Week 18 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

My IDP rankings came out just yesterday, and we already have a growing list of teams announcing they will rest players before the playoffs. The 49ers, Ravens, and Browns are all resting their quarterbacks and other key offensive stars, as we expected. However, the Rams and Chiefs have joined the fray by announcing their passers... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 18 (2023)

For most people, the fantasy football season is over. For some, you are competing for a championship in Week 18. If you are in a dynasty league, you might want to think about players to add and stash for next season. If you had Antoine Winfield on your IDP team, you might have won your... Read More

Week 18 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

Those who read my weekly columns and pay attention to my introductions know that I am one of many analysts who don't understand why fantasy managers set games that matter in Week 18. Of the 19 leagues I am in this year, only one plays this week. That league is unique, as it involves keepers... Read More

Week 17 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

The top asset any sports analyst can have is patience. You’re paid for thorough analysis, so don’t overreact to one good or bad game. You must be cold, calculated, and remind people that even Barry Sanders had off days. Every week, I get dozens of questions, texts, and DMs about the latest breakout player or... Read More

Week 17 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

As we enter Week 17, most analysts operate under the assumption that this is the last week for almost all of your leagues. I've told you before that most savvy fans and fantasy commissioners purposefully avoid their fantasy titles being decided in Week 18. While there are more teams playing for something than there used... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 17 (2023)

It's time for the final IDP waiver wire column of the year! Most fantasy leagues have their championships this week. My dynasty league had its championship last week, and I ended up winning it with big performances from DE Carl Granderson, who made a sack and eight tackles, and Ernest Jones, who made another sack... Read More

Week 16 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

It's a well-accepted fact amongst fantasy analysts that fans do not care about our fantasy teams. The average fan worries only about their team(s) and could be bored to tears when an analyst goes off about how close they were to a win or how bad their luck was on a given weekend. However, there... Read More

Week 16 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I'd like to address NFL disasters that were easy to see coming. While this topic deserves a full-blown article, I have just two paragraphs to fit this in. Because of that limit, I will try to be brief in my arguments. I will also write a more... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 16 (2023)

The fantasy playoffs are upon us. You need every edge, so you need to pick up the right IDP players to increase your chances of winning the championship. If you started Bradley Chubb in Week 15, you must have won if it was round one of the playoffs. He made three sacks and forced two... Read More

Week 15 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

The end of the fantasy regular season brings with it many things. Some are good, like feelings of accomplishment or disappointment, or a merry Christmas joy that overcomes your bitter sense of failure… if you're that kind of sickeningly optimistic person. However, one negative issue that always comes around this time of year is the... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 15 (2023)

Welcome to the Week 15 IDP waiver wire column for fantasy football IDP leagues. Some of the biggest IDP producers of Week 14 included Saints safety Jordan Howden, who replaced the injured Marcus Maye and made 10 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble; Browns cornerback Martin Emerson, who made two interceptions for four on... Read More

Week 15 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

Many fantasy leagues have started their fantasy playoffs already, and most others will this week. Most of us avoid Week 18 as a matter of practice and optimize playoff seeding based on the depth of our leagues. But not all commissioners know how to maximize their playoff settings. Some commissioners are new and just don’t... Read More

Week 14 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

For the select people who read the introduction to my articles, I will begin by apologizing. A severe case of COVID has limited my loquaciousness this week, meaning the one guy who prints off my articles and posts them in his work locker with hearts drawn around them will be disappointed. To you, Carl, I... Read More

Week 14 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

This week could see several prominent IDP names come off of IR, further crowding position groups as we get six teams back from a bye. The instinct of many will be to grab these big names from waivers the second they are activated. Some players merit such a move, while others won’t in standard or... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 14 (2023)

Each week, I list about a dozen IDP players you should add to your fantasy football team from the waiver wire. Miami edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel was one of my top waiver wire recommendations for Week 13. Yesterday, he intercepted a Sam Howell pass and returned it for a touchdown. He also made five... Read More

Week 13 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

Perspective means a lot in sports, as in many areas of life. An example of this would be Shaquille Leonard. We mention him here frequently because he remains a legend in many IDP circles. Even this year he's been a pretty productive tackler, despite limited snaps and conflicts with his team/coaching staff. So, obviously a... Read More

Week 13 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

Let us begin this grueling fantasy week with a moment of silence for my pre-season pick for this year’s IDP Breakout: Jaelan Phillips. While the former Hurricane was electric this weekend and showed signs of being what we thought he could in recent weeks, he struggled with injuries throughout the season before losing the rest... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 13 (2023)

Every week, I offer my waiver wire recommendations for IDP leagues. These are my waiver wire picks for the linebackers, defensive linemen, and defensive backs who will make an impact. I am looking for players who are making a big impact but going under the radar, players who are seeing an increase in playing time,... Read More

Week 12 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

IDP managers have been hit with an onslaught of defender headlines as we hit mid-week of the Thanksgiving season. As of Tuesday, multiple impact fantasy defenders have been lost this week for various reasons. These aren’t minor losses, either. They are significant losses with long-term ramifications. Some of them we saw coming, and some we... Read More

Week 12 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

Thanksgiving week is a time to be thankful. It's a time to be together, appreciative, and watch poorly acted and historically inaccurate 3rd grade plays. As a result, every football analyst and talking head will do a bit about what they are thankful for this week. In fact, all of us with a blog, article,... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Fantasy Football Streamers for Week 12 (2023)

If you took my advice in Week 2 and added Dallas Cowboys CB DaRon Bland to your IDP team, you would have enjoyed 23 fantasy points this week as he made yet another pick-six, his fourth of the season. Bland is still only rostered in 13% of Sleeper leagues. If you're not rostering and starting... Read More

Week 11 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

Injuries in the NFL can be a tricky thing. On a purely human level, they are always bad. We don't like seeing any person get hurt. It can change their lives in innumerable ways, usually negatively. So, as human beings, we don't like to see injuries happen. However, there are occasions where injuries lead to... Read More

Week 11 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

There are four NFL teams on bye in Week 11. That is usually a prescription for heavy roster turnover and triage in fantasy circles. However, this bye week is uniquely tame. While this bye is taking the NFL’s leading tackler (Zaire Franklin) away from us, the losses could be far worse. The Saints typically have... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Fantasy Football Streamers for Week 11 (2023)

In Week 10, we saw our share of great defensive performances. The 49ers held the Jaguars to three points in a 31-point victory. Fred Warner and Talanoa Hufanga made interceptions, and Javon Hargrave and Nick Bosa both made 1.5 sacks. The Colts beat the Patriots in an exciting battle of defenses by a score of... Read More

Week 10 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

We are entering that fantasy phase where some teams must plan for next year. Some squads have been hit with injuries, others bad luck. Whatever the reason, hundreds of managers in long-term keeper or dynasty leagues have a 2-7 or 3-6 record. This leaves you with little hope of contention and the startling reality of... Read More

Week 10 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

I'll begin with a disclaimer: I know this article is about defense and IDP rankings. Arthur Smith is obviously an offensive-minded coach whose decisions/mistakes largely impact offensive players. That said, we are all fantasy football fans, and Smith routinely does or says things that put him in the crosshairs of fantasy and regular football fans... Read More

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 10 (2023)

The Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles all go on bye in Week 10. That will take some pass rushers fantasy IDP managers have been relying on out of commission, including Chris Jones, Jaelan Phillips, and Haason Reddick. How will you replace them? Take a look at the Week 10... Read More

Week 9 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

The NFL's trade deadline was again a noteworthy affair, which is thankfully becoming a regular occurrence. While the offensive moves at the deadline were limited, there were several major moves on the defensive side of the ball. That's music to many IDP managers' ears. For fantasy purposes, we saw four trades that likely impacted IDP... Read More

Week 9 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

Am I the only one who feels the number of noteworthy injuries in the NFL is increasing despite almost every rule being geared toward player safety? The data and reports are mixed on this subject, but the optics are there. For example, the NFL reports that concussions have steadily declined since 2015, but CBS reported... Read More