We have reached the midway point of the IDP fantasy football season. It’s time to look forward to that push to make the playoffs, or if things have gone awry, the chance to play spoiler down the stretch. Either way, weekly lineup decisions are getting more and more difficult.
There were a few moves that altered the IDP landscape a bit this week. The trades involving cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey to the Rams and Marcus Peters to the Ravens have the most importance in leagues that require the cornerback position. Neither were desired starting options in leagues that lump safeties and cornerbacks together. There were three injuries of note as defensive ends Akiem Hicks (elbow) and Stephon Tuitt (pectoral), as well as safety John Johnson (shoulder), were placed on IR. All three were potential weekly starters in standard leagues.
Keep in mind that Carolina, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay are on their bye weeks.
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Start
Josh Allen (DL – JAX)
The rookie defensive end continues to roll along. He had another sack last week. He now has four in the past four games. Through the first six weeks, he has put up 20 total tackles and has been credited with nine quarterback hits. The matchup against the Bengals’ offense this week is a positive one. In the last three weeks, they are allowing three sacks per game. On the season, the defensive line position has been credited with 13.5 sacks against Cincinnati.
Nick Bosa (DL – SF)
Things have started a bit slowly for Bosa in his rookie campaign. Likely due to the ankle injury that cost him most of training camp and the preseason. Things do seem to be trending in the right direction as he’s seen a steady increase in playing time. Last week he played a season-high 44 snaps and his production has picked up. In the past two games, he has five total tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovered fumble. He has a solid Week 7 matchup. In the last three weeks, the Redskins offense is allowing an average of three sacks per game.
K.J. Wright (LB – SEA)
The veteran linebacker has been on a roll lately. In the past two games, he has put up 16 total tackles and has an interception. On the season he has quietly been putting up solid LB2 totals. The matchup this week is a juicy one against the Ravens offense. Over their last three games, they are allowing an average of 28 total tackles to opposing linebackers. They have also given up six big plays to the position over that time. This is a good week to roll with both Bobby Wagner and Wright.
Rashaan Evans (LB – TEN)
Evans has been one of the hottest linebackers in the league lately. He has put up double-digit tackles twice in the last three games. In those games, he has put up 28 totals and has half a sack. There is a good reason to believe that the hot streak will continue. Fellow linebacker Jayon Brown was forced from Week 6 due to a groin injury. It’s likely that he will be unable to go this week, further boosting Evans’s value.
Jamal Adams (DB – NYJ)
It has been a slow start to the season for Adams, as he currently sits outside the top-30 defensive backs in balanced scoring formats. He does have 29 total tackles, four passes defended, and an interception return for a touchdown. He has a nice matchup to jump-start his season. In the last three games, the Patriots’ offense is allowing an average of 28 total tackles per game to the DB position. The interception returned for a touchdown he has came against the Patriots in the Week 3 matchup between the teams.
Eric Weddle (DB – LAR)
The veteran has had a career resurgence and is once again an IDP force. Through the first six games, he is putting up top-12 defensive backs totals in most balanced scoring formats. He is doing it by rolling up huge tackle totals and now has 51 total on the season. Teammate John Johnson has been placed on IR due to a shoulder injury and that boosts Weddle’s value even more. The Falcons offense has been the most generous in allowing production to defensive backs through six weeks.
Sit
Dee Ford (DL – SF)
Ford is coming off on his best performances of the season. Last week, he put up four total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. That is the good news. The bad news is that once again he played a limited amount of snaps. He has not played more than 25 in four straight games. It’s just too risky to rely on a player that is dealing with a knee injury that may require offseason surgery on a weekly basis. The Redskins’ offense has been rough on the defensive line position to date. In the first six games, they have given up just seven sacks to the position.
Fletcher Cox (DL – PHI)
Cox continues to be the odd man out as far as sacks are concerned along the Eagles’ defensive line. He now has zero in the first six games of the season. Even more concerning, he has been credited with just three quarterback hits in the first six weeks. The interior pressure he has shown in the past has simply not been there. This is shaping up to be a lost season for him from a fantasy perspective. The Sunday night matchup with Dallas is not a favorable one. In their first six games, the Cowboys’ offense has allowed just two sacks to the defensive line position.
Quincy Williams (LB – JAX)
This will be the short and sweet special of the week. After struggling mightily in Week 5 trying to corral Christian McCaffrey, the rookie was benched last week. He was replaced at weak-side linebacker by veteran Najee Goode. For the first time this season he did not play a single defensive snap. Don’t drop him yet, as he may get another shot later in the season, but definitely get him out of starting lineups.
Jarrad Davis (LB – DET)
In his third game back since returning from injury, it was another less than impressive performance from Davis on Monday night. He finished with seven total tackles and now has just 16 on the season. He has also been lacking as a big-play producer with one fumble recovery to his credit. The Vikings’ offense has not been a very good matchup for opposing linebackers. Through the first six weeks, they are allowing an average of just 18 total tackles per game to the position. Davis belongs on the bench this week.
Kenny Vaccaro (DB – TEN)
Vaccaro continues to be a huge underachiever from a fantasy production standpoint. Through the first six games, he has managed just 33 total tackles and has zero big plays. Despite being a three-down safety he has yet to top seven total tackles in a game. He may be hampered by a quadriceps injury that has him practicing on a limited basis. Regardless, he can safely be sat or even dropped if roster space is needed.
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Walton Spurlin is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Walton, check out his archive and follow him @waltonspurlin.
