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IDP Start/Sit Advice & Rankings for Week 7 (Fantasy Football)

IDP Start/Sit Advice & Rankings for Week 7 (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 Jordan (DL – NO)
Some will look at the matchup against the Ravens and think it’s a tough one due to them coming off a game where they didn’t allow a single sack to the Titans. That wasn’t necessarily the norm for them, as they’ve allowed the 17th-most fantasy points to defensive ends. The Ravens did lose one of their offensive guards last week, as Alex Lewis suffered a bad injury. That’ll create some opportunity and prior to the Titans game, the Ravens offensive line allowed at least two sacks in each game. Jordan himself has accumulated five sacks in the last four games. He’s going to find himself in the backfield this week and is a top-five defensive line play.

Jadeveon Clowney (DL – HOU)
In case you haven’t heard, Blake Bortles has now lost his starting left tackle Cam Robinson, and then lost Robinson’s backup Josh Wells to the I.R. That means you’ll have Josh Walker protecting his blind side. Walker is a former undrafted free agent who’s played 185 snaps in his career. During the 101 snaps he’s played this year, he’s allowed five quarterback hits and eight quarterback hurries. The last time Clowney played against a backup left tackle (Colts in Week 4), he recorded four tackles for loss and two sacks.

Larry Ogunjobi (DL – CLE)
We’ve seen Ogunjobi slow down the last few weeks, though he’s had some tough matchups against the Ravens and Chargers the last two weeks. The Bucs do drop back to pass a whole lot more than those teams do, and their tackle situation isn’t great with Demar Dotson and Donovan Smith. The Bucs have now allowed 11 sacks over their last four games, so we’re likely to see both Myles Garrett and Ogunjobi get into the backfield this week.

Stephen Weatherly (DL – MIN)
We know the Jets offensive line isn’t great, though Sam Darnold has been able to get the ball out rather quickly to make them look better through six games. The issue for him this week is that he’ll be without Quincy Enunwa and potentially Robby Anderson and Isaiah Crowell, who are both dealing with injuries. Because of that, Darnold might be in trouble. Weatherly and the Vikings front haven’t been as good as they were supposed to be this year, but he has generated two sacks in the last four games. He’s got a better chance than most to find a sack this week with Linval Joseph looking unlikely to suit up.

Jaylon Smith (LB – DAL)
With all of the injuries to the Redskins pass-catchers, they’re going to be running the ball quite a bit against the Cowboys, who have played rather well with Sean Lee out. Over the last two weeks, Smith has racked-up 13 solo tackles, 9 assists, 3 tackles for loss and one sack. That’s more IDP points than some big-name linebackers have on the year, yet no one wants to start Smith. He hasn’t totaled less than seven tackles since back in Week 1. The Redskins have allowed the 16th-most fantasy points to linebackers this year, so it’s not a tough matchup. The only thing that could potentially cloud his production is Lee returning, so stay tuned to Lee’s status.

Jamie Collins (LB – CLE)
It’s been no secret that Collins has been underwhelming with the Browns, but with Joe Schobert out for a few weeks, here’s his chance to pop back on the IDP radar. He’s totaled 18 total tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and 2.0 sacks in his last three games, so he’s been playing better. The Bucs have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to linebackers this year. He’s definitely in play for a start this week.

Kareem Jackson (DB – HOU)
It’s unlikely the Texans keep Jackson deep when going against Bortles and his banged-up offensive line. Instead, expect him to come down into the box, helping out in the slot and defending against the run.

Denzel Ward (DB – CLE)
Ward is one of the better starts if you play with CB-only slots, as he’s going to match-up with a combination of Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson. The Bucs are averaging 38.0 pass attempts per game, so there’s going to be plenty of opportunity for Ward. We’ve also seen Jameis Winston make some boneheaded throws at times, and Ward has already generated three interceptions this year.

Sit

Jabaal Sheard (DL – IND)
He’s been playing well, racking up 3.0 sacks over the last five games, but he’s also played some weak competition as of late. Not that the Bills have a great offensive line, but they also don’t have Josh Allen back there taking sacks this week. They’ll have veteran Derek Anderson back there running less than 60 plays. This is a rare game where the Colts are projected to control time of possession, which will limit opportunity for Sheard.

Geno Atkins (DL – CIN)
Look, he’s been dominant through six weeks. No one wants to stand up and say “sit this guy,” but he’s now going against the Chiefs who have allowed an average of just 7.4 fantasy points per week to defensive tackles. Patrick Mahomes has been sacked just six times this year and there was just one game with more than one sack. Atkins isn’t a horrible play, but there’s better starts out there.

Linval Joseph (DL – MIN)
It appears that Joseph may not play this week, but even if he does, the Vikings have said they’ll keep players on a snap count if they see fit. Knowing he missed Wednesday’s practice is worrisome, so even though it’s a good matchup against the Jets, you should sit him this week.

C.J. Mosley (LB – BAL)
We had Mosley as a sit last week and he finished with just four total tackles against the Titans. He’s obviously still a play-maker, but the stats haven’t reflected that this year, as he’s outside the top-50 linebackers in points per game. The Saints also haven’t been very generous to linebackers this year. Let’s wait until he starts producing before trusting him.

Fred Warner (LB – SF)
Warner has really fallen off since Rueben Foster returned from suspension. Over the last two games, he’s totaled just six solo tackles and one assist. While the Cardinals game wasn’t a great matchup for him, the Rams aren’t either, as they’ve allowed bottom-five points to linebackers on the year. It’s clear if there’s a linebacker to own here, it’s Foster.

Eric Kendricks (LB – MIN)
He hasn’t been anything to write home about this year, as there’s been just one game where he’s scored more than 8.5 points. He’s been somewhat matchup-dependent, and the Jets haven’t been kind to linebackers, allowing just the sixth-fewest points to them. The Jets may also decide to rest Isaiah Crowell, which would produce even less tackle opportunities.

Barry Church (DB – JAC)
It’s been a nightmarish season for Church, who’s failed to produce more than five tackles in each of his last five games. He’s also had just one pass deflection and no interceptions the entire season. The Texans have been allowing a lot more points to free safeties than strong safeties, so it may be a week to consider Tashaun Gipson.

Micah Hyde (DB – BUF)
Despite the Bills defense playing well, he’s been an afterthought in IDP formats totaling three or less tackles in 4-of-5 games he’s played. The Colts have been generous to safeties this year, but this gameplan is likely to look a lot different than in weeks past. I’m on the “wait until we see it” train with Hyde.

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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