IDP Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Week 15 - Streamers, Fades, Matchups for Defensive Players

In our IDP rankings article this week, we reminisced about old rotisserie fantasy football leagues. We discussed how fair and balanced those extinct leagues are, truly rewarding the best teams over a given season. You might wonder what brings that up. Perhaps it is the bitter pill that some of us feel when we lead our league in scoring but miss a bye or the playoffs.

Of course, our current fantasy football world's head-to-head (H2H herein) nature is fun. Even in the final weeks, as many as eight or nine teams still have a shot. Each week matters far more in H2H than in rotisserie. For that reason, the industry has embraced H2H and completely thrown out rotisserie, despite there being valid reasons for rotisserie to remain an option.

This season, yours truly has received countless DMs from managers who were near or at the top of their league in scoring, but they missed the tournament. That was the case for me in two leagues. I also missed a first-round bye in four despite being atop the scoring ranks. This is a problem rotisserie fixes, and there seems to be a viable market for a format with that balance.

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Casual IDP Streamers and Fades

Stream: Nakobe Dean, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

Dean is just the 22nd-most-rostered LB in fantasy. Last weekend, with six NFL teams on bye and a dearth of starting fantasy options, Dean was the 17th-most-started LB. Those figures speak to how little IDP managers value Dean, even in a week where they have few better options.

Nakobe Dean just ran through a man pic.twitter.com/UrWpwHBwhs

— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) November 25, 2024

This lack of respect for Dean ignores the fact he has registered double-digit tackles or a sack in each of his past four games. Now, he gets a Pittsburgh Steelers team that is second in the NFL in rush attempts per game. The only team ahead of them? Well, that would be Philadelphia.

The clash of Pennsylvania’s pros should be a run-heavy affair since it involves the two teams that lead the league in rush attempts. Aggravating that issue are injuries to George Pickens and Dallas Goedert. As a result, the game script for this contest should lead to enough opportunities for Dean to be an LB1 option this week.

Stream: Deommodore Lenoir, DB, San Francisco 49ers

Lenoir sees a lot of Cooper Kupp any time the Rams and 49ers play. Better yet, the 49ers are without Malik Mustapha this week. That should mean Lenoir will be asked to do more moving around to cover the Rams’ top options, as Ji’Ayir Brown continues to be a liability in coverage.

The newly paid 49ers cornerback is the 30th-most-rostered DB in fantasy, but he’s a mid-tier DB2 for us this week.

Fade: Robert Spillane, LB, Las Vegas Raiders

The sixth-most rostered LB in fantasy, Spillane is the definition of a “Steady Eddie.” He doesn’t get you sacks, with just one on the season and 7.5 across 82 games. He doesn’t force turnovers, either, with one on the season and six in his career. Spillane doesn’t even get you many PDs, with four on the year and 16 on his resume.

As a result, you are counting on Spillane to get enough tackles to offset his lack of big plays. He did that early in the season, too, averaging double-digit takedowns through five weeks. Unfortunately, he has only two double-digit showings in his past eight contests. Without big plays and with unreliable tackle production, Spillane is over-rostered.

As you enter your playoffs, consider the Raiders' leading tackler has registered five or fewer fantasy points in three of his past five games. He’s maxed out at 10 points in his past six games. Daiyan Henley, E.J. Speed, Ernest Jones IV, Terrel Bernard, and Jamien Sherwood are all more available and better options.

Fade: Devon Witherspoon, DB, Seattle Seahawks

Witherspoon is the 12th-most-rostered DB in fantasy but is 70^th in fantasy points per game. While that production doesn't accurately reflect his talent or where we view him in terms of weekly upside, it indicates how much weight fantasy managers give his 2023 stats versus his 2024 performance.

To make matters worse, Witherspoon faces a Packers offense that averages the second-fewest pass attempts per game. Green Bay is a team that is inconsistent and unpredictable with where its targets will go, but it's typically a safe bet there won't be many of them.

With all of that said, we are fading Witherspoon as a DB1 or DB2 this week. However, he does still have a turnover upside that makes him a DB3. Jordan Love has the ninth-highest turnover-worthy throw rate this season, which gives Witherspoon some hope.

Premium/Deep League Streamers and Fades

Stream: Chidobe Awuzie, DB, Tennessee Titans

Awuzie played a strong 73% of Tennessee's defensive snaps in his first game back from a nine-game absence. That snap rate is consistent with how the Titans have used him in limited opportunities.

Awuzie now faces a Bengals offense that is third in the NFL in pass attempts this season and second over the past three weeks. Since Week 11, only Miami has more pass attempts than Cincinnati … and it has just one more total attempt.

In short, the Bengals are a pass-heavy offense that has kicked up their volume in recent weeks. While plenty of people will have better and safer options than Awuzie, he is available in 99.8% of IDP leagues and has a prime matchup on tap. That makes him a viable streamer in deep leagues.

Stream: Leonard Floyd, DL, San Francisco 49ers

Inexplicably, Leonard Floyd's playing time has not gone up in the absence of Nick Bosa, but his production has. Since Bosa left early with his current injury, Floyd has 4.5 sacks in 14 quarters. That is over half his sack output for the season in less than four games, all without his best teammate there to help.

49ERS LEONARD FLOYD LETTING THE TEAM THAT DRAFTED HIM KNOW 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/n5psFZJg3G

— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) December 8, 2024

The 49ers need Floyd to get after Matthew Stafford this week, as their pass rush is depleted and it looks unlikely that Bosa will return by Thursday. Luckily, the Rams still have the third-worst pass-blocking offense in the NFL and allow pressure off the edge at a top-10 clip.

Fade: Zyon McCollum, DB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It could be tough to bench McCollum, depending on how deep your league is. Given the injuries at the position, he remains a DB3 option in our ranks. His matchup this week is troubling, though.

The Chargers offense averages the third-fewest offensive plays in the NFL. They also average the third-fewest pass attempts. While their passing has been up a bit recently, they still only attempted 30 pass attempts in a game in which they truly struggled to establish the run against Kansas City.

While some of this volume problem could be solved if Ladd McConkey returns, the team still isn't a high-volume air attack with the stud rookie on the field. Worse, Justin Herbert has just 11 turnover-worthy plays on the season and is 10th in turnover-worthy play rate.

Fade: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DL, New York Giants

The 30th-most-rostered DL in fantasy, Thibodeaux has taken a step back from the improvements he made last year. He doesn't rank in the top 100 in pass-rush win rate, pass-rush grade, or pressure rate. Still, he has enough talent that many will play him.

Heck, even we rank him higher than his metrics and performance deserve.

Unfortunately for Thibs, he plays the Ravens this week. Baltimore has the sixth-highest-graded pass-blocking unit in the NFL. Its starting offensive tackles have given up four sacks all season. Worse, Thibodeaux lines up over the left tackle on over 60% of his snaps. Ronnie Stanley is credited with surrendering zero sacks all year.

Defenders Worth Stashing

Dre Greenlaw, San Francisco 49ers

Those in dynasty leagues with long benches, or redraft leagues with a first-round bye in the fantasy playoffs, should strongly consider stashing Greenlaw. He has been a full practice participant and looks primed to return to a lineup that is still trying to make the playoffs.

INT NO. 2 FROM DRE GREENLAW!

📺: #GBvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/yDUx5ZutVa pic.twitter.com/m2bUwvM8TK

— NFL (@NFL) January 21, 2024

It's worth remembering that Greenlaw has been a borderline LB2 throughout his career when healthy. Those with a bye can stash him this week, see how he looks in a nice matchup with the Rams, and start him next week if he looks good and you need him.

Nolan Smith, DL, Philadelphia Eagles

As we enter the fantasy playoffs and bye week needs disappear, the demand for deep league waiver defenders diminishes. Smith is someone who has the potential to help those in deeper redrafts and in dynasty, though.

We have discussed this before, but Smith's snap rate is over 70% since Brandon Graham went down. That increase in production has led to one elite fantasy performance plus two bad ones. However, even in his bad performances, Smith is getting pressure and his metrics are above average.

The Steelers are a low-volume pass offense, but their pass-blockers are weak. He is a viable streamer this week, with higher volume matchups on the horizon.

Talanoa Hufanga, DB, San Francisco 49ers

Our DB Riser of the Week is just the 105th-most-rostered DB in fantasy. That is despite a strong fantasy resume when he is healthy, a good matchup against a Rams team he has produced big plays against before, and a solid snap rate on a defense still trying to contend.

We have Hufanga as a DB2 option this week, yet he’s rostered and started like a DB8. That should change.

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