Tommy Kislingbury provides his IDP risers and fallers for Week 10.
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Hi everyone. I thought that was a pretty strange week in the IDP world. There were plenty of predictions from everyone that fell flat and some mad production where we didn’t expect it (hello Adrian Clayborn!).
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Rising IDPs
Alex Okafor (DE – NO)
He gets very little praise compared to Cam Jordan on the other side, but Okafor has had an excellent season. He’s got to the QB at least once a game in five of the last seven matches and has reached an excellent 26 solo tackles for the season already. The benchmark for DE1 seasons is around 44 solos, so he’s well on his way. He’s a nice potential buy if you’re just zeroing in on your title run.
De’Vondre Campbell (LB – ATL)
I thought Campbell would be struggling this season, but he’s been fantastic in both NFL and IDP terms. Over the last five weeks, he’s played over 60 snaps each and every time and managed 25 solos, 12 assists, and a sack. That’s LB2 sort of production and pretty close to his feted team-mate Deion Jones.
Anthony Zettel (DE – DET)
The Lions employ a deep rotation at end, but Zettel has risen above it to post six sacks and 25 solos so far. Seven sacks are normally good enough for a DE2 season so he’s well on his way to being a top-tier option for the season. I think he’s probably been near the top end of the efficiency we can expect from him, but even if he slows down a bit he’s been extremely productive.
Leonard Williams (DE – NYJ)
Williams currently leads all DEs in playing time with 573 defensive snaps. That helps with productiveness of course but regardless he seems to have pulled his socks up and got back to being a top-class player recently with three solo tackles in each of his last three games. For a player like Williams who’s not an edge-rusher, this is excellent production. He’s a big name and owners likely overpaid for him, but he’s been very startable recently after an appalling early 2017.
Naz Jones (DT – SEA)
Over the last four weeks, Jones has played 12, 23, 31 and 48 snaps. His sacks per game have been 0,0 0.5, 1. His solo tackles 0, 1, 1, 3.
It’s a limited sample size of course but he appears to have the coaches’ confidence and is taking advantage on the field. I like him a lot in DT-premium leagues as a decent bet. Sheldon Richardson is a UFA after this season, and Naz has a chance to become the top interior pass-rusher in Seattle.
Tavon Wilson (S – DET)
I spent all summer shouting about how much I love Tavon and how Miles Killebrew lacks the football instincts to thrive as a top-level safety. Wilson had injury issues early on and only played one full game in the first four weeks of the season. Since then, however, he’s averaged 63 snaps across his last five games. In those games, he has 26 solo tackles and two sacks. He’s been a menace. He’s another player I like a lot as a reinforcement for a title run.
Falling IDPs
Deatrich Wise (DE – NE)
I still love him as a prospect in dynasty leagues, but he’s certainly cooled a bit. Wise hasn’t managed a sack in his last four games and has just three solos and three assists over that time. He’s a stash but unstartable right now.
Robert Nkemdiche (DE – ARI)
I was so excited about him. I knew the experts said he had no leverage due to him getting so high on snaps and he had a bad work ethic but I just loved his all-action style. It’s about time to throw the towel in for me though. He’s caused problems for the team, not been able to force himself onto the field and he’s looked bad when he has seen playing time. He’s been active for just 10 of 25 games since he was drafted and produced just three solos and two assists. I’m calling it – he’s a bust.
Chris Jones (DE – KC)
I don’t think Jones is a bust in any way. In fact, I still think he’s got as much talent as most linemen in the league. But the Chiefs 34 scheme is not doing him any favors. Jones is 6th among 34 DEs with 22 total pressures this season but has managed to get to the QB only once in his last seven games. I can’t bring myself to unload my shares because he’s so good but he’s just not producing as an IDP.
Benardrick McKinney (LB – HOU)
Anyone familiar with me knows I’ve never liked McKinney this season. It’s nothing against his ability – it’s just a bad scheme and role for IDP production. This is being borne out by his recent poor statistical output. He has just eight solo tackles and six assists in his last three games. He’s only managed five or more solos in a single game this season (against Cleveland). He’s on pace for an LB4 season in most scoring systems. For some reason, he still has name value so if I owned any shares I’d be selling.
Glover Quin (S – DET)
Quin was very productive early in the season. He averaged about five solos a game in the first month of the season (when Tavon Wilson was hurt). But since then he’s performed much more in line with our expectations of him as a specialist free safety – 13 solos in his last five games. Sure he’s had three pick-sixes for the season too but those are entirely unpredictable. It wouldn’t be a surprise for him to not catch the ball again this year.
That’s it for this week. With trade deadlines approaching in many leagues I wish you all luck in securing those underrated gems before the playoffs start.
Thanks for reading and good luck!
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