My sincerest apologies for the two-week hiatus as I celebrated a friend’s wedding in Mexico and traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday, but it’s time to get back to work. As we say “adios” to Week 12, we set our sights on the upcoming fantasy playoffs.
Each week, I take a look at every game played and highlight, or highlight, some significant happenings on the IDP side of fantasy football. From injuries to monitoring snap counts, we take a deep look into the nooks and crannies to give you a competitive edge.
Saddle up as we “Round Up” the IDP landscape of Week 12!
GB @ DET
Rashan Gary feasted on Lion for Thanksgiving. His 37 snaps at ROLB was the most since Week 4, the last time they faced the Lions. Anytime you can avoid a matchup with Penei Sewell, you are wise to take advantage, which Gary did! The final stat line was seven tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles!
With Rudy Ford and Darnell Savage out, Jonathan Ownens was handed the keys to a full workload. He took the keys and drove your fantasy team to incredible heights. Owens had an incredible 12 tackles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. With Ford and Savage likely to return soon, Owens may be relegated back to a limited role.
With Devondre Campbell inactive due to a neck injury, Isaiah McDuffie filled in admirably. McDuffie finished with 11 tackles but could be back on the sidelines if Campbell is ready to return to face KC in Week 13.
Alex Anzalone suffered an injury and could miss “some time”.
Derrick Barnes should step into a full-time role and would be a solid waiver-wire add.
If you told me before the season that Anzalone would miss time, I would have thought that Jack Campbell would be the LB to roster, but I am not 100% certain. It wouldn’t shock me to see more of Malcolm Rodriguez.
WSH @ DAL
Cody Barton returned to a three-down role for the Commanders and received his highest PFF grades of the year, totaling six tackles (1 TFL). Brighter days are ahead, but the Commanders are on the BYE in Week 14 if you’re fighting for a playoff spot.
The Commanders couldn’t establish a pass rush, and I wouldn’t be rushing to add anyone from their rotation anytime soon.
Markquese Bell left the game under his own power with a stinger but was able to return. Despite playing 77% of the snaps, he was only able to muster four tackles and a pass defense.
Shaq Leonard is scheduled to visit the Cowboys at the time of writing. If they were to sign Leonard, it could mean more of a rotation for Bell.
Damone Clark led the linebackers in snaps and delivered nine tackles (1 TFL). The Cowboys face the Seahawks in Week 13, not the best matchup for LBs.
Congratulations to DaRon Bland for setting a new NFL record with FIVE interception returns for a TD.
SF @ SEA
Chase Young only recorded one pressure, his lowest total of the season. He is definitely a sack-or-bust player, especially considering he has only had three tackles in the three games since joining SF.
Nick Bosa has really benefited from the addition of Young. In the three games with Chase on the other side, Bosa has five sacks.
With Talanoa Hufango out, it was Ji’Ayir Brown, who was tasked with filling his shoes. Not quite filling his shoes with four tackles. It was really Tashaun Gipson who played more box snaps, but if I were banking on the upside, I would lean toward Brown.
The 49ers signed Erik Harris to add a veteran presence to their secondary. This could impact Brown’s playing time going forward. I will pay attention.
Tariq Woolen was apparently benched after failing to tackle properly. Pete Carroll hinted that it could be his shoulder as well. Not really IDP relevant, but it’s worth noting.
Jordyn Brooks rebounded nicely after a string of sub-par performances. Brooks finished with 12 tackles, one PD, and a pick-six!
MIA @ NYJ
Jaelan Phillips suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 12. Gut-wrenching!
The Dolphins signed Jason Pierre-Paul from the Saints practice squad on Monday.
Andrew Van Ginkel will see the majority of the “wide-9” pass rush sets, but Emmanuel Ogbah and JPP will provide much-needed depth.
David Long could see increased snaps with Van Ginkel more on the edge. With a matchup against the Commanders in Wk 13, Long could be a sneaky add off the waiver wire if available.
In 34 passing down snaps, the Jets could only muster six pressures against the Dolphins. Teams struggle to put pressure on Tua.
PIT @ CIN
Minkah Fitzpatrick should be back for Week 13.
If Minkah doesn’t play, Trenton Thompson could see another heavy workload. Thompson had a decent game, tying for the team lead with five solo tackles and an interception.
After receiving a lot of praise here and across the IDP landscape, Germaine Pratt has now given us back-to-back inefficient tackle games (6.9% tackle rate).
In his first NFL start, Jordan Battle showed us why he should be on your IDP radar. Battle contributed with eight tackles and was Cincy’s highest PFF-graded defender.
TB @ IND
Devin White continues to look like a disappointment for IDP managers. He is the LB45 on the season (FantasyPros scoring) and has only had 13 tackles over his past three games.
Ryan Neal opened his mouth about the 49ers and saw only 16 snaps. It appears that the Bucs prefer Dee Delaney.
With Lavonte David out, SirVocea Dennis stepped in as expected and played 90% of the snaps. As long as David is out, I feel like Dennis can be a trustworthy LB3/LB4
With Shaq Leonard gone, E.J. Speed saw 95% of the snaps, and Zaire was at 100%. This should be the norm moving forward.
NE @ NYG
We all knew that the Giants’ O-Line was going to allow pressures and sacks, but we didn’t know who would take advantage. This week, it was Anfernee Jennings, who had 1.5 sacks and six pressures. I wouldn’t expect this going forward.
The Patriots recorded a sack on 30% of their pressures.
Xavier McKinney is a man on a mission. Over his past four games, he is the DB1 (per FantasyPros scoring), averaging 16.8 PPG. During that span, he had 43 tackles and an interception.
If the Giants are going to be inept on offense, it is a good time to roster their IDP options.
JAX @ HOU
At this stage of the season, it’s becoming more difficult to determine which Josh Allen is more important. This Josh Allen added another 2.5 sacks to bring his season total to 12..only 1.5 off of the league lead!
Rayshawn Jenkins continues to see heavy box snaps, resulting in nine tackles. Jenkins has the 3rd most box snaps among safeties over the past three weeks.
Blake Cashman continues to be a run-stopping force and a weekly LB1 since getting full-time snaps in Week 5.
CAR @ TEN
Vonn Bell left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. Alex Cook filled in for Bell and could be worth a look in really deep leagues.
Frankie Luvu did his best Houdini disappearing act in Week 12, but I wouldn’t be worried moving forward.
Amani Hooker paced the Titans in tackles with 10, but K’Von Wallace played the 2nd most snaps and was 2nd on the team with eight tackles. It’s a pretty crowded safety room in Tennessee, but if Wallace could eat into the box snap share as he did with Arizona, he could be worth another watch.
NO @ ATL
Cameron Jordan was held without a pressure (PFF) for the 1st time all year and only the 2nd time dating back to 2016. He also suffered an ankle injury late in the 4th quarter. We will continue to monitor.
Richie Grant has seemingly lost his grip on the full-time role in Atlanta. DeMarco Hellams came in for Grant on a pivotal red-zone drive and could see increased snaps moving forward.
LAR @ ARI
The snap share may seem low for Ernest Jones, Jordan Fuller, and others, but it was simply a case of being rested in the 4th quarter.
With Kyzir White out, Josh Woods stepped in and played 100% of the snaps. While Woods didn’t do much with those snaps (Five tackles), a 3-down linebacker is always a valuable commodity.
CLE @ DEN
Myles Garrett left Week 12s contest in a sling, but is considered day-to-day. Obviously monitor his progress through the week.
If Garrett were to miss Week 13 vs the Rams, Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo would not have to split snaps and could be viable plays vs LAR.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and the rest of the Browns’ LB room has been an enigma to predict, but he has now played 92% of the snaps over the past two weeks. Of course the injury to Anthony Walker helped the elevated snap shares, but JOK could be a valuable LB with solid tackle efficiency.
A true dichotomy of outcomes for the Denver LBs. Alex Singleton received PFFs lowest grade of the game, yet led the team in tackles. Josey Jewell, on the other hand, received the highest PFF grade, and only offered IDP managers three tackles. A lot of this has to do with the Browns’ reluctance to throw Jewell’s direction.
With Kareem Jackson suspended, PJ Locke was able to overcome the ankle injury he was rehabbing and solid numbers (seven tackles, one sack and a forced fumble)
KC @ LV
George Karlaftis is making the most of a very good secondary. His pass-rush metrics may not blow your socks off, but his motor has led to a number of “coverage sacks.”
L’Jarius Sneed and Justin Reid both had nine tackles in this game, but the up-and-down season continues for the Chiefs’ secondary in IDP leagues. One of the main problems is that Spagnuolo does such a great job of mixing and matching schemes that it’s hard to project production for KC.
Maxx Crosby became the first player this year to play after being designated as “doubtful” the day before the game. Crosby is a beast, and I admire his determination and heart.
Nate Hobbs took advantage of the Chiefs’ generosity to opposing SCB/Nickelbacks. Hobbs has been really solid this year, as he is the DB7 in fantasy points per game among DBs.
BUF @ PHI
Ed Oliver continues his hot streak with his third game with 7+ pressures over the past month. The Bills have a BYE and then KC over the next two weeks, so he can probably stay off your radar.
Zach Cunningham left the game early and did not return. As with the Cowboys, the Eagles also have interest and a meeting lined up with FA Shaq Leonard.
In the meantime, Nicholas Morrow will have an everydown role, and we could see a decent uptick in snaps for Christian Harris.
Kevin Byard has really settled in nicely with the Eagles. Byard had 13 tackles and has now had no fewer than seven tackles since joining Philly.
BAL @ LAC
Justin Madubuike continues to be a dominant force across the defensive line. Madubuike’s 45 pressures are the 21st most in the NFL.
Madubuike’s 10 sacks are impressive, but so are the 55 pressures and 7.5 sacks for Jadaveon Clowney. Clowney’s 55 pressures are 7th in the NFL. The Ravens have a pretty difficult stretch for pass rushers, but both players should be rostered.
Over the past three weeks, Kyle Hamilton has played predominantly in the slot. He has turned those snaps into trustworthy production. (17 tackles, 2 TFL, 5 PDs, 1 INT)
I stand corrected on the Khalil Mack value that I downplayed a month or so ago. Over that stretch, Mack has 23 tackles, six sacks, five TFLs, three PDs, and three forced fumbles.
CHI @ MIN
Tremaine Edmunds returned to a full-time role at LB, pacing the Bears in tackles (7).
Despite the 1.5 sacks, I still don’t buy the production moving forward for Montez Sweat.
Danielle Hunter continued his sack streak to three games. This is the third streak of three or more games with a sack on the season. I’ll save you the math and let you know that he only has two games without a sack. STUD
D.J. Wonnum has taken advantage of his matchups against the Bears. In two games, he had 12 pressures, nine tackles, and a sack.
Ivan Pace has really played well in Jordan Hicks’ absence. In the two games with full-time action, Pace has 18 tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. Continue to trust him as a safe LB2 with LB1 upside if the sacks and turnovers keep pace.
