This week is the first of two tough scoring periods where a whole lot of roster manipulation will take place in the fantasy football world. There are due to be star IDP players dropped out of necessity that the savvy waiver wire/free agent watcher can pluck up to shore up their teams as the season plugs along. In the meantime, take a gander at the players profiled below if you need replacement parts for your squad this week.

 

 

 

Bye Weeks Coming Up:

Week 9 - Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers
Week 10 - Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, New York Jets
Week 11 - Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

NFL IDP Report - Week 9

Elevator Going Up - Linebackers

Uchenna Nwosu, Seattle Seahawks

Seattle’s defense has been a surprise this season, and Nwosu really filled up the stat sheet last week: six total tackles (TT), with five of those being solos and two for a loss of yards (TFL), two sacks, a pair of QB hits/hurries (QH) and a forced fumble (FF). He is a steady contributor, seeing at least 50 snaps on defense save for Week 3 against the Falcons. 

 

Za’Darius Smith, Minnesota Vikings

Smith has been providing sack production, which makes him a fine pickup by the Vikings this season. He added another three sacks this past week, giving him 8.5 on the season. He is also putting up good tackle numbers: seven solos against the visiting Arizona Cardinals, four of those TFLs. A pass deflection (PD) and a trio of QH add to the big play value he is giving his owners.

 

Bud Dupree, Tennessee Titans

The veteran has returned to his edge rushing role in the Tennessee defense, recovered from his hip injury, and has collected a sack each of the past two games he has played. If he is healthy, and he seems to be, and was dropped in your leagues, and he probably was as his ownership is minimal, then this is an edge rusher your team could benefit from adding to your IDP roster. Note that Dupree hit the Injury List with an illness designation on Friday.

 

Jamin Davis, Washington Commanders

With Cole Holcomb out for this week’s contest against the Minnesota Vikings, look for the Commanders to turn again to Davis for increased playing time (PT). He should be good for tackle production similar to his six TT in Week 8 (five solo, one TFL). The visiting Vikings are not a tremendous matchup, but not a terrible opportunity for the second-year player, either.

 

Kenneth Murray, Los Angeles Chargers

Murray has been seeing an uptick in snaps played recently, and he has a run-oriented team on tap for this week’s game when the Atlanta Falcons play host. He is coming off a five solo tackle effort where he also contributed a PD and an INT. He could be a value to add for this six-team bye week if you are seeking LB help.

 

Jack Sanborn, Chicago Bears

So, Roquan Smith was shipped off to the Baltimore Ravens prior to the trade deadline, and that means that there is a big hole to fill in the Chicago Bear defense. In steps Sanborn, who has a chance to shine this week, and he has a decent matchup in store to hold off the new addition to the LB corps, A.J. Klein who was part of the Smith deal.

 

Elevator Going Up - Defensive Linemen

Payton Turner, DE, New Orleans Saints

The DL is coming back from a chest injury that has limited his PT significantly until last week, when he put up four TT (two solo, two TFL). The two sacks were a fine stat addition, and he also managed to toss in a pair of QH for some additional big play value.

 

Elevator Going Up - Defensive Backs

Kerby Joseph, S, Detroit Lions

Joseph is playing every snap on defense for the Detroit Lions, and is coming off a six TT effort (five solo) where he also managed to force the ball from the offense’s hands (FF) for the second consecutive week. The team seems satisfied with the rookie’s efforts on defense and he is an every down DB which given the struggles the team is having, means he should be putting up worthwhile fantasy stats going forward.

 

Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins

Holland had 12 TT in Week 8 against the host Detroit Lions, and also added a PD. His role could be changing with the season-ending injury to Brandon Jones, and playing up closer to the line of scrimmage would only serve to increase his fantasy stat production going forward.

 

Escalator Going Down - Linebackers

Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens

While the team is looking stronger due to the acquisition of Roquan Smith, it will undoubtedly interfere with the resurgence that Queen was demonstrating this season. Maybe not this week, but soon there will be a decrease in PT for the second year LB.

 

Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lloyd’s production has fallen off dramatically, with just a dozen TT over the past two contests to his credit (just two solo). He is seeing full time action on the field, but the lack of stat production makes him a liability for your IDP roster as of recent vintage.

 

Escalator Going Down - Defensive Linemen

Denico Autry, DE, Tennessee Titans

Autry has been inconsistent at best this season, and is coming up on a so-so matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road this week. You are likely to find a more dependable DL to plug in, even in a tough bye week.

 

Marcus Davenport, DE, New Orleans Saints

Davenport could be sliding back behind Payton Turner, who is profiled above in the rising player section of this article. Smart money is that Turner is the player to own going forward, especially if Davenport’s PT continues to erode.

 

Escalator Going Down - Defensive Backs

Marcus Maye, S, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saint defense shut down the Raiders in Week 8, but Maye had just one assist in the contest. Aside from some limited tackles over the past three weeks, he contributes little to your IDP numbers if he is in your lineup. There are far more dependable options taking the field weekly that could fill your safety slot in your starting lineup.

 

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 Los Angeles Chargers or Indianapolis Colts, but certainly you will do well if you own a top DB on the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots that you can plug in this week, for the most part.

 

Inside Linebackers

  • Los Angeles Chargers @ Atlanta Falcons
  • Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
  • New Orleans Saints vs Baltimore Ravens
  • Las Vegas Raiders @ Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
  • Washington Commanders vs Minnesota Vikings

 

Outside Linebackers

  • Cincinnati Bengals vs Carolina Panthers
  • Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
  • Baltimore Ravens @ New Orleans Saints
  • Carolina Panthers @ Cincinnati Bengals
  • Jacksonville Jaguars vs Las Vegas Raiders

 

Defensive Ends

  • Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs
  • Los Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • New England Patriots vs Indianapolis Colts
  • Atlanta Falcons vs Los Angeles Chargers
  • Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks
  • Los Angeles Chargers @ Atlanta Falcons

 

Defensive Tackles 

  • Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
  • Chicago Bears vs Miami Dolphins
  • Washington Commanders vs Minnesota Vikings
  • Jacksonville Jaguars vs Las Vegas Raiders
  • Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots

 

Safeties

  • Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks
  • Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
  • New Orleans Saints vs Baltimore Ravens
  • Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
  • Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers

 

Cornerbacks

  • Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
  • Miami Dolphins @ Chicago Bears
  • Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
  • Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks

 

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. Only Jevon Holland has any significant ownership among this week’s IDP, and that is around 25% only. 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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