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IDP Start/Sit Advice & Rankings for Week 5 (Fantasy Football)

IDP Start/Sit Advice & Rankings for Week 5 (Fantasy Football)

Here are players to consider starting and sitting this week, along with analysis to help you make your IDP roster decisions.

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Start

Cameron Heyward (DL – PIT)
Similar to T.J. Watt, you’re going to want to throw Heyward in your lineup this week as a DT1. The Falcons have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing defensive lines, and most of that was while Andre Levitre was still active. Now with backup Wes Schweitzer, it’s been a bit easier to get back to Matt Ryan.

Mario Addison (DL – CAR)
We all know that the Giants offensive line is below-average right? Well, then it should make sense that they allow the eighth-most points to defensive tackles and the fourth-most points to defensive ends. Addison is fresh coming off a bye at home against a Giants offensive line that’s allowed 15 sacks through four weeks.

Takkarist McKinley (DL – ATL)
McKinley has been one of the lone bright spots of the Falcons defense, as he’s racked up five sacks while playing in just three games, including three against the Bengals in Week 4. If you’ve watched Ben Roethlisberger this year, you know that something has been off and he’s one to hold onto the ball for too long trying to make a play. In a game that should have him drop back close to 50 times, McKinley could add to his total.

Jaylon Smith (LB – DAL)
Smith has been racking up the tackles, though he’s getting a lot of them via assists. That should continue to be the case this week as the Texans are lacking a run-game, but still run the ball quite often. Knowing that Will Fuller is likely out, he may have some more opportunities on intermediate targets, too. The Texans offensive line is in rough shape and they’ve allowed over 40 points per game to opposing linebackers this year. Smith may get his third sack of the year in this game.

Jayon Brown (LB – TEN)
With Wesley Woodward banged-up and no lock to play, let’s move to his teammate Brown, who now has 11 solo tackles. 6 assists, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack over the last two games. Now, he gets to go up against a Josh Allen-led offense? Plug him in and expect major results from a team that’s allowed the third-most points to linebackers on the season.

Von Miller (LB – DEN)
Sometimes we don’t always see the best talent rise to the top in IDP leagues, but when Miller gets a matchup like this, you put him in your lineup. The Jets offensive line is below average at both tackle positions and have allowed Sam Darnold to be sacked at least twice every game. Miller didn’t quite land a sack on Patrick Mahomes last week, but he should notch at least one here.

T.J. Watt (LB – PIT)
Watt is listed as a linebacker, but he’s a pass-rusher and the Falcons have allowed the third-most points in the league to defensive ends. This game is going to be a pass rusher’s paradise, as there should be countless dropbacks. You should expect to Watt to be able to make it back to Matt Ryan at least once this week.

Shaq Thompson (LB – CAR)
After a down week against the Falcons (who allow the 2nd-fewest points to linebackers), Thompson bounced back against the Bengals in Week 3, totaling eight tackles. The Giants are a team who has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to linebackers, as Eli Manning has been a check-down machine this year, and we know that Saquon Barkley will get plenty of carries. There should be enough room for both him and Luke Kuechly to have a strong game.

Sit

Jadeveon Clowney (DL – HOU)
The Cowboys offensive line has been destroyed up the middle this season, as they’ve allowed the most points to interior lineman, but they’ve shined against defensive ends, allowing the third-fewest points to them. This game should feature a lot of J.J. Watt, meaning Clowney may take a backseat.

DeForest Buckner (DL – SF)
It sounds odd, but the Cardinals haven’t allowed many points to interior lineman this year. In fact, they’ve allowed an average of just 7.5 fantasy points per game to them, which ranks as the third-fewest in the NFL. After a hot start, Buckner has totaled just three solo tackles the last two weeks and no tackles for loss (or sacks).

Ndamukong Suh (DL – LAR)
You might see the Seahawks pop-up and think it’s a good idea to start Suh, but the Seahawks have been rather stingy with opposing tackles. They’ve allowed just 32.1 points to them through four weeks, which ranks as the sixth-fewest in the league. With him having to share the production with Donald on that D-Line, he’ll be a bit hit-or-miss.

Leonard Williams (DL – NYJ)
Through four weeks, the Broncos have allowed the eighth-fewest points to defensive tackles and the second-fewest points to defensive ends. Needless to say, their offensive line has been tough to deal with this year. Williams should have some tackle opportunities, but it hasn’t been enough for other defensive lineman and it likely won’t be for him.

Vontaze Burfict (LB – CIN)
We’ve been approaching players returning off suspension and/or injury with caution and it’s worked well so far, so that’s the plan with Burfict. He may be eased back into the lineup this week and the Dolphins have allowed just the fourth-most points to linebackers on the season.

Jaquiski Tartt (DB – SF)
It seems like Tartt will likely make it back into the lineup against the Cardinals, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should start him. He’s been held out the last two weeks with a shoulder injury, so there’s a risk of re-injury there. On top of that, the Cardinals have allowed safeties just 18.6 fantasy points per game, third-lowest in the league. Let’s make sure Tartt makes it through a full game before re-inserting him back into lineups.

Shawn Williams (DB – CIN)
Outside of a big game against the Ravens, Williams has been relatively quiet this year despite the Bengals missing some playmakers on defense. He’s totaled just 2 or 3 solo tackles in 3-of-4 games and will now be playing against a Dolphins team that doesn’t run the ball much and averages very few plays per game. It’s why they’ve allowed the second-fewest points to safeties this year. The Bengals will also get Vontaze Burfict back from suspension, limiting opportunities for Williams in the clean-up role.

Brian Poole (DB – ATL)
Poole is currently the CB1 in IDP leagues, but he should be on your bench until further notice. Why? Well, the Falcons decided to move him to safety for much of Week 4’s game against the Bengals, as they slid Desmond Trufant into the slot and put rookie Isaiah Oliver at LCB. We don’t know if this is set in stone moving forward, but they may have decided that Poole is too much of a liability in coverage to trust at slot cornerback. Unless we get word that he’s starting as the nickel cornerback again, Poole isn’t going to be as valuable in his new role.

Here are my full IDP rankings for the week.

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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.

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