If your league is playing out the final regular season games to determine your championship, a suggestion is tendered to re-think that setting next season, and end with the Week 16 games. While last week had its share of craziness, this week with certain teams not needing to prove anything may prove disastrous for your fantasy efforts if your stars end up sitting out or only playing limited snaps. Still, the lure of playing all 17 weeks is there, so the above suggestion is only that: a recommendation based on past experience. Have fun but realize that finding help in this week to prop up your IDP lineup is a true crapshoot. Plus, aside from injuries, there are no falling defensive players profiled below.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Bryce Hager NYJ
The 28-year-old LB finally had an opportunity to play on defense, as he had been limited to special teams until Week 16. He broke out by collecting the most tackles in the victorious Jet effort against the Browns, with 10 total tackles (TT), five solo wrap ups. One of the tackles was for a loss of yards (TFL) and he tossed in a pass deflection (PD), too. Look for him to see snaps on defense again in the final game against the host Patriots, due to his standout performance.
Willie Gay KC
The rookie has been an inconsistent performer, but stepped up his game with nine TT in the contest (seven solo). He also forced a fumble against the visiting Falcon offense, and with the Chiefs poised to rest many of their regular players, look for him to see significant snaps on the defense heading into the season home finale against the Chargers, a good matchup for linebackers.
Defensive Linemen
Chase Young DE WFT
It seems an aberration that the rookie DL has not been featured in the IDP Report until the final week of the regular season, but he cannot be ignored after his Week 16 stat line: four TT (three solo), a sack, a FF and FR, and a PD as well. This week’s opponent should help him pad the sack numbers, as they are the top offense in terms of allowing fantasy points to opposing DEs.
Sam Hubbard DE CIN
The veteran DE sacked Houston’s QB, Deshaun Watson , and forced a fumble (FF) in the process. He also collected four TT (two solo), pushing his season total to 57 TT. The Ravens are a decent matchup, and Hubbard is playing for a team that has picked up its grit and fortitude of late.
Arik Armstead DE SF
Armstead was profiled in this article way back in Week 5, and with 13 TT over the past two games (eight solo) and a pair of sacks, he deserves mention again. Plus, the Week 17 opponent, visiting Seattle, is the 8th most favorable offense for purposes of handing out fantasy points to opposing DEs.
Vinny Curry DE PHI
With the injuries on the defensive line in Philly, the 32-year-old veteran should see significant playing time (PT) in the season’s final game against the visiting division rival from the nation’s capital, an extremely favorable matchup. He is coming off a two solo tackle effort where he also collected a sack.
Jarran Reed DT SEA
The sole DT profiled this week, the Seahawk DL picked up two more sacks last game to push his season total to 6.5. He now gets to face the 49ers who are an auspicious opponent in terms of DT fantasy production. He should toss in a couple or three tackles which makes him a worthy consideration in DT-mandatory leagues.
Defensive Backs
Vonn Bell S CIN
The five-year veteran import from New Orleans has proven to be a stalwart on defense for the Bengals this year, becoming an every down DB and averaging over 7 TT per contest. He had eight TT against the Texans in Week 16, with a FF tossed in for good measure. He has a similar matchup albeit at home this week when the Ravens come to call, and the Bengals are playing as a team with something to show the world finally.
Jahleel Addae S LAC
The veteran safety was thrust into a full-time role with the high ankle sprain to Rayshawn Jenkins in Week 16, and responded with nine TT (four solo). He also collected a sack of Drew Lock and a PD. With Kansas City on the schedule, however, and the likelihood the Chiefs will be sitting a number of starters, his production could be great or mediocre, so keep that in mind when considering whether to add him or another DB to your roster, if your league is still playing, that is.
Tracy Walker S DET
Walker is another safety whose PT shot up drastically in Week 16, where he snagged nine TT (six solo) against the visiting Bucs, who admittedly ran up and down the field without let or hinderance against the helpless Leos in Detroit last week, offering plenty of defensive tackle opportunities. He does have a better on paper matchup this week when the Vikings come into the confines of Ford Field, although neither team in this contest has anything of value to play for, save pride. Walker May feel an urge to prove his mettle, given his limited action on the turf since Week 9.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
None, save for those listed below in the Injury Report.
Defensive Linemen
Same situation as the linebackers above.
Defensive Backs
Ditto to the above two categories of IDP; look to the Injury Report below.
Matchups to Exploit
Remember, the first team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Giants or Patriots, but certainly you will do well if you own a top Raven DE or CB, or an Eagle LB or DE that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
Washington @ Philadelphia
New York Giants vs Dallas
New England vs New York Jets
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis
Defensive Ends
Philadelphia vs Washington
Cincinnati vs Baltimore
Washington @ Philadelphia
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Defensive Tackles
Dallas @ New York Giants
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City
Miami @ Buffalo
Las Vegas @ Denver
Safeties
San Francisco vs Seattle
Denver vs Las Vegas
Chicago vs Green Bay
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Cornerbacks
Cincinnati vs Baltimore
Pittsburgh @ Cleveland
Chicago vs Green Bay
Buffalo vs Miami
Waiver Wire Targets
This section is intended to serve as a shortened cheat sheet listing those waiver wire targets you should be considering if you need to plug a hole in your starting lineup. All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. As has been the case most of this season, all the players profiled above are listed here, so this week’s rising IDP group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.
Linebackers
Bryce Hager NYJ
Willie Gay KC
Defensive Linemen
Chase Young DE WFT
Sam Hubbard DE CIN
Arik Armstead DE SF
Vinny Curry DE PHI
Jarran Reed DT SEA
Defensive Backs
Vonn Bell S CIN
Jahleel Addae S LAC
Tracy Walker S DET
Ouch (My Aching Roster)
All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff. Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.
Linebackers
Kylie Fitts ARI undisclosed IR
Dennis Gardeck ARI knee IR
Foye Oluokun ATL ankle
Jason Ferris CAR undisclosed
Logan Wilson CIN ankle
Jordan Evans CIN hamstring
Sione Takitaki CLE ankle
B.J. Goodson CLE illness IR-COVID
Tae Davis CLE ankle
Jacob Phillips CLE IR-COVID
Leighton Vander Esch DAL ankle
Anthony Chickillo DEN ribs
Bradley Chubb DEN ankle
Jamie Collins DET neck
Za’Darius Smith GB ankle
James Burgess GB hamstring IR
Whitney Mercilus HOU illness IR-COVID
Dylan Cole HAU back IR
Jordan Glasgow IND undisclosed
Damien Wilson KC knee
Ben Niemann KC hamstring
Dorian O’Daniel ankle IR
Emmanuel Smith KC hamstring
Anthony Hitchens KC undisclosed IR-COVID
Denzel Perryman LAC back
Uchenna Nwosu LAC knee IR
Drue Tranquill LAC ankle IR
Kyzir White LAC hamstring
Elandon Roberts MIA knee
Shaq Lawson MIA ankle
Troy Dye MIN concussion
Todd Davis MIN ribs
Eric Kendricks MIN calf
Anfernee Jennings NE shoulder
Terez Hall NE ankle
Shalique Calhoun NE knee
Josh Uche NE foot
Ja’Whaun Bentley NE shoulder
Brandon King NE quadriceps
Kwon Alexander NO Achilles IR
Kyler Fackrell NYG lower leg IR
Blake Cashman NYJ hamstring IR
Patrick Onwuasor NYJ hamstring IR
Shaun Bradley PHI neck
Duke Riley PHI biceps
Nate Gerry PHI ankle IR
Ola Adeniyi PIT shoulder
Ulysees Gilbert PIT ankle IR
Mark Nzeocha SF illness
Jason Pierre-Paul TB knee
Daren Bates TEN hip
Derick Roberson TEN hamstring
Kevin Pierre-Louis WFT ankle
Thomas Davis WFT knee
Reuben Foster WFT knee IR
Defensive Linemen
Defensive End
Josh Mauro ARI hamstring IR
John Cominsky ATL shoulder
Charles Harris ATL personal
Calais Campbell BAL calf
Yannick Ngakoue BAL thigh
Efe Obada CAR shoulder
Brian Burns CAR shoulder
Akiem Hicks CHI illness
Shelby Harris DEN knee
Trey Flowers DET undisclosed IR
Kingsley Deke GB concussion
Denico Autry IND hip
Josh Allen JAX knee IR
Taco Charlton KC lower leg IR
Clelin Ferrell LVR shoulder IR
Takkarist McKinley LVR groin IR
Joey Bosa LAR concussion
Ifeadi Odenigbo MIN chest
Jalyn Holmes MIN groin
Tashawn Bower NE neck
Trey Hendrickson NO neck
Anthony Lanier NO undisclosed
Derek Barnett PHI calf
Josh Sweat PHI wrist IR
Jordan Willis SF ankle
Dion Jordan SF knee
Jeremiah Ledbetter TB calf
Jeffery Simmons TEN knee
Defensive Tackle
Marlon Davidson ATL knee
D.J. Reader CIN quadriceps IR
Antwaun Woods DAL ankle IR
DeShawn Williams DEN knee
Danny Shelton DET knee IR
DeForest Buckner IND ankle
Davon Hamilton JAX knee IR
Maurice Hunt LVR calf
Adam Butler NE shoulder
Byron Cowart NE back
Lawrence Guy NE shoulder
Carl Davis NE concussion IR
Michael Barnett NE undisclosed IR
David Onyemata NO knee
Fletcher Cox PHI neck
Javon Kinlaw SF knee
Tim Settle WFT shoulder
Defensive Backs
Safety
Jalen Thompson ARI ankle
Darqueze Dennard ATL quadriceps
Terrell Bonds BAL knee IR
Deon Bush CHI foot
Karl Joseph CLE undisclosed IR-COVID
Andrew Sendejo CLE undisclosed IR-COVID
Donovan Wilson DAL illness
Xavier Woods DAL ribs
Darian Thompson DAL concussion
Steven Parker DAL ankle IR
Trey Marshall DEN quadriceps
Jayron Kearse DET hip
Will Redmond GB concussion
Raven Greene GB shoulder IR
Parry Nickerson GB hamstring IR
Eric Murray HOU undisclosed IR-COVID
Khari Willis IND concussion
Daniel Thomas JAX arm IR
Lamarcus Joyner LVR thigh
Jeff Heath LVR concussion
Jahleel Addae LAC calf
Nasir Adderley LAC ankle
Rayshawn Jenkins LAC ankle
Taylor Rapp LAR knee IR
Chris Jones MIN groin
Myles Dorn MIN undisclosed IR
Devin McCourty NE shoulder
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson NO undisclosed IR-COVID
Jabrill Peppers NYG ankle
Bradley McDougald NYJ shoulder IR
Michael Jacquet PHI calf
Marcus Allen PIT neck
Tarvarius Moore SF ankle
Jimmie Ward SF concussion
Damarious Randall SEA foot
Jayson Stanley SEA hamstring
Lano Hill SEA back IR
Mike Edwards TB hip
Chris Jackson TEN undisclosed IR-COVID
Cornerback
Robert Alford ARI pectoral IR
Marlon Humphrey BAL shoulder
Marcus Peters BAL calf
Jimmy Smith BAL shoulder
Khalil Dorsey BAL shoulder
Cam Lewis BUF wrist IR
Troy Pride CAR hip
Jaylon Johnson CHI shoulder
Buster Skrine CHI concussion
William Jackson CIN concussion
Greedy Williams CLE shoulder IR
Chidobe Awuzie DAL hamstring
Rashard Robinson DAL knee
Chris Westry DAL knee
Desmond Trufant DET hamstring IR
Kevin King GB groin
Dabion Ento GB undisclosed IR
Phillip Gaines HOU knee
Rock Ya-Sin IND concussion
Sidney Jones JAX Achilles IR
Chris Harris LAC foot
Casey Hayward LAC hamstring
Cameron Dantzler MIN undisclosed
Mike Hughes MIN neck IR
J.C. Jackson NE knee
Ryan Lewis NYG hamstring IR
Javelin Guidry NYJ knee
Cre’von LeBlanc PHI ankle IR
Kevon Seymour PHI knee IR
Craig James PHI shoulder IR
Alexander Myres PIT undisclosed
Emmanuel Moseley SF hamstring
K’Waun Williams SF shin
Richard Sherman SF calf
Ken Webster SF hamstring IR
Neiko Thorpe SEA abdomen IR
Tre Flowers SEA hamstring IR
Carlton Davis TB groin
Adoree’ Jackson TEN knee
Chris Milton TEN knee IR
Greg Stroman WFT foot IR
As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy match ups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. FANation Chat is now live on the site, to help you work through your fantasy football dilemmas. Or if you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, you can also send a message to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a personal response from the writer of this article. Naturally, the more detail you can send about your league, such as number of teams, platform you play in (Yahoo, ESPN, etc.), scoring and roster system, the better the ability to provide accurate advice.