The IDP Roundup from Week 5 (2023)

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 Roundup from Week 5 (2023).

CHI @ WSH

• The Bears just generated 33 pressures, the most they have had since Week 14 of 2020.  That should speak volumes!  Not for the Bears’ pass-rush, but for how susceptible the Commanders’ O-Line is.
• For the 2nd week in a row, Tremaine Edmunds left the game, albeit how brief it was.  Edmunds only missed four snaps, but it’s worth noting.  
• Bears’ LT, Larry Borom, allowed eight pressures.  This upcoming game against the Vikings is gonna be trouble.
• Chase Young was the main culprit of Larry Borom’s rough day.  Young collected 11 more pressures, to bring his season total to 27 (4th in NFL).
• Commanders’ FS, Darrick Forrest, was placed on the IL, opening up more playing time for Percy Butler.  Look for the Falcons to try and exploit the Commanders lack of depth in the secondary, as the Commanders have allowed the 9th most “explosive” plays in the NFL.

JAX @ BUF

• The “real” Josh Allen got the better of the two in the final score, but didn’t do much for our fantasy teams.  Allen did have four pressures, but as he has proven over the past month, he is sack or bust.  Over the past month, he has three sacks….and seven total tackles.
• Devin Lloyd missed his 2nd game in a row.  Time will tell if Lloyd will return this week, and if so, Muma goes back to a limited snap LB. 
• Matt Milano was injured in Week 5 with a pretty bad knee injury, and is likely to miss the season.
• Tyrel Dodson would appear to be the LB2/A and Dorian Williams would be the LB2/B.  I wouldn’t expect a full-time role for either, but Dodson would be the preferred add for the interim.  It wouldn’t shock me to see the Bills address the LB room via FA.
• Both AJ Epenesa and Leonard Floyd were mentioned on the Fantasy In Frames pregame show, but nobody could have predicted six tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and three passes defended between the two of them.  
• Buffalo has been a rotation style defensive line, so don’t be fooled into spending a lot of FAAB on either. 

HOU @ ATL

• Denzel Perryman appeared to be eased back into action, with Cashman seeing 96% of the snaps.
• Don’t be fooled into thinking Cashman’s nine tackles will lead to a repeat of this much playing time.  I expect Perryman to reclaim his spot this week or next.
• The Atlanta Falcons, who average 11 pressures per game, take on the Commanders, who allow an average of 25 pressures/game.  Will the Falcons actually create pressure, or will the Commanders stop the pressures?  
• Kaden Ellis is 7th among LBs w/ 33 pass-rush snaps.  Ellis will face a Commanders team in Week 5 that has allowed multiple linebackers to record multiple sacks in a game (Nicholas Morrow/Terrel Bernard)

Car @ DET

• Carolina allowed 31 pressures in Week 4.  The Panthers are continuing to be an O-Line to favor in defensive matchups
• Derrick Brown and Brian Burns both missed Thursday’s practice.  Monitor moving forward. 
• Kamu Grugier-Hill continues to see limited snaps, this time at the hands of Chandler Wooten. 
• Jeremy Chinn has finally entered my “droppable” range.  It hurts to do so, but he has averaged 45% of the snaps over the past two weeks with a multitude of injuries across the defense.
• Detroit is 1st in pressures (per PFF), but 21st in sack%.  Something is bound to give.  Most likely it will be Aidan Hutchinson, but Romeo Okwara did see his most snaps all season.  I don’t like his matchup vs TB, but going forward it’s a name to monitor. 

TEN @ IND

• Harold Landry III continues to disappoint.  The four tackles were a bonus, but only one pressure, despite playing 68% of snaps.  On the season, Landry has a 4% pressure rate.  
• Jack Gibbens has a firm grasp on the LB2 role, with a 75% snap share over the past month.  More of an LB4/LB5, but his 16% tackle rate is a solid deep option. 
• Kwity Paye has practiced in full this week, a good sign for the Colts’ defensive line.  Paye will have his hands full with Morgan Moses. 
• Shaq Leonard has practiced in full also, but his outlook is murky at best.  E.J. Speed has shown to be more than capable, and the Colts were happy splitting snaps before.  Don’t expect to see Leonard regain more than a 50% snap share…and that might be generous. 

NYG @ MIA

• The Giants’ pass-rushers have their hands full after only being able to total five pressures in Week 5.  The Bills, in Week 6, are doing a great job of keeping Josh Allen upright, as he is 5th in the NFL with a 4.9% sack rate.
• Micah McFadden was able to get in a limited practice on Thursday.  If he is unable to go, Isaiah Simmons could see another solid snap %, which could equate to another helpful tackle performance. 
• Jaelan Phillips has logged back-to-back limited practices, so his chances for Week 6 are still up in the air.
• The movement of pieces in Phillips’ absence have been beneficial for Andrew Van Ginkel.  When Van Ginkel has played less as an inside linebacker (Weeks 2,4-5), he has recorded 17 pressures (17.8% pressure rate) with four sacks. 
• Jerome Baker and the LB snaps continue to confuse me.  After seemingly being benched in Week 4, Baker returned to a 100% role.  Baker’s eight tackles and 1 ½ sacks will continue to create chaos for fantasy managers
• Kader Kohou is one of my favorite plays in Week 6.  Despite the blender that he was placed in by Stefon Diggs, his matchup vs Carolina is a tasty one.  The Panthers have been very generous to opposing slot corner backs on the season.

N.O @ NE

• Marcus Maye is set to return from his suspension.  Prior to the suspension, Maye was averaging 6 ½ tackles per game in addition to the sack and interception.  
• The Saints will face the Houston Texans in Week 6.  The Texans have allowed the FS to record tackle totals of 9, 13, 13, 4, and 9 to begin the season.  
• Josh Uche and Keion White both played over 50% of the snaps in Week 5.  Uche will match up against Kolton Miller in Week 6.  Could be a sneaky value as a DL3.

BAL @ PIT

• Odafe Oweh missed Week 5 and hasn’t practiced this week.  Someone from Baltimore will need to step up and create some pressure.
• Marcus Williams returned and immediately took back the deep safety role, thus allowing Kyle Hamilton to play the most box snaps of the season.  Now we can only hope he can return to the 14% blitz rate from Week 3.

CIN @ ARI

• The Bengals’ pass-rush has been very efficient over the past three weeks with a 22% sack:pressure ratio. 
• Trey Hendrickson has five of those sacks, and will have another plus game against Stone Forsythe of the Seahawks.
• Germaine Pratt has played exceptionally well this year, especially when seeing 85% of the snaps or more.  In those four games, Pratt has averaged 9.5 tackles (15% tackle rate). Pratt and Logan Wilson will face the Seahawks in Week 6, who have allowed the 6th most points to LB.
• Nick Scott was benched for a portion of Week 5, allowing Jordan Battle another opportunity to prove himself.  Battle saw 13/22 snaps in the box or in the slot.  
• Josh Woods returned and immediately played 83% of the snaps at LB.  The Cardinals average 71 defensive snaps/week, which allows for plenty of opportunities for both LBs (Woods/Kyzir White) to be productive.
• K’Von Wallace still doesn’t get the IDP recognition he deserves.  Wallace is 6th in combined tackles among DBs and 16th in PDs.  Always a bonus in my eyes when he leads the league in Box snaps among Safeties.

PHI @ LAR

• Haason Reddick appears to have turned the corner.  The tackles were never going to wow us, but he added another five pressures and two sacks to his season total.  
• The Eagles defensive line can be difficult to predict, but Reddick, Josh Sweat and Jalen Carter are must-starts week in and week out.  
• Aaron Donald had a quiet game against the Eagles’ O-Line.  A pretty common result for the vaunted Eagles line.
• Jordan Fuller had a very solid game, collecting 12 tackles and a PD.  Arizona, the Rams’ Week 6 opponent, has been very generous to opposing safeties. 

NYJ @ DEN

• Jermaine Johnson came to play in Week 5, creating a career-high five pressures.  The Jets unfortunately will face the Eagles in Week 6. 
• Bryce Huff has been incredible for the Jets over the past two games, creating 15 pressures, four QB hits and a sack.  As mentioned above, it’s the Eagles in Week 6.
• Quincy Williams was mentioned a few weeks back, and deserves another shout out.  Williams now has 9+ tackles in four games this season and 7+ in each game.  
• Both CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams can have great games against this generous Eagles offense. 

KC @ MIN

• Nick Bolton was absent again in Week 5, providing Tranquill 100% of snaps.  Tranquill made the most of the snaps in recording nine tackles. 
• Chris Jones was definitely not absent, as he created five more pressures and a sack.  Jones is a monster and a must-start. 
• Trying to figure out the Chiefs’ DB to play each week is a difficult task.  It’s best to just avoid. 
• Marcus Davenport may have an IDP pulse!  Over the past two weeks he has seven pressures and two sacks.  Injuries have always been the only think really holding him back, so it’s very nice to see him play 79% of the snaps in Week 5.  
• Camryn Bynum has been a tackling machine!  Bynum is 6th in the NFL in combined tackles and 4th in solo tackles.  This week, the Vikings will face the Bears and Justin Fields.  Fields’ five INTs are good for 6th in the NFL, and none of them have been to the CB, yet all have been to LB or FS.  Maybe this is the week Bynum adds an INT to his impressive resume?

DAL @ SF

• Leighton Vander Esch suffered a neck injury and was placed on injured reserve.
• The LVE injury opens up an opportunity for Damone Clark to see a full-time role.  Clark has been productive on the season with a 16% tackle rate.  
• The Cowboys have signed Rashaan Evans, who was 7th in the NFL in tackles in 2022.  It is uncertain if he will play in Week 6, but he is a must-add if you haven’t already.
• Randy Gregory joins the 49ers and is hopeful to play significant snaps in Week 6.  The 49ers have really needed a consistent option opposite Nick Bosa.  
• I personally think it’s time to move on from Talanoa Hufanga.  The 49ers’ dominance and Hufanga’s deep snaps are killing any value he has on a weekly basis.  If we take away the interceptions, his 5% tackle rate is atrocious. 

GB @ LV

• Nate Hobbs missed the Week 5 game vs GB and is trending towards being unavailable in Week 6 vs New England. 
• Divine Deablo returned to an 85% snap share, but his inconsistent playing time and a tough matchup vs NE tells me to avoid him in Week 6.
• Isaiah McDuffie had a nice stat line as he filled in for DeVondre Campbell, but should return to the bench after the Packers’ BYE in Week 6.  
• Preston Smith had a nice matchup and took advantage in Week 5.  The Packers will travel to Denver in Week 7, he could have a decent matchup against the oft-sacked Wilson.
• Rudy Ford should be in your lineup.  He has now had 7+ tackles in four straight and an INT in back-to-back games.  Could be a sneaky add in shallow leagues during the BYE week.