This is the point when fantasy football lineup decisions become extraordinarily important if your team is not leading your league by a comfortable margin. Winning streaks heading into the playoffs do a lot to lift spirits as the holiday season approaches. So, time to once again reevaluate your squad(s) and cut loose the deadwood and add some blooming talent. Thus, the IDP profiled below for your consideration.

 

 

 

Bye Weeks Coming Up:

  • Week 10 - Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, New York Jets
  • Week 11 - Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Week 12 - NONE!!!

 

NFL IDP Report - Week 10

Elevator Going Up - Linebackers

Derrick Barnes, Detroit Lions

Barnes was forced to step up when rookie Malcolm Rodriguez suffered an elbow injury against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9’s home victory, collecting 12 total tackles (TT), only four of those solos, unfortunately for fantasy purposes, although one was for a loss of yards (TFL). He also had a PD when the ball bounced off his helmet for Detroit Lion INT. He contributed a sack and a QB hit/hurry as well, making him a value in both tackle oriented and big play league formats. Keep an eye on the Rodriguez injury situation as this will determine Barnes' playing time (PT) going forward.

 

Drue Tranquill, Los Angeles Chargers

Tranquill had double-digit stops in Week 9: 10 TT (eight solo, two TFL). He also picked up a sack and a QH during his every-down time on the field for the defense. His ownership percentages are rising, so now would be a fine time to snag him for your IDP corps.

 

Elevator Going Up - Defensive Linemen

Jerry Hughes, DE, Houston Texans

Hughes picked up a pair of sacks last week, which he had accomplished twice before this season in collecting a total of seven on the season. He also gathered in five TT (four solo, two TFL) against the visiting Eagles. The move from Buffalo this offseason is providing big IDP benefits to his owners, as well as his new team.

 

Dawuane Smoot, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars

Smoot is a pass rush specialist for the Jags, and has snagged 3.5 sacks over the last two weeks. He has a good matchup in Week 10 when the team heads to Kansas City prior to the bye week. Both his solo tackles last game were TFLs and he also tacked on a pair of QH to his stat sheet.

 

Kwity Paye, DE, Indianapolis Colts

Paye is the first of several IDP that have been profiled in prior editions of the IDP Report this season, with Paye being a Week 2 entry. He is coming off an eight TT effort in Week 9 against the host New England Patriot offense (seven solo, one TFL). He was a big play contributor, too, with a QH and a sack showing up on the stat sheet. Coming back from an ankle injury induced absence, he has a good chance of being on your league’s wire or free agent market, and now would be a fine time to consider adding him in place of an underperforming DL. Beware, though, that he did not practice Friday, due to his balky ankle.

 

Daron Payne, DT, Washington Commanders

Payne was discussed way back in Week 3 as a rising DL to target, and he has collected 5.5 sacks to date for the team playing in our nation’s capital. If you are looking for steady big play help at DL, or play in a league that mandates a DT slot, he is a superb option to pick up. This week’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles does not project as top notch, but the next three weeks before the Week 14 bye profile as fine situations to build on his breakout season.

 

 

 

Elevator Going Up - Defensive Backs

Damar Hamlin, S, Buffalo Bills

Playing all the snaps on the defensive side of the ball is no guarantee for fantasy success, but Hamlin had a fine Week 9 effort, picking up 12 TT (eight solo, one TFL), to go with a sack and a QH. With Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer both injured, he should continue to start for the present time as well.

 

Marcus Maye, S, New Orleans Saints

The veteran put up a fine effort with double-digit tackles against the Baltimore Ravens on last Monday evening, (11 TT, eight solo). Bad news, though, his injury bug has reappeared, with an abdomen issue holding him out of Friday’s practice. Keep an eye on his status, as the game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh is a nice matchup for safety production.

 

Bobby McCain, S, Washington Commanders

McCain has a great matchup on tap when he takes on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, and will look to build on his two week streak of eight TTs per game. On platforms where he has dual eligibility at cornerback and safety, he has superior value if you have to roster a CB.

 

Roger McCreary, CB, Tennessee Titans

Here is a rookie CB that is playing all the snaps on defense, and putting up superior numbers. Rookie corners are frequently great fantasy options, as has been discussed here many times over the seasons. He is coming off an eight TT effort (six solo) against the host Kansas City Chiefs, a game where he also snagged an INT and had a PD. This week is a fine matchup with the Denver Broncos coming to town.

 

Kader Kohou, CB, Miami Dolphins

Another rookie CB who is seeing significant time on the field when his team is active on the defensive side of the ball. He had eight TT last contest, all solos. He should continue to be targeted by opposing offenses, with Xavien Howard on the opposite side of the defensive backfield, so grab him this week before the Dolphins’ bye week arrives in Week 11.

 

Steven Nelson, CB, Houston Texans

Here is another corner who benefits from a stronger CB, with Derrick Stingley shining for the Houston Texans on defense. He collected a sack in Week 9, while also forcing a fumble (FF) and picking up a QH for his stat line, as well as the five solo tackles he accumulated against the visiting Philadelphia Eagle offense. 

 

Troy Hill, CB, Los Angeles Rams

Hill appears over his injury, playing 99% of the snaps last week and collecting seven TT (four solo, one TFL). He also was credited with a pair of PDs. He should continue to be a defensive force, with a great matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in store. If you need to roster a CB, due to your format rules, this is a fine option to pursue.

 

Escalator Going Down - Linebackers

Josh Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars

In addition to not delivering any sacks over the last five games he has played, he also has put up just nine TT over those contests, as well. That sort of production just is not worthy of a roster slot, especially as the season heads into the latter stages before playoffs.

 

Escalator Going Down - Defensive Linemen

Geroge Karlaftis, DE, Kansas City Chiefs

The rookie DL continues to see significant PT on defense, but is delivering paltry results for those who have rostered him. Half a sack and 16 TT on the season are not worthy of a bench spot, much less a starting role.

 

Brandon Graham, DE, Philadelphia Eagles

Graham’s value takes a hit due to the addition of Robert Quinn to the team’s defensive roster. He saw just 38% of the snaps on defense in Week 9, and did not light up the stat sheet with one solo tackle, albeit for a loss of yards.

 

Escalator Going Down - Defensive Backs

Vonn Bell, S, Cincinnati Bengals

He has been delivering sporadic and minimal fantasy production of late, and if a safety cannot provide tackles on a consistent basis, there is no real reason to keep him on your squad. Bell has amassed just 12 TT over the past four games, and his bye week is an excellent time to crop him.

 

Amani Oruwariye, CB, Detroit Lions

He was relegated to a bench role in Week 9, with the team turning to Will Harris to take up the starters role opposite Jeff Okudah in the defensive backfield. When he was playing a majority of snaps, his tackle numbers were respectable, so keep an eye on the rotation of CBs for the Detroit Lions as he could develop relevance again.

 

IDP 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 Chargers Seahawks or Saints, but certainly you will do well if you own a top IDP that you can on the Raiders that you can plug in this week, for the most part.

 

Inside Linebackers

  • Los Angeles Chargers @ San Francisco 49ers
  • Indianapolis Colts @ Las Vegas Raiders
  • Seattle Seahawks @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • New Orleans Saints @ Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Las Vegas Raiders vs Indianapolis Colts

 

Outside Linebackers

  • Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers
  • Buffalo Bills vs Minnesota Vikings
  • Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions
  • Pittsburgh Steelers vs New Orleans Saints
  • Los Angeles Rams vs Arizona Cardinals

 

Defensive Ends

  • Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Commanders
  • Tennessee Titans vs Denver Broncos
  • Los Angeles Rams vs Arizona Cardinals
  • Denver Broncos @ Tennessee Titans

 

Defensive Tackles 

  • Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles
  • Houston Texans @ New York Giants
  • New York Giants vs Houston Texans
  • Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers
  • Indianapolis Colts @ Las Vegas Raiders

 

Safeties

  • Green Bay Packers vs Dallas Cowboys
  • Indianapolis Colts @ Las Vegas Raiders
  • Miami Dolphins vs Cleveland Browns
  • Cleveland Browns @ Miami Dolphins
  • Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Commanders
  • Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers

 

Cornerbacks

  • Indianapolis Colts @ Las Vegas Raiders
  • Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams
  • New Orleans Saints @ Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
  • Buffalo Bills vs Minnesota Vikings
  • Pittsburgh Steelers vs New Orleans Saints

 

IDP 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. Not all the players commented on are here, however, as there is no need to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned. This 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

 

Defensive Linemen

 

Defensive Backs

 

 

 

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

 

Defensive Linemen - DE

 

Defensive Linemen - DT

 

Defensive Backs - S

 

Defensive Backs - CB

 

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. 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.

 

 

 

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