IDP Reaction & Waivers Week Eleven (11) “The Monster”

Welcome back, Mr. Jordan

Week eleven has come and gone and it was largely a return to normalcy, there were some significant injuries on both sides of the ball and we’ve likely seen the last of Joe Burrow (QB) for the Bengals this season which is unfortunate but for the most part we escaped unscathed. We got our first look at the Taysom Hill (QB) era and got to use him as a cheat code in all our FanDuel lineups which was nice, I guess you could’ve done that in ESPN leagues as well but I don’t personally know anyone who uses that platform so I can’t confirm that either way. There was a ton of fluctuation in the streaming corners department so we’ll need to adjust to that going forward, some of it due to injury and some of it due to shenanigans from unpredictable defenses like the Lions and others. The Eagles lost another game which is also normal but at least we got the return of Dallas Goeddert (TE) to relevancy out of that one so it wasn’t a total loss. 

The Saints and Micheal Thomas (WR) teed off on the Falcons and we finally got a return on investment from a first round pick that has spent the majority of this season collecting dust on our bench, that was nice. We saw Alex Smith (QB) get his first win in a couple years as the Washington Football Team got right back into the thick of the NFC least playoff picture. We’ll obviously drink bleach and have a look at what kind of dumb shit the Lions did with their defense this week, none of which actually mattered as they got blown away by a backup quarterback and were unable to score even a single point against a very mediocre Panthers defense, same Lions different week. The Steelers remained undefeated as they annihilated the Jaguars with their backup quarterback and proved to be the best DST for the week once again, the news here was basically all of the Steelers producing on defense except TJ Watt (EDGE) proving once more that consistency and reliability for even the best of the EDGE guys doesn’t exist.

The Titans came back and stunned the Ravens with a Derrick Henry (RB) rumbling touchdown in overtime as they get back on track, Jayon Brown (LB) was injured in that one so we’ll obviously see how bad it was and who subbed in for him and how much of an option that is for waiver wire linebacker production. It was the Texans hammering more nails into the coffin that is the Patriots playoff hopes this season with a one score win, we’ll have a look at the continuing Zach Cunningham (LB) shenanigans and check in on our favorite waiver wire linebacker, Tyrell Adams (LB). Somehow the Broncos defense stepped up and put a stop to the Dolphins winning streak and even forced them to sit the rookie phenom and go back to Fitzmagic in desperation as time was running out, it didn’t end well for them and as usual we’ll have a look see at the circus that is their defense week to week. The Chargers blew away the Jets like we all expected but did let them back into the game, also as expected. With Blake Cashman (LB) still battling a hamstring injury we’ll see if it was Harvey Langi (LB) again or if the Sleeper people were right and Patrick Onwuasor (LB) managed to jam up the works? (Spoiler alert, they were wrong). 

The Colts and Packers were involved in an instant classic that ended up in overtime and all it took was the Packers God awful run defense for Jonathan Taylor (RB) to finally look decent for the first time this season, it was week two of Christian Kirksey (LB) after returning from injury so we’ll check in on how he did this week. The Cowboys stunned the Vikings and the Seahawks exacted revenge on the Cardinals after losing the initial meeting earlier this season, the story in that one was obviously Isaiah Simmons (LB) who had a monster game even with DeVondre Campbell (LB) being declared healthy and playing in that one. As to how much he played that’s the real question, so we’ll dive into all that and more from that matchup. The Rams and Bucs ended the week in a nice Monday night showdown, did Mr. Donald return to splitting cheeks like firewood or was it another slow week? We’ll look at all that and more as we spend the next fifteen thousand words, minimum, diagnosing every teams production, playing time, any changes in role or responsibility, possible waivers and obvious flashes in the pan.

We’ll go through it all step by step just like we do every week all season to learn not just the “what” but the “why” as well. And using that knowledge we’ll continue to improve our IDP defenses and understanding of each teams production and what to expect week to week. We’re all here because we’re the truest of true degenerates so let’s tell the boss we’re heading to drop the kids off at the pool and get to the ramblings of a mad man with a questionable infatuation with Jimmy Beautiful. It’s the monster. Let’s roll. 

I just wanted to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving real quick. It’s been a rough year all around and I’ve always been big on perspective so let’s take a minute today to remember what this holiday is all about, sure the food and football are terrific but it’s really about remembering our blessings and being mindful of just how good most of us have it. Sure things have been beyond shitty this year but it could always be worse and it’s important to remember the things we do have. Take a minute today to tell your family and friends you love them and that you appreciate them. And as bad as things have been this year we’re all going to get through it together and come out the other side of this thing at some point. I hope you all have a great holiday and I’m also personally thankful for each of you that come here every week and read my batshit crazy ramblings. From all of us here at idpguys.org have a happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the holiday. Gobble gobble gobble.

Cardinals @ Seahawks

Arizona Cardinals

Produced as expected: Isaiah Simmons (LB) Dre Kirkpatrick (CB) Jordan Hicks (LB) Patrick Peterson (CB) Haasan Redick (LB) *somewhat* Budda Baker (S) Byron Murphy (CB) Angelo Blackson (DT)

Flash in the pan: Micheal Dogbe (DE) only played 36% of snaps this week and hasn’t done anything else of note this season, he only played this much due to the massacre this defensive line has suffered recently in regards to injuries, regardless he’s not playing enough for anything resembling consistency so we’ll pass.

Possible waivers: Chris Banjo (S) played the final 44% of snaps as the other full time safety besides Budda Baker (S) after Jalen Thompson (S) was injured and declared out. Thompson suffered a leg injury and was carted off the field so not ideal, I couldn’t find anything on his status as of Sunday but I’m sure by the time this article drops there will be more news. Regardless if he’s out then Banjo is in, Banjo was initially the starter earlier this season and was a fine safety three or four in deeper leagues. If the Thompson injury is significant this is likely a solid waiver wire safety move.

Misc notes: Devondre Campbell (LB) only played 39% of snaps this week, what I found shocking was that he played at all. He wasn’t practicing most of the week and was looking doubtful for this one, so now the question is after the ten days off or so does Campbell return to his usual full time inside linebacker role besides Jordan Hicks (LB) or was the performance from Simmons enough to permanently displace him? I have no idea. What I would do is add either if they’re out there, not likely, and sit and wait and see what the next game against the Patriots brings. That will tell the tale. I’m not playing either this week but I also do this for a living (not really) so I’ve got all kinds of options on my thirty or so fantasy teams in terms of backup linebackers. If you’re in a deeper league and don’t have any options then is it what it is, if that’s the case I would bet Simmons sees more playing time than Campbell next week but don’t quote me, the smart move is wait and see. Isaiah Simmons (S) was only in for 68% of snaps this week but put up a monster game with ten combined tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and two QB hits on the day. Between this performance and his game sealing interception against the Seahawks in their initial meeting this season he’s been making plays when they matter and his PFF grade that was God awful at the start of the season is up to 69.7. So he’s definitely heading in the right direction, that’s why I’d bet he ends up winning this competition. Either way we’ll find out soon.

Also of note this week it appears that Markus Golden (EDGE) has won the competition between him and Devon Kennard (EDGE) as the other outside linebacker starting alongside with Haasan Redick (EDGE) going forward, he played 79% of snaps compared to Kennard’s 29% and also outproduced him this week although neither did anything of real note this game. Also Dre Kirkpatrick (CB) looks like the second cornerback here to stream along with Patrick Peterson (CB), he was in for 95% of snaps while Byron Murphy (CB), who has traditionally been that second corner, was only in for 59% and we’ve now seen that a couple weeks in a row so it seems solid. Everything else looked like business as usual, we’ll monitor the Campbell or Simmons situation and circle back for next week and keep an eye on the Jalen Thompson (S) injury and other than that we’re looking good here.

Seattle Seahawks

Produced as expected: DJ Reed (S) Bobby Wagner (LB) KJ Wright (LB) Carlos Dunlap (DE) Jarran Reed (DT) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Ugo Amadi (S) is the fourth safety here, he played 70% of snaps which is enough in super deep leagues but in general he’s not very productive and has fluctuating playing time, pass unless you really don’t have great options and it’s like a 32 team league. LJ Collier (DE) only played 36% of snaps this week and hasn’t been relevant in terms of playing time or production since Carlos Dunlap (DE) got here, he’s the defensive end to own here (Dunlap) going forward, beyond that it gets messy quickly. I expected Benson Mayowa (DE) to return to significant playing time but he was only in for 27% of snaps this week and it was Rasheem Green (DE) as the second defensive end in terms of playing time with 60% of snaps this week but we’ve only seen that recently so I can’t say that’s set in stone yet.

Possible waivers: No new producers but this is very likely your last chance to get DJ Reed (S/CB) and plug him into your corner slot as a ridiculous cheat code (he’s a safety). He continues to lead this defense in overall IDP production week after week and with Quinton Dunbar (CB) heading to IR last week and Shaq Griffin (CB) injured and out yet again this week that doesn’t feel like it’s changing any time soon. He was in for 100% of snaps and recorded a massive eleven combined tackles and one pass defense on the day and he’s been solid and consistent week after week since getting this opportunity.

Misc notes: Carlos Dunlap (DE) led all Seattle defensive ends with 76% of snaps played this week and recorded two sacks plus a host of combined tackles and tackles for loss plus several QB hits, he’s been the monster we all remember from his days in Cincy since getting new life with Seattle, continue to play him with confidence in leagues of all sizes. Damon Harrison (DT) was up to 39% of snaps this week, this didn’t translate to a ton of production, just one solo tackle on the day but his playing time has gone up two weeks in a row now so at least that’s headed in the right direction. If he can clear 50% of snaps per game I’d recommend him in those stupid deep leagues if you need defensive tackle help but we’re not there yet, anyone who’s been playing IDP for more than a year or two will instantly know who he is and what he’s capable of, I’m just hoping he gets the chance to prove that to everyone once more. With Quinton Dunbar (CB) on IR and Shaq Griffin (CB) injured and out yet again this week it was Tre Flowers (CB) yet again playing 100% of snaps but instead of a backup corner seeing increased snaps the Hawks rolled out four safeties this week instead. So no new corner to stream from but if you can use DJ Reed (S/CB) in your corner slot in places like Yahoo and others that’s an incredible advantage going forward, that seems to be set in stone until at least Shaq Griffin (CB) gets back but we’ve seen him keep significant playing time even with him and Dunbar in the lineup so I doubt even that will change this much, plus with Dunbar out for a minimum three weeks that further cements this opportunity for him, do it while you can.

Jamal Adams (S) played his traditional 100% of snaps but did precisely nothing with them, just three combined tackles and one QB hit on the day, there was all kinds of talk about him being even better than he was in New York on this defense this previous offseason and even if we discount the time missed for him being made of glass it’s pretty apparent that hasn’t been the case. I wasn’t one of the people making this argument because I’ve been doing this for more than five minutes and recognized the factors that would prevent this from happening (increased competition for tackles, less time on the field, fewer opportunities for an easy run stopping combined tackle floor due to the Seahawks offense often getting out in front and forcing opposing teams to abandon the run, etc). He’s spent four fewer minutes on the field per game as a Seahawk, that’s 64 minutes over the course of the season or more than two entire games worth of defensive snaps he won’t be seeing as a Seahawk that he would’ve seen as a Jet. Then there’re Bobby Wagner (LB), KJ Wright (LB) and Jarran Reed (DT) who eat up those easy run stopping tackles before they get to Adams plus the tendency for the Seahawks to score early and often and force opposing teams to abandon the run that I mentioned above. When you combine all these factors I’m not surprised we’ve seen the stinkers we’ve seen from him this season. He was never going to be “better” here and the overall IDP safety one discussion exited the building weeks ago because he’s made of fine china whereas guys like Budda Baker (S) chop off part of their hand and keep playing and are made of steel. The best ability is availability. None of this helps if you’re a shareholder but I just wanted to mention that I called this in the offseason and here it is. Not ideal. Anyways everything else here was fine, we’ll circle back next week and check back in, go get those DJ Reed (CB/S) shares while you still can.

Packers @ Colts

Green Bay Packers

Produced as expected: Christian Kirksey (LB) Kevin King (CB) Adrian Amos (S) Kenny Clark (DT) Za’Darius Smith (EDGE) Darnell Savage (S) Jaire Alexander (CB) Preson Smith (LB) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Raven Greene (S) only played 50% of snaps this week, he’s been productive some weeks and not so others, his playing time has never been ideal so I’m not into it but in those much deeper leagues I could see the appeal, I doubt he’ll ever be consistent though. Chandon Sullivan (CB) had a nice day in the box score but was the clear third cornerback with Kevin King (CB) and Jaire Alexander (CB) healthy once more, he only played 87% of snaps compared to their 100% each, not every game will be a shootout like this so his value drops quite a bit with this in mind. Rashan Gary (LB) also had a decent box score this week but only played 42% of snaps so he won’t be consistent with that little playing time each week, he remains just a dynasty futures prospect that this point.

Possible waivers: Kevin King (CB) returns to our recommended streaming corners rotation now that he’s back healthy and playing 100% of snaps again. Other than that no new producers this week.

Misc notes: The Packers lost the time of possession battle pretty handily this week and spent about 35 minutes on defense in total, this led to a bloated box score that is anything but normal for the number one overall ranked team for time of possession ranking this season at almost 33 minutes per game on offense on average. This is not normal production for this defense by any means, keep that in mind we won’t be getting this every week, the added couple minutes from overtime produced extra tackles and other stats as well. Kevin King (CB) was back finally this week, he played 100% of snaps and recorded seven combined tackles in his first game back in many weeks, he’s been an excellent streaming corner option in the past and proved it once again right out of the gate in his first week back. Christian Kirksey (LB) played his usual 100% of snaps and recorded eleven combined tackles plus a host of others stats including an interception for the day, he’s a terrific option when healthy and looks back to his usual productive ways since returning from injury the other week. There really isn’t anything bad to report from this defense this week, everyone who was supposed to produce did so due to the unexpected gamescript that saw the leagues best time of possession team get absolutely dominated in that category this game, that’s bad for the Packers overall but great for us in regards to IDP production. Nothing to see here, move along.

Indianapolis Colts

Produced as expected: Kenny Moore (CB) Darius Leonard (LB) Justin Blackmon (S) Rock Ya Sin (CB) Khari Willis (S) *somewhat* Justin Houston (DE)

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score this week.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week.

Misc notes: The opposite is true for the Colts as well, since their offense so completely dominated time of possession their defense only spent 25 minutes on the field so their overall production was exponentially less than usual, also the Packers seemingly abandoned the run early as this one turned into a shootout so the easy run stopping tackles for guys like Darius Leonard (LB) and Bobby Okereke (LB) were few and far between this week. Overall it was a decent showing for this defense all things considered but far from the usual production. Justin Houston (DE) saw an uptick in playing time this week of about 10% of total snaps to 65% played, he recorded three combined tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one QB hit on the day. This game was on local TV for me this week so I actually got to watch him play, he looks better and the numbers don’t lie, I think we can cancel the recent panic. He’s back to his usual playing time and broke the slump this week in a big way which is good news for once. Deforest Buckner (DT) played a massive 92% of total defensive snaps but wasn’t able to do much with them, the Packers didn’t run all that much, just 18 attempts for 66 yards overall so the easy run stopping tackles were fewer than usual, he’ll be fine. It hasn’t been his best season but he’s still a top ten IDP defensive tackle so unless you found a better option we keep plugging him in, bigger weeks to come. I’ve still got him as fourth overall defensive tackle this season in my home league I just checked, yeah he’s fine. Anthony Walker (LB) and Bobby Okereke (LB) played 42% and 65% of snaps respectively this week so Walker is still the odd man out but Okereke saw fewer snaps than usual likely due to gamescript, they both didn’t do much this week with the pass happy shootout but should bounce back nicely with the Titans up next who should cram Derrick Henry (RB) down their throats early and often like they always do. Short version is I’m not worried about Okereke and Walker remains IDP irrelevant. Everything else was fine, Xavier Rhodes (CB) played 100% of snaps but was the only IDP relevant corner to have a bad game here this week, luck of the draw and nature of corner production he’ll be fine as well. Anything that didn’t go well for this defense this week can either be explained by gamescript or lack of time spent on the field so we’re looking fine.

Eagles @ Browns

Philadelphia Eagles

Produced as expected: Alex Singleton (LB) Javon Hargrave (DT) Jalen Mills (S) TJ Edwards (LB) Brandon Graham (DE) Fletcher Cox (DT)

Flash in the pan: Josh Sweat (DE) only played 51% of snaps and was the third defensive end in terms of playing time behind both Brandon Graham (DE) and Derek Barnett (DE). That’s not ideal, he’s playable in much deeper leagues but overall he won’t be very consistent playing this little per game.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week, however those of you that read this article last week and settled on Alex Singleton (LB) while the rest of the planet banked on TJ Edwards (LB) were rewarded with a massive box score. This is the way.

Misc notes: It was Alex Singleton (LB) once again as the clear winner in the battle of IDP relevant linebackers here, he played 100% of snaps and recorded twelve combined tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one QB hit on the day. And while I still haven’t found anything recent on the status of Nathan Gerry (LB) if he does return to the lineup the depth charts I looked at today have Duke Riley (LB) as the loser of that transaction and however it plays out Gerry was God awful in coverage and missed tackles consistently. Also there was no indication he was actually injured when they placed him on IR so they might have just been tired of him sucking, any way you cut it I think Singleton maintains some kind of role and playing time if or when Gerry returns and throws a wrench into this linebackers corps. Yahoo has him listed as still on IR with an achilles injury with no designation to return. Regardless I’m riding the Singleton train until it jumps the tracks. TJ Edwards (LB) and Duke Riley (LB) were only in for 70% and 69% of snaps respectively and their production was exponentially less than what Singleton did as well, Edwards remains a decent linebacker three in deeper leagues as an option and Riley has been basically nonexistent the last couple weeks. Fletcher Cox (DT) was banged up even before this game and he was clearly hobbled at points during this one and it effected his playing time to the point where Javon Hargrave (DT) outsnapped him 73% to 67% of snaps on the day, we’ll have to monitor his health but I’m not seeing anything talking about his injury today as I write this so that’s early good news. Speaking of Javon Hargrave (DT) those 73% of snaps were the most he’s played this season if I recall correctly and he had a very nice box score as well, terrific waiver wire defensive tackle this season for those who were able to take advantage of that move. Not much else to see here this week, we’ll keep an eye on the possible return of Nathan Gerry (LB) at some point, hopefully it doesn’t happen, and also on Fletcher Cox’s (DT) health and besides that there were no significant changes this week that require any panic on our part.

Cleveland Browns

Produced as expected: Andrew Sendejo (S) Olivier Vernon (DE) Terrence Mitchell (CB) Malcolm Smith (LB) & BJ Goodson (LB) *somewhat* Sheldon Richardson (DT) & Larry Ogunjobi (DT) *somewhat* Denzel Ward (CB)

Flash in the pan: Adrian Clayborn (DE) only played 57% of snaps this week and likely only played that many to help fill in for the missing production from Myles Garrett (DE) as he sits on Covid IR currently. Clayborn has never been good or productive and sure as hell hasn’t been consistent, pass. Clayborn typically plays 30-35% of snaps when both Garrett and Vernon are in the lineup so it’s obvious he saw a boost in snaps due to the Garrett injury. Sione Takitaki (LB) only played 31% of snaps and got lucky with a touchdown return on defense, that’s very obvious outlier production and no one should ever play a linebacker that plays less than a third of the game. Pass here as well.

Possible waivers: Olivier Vernon (DE) is not a new producer but this is the second game this season where he’s blown up when Myles Garrett (DE) has either been completely out or was injured and left the game early. I won’t go as far as to say there’s any correlation there but some might suggest it, anyways this is something that happened and has happened twice now so I’m saying it.

Misc notes: Ronnie Harrison (S) hurt his knee early into this one and was ruled out before halftime, while Karl Joseph (S) directly replaced him it was a mix of him and Sheldrick Redwine (S) from what I’m looking at in an effort to fill in for his missing production. Here’s the breakdown so you can see what I see, Harrison went out after 9% of snaps, Joseph came in but only played 26% of snaps the entire game, Sheldrick Redwine (S), who almost never plays, saw 69% of snaps this week seemingly out of nowhere. So to say something like “if Harrison is out Joseph is in” would be inaccurate and obviously a pretty dangerous move to make, so I’ll say this, if Harrison is out do nothing, find someone else on a different team. That’s what I’ll be doing. BJ Goodson (LB) saw a massive 94% of snaps this week but was still only able to record just four solo tackles on the day, this Browns linebackers unit continues to be utterly useless. Mack Wilson (LB), Sione Takitaki (LB) and Malcolm Smith (LB) didn’t play much at all, none of them saw anything north of 53% of snaps this week and none produced anything of note besides the lucky outlier Takitaki touchdown that probably won’t happen again any time soon. Denzel Ward (CB) continues to be one of the best weekly streaming corner options to ever grace this planet, he is among my absolute favorites. We’ll keep an eye on the Garrett situation and Ronnie Harrison’s (S) health but beyond that no changes here this week, let’s keep it moving. UPDATE Denzel Ward (CB) hurt his calf and will be out several weeks, pain.

Falcons @ Saints

Atlanta Falcons

Produced as expected: Keanu Neal (S) Darqueze Dennard (CB) Grady Jarrett (DT) Deion Jones (LB) AJ Terrell (CB) Foye Oluokun (LB) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Allen Bailey (DE) and Charles Harris (LB) played 55% and 30% of snaps respectively this week and neither has done anything else of note this season, not ideal playing time for either and no real production so far this season, pass.

Possible waivers: Steven Means (DE) was getting the playing time and now this week he’s got the production, in deeper leagues feel free to fire away. He played 76% of snaps and recorded four solo tackles and one tackle for loss, nine points in most of my leagues which is solid for a guy who likely won’t be played in anything but the deepest leagues. No other new producers this week.

Misc notes: Grady Jarrett (DT) finally had that breakthrough game we’ve been waiting on, 92% of snaps on the day and recorded seven combined tackles, half a sack, half a tackle for loss and one QB hit on the day for a crap load of IDP points overall. He’s had some acceptable games recently but we’ve been waiting on a big day, here it is, all is well once more. Kendall Sheffield (CB) once again only played 30% of snaps this week and is either not 100% back from the injury or has been replaced on the depth chart, either way it’s AJ Terrell (CB) and Darqueze Dennard (CB) as the corners we can stream here going forward until something changes with that. It’s too bad, he was solid when he was getting those ideal snaps earlier this season. There were no other significant changes in playing time or roles this week, everything was solid and everyone we count on to produce did so, Oluokun had a down week overall but it was close enough to his projection that we’ll live and he played almost every snap (98% this week) so it’ just a blip on the radar, he’ll be fine. Onwards.

New Orleans Saints

Produced as expected: Demario Davis (LB) Janoris Jenkins (CB) Cameron Jordan (DE) David Onyemata (DT) Chuncey Gardner Johnson (S) *somewhat* Trey Hendrickson (DE) Marcus Williams (S)

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score this week.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week.

Misc notes: Cameron Jordan (DE) played his usual 74% of snaps or so but roared back into the top defensive end discussion with a three sack, multi combined tackle and tackle for loss day. He’s had a ton of success against the Falcons in his career and did so again this week and with this performance he’s back up to 5.5 sacks this season with five games to go, the double digit sack tier is once again a possibility for him and he broke out of his recent slump in the most explosive way possible, he’s always been a favorite of mine. Kwon Alexander (LB) was up to 74% of snaps this week but it didn’t do much for his production, just three solo tackles and a pass defended on the day. This mirrors both the Alex Anzalone (LB) playing time and production and I’m not expecting any quantum leaps forward in either department to be honest, I’d be happy to be wrong about this but this role he’s playing has never been productive and Demario Davis (LB) is still the linebacker to own here until he isn’t, and that’s sure as shit not this week. Chauncey Gardner Johnson (S) continues his roller coaster season, he did play plenty with 92% of snaps on the day but only had four combined tackles, two of them solo, and two passes defended as well. Depending how your league scores pass defense he may have gotten you a solid day but in most places it was a letdown overall. He’s never going to be consistent but at least the playing time has been solid in recent weeks. Malcolm Jenkins (S) came back to earth after a pretty decent hot streak but still played 100% of snaps like usual and was more a victim of gamescript with the Saints owning time of possession 34 minutes to 26 and the Falcons only scoring field goals and being one dimensional for the majority of this one with their run game only producing 14 carries for 52 yards overall. There just wasn’t enough to eat for everyone on this Saints defense, that will be better in a more competitive game with a closer time of possession battle, he’ll be fine. Not much else to see here this week, Jenkins (Malcolm not Janoris) and Marcus Davenport (DE) were the only IDP relevant guys to have a down week here against the Falcons and we already talked about Malcolm Jenkins (S) and with Davenport it was just a nature of the position thing and he should bounce back soon.

Bengals @ Football Team

Cincinnati Bengals

Produced as expected: Vonn Bell (S) Leshaun Sims (CB) Carl Lawson (DE) Mackensie Alexander (CB) Josh Bynes (LB) *somewhat* Jessie Bates (S) Sam Hubbard (DE) *somewhat* William Jackson (CB)

Flash in the pan: Khalid Kareem (DE) only played 13% of snaps and isn’t someone I knew even existed until just this second, pass, unless you would ever consider playing a guy who only plays 13% of snaps a game? Obvious outlier production from a lucky sack.

Possible waivers: No new producers but Sam Hubbard (DE) may have been dropped in some shallower leagues, he’s back up to 82% of snaps played this week and while his four combined tackles, three of them solo and one tackle for loss weren’t incredible they were worth about eight points in most of my leagues which is fine for a defensive end three or four. Plus this is only his second week back from returning from IR so he’s probably a little rusty, last season Hubbard was the overall leader in combined tackles for all defensive ends and averaged about five combined tackles per game. That’s a solid floor for a defensive end, their production style is usually sack or splash play or nothing so starting every game with those four or five combined tackles in your pocket and knowing you’ll have them with or without the sack makes Hubbard a better option than most defensive ends. He gets the sacks too, 8.5 last season on top of his league leading 76 combined tackles last season made him one of the most consistent, dependable and productive defensive ends in the league. If he’s out there he’s 100% worth a pickup.

Misc notes: Carl Lawson (DE) played his usual playing time, 61% of snaps, and finally broke through with five combined tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one QB hit on the day. He’s been in a major slump and finally broke out of it this week, his season has been bad overall but at least in those crazy deep leagues where you had to play him it finally paid off. Josh Bynes (LB) was the leader in playing time for the Bengals linebackers with 84% of snaps this week although it only translated to five combined tackles on the day as this Bengals linebackers corps continues to be pure garbage. Behind him was Germaine Pratt (LB) and Logan Wilson (LB) who played 60% and 56% of snaps respectively and neither did anything of note in the box score either. As has been the case all season there are no good options here and even as Logan Wilson (LB) has carved out a role for himself that also hasn’t translated to production either, this entire unit continues to be an avoid unless something major changes before the season is out. Geno Atkins (DT) once again barely played, just 21% of snaps this week and no production to speak of, they’re wasting his talent just like they wasted Carlos Dunlap’s (DE). Anyone who’s played IDP for more than five minutes knows who Geno Atkins (DT) is and what he’s done throughout his career and it’s a damned shame he hasn’t been given an opportunity to produce this season. Everything else here was business as usual, the two safeties did work, the defensive line was sporadic and the linebackers were shit. The corners had a nice day in a less than ideal matchup so that was a bonus but in general this defense isn’t what is used to be for IDP purposes. We’ll see what next week brings.

Washington Football Team

Produced as expected: Kamren Curl (S) Ronald Darby (CB) Kevin Pierre Louis (LB) Montez Sweat (DE) Chase Young (DE) *somewhat, depends on pass defense scoring* Kendall Fuller (CB) *also dependent on pass defense scoring in your league*

Flash in the pan: Fabian Moreau (CB) only played 16% of snaps and got a lucky interception that was clearly an outlier, he barely plays and isn’t likely to do this again any time soon, pass. Ryan Kerrigan (EDGE) also got a lucky sack playing only 40% of snaps this week and he usually plays even less than that, he’s been ice cold in recent weeks with this terrible playing time and relying on him to get sacks and stats while barely playing is not a great idea, pass here as well. Same deal with Tim Settle (DT), 37% of snaps, Jimmy Moreland (CB), 79% of snaps as the third overall corner in terms of playing time and James Smith Williams (DE), 22% of snaps. None of these guys play enough and all of them lucked into a sack or half sack to give them above (their) average production this week, pass on all of them.

Possible waivers: Kamren Curl (S) for the love of all that’s holy! Before it’s too late!

Misc notes: Kamren Curl (S) is doing a better job being Landon Collins (S) than Landon Collins (S) did this season. If for some reason he’s still available for the love of God go get him! Even if it’s just to deny him to your leaguemates and you’re all set at safety, this guys has been hot for three weeks now and shows no signs of slowing down, another 100% snap game with nine combined tackles and a QB hit, incredible waiver wire safety. With the Deshazor Everrett (S) injury it was, as predicted, Troy Apke (S) once more playing 100% of snaps and starting as the other safety this week, it only translated to three combined tackles but it’s there if you need it in those stupid deep leagues, you need to monitor Everett’s health though this move is dependent on him missing more time. All of the linebackers that we count on for weekly IDP production here saw decreased overall snaps this week, that was likely due to the 44 total pass attempts from the Bengals as they tried to play catch up while their 18 total rushing attempts were a little less than average this week, so short version is gamescript was the likely culprit. They’re not all of a sudden pulling the rug out from under Jon Bostic (LB) and Cole Holcomb (LB) who saw 53% and 63% of snaps respectively this week which is far fewer than usual for them. With the Bengals passing more often they were likely in dime and quarter packages more than their base defense or a run defense, you would much rather have more corners and safeties out there in pass coverage instead of run stopping thumpers like Bostic and Holcomb. I didn’t actually get to watch this game so that’s an educated guess based purely on the information I’m reading but it tracks. Everything else was fine this week, some of the defensive line guys had a down game but it wasn’t due to fewer snaps or anything noteworthy like that it was just nature of the position stuff, we all know defensive line isn’t an “every week” position in terms of scoring fantasy points because they rely on sacks and splash plays for the majority of their production and those aren’t every week plays. They’ll be fine. Let’s move on.

Lions @ Panthers

Detroit Lions

Produced as expected: Jamie Collins (LB) Jayron Kearse (S) Amani Oruwariye (CB) John Penisni (DT) Desmond Trufant (CB)

Flash in the pan: Jeff Okudah (CB) and Jarrad Davis (LB) played just 34% and 31% of snaps this week, Okudah was benched last week for sucking and that hasn’t changed, when he was on the field he was targeted often because he stinks. Even though that’s ideal for IDP production he’s barely playing and could not play at all any of these upcoming weeks, I sure as hell wouldn’t risk it. And for Davis he’s been irrelevant this entire season and would you ever play a linebacker who sees 31% of snaps a game? Didn’t think so.

Possible waivers: Duron Harmon (S) did see a massive increase in playing time and production but once you’ve read the entire blurb about this team if you still feel like rolling those dice then you’re a braver person than I.

Misc notes: Tracy Walker (S) is on the roller coaster once more seeing just 52% of snaps this week which clearly impacted his production with just two combined tackles on the day. The Lions defense is a complete and utter shit show. Everyone not named Jamie Collins (LB) sees their playing time and thereby their production fluctuate wildly week to week and it doesn’t matter if you have draft capital (Jeff Okudah) or were an excellent breakout safety last season (Tracy Walker) or have been playing close to 80% of snaps the last couple weeks (Reggie Ragland who saw just 42% of snaps this week). It doesn’t matter, no one is safe from these shenanigans. You can’t trust anyone other than Jamie Collins (LB) on this defense it’s that simple, avoid like the plague. Reggie Ragland (LB) played around 80% of snaps last week and finally had some production so of course he saw a massive drop in playing time down to just 42% of snaps this week, his production took a dive along with it to just three tackles and a tackle for loss on the day, he obviously can’t be trusted going forward, abandon ship. Romeo Okwara (DE) maintained his playing time, 66% of snaps this week, but had a down week overall which is fine, nature of the position and all that. He’s been red hot the last month so it was bound to happen, he remains a decent option until they pull the rug out from under him as well. Everson Griffen (DE) also saw a huge drop in playing time after a solid week last week to just 37% of snaps this week and his production suffered as well, just one pass defense on the day, not ideal. Jahlani Tavai (LB) saw more snaps this week, up to 54% played but he didn’t do anything with them, four combined tackles, only two of them solo and one tackle for loss on the day, if reading about this defense in this article every week has taught you anything you would know why I wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole even in a 32 team league. He’s just as likely to see an increase or maintain these snaps and production next week as he is to lose a huge chunk of it and go back to completely IDP irrelevant, we just don’t know what this defense is ever going to do week to week and it’s beyond maddening. Bottom line here is we can’t stream the corners, they change all the time and even their top ten first round pick didn’t clear 40% of snaps this week. We can’t use any linebackers, the one that was semi-usable the last month or so lost no shit half his snaps and took a nose dive in production out of nowhere. The best safety barely played half the game and the defensive line is a giant mess beyond Okwara and God only knows when they’ll pull the rug out from under us in regards to him. This defense is a mess and is one of it not the least reliable for consistent IDP production week to week. I’m all set, I’ve got my handful of Jamie Collins (LB) shares and I’ll use them until they screw us with that too and I’ve got Okwara in one deeper league but that was just a bye week thing so I’m done there too, I’m out on this defense and you should be too. It’s too late in the season to be playing these games and screwing around. That’s enough effort for this clown show, moving on.

Carolina Panthers

Produced as expected: Tre Boston (S) Justin Burris (S/CB) Brian Burns (EDGE) Shaq Thompson (LB) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Efe Odaba (DE) and Zach Kerr (DT) played 38% and 43% of snaps respectively this week and haven’t done much else of note this season, neither plays enough for any consistency and shouldn’t be considered unless in a truly deep league. Yetur Gross Matos (DE) played a bit more than these two, 48% of snaps this week, but still not enough for any consistency. At least he has draft capital though so the playing time should increase the further we head into the season so I’m alright with playing him in deeper leagues just don’t expect this kind of box score every week, not when he doesn’t even play half the game.

Possible waivers: Justin Burris (S/CB) is back and completely healthy, he played 100% of snaps and recorded six combined tackles, a tackle for loss and two passes defended for about eighteen points in most of my leagues which is excellent for a safety and ridiculous for a guy that some sites allow you to play in your corner slot. It’s a cheat code if that’s the case just like DJ Reed (S/CB) is in some places, take advantage of that and get safety production and consistency from your corner slot.

Misc notes: The Panthers dominated the Lions so completely that they won the time of possession battle 37 minutes to 23! That’s beyond ridiculous, the Panthers defense only spent 23 minutes on the field and even then the Lions failed to produce anything resembling offense this week so there was almost nothing to eat. Despite that really only Jeremy Chinn (S) ended up being the only noteworthy weekly IDP producer with a down day which is amazing considering these factors. So obviously when we see guys like Shaq Thompson (LB) and Jeremy Chinn (S) having a down day in the box score this week this is a large part of that, they barely played and when they were on the field the Lions were going three and out and barely ran at all with only 40 rushing yards on seventeen attempts which made for fewer than usual easy run stopping tackles for guys like Thompson and Chinn. Those guys rely on those easy run stopping tackles for a decent part of their floor every week and if they don’t exist in the first place it’s going to impact their production overall. So no need to worry, the down days here had nothing to do with talent or playing time and everything to do with the Lions being amazingly shitty at football. Jeremy Chinn (S) and Derrick Brown (DT) played their usual snaps, 100% and 79% of snaps respectively, but just didn’t have enough to eat as I explained above, they’ll both be fine no need to panic. So everything was solid here this week, overall production was down but we know why and because we know why we know we don’t need to panic we just need to wait until the Panthers play against a real football team. Moving on.

Steelers @ Jaguars

Pittsburgh Steelers

Produced as expected: Vince Williams (LB) Minkah Fitzpatrick (S) Cameron Heyward (DT) Robert Spillane (LB) *somewhat* Terrell Edmunds (S) Bud Dupree (EDGE) Stephon Tuitt (DE)

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score this week.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week.

Misc notes: TJ Watt (EDGE) played plenty, 86% of snaps this week but only had two tackles and two QB hits on the day for almost no IDP points at all no matter the scoring format. While he may be the best of the EDGE or OLB guys he’s still completely splash play or sack dependent for his points every week and due to the nature of those plays being inconsistent and random that makes his production inconsistent and unreliable. He may be the most consistent of the inconsistent’s but at the end of the day he can and will let you down minimum several weeks a year, this is his second really awful game this season and seventh game overall he hasn’t reached his projection, it’s true those projections aren’t realistic but the point is I’d rather have spent that draft capital on someone like Blake Martinez (LB) or Lavonte David (LB) who has a solid tackle floor every week so even when they have an off game they’re still giving you something and because the nature of their production is more sustainable and realistic week to week they’re exponentially less likely to have a bad game than guys like Watt or Shaq Barrett (EDGE) or Za’Darius Smith (EDGE). I get it, when these guys blow up they put up monster numbers and I’ve got more than a few leagues where one of them is in my linebacker group (the rest are all solid tackle floor guys) but in general playing these EDGE guys in your regular linebacker slot is risky and will destroy your week when it’s least convenient. Score points every week not just some. Mike Hilton (CB) was back from injury this week, finally, but only played 36% of snaps and was outsnapped by Cameron Sutton (CB) as the Steelers likely ease him back into the lineup. If we don’t see an uptick in snaps next week we can start to panic a little bit but this makes sense for now, besides when he was putting up numbers earlier this season it was due to sacks and relying on a corner to give you a sack a game is batshit crazy. Corners get their points from pass defense and tackles, not sacks, that was outlier production earlier this year and was never going to be sustainable, I get it though, corner is risky to begin with so may as well go for a huge payoff if the risk works out and that’s Mike Hilton (CB) exactly. For now he’s not playing enough to take that risk, we’ll see what next week brings and go from there. Avery Williamson (LB) once again was a complete non factor and only played 14% of snaps this week, he’s a depth piece for them and nothing more. It’s funny though all these sites still have his projection set up like he’s still an inside linebacker on the Jets playing 100% of snaps each week, those days have come and gone, he’ll continue to be irrelevant unless the injury grim reaper does some work or Robert Spillane (LB) starts playing horrible. Everything else here was solid, no issues. We’ll see what next week brings.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Produced as expected: Joe Schobert (LB) Jarod Wilson (S) Tre Herndon (CB) DJ Hayden (CB) Myles Jack (LB) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Chris Claybrooks (CB) was only in for 75% of snaps as the clear third cornerback this week and was only even playing in the first place due to a late scratch for Sidney Jones (CB) who was out with an achilles injury, while this may be an option for the duration of the Jones injury the lack of ideal playing time makes it not a great option so I’ll pass.

Possible waivers: Andrew Wingard (S) but I wouldn’t do it unless desperate, more below.

Misc notes: Sidney Jones (CB) was injured and inactive with an achilles injury this week, hence the Chris Claybrooks (CB) out of nowhere flash in the pan production. Jones had the highest PFF grade of everyone in the secondary the game prior to this one and has started or played significant snaps in the last five games before this one against the Steelers so he should be back in the mix as soon as he’s healthy enough to play again. Tre Herndon (CB) & DJ Hayden (CB) played 99% and 76% of snaps respectively this week. Herndon likely saw the increase in snaps due to the Sidney Jones (CB) injury, he was in the dog house the last couple weeks playing 50 or 60% of snaps per game after being a 100% per game guy for most of the season prior to that point, my guess is he loses some playing time when Jones returns and it ends up being Sidney Jones (CB) and DJ Hayden (CB) as the two IDP relevant corners that play enough to stream going forward at that point, we shall see. Daniel Thomas (S) came in for Josh Jones (S) but has now injured his arm and is set to miss “multiple games” so it appears Andrew Wingard (S) will be a thing again. He’s pretty much it as far as the depth chart goes, they’re running out of warm bodies to play safety. This is an option if you need it, I wouldn’t do it unless desperate and in a much deeper league though. With all the shenanigans at the safety position (and the corners) this season Jacksonville has been one of the tougher teams to find consistency at so while this looks pretty straightforward I would much rather have someone like Kamren Curl (S) or Ashtyn Davis (S) instead of rolling the dice here with Wingard. Josh Allen (DE) only played 49% of snaps this week and left early with a knee injury, there’s talk of him heading to IR this week. It looks like he’ll be gone a decent chunk of time regardless and if we all remember back to the last time he was hurt there really was no direct replacement worth picking up, Chaison should see a little bump in playing time but he hasn’t done anything of note this entire season so I doubt an extra 15-20% of snaps will change that. Not ideal. Everything else was fine, the corners remain in flux and we lost a promising young cheek clapper with Allen but besides that and the return of Andrew Wingard (S) everything else was business as usual.

Titans @ Ravens

Tennessee Titans

Produced as expected: Jayon Brown (LB) *somewhat* Rashaan Evans (LB) Kevin Byard (S) Malcolm Butler (CB) Desmond King (CB)

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score or guys who are now waiver wire options due to injury.

Possible waivers: Will Compton (LB) was the direct replacement for Jayon Brown (LB) who is injured and out for the remainder of the season, this is a very nice waiver wire linebacker if you need help in that department for leagues of any size or shape. There is a small chance that they go with another option besides Compton from what I’ve read on this today so I would double check this by looking through local Titans media and beat reporters work before kickoff this week but for now this looks solid. That’s a long winded way of saying don’t kill the messenger if this doesn’t work out, I don’t work for the Titans and they don’t clue me in on what they decide in regards to personnel decisions. Amani Hooker (S) stepped in for the injured and out Kenny Vaccaro (S) who was concussed earlier this week. He played 98% of snaps and recorded six combined tackles, two passes defended and had an interception which is obviously pretty good, if Vaccaro can’t go this week Hooker makes a nice short term option in those crazy deep leagues where you need to play games like this.

Misc notes: Jadaveon Clowney (EDGE) was placed on IR last week and this week Jayon Brown (LB) was sent to IR as well after dislocating and fracturing his elbow. Not ideal. We talked about the likely Brown replacement above, as for Clowney it was Derrick Roberson (EDGE) who stepped in for him and played 80% of snaps this week but did very little with them, Clowney himself was not very productive in that role so expecting a backup to do better is not realistic, I would avoid that entirely. Jeffrey Simmons (DT) played a massive 88% of snaps this week but only recorded three combined tackles on the day, nature of the position he’ll be fine, although I did expect him to eat a bit more against this run heavy Ravens offense. It’s fine though, defensive tackle isn’t an “every week” position, bigger weeks to come. Everything else was fine, no significant fluctuations in playing time or changes in role or responsibility, we’ll circle back next week and see how the waiver wire inside linebacker situation for replacing Jayon Brown (LB) shook out and go from there.

Baltimore Ravens

Produced as expected: Patrick Queen (LB) Marlon Humphrey (CB) Deshon Elliot (S) Derek Wolfe (DE) Matt Judon (EDGE) Chuck Clark (S) Yannick Ngakoue (DE)

Flash in the pan: Malik Harrison (LB) & Tyus Bowser (LB) played 50% and 37% of snaps respectively this week, neither are anything remotely resembling consistent and neither plays nearly enough to even sniff consistency or reliability. Pass on both. Very similar to the Dolphins approach of “start one or two decent linebackers a week with solid playing time then throw four or five at the wall with somewhere around 30% snaps each and see what sticks”. I’m all set with that.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week however Derek Wolfe (DE) played 80% of snaps in his second week of increased playing time and production in an effort to fill in the missing production from Calais Campbell (DE). I’ve been riding that train in some of my deeper leagues. Matt Judon (EDGE) has seen increased playing time and production with Campbell out as well, just a heads up.

Misc notes: Marcus Peters (CB) was in for his customary 97% of snaps this week but only had three solo tackles on the day, he’s been an excellent streaming corner this season but every corner has a down week every now and then, he’ll be fine, especially if that matchup is ideal. Yannick Ngakoue (DE) only played 31% of snaps this week. That’s not good at all. I just took a pause from writing this to yank his ass out of every lineup I had him in and put in waiver claims for backup options. He did manage a sack and a forced fumble this week plus several pressures so maybe that’s enough to get him out of the dog house but in general he’s been irrelevant since landing in Baltimore and has seen his playing time decrease the last few weeks, this is me sounding the alarm bells and hitting the panic button. Make moves now and let’s pray this turns itself around when we circle back here next week. Nothing else to report, it was a good week for Patrick Queen (LB), both safeties produced, the pass rush guys we look to did their thing even though the Ngakoue situation looks like a disaster on the horizon and one of the two excellent corners had a monster day and the other one will be fine. These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.

Patriots @ Texans

New England Patriots

Produced as expected: Adrian Phillips (S) Jonathan Jones (CB) Stephon Gilmore (CB) Kyle Dugger (S) Ju’Whuan Bentley (LB) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Basically this entire defense.

Possible waivers: No one I would feel comfortable recommending.

Misc notes: Kyle Dugger (S) saw a 10% drop in snaps from last week to 75% played this week and a significant drop in production with just six combined tackles and a tackle for loss. He is not your new Messiah and anyone who’s paid attention to this defense for more than five minutes could’ve told you that just like I did last week. He could end up being a decent safety two or so and comparable to Adrian Phillips (S) in playing time and production but that’s the best case scenario for him, the Patriots don’t have “studs” they have “guys”. Chase Winovich (DE) was at ideal playing time again this week as his roller coaster season continues, he only recorded two tackle assists on the day however despite playing 87% of snaps this week. He’s not consistent or reliable and that’s not his fault it’s the way this team uses him. This defense has very few usable pieces, Gilmore in the right matchups, Bentley when he’s playing enough (only 72% of snaps this week), Phillips most weeks and Winovich on weeks where the planets align and he plays enough and is able to produce. If you want more information on why I dislike this defense and don’t trust anyone from it for IDP purposes feel free to read any version of this article from the last three years, I’ve talked about it plenty. That’s enough time spent here, moving on.

Houston Texans

Produced as expected: Justin Reid (S) Zach Cunningham (LB) Tyrell Adams (LB) Bradley Roby (CB) Lonnie Johnson (CB) & Eric Murray (S) *somewhat* JJ Watt (DE)

Flash in the pan: Jonathan Greenard (LB) only played 26% of snaps and hasn’t done anything else of note this season, he lucked into an outlier sack this week and should be ignored going forward. Would you ever play a linebacker who only plays a quarter of the defensive snaps? Didn’t think so.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week.

Misc notes: Zach Cunningham (LB) only played 64% of snaps this week and is sitting at a 50.7 for a PFF grade currently, the concerns we had the last few weeks return as we see his playing time drop off a cliff yet again. He’s been bad for actual football all season and that has cost him the green dot and has cost him playing time. The production itself hasn’t suffered yet but how many weeks can he see a 40% drop in playing time and expect to maintain his production? So yeah, not ideal. We’ve talked about this before, things looked better last week but here we are again. If you have a backup plan make sure it’s ready, we’ll see what next week brings and go from there but every time I see this it’s another nail in the dynasty coffin for him and at this point I’m worried about even getting solid production and playing time from him for the remainder of this season. Pain. Whitney Mercilus (EDGE) played his usual 71% of snaps or around there but did nothing of note, the curse of the EDGE strikes again. He’ll be fine I guess, or he won’t, doesn’t bother me either way I have actual linebackers in my linebacker slots. JJ Watt (DE) didn’t get it done with sacks this week but he had four pass defenses plus a host of other stats so it was a big week nonetheless. He played a massive 88% of snaps and has been so hot lately. He’s recovered well since his slow start to the season and continues to be a great option. Everything else was fine here this week, Bradley Roby (CB) had an excellent game in a far less than ideal matchup which was nice to see. Both safeties had acceptable games, well one was awesome and one was acceptable, despite the playing time shenanigans Zach Cunningham (LB) still gave us excellent production and our Messiah Tyrell Adams (LB) had a bit of a down week overall but still a six combined tackle ten point in most of my leagues game which is fine for a guy everyone got for free a month ago and had never even known was a person until that point either. Don’t get greedy. We’ll circle back next week to check in on the Zach Cunningham (LB) shit show. Onwards.

Dolphins @ Broncos

Miami Dolphins

Produced as expected: Eric Rowe (S) Xavien Howard (CB) Bobby McCain (S) Elandon Roberts (LB) Kyle Van Noy (LB) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Nik Needham (CB) only played 46% of snaps this week, that’s not remotely enough for a streaming IDP cornerback so we can’t trust him, this is outlier flash in the pan production that’s not likely to happen again any time soon with this kind of playing time.

Possible waivers: Zach Sieler (DE) saw excellent playing time again this week, 83% of snaps, and the production is getting there. He recorded three solo tackles and a tackle for loss for seven points in most of my leagues which is plenty for a guy no one’s ever heard of and can get for the cost of a mouse click in most places. Obviously only an option in much deeper leagues.

Misc notes: Emmanuel Ogbah (DE) saw his usual playing time, 75% of snaps this week, but finally came back to earth after an incredibly hot season so far. He’ll be fine. Even if he did nothing for the rest of the season he’s given us a monster year so far and cost most people who got him literally nothing. Solid waiver wire defensive end and that shouldn’t change in coming weeks. Shaq Lawson (DE) also had a down week but played 66% of snaps and should be fine as well, nature of the position. Bigger weeks to come. Jerome Baker (LB) however saw a massive drop in snaps to just 31% of snaps this week. And which one of his two combined tackles did you all enjoy the most? My how far we’ve fallen since the ridiculous over reaction of the first few weeks of this season where everyone in IDP Twitter was quick to crown him the waiver wire linebacker of the season one week in. Well almost everyone, I said he sucks and you can’t trust Miami to keep anyone’s playing time consistent and both of those things have proved to be the truth. We’ll see if his playing time can rebound, I think it probably will. I’ve even got a share or two in some of my much deeper leagues so I’m hoping he does get back to acceptable playing time and thereby have a shot a good production again, and I’m not surprised by this at all. Miami has been doing this kind of thing all season, if you’ve been reading this article since week one you know that. We’ll see what next week brings but if this is the new normal we’ll need to blast Mr. Baker out the airlock and find another option. Elandon Roberts (LB), at least for this week, seems to be the new favored son as the other IDP relevant linebacker to see enough snaps to be somewhat consistent. He was in for 77% of snaps and had a fine day in the box score, so for this week it’s Roberts in and Baker out. We’ll see what next week brings, if I had to bet I would say we see something completely different next week just like we have all season, nothing is permanent here in Miami except the defensive line and corners. Everything else fluctuates constantly and is tough to nail down in terms of consistency. The Dolphins were almost out of my “cursed three” status for them as one of my least favorite IDP defenses along with Detroit and New England but then they went and pulled this nonsense again, right back into the garbage for them. We’ll see how it goes and circle back here after the next game to try and diagnose whatever pile of crap they give us. Moving on.

Denver Broncos

Produced as expected: Justin Simmons (S) Alexander Johnson (LB) Malik Reed (EDGE) Bryce Callahan (CB) Bradley Chubb (EDGE) Dre’Mont Jones (DT) Kareem Jackson (CB) Demarcus Walker (DE)

Flash in the pan: Deshawn Williams (DT) only played 40% of snaps this week and isn’t someone I knew existed until just this very minute, so obviously no other noteworthy production this season and not enough playing time, pass.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week.

Misc notes: Josey Jewell (LB) was a victim of Denver’s overall success this week, he still played 89% of snaps but only recorded two combined tackles due to the Dolphins ineptitude on offense and Denver’s pass rush. The Dolphins only attempted 17 rushing plays for 56 yards, far fewer in both areas than average and only completed 23 passes for 167 yards which is very obviously way fewer than average for both areas there as well. Although the time of possession was pretty even the Denver pass rush which had six sacks on the day was able to stall out drives and cause a ton of three and outs and when the Dolphins did stay on the field they weren’t giving up the easy run stopping tackles that guys like Jewell count on to build their combined tackle floor every week. This game was supposed to be a continuation of the Dolphins hot streak as they obliterated the hapless Broncos but Denver didn’t get the memo. Unfortunately for Denver they get the red hot Saints this week and that is excellent news for Mr. Josey Jewell (LB) who should see a bounce back week as the Saints dominate time of possession and run Kamara and Murray up the gut a million times and complete short passes to Micheal Thomas (WR) in and around Jewell’s area of operation. So he’ll be fine, it was just a weird week, he played enough but there just wasn’t enough to eat for everyone on the Denver defense this week because Miami sucked on offense. It happens. AJ Bouye (CB) was the only other IDP relevant member of this defense to put up a stinker of a game this week and that had far more to do with Miami only completing 23 passes and nothing to do with his playing time, 100% of snaps as usual, or his talent, he’s pretty good. He’ll be fine as well. Business as usual besides those notes this week, both EDGE guys landed sacks, hell everyone landed sacks for Denver this week, Simmons was awesome as usual and Johnson had an acceptable game as well, especially when you consider the lack of offense he had to work with as Miami struggled to do anything with the ball this week. Looking solid.

Jets @ Chargers

New York Jets

Produced as expected: Ashtyn Davis (S) Neville Hewitt (LB) Harvey Langi (LB) Quinnen Williams (DE)

Flash in the pan: Jordan Jenkins (LB) and many, many others this week. Fatukasi, Anderson, Maulet, Shepherd, etc etc. The list of flash in the pan guys this week is massive and there’s one overriding reason why. The Jets spent nearly two thirds of this entire game on defense and the Chargers lit them the hell up both on the ground and in the air, 37 minutes of total defense and 37 completions for 366 passing yards with 26 rushing attempts. There were plenty of easy run stopping tackles to be had for all plus tons of opportunity for pass rush and passes defended. This wasn’t’ just enough to eat it was a freaking three course meal. We can ignore most of it, the guys who are good we already know and everyone else just took advantage of an outlier situation. The Jets usually lose the time of possession battle but this week they lost the whole damned war. I doubt this happens against Miami next game but still, absolutely wild.

Possible waivers: It was Harvey Langi (LB) not Patrick Onwuasor (LB) once again for the injured and out Blake Cashman, Sleeper was way the hell off on that one and should be ashamed of themselves for putting out that massively inaccurate blurb in both Onwuasor and Langi’s player notes. They even pumped up Onwuasor’s projection and likely fooled a ton of less knowledgable IDP players into starting him and getting, checks notes, nothing. That’s right, zero. Shame on you, Sleeper app. Anways, it’s Langi if Cashman is out and Cashman if he’s healthy as the other inside linebacker next to Neville Hewitt (LB) until something changes. That could very well happen, but I don’t work for the Jets so I don’t make crazy ass predictions like that, I’ll change up after I’ve seen it with my own eyes or read it from a reputable source. Check local New York media and beat writers before kickoff this next game to see if there’s been any changes here but Langi played 93% of snaps and recorded eleven combined tackles on the day so if Cashman is out and there’s nothing saying (nothing real, Sleeper doesn’t count) that it’s Onwuasor this week then he makes a really solid spot start waiver wire linebacker for the week and we’ll circle back and see if that changes after next game. Bryce Hall (CB) appears to be the new best option for streaming corner here now that Pierre Desir (CB) was released and Bless Austin (CB) was sent to IR last week. He played 99% of snaps and recorded seven solo tackles plus one tackle for loss on the day, if this playing time continues he should make a solid streaming corner option. Lamar Jackson (CB), the bad one, saw the same snaps played with 99% but only recorded four combined tackles on the day and Arthur Maulet (CB) was the third corner with 85% played this week. This entire cornerbacks corps is brand new after all the injuries and guys getting cut so I’m hesitant to play any of them until we see this more set in stone, this unit is clearly in flux so there’s a risk we get the rug pulled out from under us if we trust literally one game’s worth of information and take that as gospel, besides they’ve got the Dolphins this week and their passing attack has looked anything but streaming corner worthy recently, but at least that should give us another game to see what’s the deal here before making any moves. Information is power.

Misc notes: The Jets were on defense for 37 minutes this week, that’s ridiculous. This is why Jamal Adams (S) had exponentially more value here than he does in Seattle. The Seahawks will never, ever, spend 37 minutes on defense this season. The Jets run into these situations seemingly bi weekly. Anyways this helps explain the massive production from this defense as a whole this week and is yet another example of why it’s nice to have the pieces of this defense that play enough every week to be consistent, games like this right here. This offense is so bad that the defense sees extra snaps basically every week and those extra snaps turn into extra tackles, passes defended and other stats and ultimately turn into IDP points for the pieces we have from this defense on our IDP teams. This is the way. Marcus Maye (S) somehow was literally the only guy on this defense to have a crappy game when everyone else was putting up career best numbers, he played is usual 100% of snaps but only had three tackle assists and a pass defense despite spending 37 minutes on the field and having a ridiculous amount of opposing offense to eat from. Not ideal. I’ve been pumping the brakes on him for weeks now but this is the best evidence yet that he’s not a great IDP safety option at all, at minimum he’s massively inconsistent, at maximum he’s just plain bad for not being able to produce in a week like this with literally the perfect factors in place for massive IDP production. Not ideal, I’d look for another option. Everything else was fine and more than fine, these guys ate this week.

Los Angeles Chargers

Produced as expected: Reyshawn Jenkins (S) Kenneth Murray (LB) Te’Vaughn Campbell (CB) Linval Joseph (DT)

Flash in the pan: NA, all names that makes sense at the top of the box score this week.

Possible waivers: Denzel Perryman (LB) for the duration of Kyzir White (LB) being on the Covid IR list, he played 93% of snaps this week but only recorded three combined tackles but lucked into a sack and therefore a tackle for loss and QB hit as well so it was a solid day in the end, decent enough one week spot start if White is still on the list next week.

Misc notes: Nasir Adderley (S) & Reyshawn Jenkins (S) both played their usual 100% of snaps but while Jenkins had a nice week Adderley came back to earth with just three solo tackles and a QB hit on the day, still seven points in most of my leagues which is decent for a bad day overall. While both of these guys have taken turns with the hot hand the last month plus it appears they’re both still not as consistent and reliable as the other better known safeties we look to routinely so still best used only in deeper leagues with fewer options. Kenneth Murray (LB) saw a decent 77% of snaps this week and finally had a good box score for the first time in weeks, he’s been disappointing overall this season and remains only usable in deeper leagues and as a dynasty futures prospect but at least he broke out of the slump this week. I still wouldn’t trust this linebackers corps one bit despite both Murray and Perryman both having nice games this week. Joey Bosa (DE) & Melvin Ingram (DE) played 90% and 92% of snaps respectively this week which is obviously plenty. For Bosa it was the first time he’s been legitimately healthy in weeks so that was nice at least but still no production, we all know that when he’s healthy and playing this much that’s just a matter of time though so keep plugging him in. As for Ingram he had yet another bad week in a bad season that doesn’t show any signs of improving, I pulled the plug on him a long time ago but he does have the talent and playing time to put together a big week at any point. I just wouldn’t ask him to do it anywhere other than a really deep league where I had no other options. Jerry Tillery (DT) also had a bad week but has been much better overall this season and played 58% of snaps this week and should be fine, the Chargers defense was barely on the field this week and the Jets gave up on the run game pretty early in this one as they went into catch up mode so the easy run stopping tackles that build the floor for guys like Tillery were basically nonexistent after half time. He’ll bounce back. Everything else was fine which is strange considering this defense only saw 23 minutes of action this week, they made the most of it though so we’ll take it.

Cowboys @ Vikings

Dallas Cowboys

Produced as expected: Leighton Vander Esch (LB) Jaylon Smith (LB) Donovan Wilson (S) DeMarcus Lawrence (DE)

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score.

Possible waivers: Chidobe Awuzie (CB) is now basically the only IDP relevant corner healthy enough to play for the Cowboys and our only real streaming option going forward with Trevon Diggs (CB) injured and out. He played 100% of snaps and recorded nine combined tackles and half a tackle for loss, he’s been a solid streaming corner option in large stretches of last season so it’s not a stretch to see him resume that this year with all the carnage. He’s been injured and out for the better part of the last two months but now he’s back, praise be the IDP Gods.

Misc notes: Leighton Vander Esch (LB) still only saw 70% of snaps this week and this was Dalvin Cook (RB) we’re talking about, the Vikings didn’t spare the rod when it came to the run game with 29 rushing attempts so the “easy” run stopping tackles, nothing’s easy when it’s Dalvin Cook (RB), should have been there theoretically. His 62.4 PFF score isn’t exactly bad and he’s been back a few weeks now so the lack of his normal snaps is starting to get a little worrisome. Regardless he still had twelve combined tackles so it ended up being alright but I’m hoping we see some kind of increase in playing time here soon or I’m going to further develop the ulcer that Yannick Ngakoue (DE) is already giving me. Randy Gregory (DE) only played 25% of snaps this week, that was quick. Disregard my prior recommendation for him as a waiver wire defensive end it looks like that ship has already sailed, you win some you lose some. Donovan Wilson (S) played 100% of snaps this week and had a massive box score which was nice but we’ve seen this movie before. He’s all over the place with production and we’ve seen the playing time fluctuate as well since he took over for Darian Thompson (S) a month or so ago, in crazy deep leagues he’s an option but his consistency is worst than most so he’s not the best option heading into crunch time and fantasy playoffs where a random bad game can completely screw you. Not my cup of tea personally. Everything else was fine, Aldon Smith (DE) didn’t do much but had an acceptable game and played just as much as DeMarcus Lawrence (DE) with 78% of snaps this week, he’s another early waiver wire darling that everyone anointed the waiver wire defensive end of the season after one week and he’s come crashing back to earth ever since, I wasn’t on that hype train. Emmanuel Ogbah (DE) is the waiver wire defensive end of the year, not this guy. He’s fine, there’s another big game or two in him before it’s all said and done but I’d much rather have DeMarcus Lawrence (DE) who’s been red hot the last month or so and shows no signs of slowing down. Business as usual besides those couple notes.

Minnesota Vikings

Produced as expected: Eric Wilson (LB) Harrison Smith (S) Jahleel Johnson (DT) Anthony Harris (S) Eric Kendricks (LB) Jalyn Holmes (DE) Jeff Gladney (CB) Kris Boyd (CB)

Flash in the pan: Kirk Cousins (QB) only played 0% of defensive snaps this week and his two combined tackles came from his and Dalvin Cook’s (RB) lost fumbles. I just thought it was funny that Kirk Cousins (QB) had as many tackles as Jerome Baker (LB) and TJ Watt (EDGE) this week, pretty pretty pretty good.

Possible waivers: I think I’ve talked about Jalyn Holmes (DE) in here before but I’m too tired to check right now, I’ve done ten thousand words just today and my brain is leaking out of my ears. Regardless he played 76% of snaps this week which was more than Ifeadi Odenigbo (DE) and DJ Wonnum (DE) so he would appear to be the anointed defensive end one for this defense going forward, he had a nice box score as well, not a bad option in deeper leagues.

Misc notes: Ifeadi Odenigbo (DE) and DJ Wonnum (DE) were the only IDP relevant members of this defense to have a down week against Dallas this week. They played 67% and 42% of snaps respectively and remain a defensive end three or four in Odenigbo’s case in much deeper leagues and a dynasty futures piece in Wonnum’s case, neither is a real great option at all but both have had solid weeks in the past so we could see another nice box score or two from either of them before the season is done. Eric Wilson (LB) had another solid week and seems to have broken out of the mold that Anthony Barr (OLB) had created for the position Wilson now plays after he replaced the injured and out Barr earlier this season. Barr could never string together any kind of consistency but Wilson has now had several good weeks in a row and has seven solid games and three bad games on the season, that’s the kind of consistency and reliability that Anthony Barr (OLB) could never even dream of. So I guess I’ve been sold, I was worried about his consistency since he took over that position but he’s proven me wrong so I stand corrected. We’ll see if he can continue this hot streak and maintain his reliable weekly production going forward. Not much else to see here this week, basically everyone we count on for production did what we expected from them and those who didn’t were on the defensive line where bad weeks are part of the deal so business as usual. Let’s get to the end game here.

Chiefs @ Raiders

Kanas City Chiefs

Produced as expected: Anthony Hitchens (LB) Bashaud Breeland (CB) Damien Wilson (LB) Daniel Sorensen (S) Tyrann Mathieu (S) *somewhat* Chavarious Ward (CB)

Flash in the pan: Willie Gay (LB) did play 53% of snaps this week which is an increase but hasn’t seen this kind of playing time consistently this season and remains just a dynasty futures piece until that happens, pass for now.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week.

Misc notes: Chris Jones (DT) & Frank Clark (DE) played 81% and 92% of snaps this week but neither landed a sack or had a good game, nature of the position they’ll both be fine. Clark is having a bit of a down year overall but is still a fine defensive end two or three in deeper leagues and Jones is a top three IDP defensive tackle who you would never consider sitting ever, bigger weeks to come from both. Daniel Sorensen (S) played 100% of snaps yet again this week and looked to be heading for his first bad game in well over a month until he picked off Derrick Carr (QB) on their final drive of the game and sealed yet another monster week for himself. He’s been an incredible waiver wire safety and his hybrid safety position has been massively productive since it became as thing over a month ago, continue to start him with confidence. Also there was just a bit less to eat this week with the Chiefs owning time of possession 32 minutes to 28 so Sorensen wasn’t as involved as he normally is but it ended up being fine nonetheless so we’re looking good. Everything else was business as usual, the linebackers unit is useless, the corners took advantage of a nice matchup and played well for streaming purposes, both safeties we use weekly had either an excellent day (Sorensen) or an acceptable day (Mathieu) and the only notable letdowns were on the defensive line where that kind of thing is a fact of life. So we’ll move on.

Las Vegas Raiders

Produced as expected: Jonathan Abram (S) Nick Kwiatkowski (LB) Nicholas Morrow (LB) Trayvon Mullen (CB) Damon Arnette (CB)

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score this week.

Possible waivers: Nicholas Morrow (LB) replaced Cory Littleton (LB) once again this week due to Littleton being on Covid IR, whenever Littleton or Kwiatkowski is injured and out Morrow is an option that week but it’s dependent on the health of the two starters so keep that in mind. No other new producers this week. Nevin Lawson (CB) also got a spot start for Lamarcus Joyner (CB) who was also on the Covid IR list but that’s just a short term thing as well, he’ll be IDP irrelevant once Joyner returns.

Misc notes: Damon Arnette (CB) shot up to 91% of snaps played this week in his second game back returning from the IR, he was an excellent streaming corner prior to his IR stint and he’s returned to form and is once again playing ideal snaps to stream at corner going forward, he’ll make an excellent option if the matchup is correct. Eric Harris (S) saw another reduction in snaps down to 31% of defensive snaps this week, he’s not playable at this level of playing time to it’s time to pull the plug. Jeff Heath (S) saw an increase in snaps as Harris saw the decrease but was only at 64% played with no real significant production so he’s not really an option either, avoid both for now until we get some kind of stability and production from either. Maxx Crosby (DE) was in for 88% of snaps but failed to record a sack or splash play so he had a down week overall, nature of the position he’ll be fine, bigger weeks to come. Business as usual besides those few notes, look for Cory Littleton (LB) to return to the lineup next game and Nicholas Morrow (LB) to IDP irrelevant once again. Everything else was fine here.

Rams @ Buccaneers

Los Angeles Rams

Produced as expected: Troy Hill (CB) Jalen Ramsey (CB) John Johnson (S) Jordan Fuller (S) Micheal Brockers (DE) Micah Kiser (LB) Darious Williams (CB)

Flash in the pan: Kenny Young (LB) & Samson Ebukam (OLB) played 29% and 42% of snaps respectively and haven’t done much else of note this season, not enough playing time or past production with that non ideal playing time, pass on both.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week but Jordan Fuller (S) may be on waivers if you need safety help, 100% of snaps and two picks plus a smattering of other stats, pretty pretty good.

Misc notes: Leonard Floyd (EDGE) was in for 91% of snaps but didn’t record a sack or splash play therefore he had a bad day since EDGE guys don’t have a tackle floor to speak of, he’ll be fine just nature of the position. Aaron Donald (DT) played a massive 90% of snaps and was double and triple teamed all game long, he failed to record a sack or splash play but will be fine. That’s a massive amount of playing time for a defensive tackle and he’s the best IDP defensive tackle in the game you never sit him, bigger weeks to come. Not much else to see here this week, everyone either did what we expected from them or were on the defensive line and had bad weeks where that’s part of the deal, nothing to panic about for the Rams this week, home stretch.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Produced as expected: Lavonte David (LB) Devin White (LB) Antoine Winfield Jr (S) Jordan Whitehead (S) Jason Pierre Paul (DE) Carlton Davis (CB) Shaq Barrett (EDGE) *somewhat*

Flash in the pan: Sean Murphy Bunting (CB) saw elevated snaps likely due to the Jamel Dean (CB) injury and the overall gamescript with the Rams passing the ball early, often and effectively for the entirety of this one. In general he’s the third corner here in terms of both playing time and production so this is a flash in the pan despite the 81% of snaps played this week.

Possible waivers: No new producers this week.

Misc notes: Jamel Dean (CB) only played 53% of snaps this week due to an injury that took him out of this one early, we’ll see if he can go next game but if not it looks like Ross Cockrell (CB) was his direct replacement and Sean Murphy Bunting (CB) might see some increased snaps as well, we’ll see what happens. N’Damakong Suh (DT) played a massive 86% of snaps this week but failed to land a sack or splash play so had a bad week overall, nature of the position and he remains a top ten IDP defensive tackle so unless you’ve got a better option there’ no choice but to keep playing him, bigger weeks to come. Everyone else who was supposed to produce this week did so and there were no alarming fluctuations in snaps or changes in role. Looking solid here.

Thanks for reading, have a great Thanksgiving and we’ll cya back here next week for another edition of the monster. Gobble Gobble.

Follow me on Twitter @Orangeman3142 and all our writers on our IDP team as well, @JoeyTheToothIDP, @seahawksdan8, @HollywoodTitan, @ZMagsIDP, @Lanny1925, @IDP_Dude, @KBellf54, @ONUtyjo and @ejh1528IDP for all your IDP needs. We will have IDP articles, matchup charts, waivers, sleepers and everything you could possibly need this season coming out daily all season long here at idpguys.org, we’re going to literally waterboard you with content. Check out my streaming corners article every Friday morning and this article will be out every Thursday morning all season. We’ve got you covered from every angle all season long.

Join our site as a subscriber and get access to our slack channel where all the writers and subscribers talk IDP and fantasy football 24/7 all year long. For just 1$ a month you get access to that plus all our IDP tools and ADP information, both IDP only and combined offense/IDP. Head over to dynastytradecalculator.com and use their famous trade calculator for your IDP and offense trades, the IDP portion is now powered by our IDP ADP that is always current all year long. Check out our podcasts, the flagship IDP Guys Podcast, IDP Nation, Devy IDP Grind, Dynasty Football Digest and the IDP Lounge, all can be found on our website and on YouTube as part of the Reiter Digest Network. Sign up for the 2021 Autism Speaks IDP Invitational tournament, we raised over $2,000 for Autism Speaks this year and aim to blow way past that next year. Make sure to check out our IDP and offense rookie magazines, available both in print and digital form every year before your rookie draft, over 100 prospects scouted and graded with rankings for all formats including superflex. We’ve got so many coals in the fire it’s borderline ridiculous, take advantage and let us help you dominate your IDP leagues for years to come.

IDPGuys.org your one stop shop for all things IDP

Over 200 years of combined IDP experience on staff

Over $2,000 raised for Autism Speaks from 2020 IDP Invitational

Follow Tony Johns, Worship Babu Frik, Protect Baby Yoda, Marry Jimmy G

One word frees us from all the pain and weight of live, that word is love