Week 8 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

October 25, 2023

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start em, sit em picks for individual defensive players.

It's Week 8, and it’s a bit of a unicorn because… there are no teams on bye! Now, I know what you're asking. If there is this perfectly good week sitting right in the middle of the schedule where no teams are off, why on earth were there teams on bye in Weeks 5 and 6? Surely, those teams would have preferred some time off a bit deeper into the season and closer to the playoffs. Right?

The answer to your questions is yes. Some teams would have preferred to move their very early byes into this logical space. And no, I don't know why the NFL set it up this way. Maybe there's a deep secret behind this move. A deal with the Devil to get more Halloween decorations and demonic graphics into NFL broadcasts, perhaps? Or maybe the NFL has partnered with Taylor Swift to sell more Tay-Tay costumes in their stadiums on Halloween weekend?

Whatever the reason, Week 8 is an oasis from byes. A time when injury laden fantasy teams are granted a reprieve from additional insults to injury. It's a nice benefit for those struggling to field a roster, and it inflates our rankings with almost too many good options. However, this week of awesome will also push problems into the future. By not sprinkling a few byes in this week, we will simply have to suffer later with busier than necessary bye weeks.

IDP Scoring System for Rankings:

6-points per Defensive Touchdown

4-points per Forced Turnover (FF/INT)

3-points per Sack

2- points per PD, FR, Safety

1-point Solo Tackle

0.5-points Assisted Tackle

Note: These rankings are also based on leagues that start one player at each defensive position (DL, LB, DB) and two DFLEX.

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week:

Jonathan Greenard, DL, Houston Texans

Greenard is widely available, rostered in just 1.9% of IDP leagues, and started in 0.4% as of this writing. He’s posted 21.5 standard IDP points combined in his past three games and has a premium matchup against the Panthers this week.

Carolina leads the NFL in pass attempts per game this season, and their pass blockers rate fourth worst in PFF’s grading system. The Panthers allow over 13 quarterback pressures per game, while their quarterback has fumbled in four of first five contests and is taking three sacks per. While you likely have plenty of options at DL this week, with no teams on bye, Greenard is a fine streamer if you’re dealing with injuries.

DL Disappointment of the Week:

Commanders Pass Rushers (Except Daron Payne)

In a week with so many available players, it’s easier than usual to fade a position group as talented as this one. Frequent readers of this piece will note that Washington has four defensive linemen who regularly place amongst our 50 best DLs each week. They stay in our rankings this week, too. However, their matchup is bad enough to fade most them behind some streamers with much better matchups.

The Eagles were the best pass-blocking offense in the NFL last year, and they rank fifth-best this year despite starting two new guards. One of those new guards, Landon Dickerson, has come into his own lately. That leaves Sua Opeta as the lone weak spot. Daron Payne spends 57% of his time over Opeta’s position, so he’s the only Commander we aren’t docking in this matchup.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week:

Azeez Al-Shaair, Tennessee Titans

Al-Shaair is a pretty obvious pick, considering he is already a starting LB2 for many of you. He was a pre-season riser, and he’s notched double-digit tackles at an impressive rate. However, we’ve already mentioned how the lack of byes has diluted this week’s pool of streamers/risers. So, why not use this week to point out an LB2 who is comfortably in our LB1 tier for this week?

The Falcons want to be a run-first team, and so do the Titans. Both teams have leaned more pass-heavy recently because their opponents have demanded it, but neither has the quarterback or the coach to lead aerial assaults on a whim. As such, the Titans and Falcons should happily give us one of the lowest-scoring games in recent memory, with a very run-heavy script that may make Al-Shaair this week's top-scoring fantasy LB.

LB Disappointment of the Week:

Tremaine Edmunds, Chicago Bears

Have we mentioned how deep the IDP options are this week? Or the impact that depth is having on streamers? Or the fact we have to fade solid contributors because there are just so many strong options?

Edmunds has been a reliable source of tackles this year, even if much of his production is of the “combined” rather than the “solo” variety. That said, Edmunds’ top production has come against teams that rank amongst the ten least pass-heavy offenses in the league. In three contests against teams who are top 10 in pass attempts per game, Edmunds has totaled just 15.5 standard IDP points.

This week, the Bears play the Chargers, who are eighth in pass attempts this season. With Los Angeles' using screens to supplement some of their run game, Edmunds could disappoint compared to the many other available options at LB this week.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week:

Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers don't always use Carlton Davis to shadow an opponent’s top receiver, but they've never hesitated to use him as a shadow when necessary. It may be necessary this week. After all, Stefon Diggs is third in the NFL in targets, averaging 11 per game, and the clear #1 option for Josh Allen. Buffalo’s QB goes to Diggs on 31.8% of his attempts.

There is a chance that Tampa doesn't use Davis like they used to, but his coverage numbers are superior to fellow starter Jamel Dean, and they have been for some time. As a result, it would make sense for Davis to spend considerable time on Diggs. That should lead to elite fantasy volume if that happens. Davis a worthwhile starter in leagues that require a starting CB or a DB3.

DB Disappointment of the Week:

A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons

Terrell is the 30^th most-targeted corner in the NFL, averaging fewer than five targets per game. In other words, opposing quarterbacks fear throwing his way, even when he’s shadowing their top target. That’s great news for real football but bad for fantasy production.

The Titans were a bottom-two offense in pass attempts per game with veteran Ryan Tannehill under center. Now Tannehill is injured, and reports suggest Will Levis will start Week 8 with Malik Willis coming in for select packages. Remember that the Titans were very conservative with Willis under center last year, so there’s no telling how they will use this “combo” approach. The pass volume could be extremely low in this one.

Note: This article was written before the Eagles' trade for Kevin Byard. No announcements have been made regarding the role Byard will see in Week 8 or his snap share. The trade should be favorable for Byard's season-long value, but the immediate impact on him and other Eagles, notably Reed Blankenship, is still unknown.

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