Welcome back to another season of The IDP Roundup! If you’re new here, let me say welcome. I hope this series provides you with season-long success and a hint of knowledge. What I like to do with this series is run right past the shallow end of the pool and dive headfirst into the deep end of IDP.
Last year proved to find some exciting waiver wire additions, good trade values, and plenty of fools’ gold. Fools’ gold comes with the territory! If you use this article, watch/listen to the Shoot The Gap show (every Wednesday at 10 pm EST), utilize our weekly IDP Plays/Fades, and read our IDP Waiver Wire articles, you should have all the info needed to have a superior edge on your competition. Good luck, and let’s dive into my takeaways from Week One’s IDP action to help you prepare for Week 2! Here is my IDP Roundup: Prep for Week 2 (2024)!
Buf @ MIA
- Gregory Rousseau lit up the Cardinals in Week 1 with three sacks. He now has six sacks over his past eight games. In his career vs. MIA (six games), he has 5.5 sacks, 18 tackles, 8 TFL, and 10 QB hits.
- Despite only playing 29 snaps, Von Miller looked like his old self with five pressures (26% pressure rate).
- Terrell Bernard played 100% of the snaps and recorded the 2nd most Solo Tackles on the Week (10).
- With Taron Johnson out for the foreseeable future, the Bills turned to Cam Lewis in his place. Lewis responded with 10 tackles! At 5’11’’ and 185 lbs, he was unafraid to meet bigger players head-on! I’ll be watching.
- Despite being on a “snap count,” Jaelan Phillips played 34 snaps (64%)
- Jordyn Brooks and David Long played 100% of the snaps in Week 1. I am much more optimistic about both in this new scheme.
LV @ BLT
- The Raiders will be without Malcolm Koonce for at least the next four weeks, and it would appear that first-round pick Tyree Wilson may be sidelined for a few weeks as well. Outside of Maxx Crosby, there isn’t much pass-rush to be had on this team.
- Christian Wilkins had a solid game against the run in Week 1. Look for another solid game against the Ravens.
- It’s only a matter of time before Trenton Simpson sees more than 70% of the snaps as he had in Week 1. Malik Harrison was PFFs 3rd worst graded LB in Week 1.
- I have been a fan of David Ojabo going back to his days at Michigan. It was good to see him get his 3rd sack of his career, and definitely a name to monitor going forward. The three QBs he has sacked: Burrow, Stroud, Mahomes
LAC @ CAR
- Khalil Mack has picked up right where he left off in 2023. Mack had five pressures, 1.5 sacks, two QB hits; and now has three straight games with a sack.
- Denzel Perryman, Daiyan Henley, and Junior Colson each played >50% of the snaps, yet none of them played >60%. Each took turns wearing the Green Dot. I am OUT on all three for now.
- Carolina allowed 22 pressures and four sacks to the Saints last week. Look for Mack and Bosa to have good games. If the Chargers follow the Saints’ roadmap, Ja’Sir Taylor should blitz off the corner, a la, Alontae Taylor.
- The Panthers had one player on their defense going into the 2024 season that I liked, Derrick Brown. Brown was placed on season-ending IR.
- I don’t expect the Panthers to do much offensively, so I plan for Josey Jewell and Shaq Thompson to see 70+ snaps. Both could be solid LB2s simply due to volume
N.O @ DAL
- Despite not appearing in the box score, Chase Young was a menace in Week 1. Young had five pressures and the 12th-best win rate (per PFF). The Cowboys only allowed seven pressures to Cleveland in Week 1.
- Alontae Taylor is off to a hot start, recording three sacks and six tackles and was targeted 15% of the time. Taylor was the 2nd most targeted CB in 2023, and with blitz schemes like he had in Week 1, he could be a nice addition if available.
- The Cowboys generated 40 pressures as a team in Week 1 vs Cleveland.
- DeMarvion Overshown played extremely well in Week 1, despite only playing 61% of the snaps. While there was a definite rotation between Nick Vigil and Damone Clark, it was Overshown who made the best use of the snaps. His 11 tackles led the Cowboys!
T.B. @ DET
- YaYa Diaby was the edge rusher to note in TB, as he had five pressures (25% pressure rate). Unfortunately, he will have his hands full with Penei Sewell this week. YaYa is a NoNo for Week 2.
- I’m pretty disappointed about KJ Britt in Week 1. Britt only played on 66% of the snaps and was replaced in passing-down situations for SirVocea Dennis. If Britt is being rotated on passing downs, this is a terrible matchup against DET.
- Jordan Whitehead played a solid 54% of his snaps in the box or in the slot.
- Antoine Winfield suffered a foot sprain and will miss a couple of weeks.
- Aiden Hutchinson was on a mission Sunday night (11 pressures).
- The real surprise was seeing a healthy (for now) Marcus Davenport record six pressures. Playing opposite Hutch could do wonders for Davenport, assuming he stays healthy (big assumption)
- Alex Anzalone just won’t go away. Personal bias aside, he played 100% of the snaps, recorded 13 tackles (10 solo) and had three TFLs.
- The second LB role in Detroit would appear to favor Derrick Barnes. Barnes played 82% of the snaps and was integral to their run support.
- Brian Branch could have easily been the DB1 on the week. He had two dropped INTs, one of which could have been an easy pick-six. His recognition and tackle skills are incredible.
IND @ GB
- E.J. Speed may be the LB to have over Zaire Franklin! It’s a bold take, I get it, but Speed recorded 10 tackles in Week 1, increasing his streak to five straight games with 10+ tackles and 8+ solos.
- Nick Cross and Julian Blackmon both had huge tackle games, as Joe Mixon ran through the first two lines of defense with ease. Look for Jacobs to do the same, potentially without Jordan Love. I wouldn’t expect double-digit tackles for both without Jordan Love to help move the chains.
- Rashan Gary continues to be under-appreciated. Gary has a sack and three pressures; he has now had at least three pressures in all but three games dating back to the 2021 season. *The sack was a result of a Lane Johnson error, as he thought the play was dead*
- Quay Walker played 100% of the snaps. Isaiah McDuffie played 96% and was manhandled on many of those plays. Don’t be surprised if Edgerrin Cooper starts to creep in on his playing time. Cooper has three tackles on 11 snaps.
- Javon Bullard will be a DB2 by the end of the season, maybe by the end of Week 6. My thought is that the Packers will deploy Xavier McKinney deep at a higher % than was shown in Week 1. Bullard recorded 11 tackles and should have another productive week vs Jonathan Taylor and the Colts.
CLV @ JAX
- Myles Garrett was added to the Thursday injury report (foot).
- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was finally given the keys to the defense, as he played 100% of the snaps!
- Grant Delpit was heavily used at or around the box or in the slot (90%)
- Cleveland was bullied by the Cowboys, allowing 40 pressures!
- Josh Hines-Allen will look to exploit the Browns’ O-Line. That being said, both Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin practiced on Thursday.
- Travon Walker had a great game all-around in Week 1. He recorded two sacks (one of which was Tua sliding, but whatever!) and he also led all Edge rushers with a 54% run-stop win rate.
SF @ MIN
- The Vikings OTs are a handful, but Leonard Floyd and Nick Bosa will both be a handful this year. Don’t be surprised if Floyd starts entering DL2/DL3 rankings against better matchups.
- Andrew Van Ginkel continued his dominant ways of 2023. The concern was a rotation with Dallas Turner, but apparently, Pat Jones decided to enter the mix.
- Speaking of Pat Jones, he had a 0% pass-rush win rate. If you combine the win rates of Jones, Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner, you still come up short of Danielle Hunter’s 24% in Week 1.
- The green dot belonged to Blake Cashman in Week 1. While Ivan Pace was productive (16% tackle rate), until he sees more than 54%, he can’t be started. I am sorry if you have him because of me.
- Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus all played 90% of the snaps, with Metellus playing the most box/slot snaps of the three.
SEA @ NE
- Boye Mafe saw a huge workload (87%) and responded with nine pressures (23% pressure rate.
- Both Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker had a full-time role. Dodson should be rostered more than he is at this moment!
- Julian Love had a really nice game (12 tackles-10 Solo, 1 INT). Hard to replicate that type of game against the Patriots, since I can’t see them throwing the ball 40+ times.
- Keion White needs to be on your team! He played in over 80% of the snaps and had 2.5 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 TFLs, and 4 tackles.
- I really want to see Josh Uche in a full time role at some point. When given 30+ snaps during his career, he has produced 5+ pressures in 8/10 games.
NYJ @ TEN
- CJ Mosley played in 87% of the snaps, but that was simply due to a minor injury. There is nothing to see here.
- Tony Adams and Chuck Clark were the only safety tandem to both play 60% of the snaps in the box/slot. Will we see this again in Week 2?
- Harold Landry III played an impressive 93% of the snaps and recorded a sack. It is hard to overlook such volume, even if it wasn’t the most productive from a pass-rush efficiency standpoint (0% win rate/11% pressure rate)
- T’Vondre Sweat was hyped up by Chris Jones pre-draft, and I loved the landing spot (wish it was the Chiefs), lining up next to Jeffrey Simmons. No 350 lb man should be able to move like that. If you have a DT spot on your roster, he could be a great add.
- Ernest Jones only played 47% of the snaps, but it is reported that he should see his workload increase in Week 2. I’m still leaving him on my bench.
- As expected, L’Jarius Snead will no longer be in the slot, which takes him out of my DB conversations
NYG @ WSH
- The Vikings’ OL limited the Giants to only 11 pressures in Week 1, but luckily for Brian Burns, he will face the Commanders in Week 2.
- Micah McFadden returned to practice on Wednesday.
- Rookie Tyler Nubin paced the Giants’ defense with seven tackles. Great news for a situation that was murky heading into Week 1.
- Bobby Wagner does what Bobby Wagner does. It appears that Frankie Luvu is going to be deployed more on the Edge and blitz often. This drastically lowers his ceiling and floor in my eyes, but he will have very productive games if the Commanders can establish some leads.
- Jeremy Chinn wasn’t a 100% snap contributor. He did play a healthy amount in the box (66%), but I am worried about his upside if this is a trend.
LAR @ ARI
- Jared Verse delivered on his 1st round draft cost, registering four tackles, a sack and two QB hits.
- It appears the Troy Reeder smoke did lead to fire, as he was the lone 100% snap LB. He and fellow LB Christian Rozeboom (76%) both had nice Week 1. For now, Reeder is the more trusted.
- Kamren Curl managers were hoping for a big-time box/slot snap percentage, which they got (45%). While the stats weren’t elite (5 tackles), trust the process moving forward.
- Zaven Collins led all EDGE rushers with six run-play tackles, (9 total), but failed to record a single pressure.
- Kyzir White was the three-down LB in Week 1, followed by Mack Wilson (63%).
PIT @ DEN
- TJ Watt was a man on a mission! Surprisingly, he could have had an even bigger game if not for a few penalties. The offside penalty he received was bogus in my eyes.
- I loved what I saw out of Payton Wilson. Look out, Elandon Roberts.
- I want to recommend Jonathan Cooper week in and week out, but I never follow through. Cooper had an egregious 33% pressure rate, two sacks, four QB hits, and two TFLs. Justin Fields has been known to hold onto the ball way too long!
CIN @ KC
- Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard combined for nine of the 17 Bengals’ pressures.
- Surprisingly, Logan Wilson recorded three of his own. The three pressures match a career high, but I honestly don’t think they will be worth much note, as they were all unblocked.
- Logan Wilson was a DNP on Wednesday but got in a limited practice on Thursday.
- Dax Hill was most likely not going to reprise his role that he had in 2023, and it was proven in Week 1 as he played 80% of his snaps out wide.
- If “Furious” George Karlaftis replicates last week’s intensity and 80% snap share, it’s hard to envision him not appearing in the box score with a sack.
- If something were to happen to Drue Tranquil, Leo Chenal would be an immediate waiver wire add. That said, he simply doesn’t play enough, despite his ability to stuff the stat sheet in limited opportunities.
- Justin Reid and Bryan Cook both played 100% of the snaps, but Justin Reid’s 53% box snaps really stood out. Reid was second on the team in tackles with nine, eight of which were solo.
CHI @ HST
- Darrell Taylor had one heck of a debut! Despite playing the 3rd most snaps of the Bears’ pass rushers, he recorded two sacks and eight tackles.
- The battle of “who will have more sacks?” between Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson remains tied at zero.
- Jorge Edwards recommended Henry T’oTo’to on Sunday’s Pre-Game Show. It looks like he was right, and we should all feel pretty comfortable with him playing nearly 90% of snaps.
- Monitor Jalen Pitre in his new role as a slot corner. Slot corner has been a position that can provide sneaky IDP upside.
ATL @ PHI
- Welcome, Matthew Judon, and welcome back, Grady Jarrett. Both played nearly 70% of the snaps and added to the sack column.
- Kaden Ellis was the only LB to play full-time, while Nate Landman and Troy Anderson split duties (55:45).
- Nate Landman displayed his excellent run-play tackling, as his seven tackles against the run were the 4th most in the NFL.
- Following a fabulous 2023 season, Jessie Bates III was used in the box 37% of the time. For example, he was in the box for only 18% of the time in Week 1 of 2023.
- Zach Baun proved that the talk about him being in a three-down role, and having IDP production, wasn’t just “talk”. Baun had the game of his career, recording 15 tackles (11 solo), 2 sacks, 1 TFL and 2 QB hits. If he is still available, go grab him.