What’s up, fellow IDP degenerates! I have a brand new series that I will be bringing you all each week called the IDP Roundup!
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 8 (2023).
TB @ BUFF
Devin White had nine tackles, the most since Week 1. The nine tackles are nice, but his 10.2% tackle rate on the season is uninspiring. Now that the trade deadline has passed, a change of scenery isn’t in the cards.
Ryan Neal recorded his third double-digit tackle game of the season. Now sitting at 5th among DBs in combined tackles, Neal doesn’t offer much in the way of ceiling, but his floor is pretty stable.
Ed Oliver saw his fewest snaps of the season (52%). This was a by-product of being eased back into form coming off of injury.
Tyrel Dodson was 2nd on the team among LBs with 63% of the snap share. Considering Dorian Williams didn’t play a snap, it’s safe to say the LB room is settled. Still not sure you can trust Dodson outside of really deep leagues.
LAR @ DAL
Despite concerns over his knee, Ernest Jones played in 99% of the snaps and recorded eight tackles (1 TFL). This could be a season-long game of “what-if” with Jones’ knee, but it’s hard to not put him in “must-start” territory as an LB2.
Aaron Donald recorded two sacks, bringing his season total up to 4.5. He is now just .5 sacks shy of last years’ totals. Gone may be the days of a dozen or more sacks, but his underlying metrics are still elite: 14% pressure rate/20.7% win-rate
Damone Clark saw his snaps drop from nearly 100% in Week 6, down to 80% in Week 8. I still believe that Clark will lead the LB room in snaps, there is enough competition to be aware.
Markquese Bell, a converted Safety playing LB, has really played exceptionally well. It is a situation that needs monitoring, especially as Rashaan Evans becomes more involved.
NYG @ NYJ
The Giants traded DT Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks.
Fellow DT, Dexter Lawrence, put on an absolute show! 15 pressures, one sack, and five QB hits.
Kayvon Thibodeaux joined the pass-rush party in New York. Kayvon now has 14 pressures over the past three games. In those three games, he has 4.5 sacks, 14 tackles (4 TFL), 5 QB hits, a FF, and has been playing 98% of the snaps. Thibodeaux will get the Raiders in Week 9, with rookie Aidan O’Connell.
Jermaine Johnson was a “start” last week and paid dividends. He took advantage of the weak O-Line and recorded two sacks, six tackles, and four QB hits. His previous three games have been remarkable; 14 pressures, three sacks and three passes defended.
Bryce Huff continued his incredible pass-rush production. He now has 20 pressures over the past three games and a sack in each. The tackle floor may be lava, but his pressure rate is as hot as the lava.
N.O. @ IND
I had mentioned last week that Carl Granderson only needed one more sack to match a career-high season total. Now the FantasyPros #6 DL, if you read this article before the season, he would be on your team.
Jordan Howden filled in for Marcus Maye and saw 50% of the box snaps. He turned those snaps into eight tackles and a pass defensed. With Maye returning to practice, Howden will go back to a special teams role, but if Maye were to miss any more time, he is a name to watch.
Kwity Paye has been a frustrating DL2 with the amount of missed games and confusing production, illustrated this past week. Paye had zero pressures, but six tackles. Paye is just one of 11 DL in the NFL with 17+ solo tackles, 3+ sacks and 5+ TFL.
Tony Brown filled in for JuJu Brents in Week 8, and looks to start again in Week 9. Tony Brown allowed a perfect 158.3 NFL rating, allowing 7-187-1TD.
Shaq Leonard took advantage of the heavy rushing attack by the Saints. Leonard saw 83% of the snaps and had 11 tackles, 10 of which were run-play tackles.
HST @ CAR
Jonathan Greenard continues to have one of the more confusing seasons. Among DLs, he is Top 12 in solo tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks. Currently, the DL11 in FantasyPros scoring, but it’s his ups and downs that keep fantasy managers on their toes.
Blake Cashman was on thin ice with the return of Denzel Perryman, but he led the LB room in snaps. Henry To’oTo’o and Perryman each saw roughly 50%.
While only playing 50% of the snaps, Perryman had nine tackles (28% tackle rate) and 0.5 sack.
I would love to say that I think it will be Cashman as the LB1 of the group, I can see a case where Perryman returns as the LB1 and Blake and Henry split snaps.
Frankie Luve was an animal in Week 8. He had 12 tackles and a sack. This is his 2nd game with 9+ tackles and a sack in the same game. What drew my attention is the zero snaps as the OLB. I don’t know if it was just a one-off situation, but he only has nine snaps on the edge since Week 4.
ATL @ TEN
Grady Jarrett tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the 2023 season.
Nate Landman was solid in run-stopping, yet again. He now has a 25% tackle rate against the run.
Harold Landry II now has sacks in back-to-back games, picking up two in Week 8. While I am not completely sold on him being back to “pre-ACL” Landry, I do think he looked really good this past week.
Roger McCreary missed Week 8’s matchup and is ruled out again for Week 9. The Titans had Eric Garror fill in at Nickel and should do the same in Week 9. This is a Diontae Johnson acknowledgment!
MINN @ GB
Once again, the trio of Josh Matellus, Camryn Bynum, and Harrison Smith saw 99.9% of the snaps, thus leaving Ivan Pace unrosterable.
Danielle Hunter added another sack and two forced fumbles to his DPOY resumé.
D.J. Wonnum has now seem 90% of the snaps since Marcus Davenports’ injury. During that time, he has a 13% pressure rate and three sacks. I can’t recommend outside of deeper leagues, but when he plays against the NFC North, he seems to shine. All three of his sacks have come against his division rivals. Unfortunately, his remaining NFC North games are in the playoffs, with two of which against the Lions.
DeVondre Campbell returned to a near-100% snap share (92%). The return from injury was a much-needed one for fantasy managers as he tallied 14 tackles and a QB hit.
Rashan Gary was a “sit” for me last week, and while it was hard to do, it was the correct move. Gary only had three tackles and no sacks. I can optimistically recommend Gary in Week 9 as he faced the less-than-stout LA Rams, likely without Matthew Stafford.
NE @ MIA
Ja’Whaun Bentley suffered a hamstring injury and was forced to leave Week 8. He has recorded LPs to start the week, so it’s worth monitoring.
If Bentley is unable to go, Jahlani Tavai enters the LB3 conversation. He filled in nicely for Bentley last week with seven tackles as Mack Wilson manned the middle.
Anfernee Jennings and Keion White both played the majority of the snaps as the Patriots’ pass-rush. There may have been snaps, but there was no rush, as neither recorded a double-digit win rate or pressure rate. Miami has done a phenomenal job against the rush.
The Patriots will face the Commanders in Week 9. I havent’ seen enough out of Anfernee Jennings or Keion White to recommend a start, but I do love the matchup.
In DT-specific leagues, Christian Barmore is a solid start with back-to-back games with a sack.
The Dolphins will get Jevon Holland back against the Chiefs in Germany.
With all pass-rushers healthy, it was Andrew Van Ginkel who saw a drastic dip in playing time (27%). His play on the field should warrant more snaps, but it is something to monitor.
PHI @ WSH
Jalen Carter left the Week 8 contest, but got in a full practice on Wednesday; a wonderful thing to see!
Shockingly there was only a single sack tallied by the Eagles on Sunday; Haason Reddick. Reddick now has 6.5 sacks over his past 5 games and is resembling the pass-rusher we have come to know.
While it was Reddick who got the sack, it was Josh Sweat who had the underlying metrics. Sweat led the Eagles in win-rate and pressure rate.
The Eagles’ LB room is a confusing one to say the least. Zach Cunningham still led the LBs with 71% of the snaps, followed closely by Nakobe Dean at 69% and Nicholas Morrow with 37%.
Nakobe Dean made the most of his snaps as he had a 24% tackle rate…an unsustainable number of course.
New addition, Kevin Byard, was quickly acclimated to the defense and played a full 100% of the snaps. Byard had seven tackles and will look to expand upon that for fantasy managers.
It was Sydney Brown who saw a bump to 55% of the snaps, with the majority (80%) of those as the Nickel. If Brown can hold onto that role, he is well-suited to be mentioned in fantasy conversations.
The Commanders have traded both Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the deadline. Young was sent to SF and Sweat to the Bears. This opens up James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill to see a large bump in snaps. Neither are on my fantasy radar at the moment.
With Barton out, it was David Mayo who made the most out of his increase in snaps. Mayo paced the team with nine tackles (six solo).
JAX @ PIT
Josh Allen’s case for DPOY gets stronger with each week. Allen had another multi-sack game with two more sacks to go along with five tackles and two QB hits. Only two players have three different games with 2+ sacks…T.J Watt and Josh Allen
Minkah Fitzpatrick exited the game with a hamstring injury after only eight snaps. He has already been ruled out for TNF. Keanu Neal stepped in and saw 43% of the box snaps.
Neal is in line for a solid game against the Titans on Thursday night.
CLE @ SEA
The Browns deployed the dreaded LB by-committee approach apparently in Week 8. No player recorded more than 74% of the snaps, and they combined for a measly 10 tackles.
Seattle did see some linebacker consistency with both Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks playing 95% of the snaps.
Brooks had 10 tackles and a sack, while Wagner had 13 tackles and a pass defensed. Both players had more assists to solo tackles.
Jamal Adams saw his snaps dip to 80%, with 38% of them in the box.
Julian Love joined the triumvirate of safeties by Seattle, but only to the tune of 66% snap share. He did see 52% of those in the box.
Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor will get a welcomed addition to the team when they have Leonard Williams along the defensive line. Both Mafe and Taylor had a 13% pressure rate and could benefit from Williams’ skllset.
CIN @ SF
Trey Hendrickson has been a problem all year. Not for fantasy managers, but for opposing QBs. Trey added another eight pressures and a sack to season totals. He now has 0.5 sack or more in six of seven games. He is 2nd in win-rate; trailing only Myles Garrett.
If Cincinnati fans have their way, it will be Jordan Battle full-time and Nick Scott to the streets. Scott is the 2nd lowest-graded safety on the season, according to PFF.
The 49ers have added Chase Young in exchange for draft picks. Young is an incredible addition to the 49ers and should look to continue his rebound to IDP relevancy.
KC @ DEN
George Karlaftis continues to impress. This time, he did so by creating six pressures and recording 2.5 sacks, bringing his season total up to 6. Karlaftis is 6th in the NFL with 39 pressures and should continue to benefit from Chris Jones, Charles Omenihu and Co.
Willie Gay suffered a back injury and was forced to miss the remainder of the game. The recent signing of Darius Harris would indicate that the Chiefs don’t expect Gay back anytime soon and need depth after the loss of both Gay and Bolton.
Drue Tranquill stepped in admirably again for Nick Bolton and has the looks of a plug-and-play LB2 for as long as Bolton is out.
The loss of Willie Gay is more instrumental to the real team than it is to our fantasy teams. The Chiefs’ LB2 was only playing approximately 60% of the snaps anyways. What this does set up is the occasional big game by Leo Chenal. His pass-rush prowess and solid tackling could produce surprise games. Hard to know when tho.
The pass-rush rotation of the Broncos were eating up the Chiefs’ O-Line.
The combination of Nic Bonitto, Baron Browning, Zach Allen, and Jonathan Cooper produced 26 pressures.
Alex Singleton saw 100% of the snaps in Week 8. It’s hard to expect a 20% tackle rate like he had last season. He still has an above average 14.3% in 2023.
BAL @ ARI
Justin Madubuike has now recorded at least 0.5 sacks in five straight games.
Geno Stone leads the NFL with five INTs. Geno Smith has thrown five INTs over the past three games. Which Geno will come out on top?
Jalen Thompson returned to play in Week 8. He recorded six tackles (1 TFL) and a PD. Thomson is pretty boring but provides just enough of a stable floor to be a solid DB3.
CHI @ LAC
The Bears made a trade on the deadline to acquire Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders. Sweat was on pace to set career highs in nearly all defensive stats. The move to Chicago has me concerned for his success going forward. I feel that the quality of the interior defenders and opposite him in WSH really helped his sack totals, despite underwhelming pass-rush metrics.
Tremaine Edmunds was injured in Week 8 and had to leave the game. Edmunds has yet to practice this week, and appears to be on the wrong side of playing in Week 9.
Jack Sanborn, one of the unsung IDP heroes of 2022, filled in nicely for Edmunds, recording eight tackles. If you haven’t already picked up Sanborn, go ahead and do so now.
Jaquon Brisker is looking doubtful to play this week after entering the concussion protocol.
Eddie Jackson was active last week, but didn’t see any snaps. With another week to get back to form, we could see Jackson back in a full-time role.
After a rough start to the season due to injuries, it’s nice to see Eric Kendricks returning to the LB we all knew and loved. Over the past three games, he leads the Chargers in tackles (27) and even chipped in a forced fumble and pass defensed.
The Jets’ Offensive line is falling apart in front of our eyes (at least the pass-blocking). Over their last two games, they have allowed a league-high 42 pressures. The majority of which is as a result of injuries to the interior.
I would look to exploit the Week 9 matchup vs NYJ by taking a look at available Chargers’ pass-rushers or DT in DT specific leagues.
LV @ DET
The Raiders may be without both Divine Deablo and Luke Masterson for Week 9. If this were to happen, the Raiders are likely to turn to Amari Burney. Burney did have a respectable 12.8% tackle rate, but I can’t recommend him as anything other than a super deep BYE week replacement.
Which surprise Raider is going to have a good pass-rush game against the lowly Giants in Week 9? Tyree Wilson anyone?
The Lions are simply playing with us right now. They decided to play Jack Campbell a little more in Week 8 (67%), and moved him into a more fitting ILB role. Alex Anzalone, on the other hand, played the most Edge snaps and even blitzed a season-high eight times.
Maybe on a positive note for Jack Campbell managers; Derrick Barnes played a season-low 17 snaps.
