What’s up fellow IDP degenerates! I have a brand new series that I will be bringing you all each week called the IDP Round Up!
Looking at the box scores each week has been adequate for many to stay competitive in the IDP streets, but how do you gain a noticeable edge? That is the goal of this article. I want to dig deep into each game and find stats, notes, injuries, trends, etc.; all with the intention of giving the tools to be proactive in your approach.
Which players are under-appreciated and deserve another chance? Which teams are putting their players in a better position to score fantasy points? Who is the next big waiver wire add that you can get a week earlier than the competition?
Welcome to The IDP Round Up from Week 3 (2023).
NYG @ SF
- Talanoa Hufanga saw a season low 15% box snaps in this game and was saved with a late game INT.
- Drake Jackson recorded just one pressure zero tackles. He will be a volatile player week in and week out.
- Micah McFadden had something to prove in Week 3. McFadden made the most of his 60 snaps (73%) by recording 10 tackles (four for loss, which is the most in a single game by any player in 2023) and some great plays in coverage, which the box scores don’t show.
GB @ NO
- De’Vondre Campbell left the game after only 13 snaps with an apparent ankle injury. I didn’t see a singular play that led to the injury, but he didn’t return. Continue to monitor. If Campbell misses Week 4, Isaiah McDuffie would be next in line for snaps.
- Rashan Gary added another five pressures to his season total (13) and now possesses an impressive 29% pressure rate.
- Alontae Taylor is creeping into the CB that could be started in your DB slot. CBs are hard to trust due to their volatility, but with Taylor’s slot coverage ability, he has been one step away from interceptions in three straight games. Taylor was the DB3 on the week, with five pass break ups, one sack, and five solo tackles. Keep an eye out for any matchups that teams heavily target the slot position!
LAC @ MIN
- Kenneth Murray might never grade out as PFFs #1 LB, but if Eric Kendricks misses any more time, Murray has shown he can provide solid value with a complement of snaps.
- The Chargers moved Joey Bosa next to Tuli Tuipulotu, and the results were incredible! Tuli had a breakout week with nine pressures, resulting in a sack and four QB hits. We saw Morgan Fox have bigger games when Bosa was lined up next to him. Sneaky DROY candidate.
- Derwin James left with a hamstring injury. Will have an MRI but he doesn’t seem fazed and/or worried about missing time. Alohi Gilman is a name to remember.
- I still love Ivan Pace Jr for 2023, but need to watch his snaps against pass-heavy teams. Pace only played 62% of snaps, but did have 17 pass-rush snaps! Pace is now at 29 blitzes, 2nd in the NFL to teammate Jordan Hicks. Vikings will travel to Carolina, which means better days ahead.
NE @ NYJ
- If teams are going to run on the Jets, Jordan Whitehead should move up your DB rankings. Whitehead is tied for league-lead in run-play tackles among safeties. His seven this week paced the Jets
- Quincy Williams is having a sneaky good tackle-floor season. His 23 solo tackles are 2nd in the NFL among LB
- Quinnen Williams added six more pressures to his season total (12), but hasn’t recorded a sack yet. He and Dexter Lawrence are the only two players with >12 pressures and zero sacks.
- Kyle Dugger doubled his season total in tackles, but his box snaps are down compared to previous seasons.
JAX @ HOU
- Rayshawn Jenkins had season-high 55% box snaps in Week 3. Jenkins’ 17 solo tackles are good for 7th among DB
- Devin Lloyd saw his snaps dip to 75% as a result of a thumb injury. In stepped Chad Muma, playing a season-high 38% of the snaps. Doug Pederson didn’t sound optimistic about his chances for Week 4.
- Henry To’oTo’o is making a case for an every down role. “Filling in” for Denzel Perryman, To’oTo’o played 95% of snaps and tied for the team lead with 10 tackles.
- Christian Harris split duties with Blake Cashman, which could mean that when Perryman returns, he will take a backseat to To’oTo’o.
DET @ ATL
- Aiden Hutchinson added another six pressures, for a grand total of 19 on the season. Hutchinson’s 19 pressures are tops in the NFL, but his two sacks are 23rd. Better days ahead!
- Alex “An-za-loney” is the lone LB to roster in DET. Both Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes cut into each others’ playing time, and it’s a mess.
- Jessie Bates III recorded his 2nd 10-tackle performance of the season. Bates had one in 2021 and 2022 combined.
- Troy Anderson injured his shoulder in Week 3. In the event he misses time, Nate Landman would be the next man up. (unless they sign someone off the street)
BLT @ IND
- David Ojabo left Week 3 early with an ankle injury. Jadaveon Clowney is seeing regular snaps and having success in the Baltimore scheme. Clowney now has 13 pressures on the season in only three games. It wasn’t until Week 8 that he had 13 pressures in 2022.
- Kyle Hamilton was a monster in Week 3. Hamilton’s three sack performance was the first of its kind since Jamal Adams in Week 11 of 2019! With the amount of pass-rushers missing time for Baltimore, we may see more pass-rush snaps for Hamilton.
- Kwity Paye recorded another sack and three tackles. This is now the 3rd time this season that he has done both of those things. Consistency is king.
- Julian Blackmon has now played an absurd 74% of his snaps in the box or in the slot. Start Julian Blackmon!
- Zaire Franklin is going to win a lot of people’s leagues this year. Franklin is 1st in the NFL w/ 29 solo tackles. He is also 3rd in the NFL w/ 16 assisted tackles.
Den @ MIA
- Jevon Holland has reached 20 box snaps in two of three games (he would have done it in Week 3 had they not pulled their starters). Holland recorded 20 box snaps only six times in his career prior to 2023.
- Jerome Baker has an 8% tackle rate. Baker has a 9.8% tackle rate in 2022. Underwhelming is an adjective.
- Josey Jewell left the game and did not return due to a groin injury.
- Alex Singleton took over and played every snap after the injury. Alex Singleton has a career 17.5% tackle rate.
- Drew Sanders is a name to watch if Jewell misses time. Sanders missed three tackles and recorded an assist. Better days are ahead.
CLV @ TEN
- Myles Garrett had three sacks for the 3rd time in his career, he had 3.5. Only two Browns players had more than 3.5 tackles for the game.
WSH @ BUF
- Chase Young has 10 pressures in two games this season. It’s easy to forget the promise in the former #2 selection.
- Terrel Bernard has filled in admirably for the Bills. He recorded seven tackles, two sacks, and an INT. He is only the 4th player to do so since 2017. The other three: Bobby Wagner, Kyle Van Noy, TJ Watt
CHI @ KC
- Tremaine Edmunds left the game but appears to be fine. It’s possible his ego is bruised after seeing the Terrel Bernard.
- TJ Edwards is off to a hot start with 43 tackles (2nd in NFL). Not so hot is that he has a 17:26 Solo:assist ratio. 1 of only 4 among the Top 30 in tackles to have more assists than solo tackles.
- Without an injury, it’s hard to see a path to more snaps for Jack Sanborn, even after grabbing the 1st INT for the Bears in 2023.
- Drue Tranquill filled in nicely for an injured Nick Bolton, leading the team with eight tackles. Bolton should be back for Week 4, and Tranquil will return to a part-time role.
- “Furious” George Karlaftis continues his impressive start to his sophomore season. Karlaftis was 2nd behind Aidan Hutchinson last year among rookies in pressures, and he is 2nd behind him as well among sophomore players.
ARI @ DAL
- Zaven Collins left Week 3 early with an eye injury but appears on track to play in Week 4. Collins has a 4.9% pressure rate and the sack he had this week was unblocked. Not sure I am sold.
- The Cardinals have a 22.9% sack/pressure rate. I would venture to say they are pretty lucky in the sack column.
- Only Bobby Wagner, C.J. Mosley, and Zaire Franklin have played more snaps than Kyzir White at LB. He will be on the field a lot and could easily finish as an LB1.
- K’Von Wallace has played 77.8% of his snaps in the box or in the slot to begin the season. Buddha Baker is on the IL, so you should feel comfortable with Wallace in your lineup.
- Dallas is one of only four teams in the NFL to not have an individual player with 20 or more total tackles. Jayron Kearse is tied for the team lead with 15 tackles
- Damone Clark is the other leading tackler for the Cowboys. Clark could continue to see an increase in playing time if LVE doesn’t improve.
LV @ PIT
- Robert Spillane out-snapped Divine Deablo for the 3rd straight game. Both are eating into each others’ production and have nearly identical stat lines. 9.1 fppg vs 9.2 fppg. Both are high-end LB3s.
- Nate Hobbs is the 6th most targeted CB per coverage snaps. He is one of only five players in the NFL with 20 tackles and three passes defensed.
- Cole Holcomb has a pedestrian 9.8% tackle rate. Kwon Alexander is at 16%. Both are LB4, but if Alexander could get above the 65% snap share mark, he could be in the LB2 conversation.
SEA @ CAR
- Jamal Adams was activated, but didn’t play in the contest. Adams should return on MNF vs the Giants. Pete Carroll has been cryptic in his usage, but I would expect the majority of snaps to come as the weakside linebacker.
- Carolina Panthers’ LG, Chandler Zavala, received a 0.00 PFF Pass Block grade after allowing 14 pressures! If he starts next week against Minn, Harrison Phillips could be a DL1 on the week!
- With Shaq Thompson out, Kamu Grugier-Hill played 67% of the snaps and had a very solid 10 tackle performance (20% tackle rate)
- Frankie Luvu left the game with a hip injury. Deion Jones came in and played the most snaps of any Panther LB (69%).
TB @ PHI
- Ryan Neal has been a fantastic signing for the Bucs and for fantasy managers. Neal chipped in for 11 tackles, raising his season total to 25. His 25 tackles are tied for 8th among DBs
- Devin White picked off his first pass since 2019. While the tackles might be down a bit, he is still a very good multi-faceted LB.
- Haason Reddick is the opposite of multi-faceted. He is “sack or bust” on the season, and so far it has been “bust”. Reddick has a 6% pressure rate and still no sacks through three weeks. To add insult to injury, he only has 1 assisted tackle across 128 snaps.
- Reed Blankenship returned and immediately led the Phillies in tackles. In the two games that Blankenship has played, he has finished as a DB1/DB2 in both games. Per Reuben Frank, Blankenship is the 1st undrafted Eagles player since 1979 to have two INTs in their first 12 games.
LA @ CIN
- Ernest Jones continues to be a plug and play LB1/LB2, as he added another nine tackles (1 TFL) to his season totals. Jones is just one of three players with 20+ tackles and 4+ tackles for loss.
- It’s nice to get a glimpse of the “old” Aaron Donald, as his seven pressures were his most since 2021.
- Dax Hill has been a major asset to fantasy owners! Hill racked up another eight tackles, two TFL, a sack and a QB hit. Hill is the only player in the NFL with 20+ solo tackles and 4+ tackles for loss.
- Trey Hendrickson took full advantage of backup LT, Zachary Thomas. When starter Alaric Johnson left the game, the Rams did little to help with pass protection. Hendrickson’s 10 pressures were the most he has ever had in a single game.
