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Chasing IDP Upside in Week 9

Nate Marcum

Welcome to our team’s weekly article on IDP Fantasy Football Upside in player performance for the upcoming week!

Week 9 is here, and along with it came its ugly friend, BYE. This particular BYE is not like the other unruly and unapologetic BYEs, this one is six teams deep and leaves many of our IDP rosters decimated. For this reason, I will dig deep into the upside plays to help those in shallow and deep leagues alike. If you feel like you are scraping the bottom of the waiver wire and are all but lost, don’t fret! I will be your wingman on jump on the BYE landmine while you take home the fantasy W this week!

Defensive Line

Zach Sieler

The Miami Dolphins will get the first look at the Chicago Bears with newly traded Chase Claypool. I don’t think he changes the focus of this team, which is to run the ball. If I am looking for a DT/DE with upside, give me the player with the 3rd most run-play tackles across the DL, Zach Sieler.

Sieler may be one of the more underrated linemen in the NFL, and constantly overshadowed by Christian Wilkins, who could be in for a good game as well. Wilkins is the player more likely to find his way into your lineup, but if you have DL-specific positions and are crushed by BYE weeks, look at Sieler. Last week we saw how dominant he can be when he had four tackles (1 TFL), one sack, and two batted passes. This week, I am excited to see him go up against the Bears’ O-Line and be stout against the run. The Bears run up the middle or to the left on nearly 70% of their run plays, which happens to be Sieler’s domain.

Grover Stewart

I feel like the Defensive Tackle fans will love this article, and rightfully so. We rarely have a DT in our DL roster spot unless his name is Aaron Donald, but this week looks different. Both of my upside plays are excellent linemen who are “overshadowed” by their linemates. In this case, DeForest Buckner is casting the 6’7” shadow over Grover Stewart. Stewart is gaining traction in IDP circles due to his impressive stretch as of late. Over Indianapolis’ last two games, Stewart has totaled 20 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 PD. His 20 tackles are the most for any DL over their past two games!

I believe Stewart is a true luxury this week due to his matchup with the Patriots. The Patriots will look to run the ball as they have all season. (7th most rushing attempts in NFL). On the other hand, Stewart will be looking to stop this rushing attack, as he has done all season. (Most solo run-play tackles among DL/11th most among all positions). While I don’t know if he will have double-digit tackles again, it is reassuring that the Patriots have allowed at least one double-digit fantasy point producer in all but one game!

  

Linebacker

Quay Walker

With DeVondre Campbell likely to miss Week 9, Quay Walker looks to inherit a three-down role and wear the green dot for the Packers. Despite not playing a full-time role, Quay has been a solid option for the Packers. On the season, Walker has played 70% of the snaps yet is still 34th in total tackles. The efficiency (16.7% tackle rate) has never been questioned, but rather for how high the ceiling could be with even more snaps. We should be getting our answer this week.

The Packers will play the Lions, who are playing without T.J Hockenson and potentially D’Andre Swift. While the Lions haven’t been extremely generous to opposing LBs, the current ECR as the LB22 is just too low for Walker.

Drue Tranquill

Tranquill is in an absolute smash spot this week against the Falcons. There is a good chance that at the end of Week 9, Tranquill will finish as an LB1. Currently, he is the LB25 and probably staring a few fantasy managers in the face as they have to choose between Tranquill or someone like Roquan Smith. Let’s look at all the reasons why it’s a great matchup.

  1. Since Week 3, when he started receiving 100% of the snaps, he has been the LB13 per game.
  2. The Falcons have the 3rd most rushing attempts in the NFL. Tranquill is 18th among LB in run-play solo tackles.
  3. The Chargers’ offense will be without a bevy of weapons, which could result in a better game script for the Falcons.

If the above factors don’t just scream upside, consider that the Falcons have allowed the 12th most sacks in the NFL, and Tranquill is an excellent pass-rusher. He is currently 14th among LB with seven pressures.

Defensive Back

Damar Hamlin

Hamlin has filled in very nicely for Micah Hyde and will be asked to do even more with the loss of Jordan Poyer in Week 9. While the matchup vs. the Jets is not one that I believe the Bills will have to take too seriously, there is always a concern with divisional games on the road.

I look for Hamlin to have another double-digit fantasy output and finish as a DB2 that could still be on your waiver wire!

Andrew Adams

The Titans were expecting a lot of involvement with Amani Hooker in the Week 9 matchup vs. the Chiefs. He was to have his hands full of Travis Kelce. Now that Hooker is out for the contest, there is a good chance that Adams will be asked to pick up the slack.

With full-time work, Adams has a chance to replicate his Week 7 production, where he had 10 total tackles and a pick-six. I am not predicting an INT, but he has been heavily involved in pass-play tackles. With the Chiefs expected to march up and down the field, look for plenty of upside with Adams!

Thanks for reading our article on Chasing IDP Upside in Week 9 article.

Make sure to check out our weekly IDP rankings here!

Now go out there and crush your matchups this week!

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