It was a tough Week 17 but thankfully, there is good news coming out of Cincy with regard to Damar Hamlin and his recovery from that horrific injury he suffered last week. This is just a game we play here in fantasy football, and while we can take this seriously, sometimes it is essential to take a look at the bigger picture (nice cliche, eh?) and realize that is just a pastime. And if you are still playing this game, let’s take a look to see if there are any IDP that can help you in your efforts.

 

 

NFL IDP Report - Week 18

Elevator Going Up

Linebackers

Christian Harris, Houston Texans

Since Week 8, the rookie has been an every down LB for the Texans (aside from Week 12) and is a fine addition to your linebacker roster if you play in a tackle-oriented league. He has a great matchup on tap with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Texans, and should provide more than the four total tackles (three solo) he snagged last week.

 

Darrell Taylor, Seattle Seahawks 

With the rash of injuries plaguing the Seahawk linebacking corps, Taylor has earned a starting slot as an edge rushing LB. He is coming off a 2.5 sack performance in Week 17, where he also contributed a pass deflection/defense (PD) together with a forced fumble (FF). As with Harris above, the second year IDP has a good matchup in store with the Los Angeles Rams coming to town to wrap up the regular season campaign.

 

Tanner Muse, Seattle Seahawks

The aforementioned injury situation in Seattle is also providing the 26-year-old linebacker with a starting role on the inside for the Seahawks. He gets the same fine matchup against the Ram offense as his teammate Taylor, naturally. Starting at inside linebacker, look for his tackle numbers to improve on the three TT (two solo) he snagged on just 18 snaps on defense against the Jets in Week 17.

 

Defensive Linemen

Morgan Fox, DE, Los Angeles Chargers

Fox has been picking up the pace on his sack production of late, with four in the last four contests to his credit. He now gets a great matchup with the team heading to the Mile High City to take on the Broncos who are generous in fantasy numbers for opposing DEs.

 

Sam Williams, DE, Dallas Cowboys 

Williams was previously featured here in Week 8, and to be honest, he has not exactly been a bright light on the IDP front, relegated to a rotational role on the defense. DeMarcus Lawrence is questionable in the matchup against the division rival Washington Commanders to wrap the season, and that could open a spot for Williams to show his skills. This is a situation where another player’s status will determine his value, so keep an eye on the game day injury report.

 

Boye Mafe, DE, Seattle Seahawks 

We are in the midst of a run of players previously profiled in the IDP Report. While Mafe’s production has not been much to write home about in recent history, he may also benefit from a teammate’s inability to suit up for the final regular season game, with Uchenna Nwosu showing up as questionable on the injury report. If he gets a chance to see significant snaps on the defensive side of the ball, the Rams are a tasty matchup in Week 18.

 

Daron Payne, DT, Washington Commanders 

Payne has been featured here twice before, but he has accumulated a stellar set of fantasy numbers for a DT over the past five weeks (four games with a bye week tossed in): five sacks, 15 TT (10 solo). The matchup is spectacular, too, as the Dallas offense is the most generous in the league when it comes to allowing opposing DTs to rack up the fantasy points.

 

Defensive Backs

Kerby Joseph, S, Detroit Lions 

Our final IDP that was previously discussed in these articles, Joseph has been a solid producer of tackles since he stepped up to be a starter when Tracy Walker went down with his injury. He has a great matchup when the Lions head to Green Bay to attempt to pull out a victory for a chance at postseason action.

 

Jordan Whitehead, S, New York Jets

Whitehead’s status is not secure as a starter in Week 18, as he deals with a hamstring issue that is limiting his practice time. If he can give it a go, he has a fine matchup on the slate with the Dolphins being the fifth best team for opposing safeties to rack up the fantasy production this season. His first time facing Miami resulted in a seven TT effort (six solo).

 

Trent McDuffie, CB, Las Vegas Raiders

The rookie has been stepping up his production over the past couple of weeks, collecting a season high seven TT (four solo) against the visiting Denver Bronco offense in Week 17. He also forced a fumble on his first NFL sack when he got to Russell Wilson on a blitz. Should he be matched against Davante Adams in Week 18, he will likely have plenty of opportunities to wrap up tackles.

 

Escalator Going Down

Linebackers

Josh Uche, New England Patriots

Uche has been extraordinarily pedestrian in his tackle production recently, with just three TT over his last three contests (two solo). There have been big plays to his credit, admittedly, with a sack and half and a FF collected over the past three games played. It is difficult to start a LB that has trouble putting up tackle numbers, though.

 

Defensive Linemen

Vita Vea, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Via is again questionable on the injury report, and is also coming off a zero-tackle effort in Week 17. Atlanta is a middle of the pack offense in terms of allowing DT points, so that is not in his favor as far as returning to fantasy relevance. Note: He has been ruled out for Week 18, he is in the Injury Report below as a result.

 

Defensive Backs

Eli Apple, CB, Cincinnati Bengals

Apple was shut out on the tackle front in Week 16, and then was not going to play in Week 17 due to injury. He is listed as questionable with a neck issue and has only seen limited practice, so this is perhaps a good time to seek out a different option at CB for your team.

 

Matchups to Exploit

Remember, the first team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 from the Chiefs @ Raiders contest, but certainly if you need a DT in your lineup, you could wait for the final game between the host Packers and visiting Lions to find an option that you can plug in this week, for example, or any DB on the 49ers has a chance to make a positive impact this week.

 

Inside Linebackers

  • Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
  • Las Vegas Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs
  • Washington Commanders vs Dallas Cowboys
  • New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers
  • Kansas City Chiefs @ Las Vegas Raiders
  • Seattle Seahawks vs Los Angeles Rams

Outside Linebackers

  • Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens
  • Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints
  • Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots
  • Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants

Defensive Ends

  • New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
  • Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
  • Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers

Defensive Tackles 

  • Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Commanders
  • Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions
  • New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
  • Washington Commanders vs Dallas Cowboys
  • Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
  • Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

Safeties

  • Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals
  • Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Commanders
  • Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
  • Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
  • Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets 

Cornerbacks

  • Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
  • Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots
  • Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
  • Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers
  • Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
  • Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants


Waiver Wire Targets

This section is intended to serve as a shortened cheat sheet listing those waiver wire targets you should be considering if you need to plug a hole in your starting lineup. All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. This group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.

 

Linebackers

Defensive Linemen

Defensive Backs

 

Ouch (My Aching Roster)

All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff.  Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.

Linebackers

 

Defensive Linemen - DE

 

Defensive Linemen - DT

 

Defensive Backs - S

 

Defensive Backs - CB

As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy match ups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, you can also send a message to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a personal response from the writer of this article. Naturally, the more detail you can send about your league, such as number of teams, platform you play in (Yahoo, ESPN, etc.), scoring and roster system, the better the ability to provide accurate advice.

 

 

 


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