IDP Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 6

Before we get to our rankings, let's consider several major occurrences in the IDP world this week. Chief amongst those occurrences is the continued wave of new/persistent injuries impacting major fantasy defenders like Nick Bosa, Marcus Williams, Shaquille Leonard, Mykal Walker, Jordan Poyer, Kwity Paye, and Emmanuel Moseley. Currently, Moseley and Williams are out, while we project Leonard and Paye to miss time too. We will do the opposite with Bosa and Poyer, projecting them as starters until they aren’t.

Aside from injuries, there were two noteworthy IDP developments this week. First was the re-appearance of mega-athlete Isaiah Simmons, who has played over 80% of Arizona’s defensive snaps in two straight weeks. His talent will always tantalize, and he delivered with double-digit tackles against Philly. However, we cannot trust Simmons to be a consistent LB3 or even stay on the field anymore… but we also can’t take him out of our top-50 linebackers whenever he’s seeing this snap rate.

The final development is the trade of Deion Jones to the Browns. This move solidifies Mykal Walker as a locked-in LB2 for the rest of the season. The impact of Jones on Cleveland could also be interesting, though. Jones should play next to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, once healthy. Jones and JOK have similar skill sets, have disappointed recently, and could cannibalize each other's stats, but it's hard not to be intrigued by a former LB1 (Jones) who’s available in almost every IDP league…. With that, let’s get to it!

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• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Gamble(s) of the Week: Drake Jackson & Charles Omenihu, San Francisco 49ers

Jackson was a deep streamer for us last week, as we assumed he could clean up on junk time against a Panthers passing attack giving up plenty of pressure. That long shot worked out. This week we are doubling down on Jackson, particularly if Nick Bosa and others remain out for the 49ers this weekend.

If you watched the closing minutes of last week's game, you saw that multiple starters along the 49ers' defensive line were out. You also saw that didn't matter, as Jackson and others (Charles Omenihu in particular) continued to wreak havoc on the Panthers' passing attack. We are betting the Falcons struggle to establish the run against a strong San Francisco front and have to throw this week. That means Jackson and Omenihu are both viable gambles if Bosa and others are out.

DL Fold(s) of the Week: Patriots Pass Rushers

Most cannot afford to bench Matthew Judon, and a decent number of you are in the same spot with Deatrich Wise Jr. They have a troubling matchup this week that forces them down our boards a bit further than usual, though. The Cleveland Browns are a rare unit that grades elite in nearly every pass-blocking metric and on every site this year, and it’s just too tough to trust sack artists not named Bosa or Parsons against them.

The Browns have allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL this year, have the fourth-best Adjusted Sack Rate, grade second-best in pass blocking, according to PFF, and their entire offensive line (including backups) has allowed just 32 pressures across five games. Factor in just how run-heavy the Browns and Patriots offenses are, and this matchup spells dismal sack production for New England pass rushers.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Gamble(s) of the Week: Ja’Whaun Bentley as an LB2

Bentley is 60^th in the NFL in tackles this year, and his big plays are nil. However, his usage rate in competitive games is great (over 90%), and he pulls a strong matchup against a Browns team that runs the ball 52% of the time and sends 62% of its throws shorter than 10-yards out under Jacoby Brissett. That means 82% of the Browns' plays run through Bentley's territory. That's an elite opportunity share.

LB Fold(s) of the Week: Devin Bush, Pittsburgh Steelers

We are fading most of the Steelers’ linebackers a bit this week. The Buccaneers are the second most pass-oriented offense in the NFL. Against a Falcons team determined to run the ball and control the clock last week, Tampa went even more pass-happy and threw the ball a whopping 78% of the time. Now that Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are healthy, this offense again runs through Tom Brady's arm.

As the Steelers regularly vomit on themselves in pass defense without T.J. Watt, this game could get out of hand quickly. While that could mean the Bucs run more than usual, Myles Jack is Pittsburgh's primary run-stopper. Even if the game gets away from Pittsburgh and Tampa decides to run, the Steelers could also substitute Bush out like they did last week. Consider this Wolverine a tackle-dependent option with huge bust potential.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Gamble(s) of the Week: Cameron Dantzler, Minnesota Vikings

Despite fielding their third-string quarterback for nearly the entire game last week, the Dolphins threw the ball nearly 60% of the time against the Jets. The reason for that was their defense struggled to stop a once-defunct New York offense, likely due in part to the Miami offense struggling with poor QB play.

There is a decent chance the Dolphins still have to go with Skylar Thompson at QB this week, and the Vikings' offense is leagues better than the Jets unit that trampled this defense last week. Dantzler has put up five or more solo tackles in four games this year and could draw multiple turnover opportunities against Thompson as the Dolphins try to mount a comeback. Dantzler is a fine DB2 stream against the Dolphins, though the risk Miami avoids him altogether is there.

DB Fold(s) of the Week: Denzel Ward & All Other Cleveland DBs Not Named Delpit

As you can see, this matchup between New England and Cleveland plays a very predictable and impactful role in this week's IDP rankings. With four teams on bye, this matchup between the fifth most run-oriented offense in the NFL (Cleveland) and the seventh (New England) factors heavily into our IDP game plan. Namely, we are fading almost anyone associated with pass defense and elevating those important to both the run and intermediate passing game.

In two full games of play for Bailey Zappe (who has played eight full quarters, including overtime), the rookie has attempted just 36 passes and is careful when he does so. His top receiver is in the slot, and his next best option is a mercurial wideout who is very inconsistent. There is not much to love about this matchup for Browns defenders who play outside and deep.

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