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    • Championship Game IDP Fantasy Rankings

    Uncategorized Posted on  —by Joseph Haggan
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    Welcome to the final week of Fantasy Football. If you made it then a chunk of the players I am talking about are on your team. This will be the final week of player Rankings, let see how we finish out the season.

    Linebackers

    Rankings

    1. Darius Leonard- 146 Tackles (99 solo), 12 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, 6 passes defensed, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries. Matchup: New York Giants (Give up the 9th most points to LB's)
    2. Roquan Smith- 107 Tackles (79 solo), 6 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 4 passes defensed, 1 interception. Matchup: San Francisco 49ers (Give up the 8th most points to LB's)
    3. Luke Kuechly- 124 Tackles (88 solo), 19 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 5 passes defensed, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Atlanta Falcons (Give up the 22nd most points to LB's)
    4. Lavonte David- 105 Tackles (84 solo), 11 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries. Matchup: Dallas Cowboys (Give up the 10th most points to LB's)
    5. Leighton Vander Esch- 116 Tackles (88 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 7 passes defensed, 2 interceptions. Matchup: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Give up the 7th most points to LB's)
    6. Eric Kendricks- 108 Tackles (63 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 7 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Detroit Lions (Give up the 13th most points to LB's)
    7. Kiko Alonso- 121 Tackles (79 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 6 passes defensed, 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Jacksonville Jaguars (Give up the 3rd most points to LB's)
    8. Jatavis Brown- 87 Tackles (56 solo), 4 tackles for  a loss, 1 sack, 5 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble. Matchup: Baltimore Ravens (Give up the 2nd most points to LB's)
    9. Mason Foster- 115 Tackles (72 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 3 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 2 dumble recoveries. Matchup: Tennessee Titans (Give up the 5th most points to LB's)
    10. Anthony Hitchens- 114 Tackles (71 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble. Matchup: Seattle Seahawks (Give up the 4th most points to LB's)

    Matchup Proof #1

    Darius Leonard has been matchup proof all season. No matter what team he plays he racks up tackles (leads the league in them) and comes up with big plays. He has been able to put up rookie numbers that the likes of Patrick Willis couldn't match his rookie season. Patrick Willis won DROY that year and I expect the same for Leonard. Oh he leads the league in tackles while also having missed a game. The New York Giants present a tasty matchup for the final game of the fantasy season and I expect more of the same. Leonard has set the franchise record for single season tackles for a rookie:

    Does Sean Lee Matter?

    Sean Lee for the Dallas Cowboys was activated last week. You would not have known this if you watched the game, he only played 7% of the snaps. Leighton Vander Esch continued to dominate snaps at middle linebacker with fellow youngster Jaylen Smith who played every snap. Sean Lee is a magnificent talent and great leader but with how the young linebackers have played I do not foresee a lineup change of any large magnitude. The Cowboys finish the season against the Buccaneers and Sean Lee's possible snap stealing is the only thing keeping Vander Esch out of the top 2. He is the top rated rookie linebacker at this point:

    https://twitter.com/PFF_Cowboys/status/1075130281823133696

    Late Bloomer

    Roquan Smith started his domination later than the rest of this rookie LB crew. He got off to a slow start, most likely because of his early season holdout. Smith has double digit tackle totals in five of his last seven games. In the seven games he also has 2 sacks, 3 passes defensed and an interception. His late start was slightly alarming but he has come into his own. The 49ers get Smith this weekend and they give up the 8th most points to opposing linebackers. Expect another great week from Roquan. Roquan is in good company:

    Defensive Backs

    Rankings

    1. Shawn Williams- 94 Tackles (68 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 8 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble. Matchup: Cleveland Browns (Give up the 2nd most points to DB's)
    2. Derwin James- 93 Tackles (66 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sakcs, 12 passes defensed, 3 interceptions. Matchup: Baltimore Ravens (Give up the 14th most points to DB's)
    3. Justin Reid- 75 Tackles (60 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 9 passes defensed, 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 Touchdown. Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles (Give up the 12th most points to DB's)
    4. Kareem Jackson- 82 Tackles (65 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 14 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles (Give up the 12th most points to DB's)
    5. Tyrann Mathieu- 82 Tackles (66 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 7 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles (Give up the 12th most points to DB's)
    6. John Johnson III- 106 Tackles (74 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 10 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble. Matchup: Arizona Cardinals (Give up the 18th most points to DB's)
    7. Eli Apple- 64 Tackles (53 solo), 13 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries. Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers (Give up the 3rd most points to DB's)
    8. Jamal Adams- 94 Tackles (71 solo), 9 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 12 passes defensed, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Green Bay Packers (Give up the 22nd most points to DB's)
    9. Kyle Fuller- 50 Tackles (41 solo), 21 passes defensed, 7 interceptions. Matchup: San Francisco 49ers (Give up the 8th most points to DB's)
    10. Kevin Byard- 71 Tackles (50 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 6 passes defensed, 3 interceptions. Matchup: Washington Redskins (Give up the 9th most points to DB's)

    Sweet Matchup

    Shawn Williams is enjoying a breakout season for the Bengals. Jessie Bates III was the safety early on in Cincy to catch praise but Shawn Williams quickly stole the show. He has been one of the most productive safeties in the NFL and comes into the final week of fantasy playoffs with the perfect matchup. The Browns give up the 2nd most points to DB's and Williams should be able to keep his great season going.

    The Terrifying Trio

    The Houston Texans deploy the most dangerous and talented group of safeties in the NFL. The trio of Justin Reid, Tyrann Mathieu, and Kareem Jackson has been so productive this year. Who would have thought a team would have 3 safeties (even thought Jackson split time at CB), with over 75 Tackles. As a group they have 239 tackles 30 passes defensed, and 7 interceptions. That is terrifying to throw at each week and they have a solid matchup with the Eagles and Nick Foles this week. This stat alone show the groups aggressiveness:

    Defensive Line

    Rankings

    1. Khalil Mack- 42 Tackles (34 solo), 9 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, 4 passes defensed, 1 interception, 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 Touchdown. Matchup: San Francisco 49ers (Give up the 3rd most points to Defensive Lineman)
    2. J.J. Watt- 54 Tackles (41 solo), 17 tackles for a loss, 14.5 sacks, 4 passes defensed, 6 fumbles forced. Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles (Give up the 18th most points to Defensive Lineman)
    3. Chris Jones- 37 Tackles (33 solo), 17 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, 5 passes defensed, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, 1 touchdown. Matchup: Seattle Seahawks (Give up the 11th most points to Defensive Lineman)
    4. Danielle Hunter- 66 Tackles (47 solo), 20 tackles for a loss, 14.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown. Matchup: Detroit Lions (Give up the 19th most points to Defensive Lineman)
    5. Jason Pierre-Paul- 50 Tackles (42 solo), 14 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Dallas Cowboys (Give up the 4th most points to Defensive Lineman)
    6. Aaron Donald- 48 Tackles (32 solo), 20 tackles for a loss, 16.5 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries. Matchup: Arizona Cardinals (Give up the 16th most points to Defensive Lineman)
    7. Demarcus Lawrence- 58 Tackles (39 solo), 14 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Give up the 9th most points to Defensive Lineman)
    8. Bradley Chubb- 51 Tackles (34 solo), 13 tackles for a loss, 12 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. Matchup: Oakland Raiders (Give up the 2nd most points to Defensive Lineman)
    9. Denico Autry- 34 Tackles (26 solo), 12 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 blocked kicks. Matchup: New York Giants (Give up the 7th most points to Defensive Lineman)
    10. Calais Campbell- 62 Tackles (45 solo), 17 tackles for a loss, 8 sacks, 2 passes defensed. Matchup: Minnesota Vikings (Give up the 15th most points to Defensive Lineman)

    Mack Attack

    Khalil Mack is healthy and in full attack mode. There have been multiple videos circulating in different games of Mack literally throwing Offensive Lineman out of his way. This week is another great matchup for Khalil Mack against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers rank 24th in pass protection and have given up the 6th most sacks this season with 44. If Mack has a DE designation in your league than you have been spoiled most of the season and he should finish strong. He made Rodgers' life miserable, butt sack?:

    Will the Sack Streak Continue?

    Chris Jones has ten consecutive games with a sack. That includes nine sacks in his last five games. Man has he been on a vicious tear recently. This week he gets the Seattle Seahawks who DeForest Buckner just made his bitch. The Seahawks are right there with the 49ers giving up 42 sacks, being 8th worst. He feasted last week against the Chargers who have given up the 6th least amount of sacks. Here is some footage from this season:

    That is the conclusion of my final 2018 IDP Fantasy Rankings article. I hope that I have been a help to many in doing these weekly articles. Please follow us all off season as well as the fun doesn't stop. Good night, and good luck in the finals.

    Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @josephhaggan and @IDPGuys. Tune into the weekly podcast as well for the most up to date info to win your leagues. Remember..Joey the Tooth has the taste for IDP

    Joseph Haggan

    I am the proud father to an amazing young girl and husband to an unbelievable wife. Senior writer for IDPGuys, as well as projections creator and co-founder of our elite IDP Scoring Tool.
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