) is the player to own and the immediate replacement for Phillips due to his injury.
Kader Kohou (14%) is a cornerback with many tackle-heavy weeks. For players stuck on bye weeks and need to find a guy he usually logs good snap usage and gets you 4-9 tackles a week.
IDP Takeaways New York Jets
The Jet defense was punchy, but eventually caved in. They were on the field an alarming 32 minutes of the first 45 and that is a way to wear out your defense. At this point, statistically, the Jets offense is one of the worst in history. Seriously, the Jets are on pace as being the third-worst offense in a decade converting just 22.9% of third downs. They are breaking records the wrong way, the first team since 2009 Rams to score less than 11 offensive touchdowns in 11 games.
Fun fact I’ll share. Do you know what offense was last in the NFL last season? The Denver Broncos. They both have one link between them: Nathaniel Hackett.
I said all that to convey the point of just how fragile the correlation between a strong defense versus a weak offense really is. I am not saying anything groundbreaking here, but it is a shame that this defense is being burned out. At one point they held the Dolphins to just 7-0 and stopped the Dolphins on a fourth and goal, it’s entirely unfair to keep a unit on the field as long as they have been and it is starting to show.
IDP Waiver Wire New York Jets
The Jets have a defensive back named Brandin Echols (4%), who scored a TD off an interception thrown by Tua Tagovailoa. As this team looks for next season, he may see himself increase his role. I always hate predicting DB backups, but he is a player I have been scouting and has been getting some run over two games.
Top rookie draft pick Will McDonald (27%) is starting to get playing time (trending up to 20 percent now) and notched two tackles. As the season winds down, he may be a viable playing option.
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
By Shawn Teague (@shawn8386)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways New Orleans Saints
Carl Granderson was high on the breakout candidate list this offseason and he hasn’t disappointed this season as his play secured him a fat new contract. Against the Falcons, Granderson led the team with a whopping career-high 10 tackles. Not a single tackle went for a loss, and he recorded no QB hits, but his big tackle day made up for those deficiencies. He has a tougher matchup against Detroit next week, but he averages five tackles per game and he has sack upside. He is a solid starting option.
Tyrann Mathieu followed up a season-high eight-tackle performance against Minnesota with a two-interception display against the Falcons. He added four total tackles and recorded the team’s only QB hit on the day. Mathieu isn’t being started in most leagues, but when the matchup is favorable he has shown to still be capable of these big-play days. The Falcons came into this game giving up the eighth most points to safeties. Detroit is Mathieu’s next opponent and they are giving up the tenth most points to safeties. If you want to take a risk next week on a safety with some big play upside, Mathieu could be your guy.
Two-time Super Bowl champion, Jason Pierre-Paul made his season debut for his third team in three years on Sunday when he took the field for the Saints. He played 17 snaps and registered two combined tackles. Now in his 14th season, JPP is just a rotational piece on the defensive line. He isn’t worth sprinting to the waiver wire, but he could find a spot on deep best-ball lineups.
IDP Waiver Wire New Orleans Saints
Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye are both good pickups this week against the Detroit Lions who are giving up the tenth most points to safeties. Maye is the floor guy and Mathieu is the ceiling play for those who feel like taking the risk.
Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor are two solid streaming options at cornerback for next week’s Detroit matchup. With Marshon Lattimore going on IR, Isaac Yiadom will also see an increase in playing time. He is also worth streaming consideration, but Adebo and Taylor will get more playing time.
IDP Takeaways Atlanta Falcons
We had several big IDP performances this week, but none scored bigger than Jessie Bates. He collected 12 tackles, one QB hit, one pass deflection, and he forced two red zone turnovers against the Saints. Bates returned an interception 92 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, and then he ended the third by forcing a Taysom Hill fumble. Bates is getting hot at the right time for teams to make that final fantasy playoff push.
This was the first time Kaden Elliss and David Onyemata went up against their old New Orleans team. Elliss registered six combined tackles and two tackles for a loss. He started the game hot but ended up fizzling out later in the game. Onyemata managed two solo tackles, and one QB hit, and he forced a Derek Carr fumble in the third quarter. Nothing too crazy in the boxscore for these two, “revenge games” sound nice for hype but they don’t always equal top performances for the players involved. Both Elliss and Onyemata are solid starting options at their respective positions.
Some curious snap count numbers this week. Nathan Landman saw his playing time reduced to 74% of the defensive snaps and Richie Grant saw a similar drop to 75% of the defensive snaps. Both Landman and Grant managed four tackles each. Rookie DeMarcco Hellams saw a big increase up to 53% of the defensive snaps and he collected 7 total tackles. It could be game script, but it could also be Hellams starting to take over. This is a situation that needs to be monitored because Landman and Grant could be liabilities if left in your starting lineups.
IDP Waiver Wire Atlanta Falcons
DeMarcco Hellams is a potential stash in deep leagues if you have the extra roster space. He is potentially taking more playing time from Richie Grant/Nate Landman.
David Onyemata is a fine streaming option at defensive tackle if your league requires the position.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
By Johnny Christofi (@JohnnyFreakInF1)
wpDataTable with provided ID not found!IDP Takeaways Pittsburgh Steelers
DT Cameron Heyward played a season-high 81% defensive snaps vs. Cincinnati. Along with 4 tackles, he also recorded his first sack of the season.
OLB Alex Highsmith tied his season high in snap percentage (93%) but only managed 1 tackle against Cincinnati.
ILB Elandon Roberts played 100% defensive snaps against Cincinnati, once again posting a team-high 6 tackles.
DB Trenton Thompson started again in place of the injured Minkah Fitzpatrick, recording 5 tackles and an INT in Week 12.
IDP Waiver Wire Pittsburgh Steelers
Cameron Heyward should be rostered in 2+DL leagues. Although Heyward just recorded his first sack of 2023, he has combined for 18 tackles over his last 4 games since returning from injury. Heyward’s next 4 games are against defenses who all give up top-10 most points to DTs. He’s a top 20-25 DL player for weeks 13-16.
Alex Highsmith should still be considered a top-15 DL player for Week 13 in a friendlier matchup vs Arizona.
Elandon Roberts should continue to consistently post team-leading tackle numbers down the stretch. Start him as an LB2 with a high floor and solid ceiling in Week 13 vs. Arizona.
If Minkah Fitzpatrick returns, I simply don’t think Trenton Thompson is rosterable. However, if Fitzpatrick is once again ruled out vs. Arizona, I like Thompson as a streamable DB as he’s more than held his own for Pittsburgh with Fitzpatrick hurt.
IDP Takeaways Cincinnati Bengals
DE Sam Hubbard returned from a 2-game absence and collected 4 tackles.
ILB Logan Wilson proved useful again, posting 10 tackles against Pittsburgh, but he did suffer an ankle injury late in the 4th quarter.
CB Cam Taylor-Britt was ruled out in Week 12, paving the way for CBs Mike Hilton and DJ Turner II to have more opportunities.
S Jordan Battle once again played an integral role for Cincinnati at safety alongside Dax Hill.
IDP Waiver Wire Cincinnati Bengals
With Sam Hubbard healthy again, he should make for a solid play both for the Bengals and fantasy owners in Week 13 against Jacksonville, who give up the 2nd most points to DEs this season.
Logan Wilson gets an extra day of rest as the Bengals play the Jaguars on Monday night, so as of now I expect him to play. If he doesn’t however, expect Germaine Pratt to be a solid LB2 play, with Akeem Davis-Gaither becoming a streaming dart-throw.
Cam Taylor-Britt and Mike Hilton are both solid CB plays in a Week 13 smash spot against Jacksonville, who give up the 6th most points to CBs.
S Jordan Battle should continue to rack up solid tackle numbers alongside Daxton Hill. Jacksonville isn’t extremely generous to DBs, but Battle still ranks as a high-upside DB2 in Week 13.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
By Johnny Christofi (@JohnnyFreakInF1)
